Year: 1878

his mother used to co, oh so long ago, and
have been thinking ebout him ever since!'


The old man did not know whether his
boy was alive or not; he had indirectly heard
of him being alive when he was five years
old, but never since. He was careful to
ascertain the boys rights in his fathers
estate which was very consi derabie, aud
while he seemed 70 dread the result OF
him or his descendants laying claim to
chifds part, lie nevertheless refused to make
a will cutting off the inheritance. Not long
after the old man died. and the secret was
barred in his coffin with him save so much
as he had confided to me. / was counsel
for his administrator in the settlement of his
estate. filed the petition to partition his
lands, and no one save myself ever dreamed


that there was possibility that another heir


was living away of in North Carolina


There is no class of cases which brings


more vexation to the lawyer in general prac-


tlce ordinarily than an lncubatiDg divorce


case. In large majority of divorce cases


there is sudden flare up, separation and


divorce; but occasionally, where there is


property to be disposed or and young child


rem to look after, long time is required for
the egg to hatch into an open and public
separation. During that time each of the


parties will sometimes strive to the very


utmost to put the other in an attitude


which will appear wrong one to the
public. The husband wishes to retain as


much of his property as possible, and the
wife is striving for the largest possible share.


The law wisely closes the mouth of both as


witnesses, and the merest scraps and shreds
of evidence are all that either can hope to
rely on. Both parties take counsel and both


see the difficulty and hence the ingenuity


of both will be put TO the utmost stretch to


have the world believe that the fault is with


the opposite side. In the presence of strang-
ers how loving, how kind, how considerate
each will he tO the other Eaughi


Sometimes, however, it happens that one


of the parties will be mainly to blame.


Oftener this is SO than otherwise. In such


case the warfare on the one side will be


offensive, while on the other it will be
defensive. Then il is that the lawyer $
advice is of greatest use to him or her who


defends Then il is that cool hand and a


cooler head becomes of the greatest impor-


tance. l remember a case in point. 1t
occurred many, many years ago.


hush ana OF large means de-


termined for some cause or other on


having a divorce from his wife. He was a
farmer. She was his first wife and by the
Joint industry OF the two a handsome for
| tune had been accumulated. A house full
| of children born at regular intervals during
a period of sixteen years filled the house
| Tne wife loved her husband and children, and


was as devoted 10 husband and children as
| wife could be. At least such was the testi-


mony of those Of the neighbors who were In


position TO know. No sooner had the man


determined on a divorce. than he began a
| system of aggravating prosecutions that was
| diabolIcal enough to have driven a saint into
| perpetual fury. In the presence Of


strangers he was all smiles, but. t.alone with
| her and he was fend. Nor did he conceal
! from her his motive. But who would have
! believed her story Surely no judge, for


had she abandoned him and published his


infamy to the world, the story of it would


never have reached the judicial ear. 1t
| would have been '-hearsay." She came


to me. / saw at once that we had a
| tiger and a fox to fight. Skill, caution
forbearance, prudence, sense, everything


was necessary to carry on the unequal COM
| bat successfully. There was too handsome a
property to divide, and the mothers love
| for her children was toe strong for the battle
| to go without bitter contest. Say nothing
| to aggravate, do nothing to exasperate but


stick to your position IN that household" 1"


was tue advice given She acted upon ii.
! She discharged faithfully all her duties of


wife and mother. She endured all his taunts


and jeers. She held the citadel, until, at the
| end of two years, the man became fairly
| furious, and determined on a last and most
| desperate charge. He hired for the purpose
| q characterless vagabOnd as a farm hand and


promised the wretch fifty dollars if at given


time he would creep or force his way into


the wife's bed. Fifty dollars was a large
sum, and the brute agreed TO il at once.
| The wife got an inkling of what was going


on, and her wrath for once got the better


of her, and she charged her husband


with his intended crime l think it likely
! that she uncapped the volcano of her fury


at that particular time, and no doubt she


said many things not calculated to soothe
| the spirit OF bad husband. At any rate he
| lost his head, and in his endeavor TO add to
her wretchedness confessed to enough by
way of taunt TO verify the truth of her for


mer suspicious. At once she posted off to
consult her lawyer what shall / do?'


she asked. "Shall ] abandon children and


all after these years of suffering and mis-
ery?' 1.


MOI said; never. Go and get you a
| pistol, carry il on your person in the day.
| time, and take it in the bed with you at
night, and il that hired rufian offers you
| an insult shoot him down.


Perhaps the advice was dangerous. If


bad il to do over again, would most likely
| not give it that way. But instead OF harm
! good came of it. She procured the arm
| the hired man found it out, and instead of
being party TO the ruin of a woman who
had never harmed him, he turned against a


mac who had cheated him out of part of
| his wages for work honestly done. and told


the story OF that mans infamy. The battle
was won, and the wife now abandoned her
defensive position, brought her suit for d.


vorce, and had her own way. She kept the
farm and the children. and he became


vagabond and wanderer.


i see almost every day on our streets
little boy whose publicly known history goes


back to a misty morningin November agood


many years ago. On that morning fellow


townsman on opening his front door found
| bundle of rags on his door step, and on


unrolling them a newborn infant was found


with one little fist cranlmed into its mouth
He was a toundling and after much
inquiry and more guessing had been
wasted in the vain effort to trace


out his parentage. the child was turned


over to the largest hearted and poorest family
in the town to be charitably brought up; and


now he may daily be seen bounding through
| our streets in all the joyousness of childhood.


not knowing or caring to know, aught of


father and mother who so cruelty turned


him out to the cold charities of the world in


that misty November morning good many


years ago. On the same street was, up to


within year or so back, to be seen an aged
gray haired man, most venerable and wise