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About The Basin Progress (Basin, Mont.) 1896-1904 | View This Issue
The Basin Progress (Basin, Mont.), 17 July 1897, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn84036041/1897-07-17/ed-1/seq-3/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
o I a. d Le 1 - Is a- 11 - r, le le IC s, le le er ly n- re IC lit en a er to ne ru le - Lk, Lre 'er of ml ot riot in- all- in- Ich one oat ter ong ub- It ,n1 - OW 18(1 en. Int- det Yet is use ion do ere ted his igh its te\ nid 'Ily nto ted In hae ell - ley idy .ter of lat - lhe her ou >et - one art- in- sgo 'ice to wn hat uld ing hat her Ion end ; in ng, ho- >to - of tel- ttly up ina- hat rry but le's fin IL - the - Per • • T HE Judge had dined and was en- joying au after -dinner cigar be- fore turning to a pile of papers that lay on the table at his elbow. Yet even as he watched the dickering fire and puffed dreamily at his cigar, luxu- riating in a little relaxation after hard day's work in a close and crowded court, his mind was busy formulating the sentences In which he intended to sum up a (sae that had been tried that day. There could be no doubt as to the guilt of theerlsoner, who had been ac- cused of a moat Impudent fraud, and though It was a Drat offense the Judge Intended to pass the severest sentence which the law allowed. The Judge was no believer in short sentences. lie regarded leniency to a criminal as an offense against society— a direct encouragement to thotee who hesitated on the brink of vicious eourses and were only restrained by fear of punishment. The well-meaning people who got up petitions to mitigate the sentence upon a justly convicted thief or murderer were, In his eyes, guilty of mawkinsh sentimentality. There was no trace of weakness or effeminacy in his own face, with its grizzled eye- brows, somewhat cold gray eyes, thin lips and massive chin. He was a just man, just to the splitting of a hair, but austere and unemotional. He had conducted the trial with the most scrupulous impartiality, but now that a verdict -of guilty was a foregone conclusion he determined to make an example of one who had so shamefully abused the confidence placed in him. Stated briefly, the situation Was a* follows:'' The prisoner, Arthur Max- well, was cashier to a firm of solicitors. Lightbody & Dutton. The only sur- viving partner of tire original finn, Mr. Lightbody, had recently ilitsi, leaving the business to his nephew. Thomas Faulkner. Faulkner accused Arthur Maxwell of having embezzled a sum of $1,250. Maxwell admitted of having taken the money, but positively assert l evi that it had been presented to him as a free gift by Mr:M.,ightbody. Un- fortunately for the pritinner, the letter which he had stated had accompanied the check could not be produced. and Faulkner, supported by the evidence of several well-known experta, declar- ed the signature on the check to be a forgery. When the check -book was ex- amined the counterfoil was discovered to be blank. The prisoner lingerie(' that Mr. Lightbody had himself taken out a blank check and had tilled it ami signed it at his private residenee. Ile could, however, produce no proof of this assertion, and all the evidence available Was opposed to Ills unsup- ported Statement. \Arthur Maxwell,\ soliloquized the Judge, \you hue been convicted evidence that leaver; no shadow doubt of your guilt of a crime wide I must characterize as one of the basest—\ The chattering of voices in the hall brought the soliloquy to an abrupt con- clusion. The Judge required absolute silence and solitude when he was en- gaged in study, and the servants, who stood in constant awe of him, were ex- tremely careful to prevent the least disturbance taking place within ear- shot of his nanctum. Ile jerked the bell impatiently. Intending to give a good wigging to those responsible for the disturbance. But the door was thrown open by Ida daughter Mabel, a pretty girl of 12. who was evidently in a state of breath wefts excitement. .. \Oh papa!\ she exclaimed, \here's such a queer little object that wants to see you. Please let her come in.\ , Before the Judge could remonstrate a little child, a rosy -faced girl or be tween 5 and 6, In a red hood and cloak, hugging a black puppy uuder one arm fled a brown paper pnreel under the other, trotted briskly into the room. The Judge rose to his feet with an expression which caused his daughter to vanish with remarkable celerity. The door closed with n bang, lie could \ hear her feet scudding rapidly up «stirs, and he found ht 'Itself alone with the small creature before him. \What on (earth are you doing here, child?\ he asked, Irritably. \What can you possibly want with me?\ She re- mained aile -nt, «taring at him with round, frightened eyes. \Come. come. Cell you find your tongue, little girl?\ hkkaked more gently. \What Is it you want with me?\ \If you please,\ she said timidly. \I've brought you Tommy.\ Tommy was clearly the fat puppy. for ab eh* bent her face toward him he wagged his tall and promptly licked the end of her nose. . *Von» here,\ he said, sitting down. \and tell MP nil about it.\ , Bile advanced fearlessly toward balm, se animals and children did in his un- official moods_ \This is Tommy. I supposer he said, taking the puppy on his knee, where it expressed its delight by ec- static contortions of the body, and ap- peared to consider his watch chain a fascinating artkie of diet. \I've broughted you other things as well,\ she said, opening the brown pa- per parry -I, and revealing a doll with a very beautiful complexion, large blue eyes, and hair of the purest gold, a diminutive Noah's ark, a white pig, a woolly sheep, a rase of crayons, a penholder, a broken -bladed knife, a small paint box, a picture book or two, and what bore some faint resemblance to a number of water color sketches. She seemed particularly proud of the last uamed. \I painted them all by myself,\ she exclaimed. The Judge thought it not unlikely, as he glanced with twinkling eyes at the highly unconventional forms and dar- ing colors of these strikingly original works of art. - Well.\ he said. \111W - f — evy kind you to bring me all Huse petty things, but why do you want la give them to mer \I I don't want to give them t9 you.\ he faltered. floor and was replaced on the Judge's eyes suddenly dashed and be examined knee by his little mistress. It with breathless interest. - This Is very like condoning .a clam- \Well blessed!\ he exclaimed ex - inal offense,\ thought the Judge to citedly. himself with a grim smile, as he wiped It was the tears from the poor little creature's but the face and tried to interest her in the tional, contents of the brown paper parcel. \Here's the very letter Maxwell de. But the thoughts the tears had aroused dared he had received from Lightbody did not vanish with them. Arthur along with the cheek. His reference . Maxwell was no longer a kind of int- to It, as he couldn't produce it, did him personal representative of the criminal more harm than good; but I believe It's classee, to be dealt with as severely as genuine, upon my word, I do. Listen; the law allowed In the interests of se- It's dated from the H a w es , ughthodriy elety in general. He was the father of private address: this soft, plump, rosy-cheeked, blue- \My Dear Maxwell—I have just eyed, golden -haired little maid, who heard from the doctor that my time would inevitably have to share, now or here will be very short, and I am try - in the future, the father's humiliation ing to arrange my affairs as quickly and disgrace. For the first time, per- as possible. I have long recognized the traps, the Judge felt a pang of pity for unostentatious but thorough and en - the wretched man who at that moment tirely satisfactory manner in which was probably pacing his cell in agon- izing apprehension of the inevitable verdict. A vivid picture started up be- fore him of the prisoner's white face, twitching lips and tragic eyes. He re- membered his own emotion when he first sentenced a fellow creature to penal servitude. Had he grown callous since then? Did he take sufficiently into at -count the frailty of human nature, the brevity of life, the far-reaching con- sequences that the fate of the most in- significant unit of humanity must en- tail? At this moment the door opened, and his wife, a slender, graceful woman, considerably younger than himself, with a refined, delicate face, came quietly In. \Ah.\ exclaimed the Judge with a sudden inspiration, \I believe you are at the bottom of all this. Agnes. What is this child doing here?\ \You are not vexed, Matthew?\ she asked, half timidly. - urriirdly that,\ he answeed slowly, \but what good can it Aio? It is lupos- sible to explain the situation tea this poor little mite. It was cruel to let her come on such an errand. How did she get here?\ \IF YOU PLEASE.\ SIIE SAID TIMIDLY. \I'VE BROUGnr YOU TOMMY.\ The Judge regarded her with frletedly eyes. He was so used to beating ro- mantic deviations fem. the truth from the Spa of imaginative wit nesses that franker« was at zit tomes delightful to him. \Come.\ said he, wit h a quiet laugh. \that's honest, at least Well, why do you give them to mc of on /knit want tor give them to von. and T ttttt my. l00 .. -allbe Wen'. wen• neeliellialleled a very wistful glance at the rat puppy \if if you'll tenants. not to send poor papa to prison - A allence, tow+ as precedes some aw fill cimvulsion of nature, pervaded the room for /several seeivoils after this .iii clarions proposal E ell TIMM' T. a' though cowering before the outraged majesty of the his. buried ht.' head be t weep the Judge'« coat and %cat, and la y mot ierdeea eseetit for sprirlisliatory wag of his tail \What la your name, ctiikr.\ asked the Judge. grimly. - Dorothy Maxwell... Iralleeed the lit tie girl, timidly, awed by the eniklen silence and the perhaps nniyinsriously ‚tern expreouvion upon his lorybilop'y face. \Dorothy Marseill.\ said the mire. se,erely, an though the little figure ti- foto' him were 'dandling in the prison er'y dock awaiting sentence. ' you have been convicted of the almost unparal Ivied crime of attempting to cornipt of her klajesty•it perigee. t,. per 'made him, by means of bribery, to de feat the ends of justice I «hall not forther enlarge upon the enormity of join crime Have inn anything to ...ay why arntenee 'should not he no. no. don't cry! Poor little things, I didn't mean to frighten you I'm not the least hit angry with yon really and truly Come and alt on my knee and show use all theme pretty thing* ‚let down. You little beast\ This hurt word.; were nadreatmed to Tommy, who fell wit) a Sav ein the \It was her own idea. ntirely her own Idea. but her mother brought her end asked to see me. The poor woman was distracted and nearly frantic wit and deeirair. and ready to clutch a straw. She was so dreadfully I grief any ser - able, poor thing, and I thought it was such a pretty idea, I—I couldn't refuse her. Matthew.' - But, my denr,\ expoodulated the yed.re, \you must have known that It could .10 no good.\ ••I I knew what the verdict would be,\ alle4Werell lui» win.. \I read a re- port of the trial In tin evening paper. But then there was the sentence, you know and and I thought the poor child might soften you a little, Mat - thee The Judge's hand strayed mechan- ically among the toys, and to Interest the child he began to examine one of the most vivid of her pictorial efforts. - Yon think t am Very hard and un- just. Agnes\ he asked. \No no, no,\ site answered hurried- ly. \Not tinjuet. never unjust. There is not a more impartial judge on She bench the whole world gays It. But don't you think, dear, that justice with- out -without mercy, is always a little Irani? Don't, don't be angry. Mhtthew: I never spoke to you like this before. I • ..tildn't now, hut for the poor woman on the nee room and the Innocent little thing at Your knees.\ The Judge made no reply. Ile bent • m', ru' closely over the scarlet ani- mal straying amid emerald fields and bernt umber trees, of a singularly orig - inal shape. • ' \That's a cow,\ said Dorothy proud- ly \Don't you see its horns? And that's its tall—It isn't a tree. There's mst en the other side. I can draw cats betti r than eons\ In her anxiety to exhibit her artistic abilities in their higher manifeatntione. *he beak the paper out of his hands and presented the opposite able At first lie glaneed at It lititlessif, »d ‚I le a 1,1, 1 not a very judicial utterance, circumstances were excep- you have discharged your duties, and as some little and perhaps too tardy recognition of your long and faithful services, and as a token of my personal esteem for you, I hope you will accept the inclosed check for £250. With best wishes for your future, believe me, yours sincerely, \THOMAS LIGIITBODY. \What do you think of it? I'll send it round to Maxwell's solicitor at once.\ \Oh Matthew, then the poor fellow's innocent, after all?\ \It looks like it. It the letter is gene - ‚ne he certainly is. There, don't look miserable again. I'm sure it is. If it had been a forgery you may be sure it would have been ready for production at a moment's notice. Where did you get this letter, little girl?\ Dorothy blushed guiltily and hung her head. \I took It out of pa's desk—I wanted some paper to draw on, and I took it without asking. You won't tell him, will you? He'll be ever so cross.\ \Well we may perhaps have to let him know about it, my dear, but Lelon't think he'll be a bit cross. Now, this lady will take you to your mother, and you can tell her that papa won't go to prison, and that he'll be home to -mor- row night.\ \May I—may I say good -by to Tom- my, please?\ she faltered. \You sweet little thing!\ exclaimed his wife, kissing her impulsively. \Tommy's going with you,\ said the Judge, laughing kindly. \I wouldn't deprive you of Tommy's company for Tommy's weight in gold. I fancy there are -limits to the pleasure which Tom- my and I would derive from each oth- ers society. There, run away, and take Tommy with you.\ Dorothy eagerly pursued the fat pup- py, captured him after an exciting chase and took him in her arms. Then she walked toward the door, but the corner of her eye rested wistfully on he contents of the brown paper parcel. The Judge hastily gathered the toys, rolled them in the paper and present- ed them to her. But Dorothy looked disappointed. The thought of giving them to purchase her father's pardon had been sweet as well as bitter. She was willing to compromise in order to escape the pang that the loss of Tom- my and the doll and the paint box and other priceless treasures would have inilleted, but she still wished—poor lit- tle epitome of our complex human na- ture—to taste the joy of heroic self Site- rifice. Besides, she was afraid that the Judge might after all refuse to par- don her father if she took away all the gifts with which she had attempted to propitiate him. She put the parcel on the chair and opened it out. Holding the wriggling puppy in her arms, she gazed at her treasures, trying to make up her mind which she could part with that would be sufficiently valuable in the Judge's eye* to accomplish her purpose. Final- ly ‚he selected the sheep and presented the luxuriantly woolly, ahnont exas- pertitingly meek -looking animal, to the Judge. \You may have that and the pretty picture for being kind to papa,\ she said, with the air of one who confers Inestimable favors. He was about tó decline the honor, but, catching his wife's eyes, he meek- ly accepted it, and Dorothy and the puppy and the brown paper parcel die - appeared through the door. \Well well.\ said the Judge with a queer smile as he placed the fluffy white sheep on the mantelpiece, \I never thought I should be guilty of ac- cepting a bribe, but we never know what we may come to.\ The next day Maxwell was acquitted and snowed by„ the Judge that he left the court without a Main upon his char- acter. The following Christmas Doro- thy received a brown parcel containing toys of the most wonderful description - from an unknown friend, and it was as- serted toy his intimate* that ever after- ward the Judge's sentence, seldom erred on the'side of severity, and that he wan disposed, whenever meltable, to Ellie the pi -limner the benefit of the doubt. Strand Magazine. A simple Card Trick. Take at' onlinary visiting card. One that is ratber stiff is lost for the pur - polie. Bend tbe ends se that you can stand it on a table. Then ask rout friends to blow It over. They will find it almost impossible toilette they k now the trick. It conalete in blowing ‚t ong> ly, but not too violently, on the fable about an inch from either end of the tank SHE STROVE TO 'PLEASE. tier Inconsistent Husband Refused to Be êutlittled. \What's this?\ he exclaimed, as he scanned the bill. \Who ordered all . these dry goods and notions?\ \I did, dear,\ his wife replied, eHadn't you clothes enough?\ \'Certainly not. You had asked me to - it() driving with you this afternoon, and I did not desire to be a sight.\ It was all said without any great as- perity, but with that unhesitating frankness which shows that the honey- n;Mon had been over for many years. \Well he commenced, - it seems to me that the women of the present day exert themselves with more, Industry than sense in their efforts td le beauti- ful. As they get themselves up now they are simply outlandish.\ \Is that intended as a personal re- mark?\ \Not at all. You are only one of the many. You are not to be expected to step forth and defy these absurd fash- ions, praiseworthy as such a course would be. You are not the stuff of which martyrs are made. I don't blame you for yielding to the inevitable. I yield myself, but I cannot help sighing for the sweet simplicity/tot days gone \Perhaps I do not (teem as attractive to you now, because I have grown older.\ \It isn't that,\ he protested. \You are more sensible and companionable than ever. But I say, without desiring to hurt your feelings, that you don't dress with the taste that you showed twenty years ago, when we were mar- ried.\ \I—I do my best.\ \Of course you do. As I said before, you Can't help IL\ \But I am anxious to please you.\ \Well you can please me by being ready early. If we can eyold being late, not usual, I'll not have a word to say. We're always late wherever we go, and I won't have a word to say about how you're dressed, provided only that It's done in a hurry.\ That afternoon he sat down in the library to wait until hi » wife had com- pleted her attire. He lifted his gaze from the paper in response to her In- quiry, \How do I look, dear?\ lie sprung to his feet and vainly struggled for words. Site wore a very small hat, a large chignon and strange- ly proportioned masses of millinery for whieh his vocabulary could and no polite phrase. A diminutive parasol • completed the absurdity. \Arabella he exclaimed, in a dazed manner, \we're just going driving, you know! It isn't any masquerade \ \Don't you like it?\ she queried in a tone of astonishment. \Like it!\ ' \I expected you to say I was pretty,\ she pouted. \Arabella I'm fond of you, but I can't Ile. You aren't any prettier than a cross-eyed pelican. Whatever pos- sessed you to do anything like that?\ \It was simply to please you, dear.\ \To. please me!\ \Yes. It's the way I dressed twenty years ago, when we were married.\— Philadelphia Item. Let the Little Ones Sleep. \God trivet,' His beloved sleep,\ and little children should have plenty of it. It is the tendency of the times to dis- regard this necessity; hence the In- crease of nervous disease among our young men and wotnen. Sleep means growth with young people, and.unleas there is' much sleep there will be no healthy growth. Nature teacher; a little child to lie down and sleep whenever It I. weary, and after a bath or after its mid -day meal, and it is only through artideial Influences that a little child leaves off the habit of taking a daily nap, and it Is generally due to the mother's neglect that it is finally dispensed wit>, Yet the world often sympathizes with the mother rather thin the child when to- ward night baby grows cross and fret- ful, while the mother often grows Im- patient, forgetting the long, tiresome day which the little one has endured. What wonder that these little ones grow up into nervous young men and women, with no constitutions to speak of! Many grown people are preened for now to accomplish all that they t hsalre, anil in their march for gold or daily bread, find little time to reef, yet there is HO reason why they ahould begrudge their children an extra hour'a sleep In the morning beeause they have an in herited ides that It is more healthful for them to rise early, and they fenr that if they are allowed to sleep until they naturally awaken, habits of Iasi - netts will be formed which will mar their after lives. The Old 'Brute. \I just hate that old Mr. Browne,\ Mkt the Newest Girl. \Really?\ \Really. We girls are golng In for hunting, you know, and when I tohl him how I had killed a itosen birds he only said, 'Oh, that ween't so bad, but I've got a dog that killed thirty rats in thirty minutes.' Hateful old fogy Cincinnati Enquirer. Of Conroe. Abe—Don't you think It la always dif- ficult to tell a woman'a age? lle Rh e alwaym acts as if it waiir Richmond Dispatch.
