Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 17.pdf/502

 COMMONWEALTH v. LAMB the'd a-wanted to. I ain't goin' to walk way down thar." "Who said walk?" demanded the judge. "Git your horse." "My horse is ploughin' co'n. I'll be if I do." "You're a sworn officer of this court. Git your horse." "I'll tell you what! I'll ride yours." "What do you think my horse is doin'?" The officer replied that he didn't care — at all (not to inscribe language too literally) . He reiterated a willingness to suffer the pains of Purgatory rather than take his horse out of the corn-field. Here began a battle-royal between gods. Sam moved away, his shoulders humped. The judge followed, exploding at intervals. The crowd kept step with them. Brown looked for Lamb and found him alone. "What do they do with you nights," he asked. "Lock me up in a cabin." "Anything to hinder your getting out?" "Naw.suh! Not as I knows of. Thar's a winder." "How far is it to the Alabama line?" "Tain't so very fer." "Know anybody in Alabama?" "Thar's my wife's brother. My wife come from Alabama." "Mind you," Brown said. "I am not advising you to break jail." "Naw, suh," answered the unmoved Lamb. "But I do tell you this," continued Brown beginning to feel desperately afraid that he would not be able to hammer his suggestions into his client's skull, " Under stand me! Two and two make four." "I ain't never had no schoolin'!" "You don't need no schoolin'," said Brown adopting the cracker negation for greater effectiveness. "You had his gun loaded and ready, didn't you?" "I ain't never said so," answered Lamb. "He savs so."

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"Where did you find the shells?" "Where I see him put 'em. Under a plank in the floor." Brown regarded him hopelessly. "Don't you see you've told the whole story?" Lamb raised his mild eyes and regarded his lawyer with wrinkled forehead. He shook his head. "I ain't never said so. He said so," he repeated. He gave up the puzzle and expectorated without predjudice. "You will go on to the grand jury and they will send you up and you will end in a convict camp and mine phosphate," said Brown. "They will chain you nights in an open shed." "I reckon," replied Lamb. "I couldn't stand his talkin' to my women-folks that-away. 'Tain't decent." "What's to keep you here?" "I dunno." The judge approached the two. He looked at the sun and then at Brown. "I have instructed my officer to summons your witnesses if you will hand him the list. But the sun is goin' down. We could hardly get started till to-morrow." "Suppose you grant me a continuance until this day week, " said Brown. "The court will hear your argument," the judge answered. "Lamb, sun's droppin'. It's time you went to jail. You can wait until .your attorney has spoke." Brown made his first legal argument, and at its conclusion the judge assumed an attitude of deep thought and finally said, "The court grants the continuance asked by the defense." Brown walked with Lamb to the tumble down cabin. "This yere's the jail," Lamb said. "Good-day," said Brown offering his hand. Lamb wiped his own on his overalls and allowed the lawyer to shake it. "Like you said," he began, "this yere cabin ain't mithin'." "Shut up," ejaculated Brown quickly, seeing the court's officer approaching. Lamb