Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 18.pdf/674

 THE LIGHTER SIDE way, de woman's daid. Ah jes' got word dat she done up and died las' week." Of course the news soon spread, and the lost cause was a favorite village topic in Brewster's presence for some time, but he announced that any further mention of the subject would be an immediate casus belli, when the secretary of the law club asked him at the Bar luncheon to get up a paper on "Divorce by Act of God." CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October, 1906.

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"Upon what subject, your honor? " asked Small. The judge joined in the laughter which followed.

Evidence in a Melon Patch. — About forty years ago " Squire " Worcester of Townsend had a law office at Groton Junction, now Ayer, and went back and forth each day upon the train. One morning as he was on his way to the station he was accosted by a Followed Paige's Advice. — The late John C. neighbor, Deacon Peckham, who wanted some Paige had at one time as a protege" the son of advice about catching the " young rascals" who were stealing his melons. " Get some a very particular friend, a pleasant, gentle manly young fellow, but always ready to make evidence," said the squire, " and I'll see you a bet or to take a hand in a quiet game, and again." The next morning the squire was again on this account it was thought best by his parents to send him to Boston on a limited accosted by the deacon, who asked him to income, with the hope of breaking away from take a look at the melon patch. Now the old associates and of getting some business squire was afflicted with a lameness that com pelled him to wear a boot having an iron energy into him. Mr. Paige gave him some good, wholesome half-circle on the sole, and judge of his aston ishment to find the soft earth in the deacon's advice and started him along in business, par melon patch completely tracked over with ticularly instructing him to " get his name imprints of that " iron boot." before the public, to let the people know he "Well," said the squire, as he started for was living," etc. Not very long after this Boston d£but Mr. the station, " circumstantial evidence, purely Paige, very late one evening, was requested to circumstantial. ' ' Perhaps the squire's son, " Joe," as he was call at a nearby police station. The young man, it appeared, had got into a very noisy then called (I think he is now a practicing game and was arrested, but not before he had lawyer), could have explained the matter if he had not been in fear that the same " cir been cleaned out of everything he possessed. cumstantial evidence " might interfere with "Well, young man," said Mr. Paige, " this his sitting down comfortably at supper time. is nice, isn't it?" —Boston Herald. "Well, sir, you told me to get my name before the public." A Preface. — Mr. Manson's Preface to the "Oh, yes," Mr. Paige replied, " but I didn't Index Volume of English Ruling Cases is tell you to have a judge and jury go with it to rather more readable than the average intro fix the advertising rates." — Boston Herald. ductions to law books. We quote from it as follows: Ready to Address the Jury. — George Small "Matthew Green, in his poem, ' The Spleen,' of Norway, Me., a painter, used occasionally written early in the eighteenth century, de to look upon " the ardent." At one time he scribes: was summoned to testify in a case in court. Being somewhat under the influence of liquor, "Law grown a forest where perplex his speech was rather thick, and, to make The byeways and the brambles vex; matters worse, he directed his conversation Where the twelve verderers every day to the attorney questioning him, so the jury Are changing still the public way. could not understand half of what he said. And if we miss the way and err, We grievous penalties incur; Finally the judge turned to him and said: "Mr. Witness, speak louder, and address the And wanderers tire and tear their skin, And then get out where they got in." jury."