Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 24.pdf/63

 The Green Bag of Brewster, expecting to see him spring from his chair and catch his heartless adversary by the throat. Never before had any one referred to Mr. Brewster's misfortune in such a way, or even in any terms, in his presence. Instead of springing at the man and killing him like a dog, as the audience thought was his desert, Mr. Brewster slowly rose and spoke something like this to the Court: "Your Honor, in all my career as a lawyer I have never dealt in personali ties, nor did I ever before feel called upon to explain the cause of my physi cal misfortune, but I will do so now. When a boy, — and my mother, God bless her, said I was a pretty boy, — when a little boy, while playing around an open fire one day, with a little sister, just beginning to toddle, she fell into the roaring flames. I rushed to her res cue, pulled her out before she was seriously hurt, and fell into the fire myself. When they took me out of the coals my face was as black as that man's heart." The last sentence was spoken in a voice whose rage was that of a lion. It had an electrical effect, and the applause that greeted it was superb, but in an instant turned to the most contemptuous hisses, directed at the lawyer who had so cruelly wronged the great and lovable Brewster. That law yer's practice in Philadelphia afterward dwindled to such insignificance that he had to leave the city for a new field. —From the Chicago Times.

"If the court please, the two prin cipal witnesses for the defense have just arrived. They have been absent without leave, and I haven't had an opportunity to interview them, and I would like to have a continuance in order to enable me to do so." "How long a recess do you want?" asked the president of the court. "Oh, about thirty-six hours I should think would be sufficient." "Why, sir, thirty-six hours? We are not going to sit here and listen to any three days' testimony on a drunk and disorderly case " "But," he interrupted, "if the Court please, these are the star witnesses for the defense and the defendant has a right to produce all material evidence in his defense." "That may be true," replied the president, "but we are not going to sit here " "But, if the Court please," he again interrupted, "these soldiers have re turned in such a drunk and disheveled condition that I cannot interview them, nor are they fit to come before the court." "Well, that is different." "Yes, sir," he replied. "I have had them locked up and I think in thirtysix hours they will be sobered up suffi ciently to proceed." "Very well, continuance granted," replied the president with a scornful look.

CONTINUANCE GRANTED THE soldier was on trial charged with having been drunk and dis orderly. The prosecution had closed its case and several witnesses for the defense had already testified. The counsel for the accused slowly rose. He coughed once or twice, and then with a tremor in his voice said :

ACCORDING TO LAW THE story is told that in the early days of the railroad in the West there was a farmer who owned two well-bred and useful dogs, named Major and Tige. The dogs one morning chased a stray hog down the road and stopped to play at the railroad crossing, with the result that Tige was struck by an