almost passed from the memories of
men; the veil of time has settled over him; no distinct image is
recalled by the mention of his name. How suggestive this, of
the ephemeral fame of even a great lawyer:

"Swift as shadow, short as any dream
Brief as the lightning in the collied night."

Words long since uttered by an eminent jurist have not lost
their significance:

"There is, perhaps, no reputation that can be achieved amongst men
that is so transitory, so evanescent, as that of a great advocate.
The very wand that enchants us is magical. Its effects can be
felt; it influences our actions; it controls and possesses us; but
to define it, or tell what it is, or how it produces these effects,
is as far beyond our power as to imprison the sunbeam. In the
presence of such majestic power we can only stand awed and silent."

There was much of romance, and somewhat of mystery, that gathered about
the life of Judge Arrington. Born of humble parentage in the pine
forests of North Carolina, with no advantages other than those
common in the remoter parts of our country a century ago, from the
beginning he apparently dwelt apart from the conditions surrounding
him. At an early age he removed with his father's family to the
then wilds of the Southwest.

There, upon the very border line of civilization, his associates
for a time were the advance guard, the adventurers and soldiers of
fortune that in a large measure constituted the civilization of
the southwestern frontier during the early years of the last century.
With his early environment, his subsequent career seems a marvel.
It can only be explained upon the supposition that through with
them, he was not of them.

"His soul was like a star, and dwelt apart."

His companions were his books. Denied the advantages of early
scholastic training, he was, from the beginning, an omnivorous
reader. He cared little for the allurements and excitement of
society. At the age of seventeen, he joined the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and was soon after licensed to preach. For four years
he rode the circuit, enduring all the discomforts and dangers then
and there incident to his calling. His field may be called the
_Ultima Thule,_ bordering upon the Rio Grande and inhabited by
Indians. Untutored audiences were stirred to the depths by his
fervid appeals. Church buildings were yet in the future; the
congregations assembled in God's first temples, and listened
with rap