the county-seat of Putnam County, and we do not wish to appear to give
it too great a weight in the annals of the State. For one thing, the
weekly newspapers did not mention it; and Mr. Paul Pardriff, when urged
to give an account of the proceedings in the Ripton Record, said it was
a matter of no importance, and spent the afternoon writing an editorial
about the domestic habits of the Aztecs. Mr. Pardriff, however, had
thought the matter of sufficient interest personally to attend the
trial, and for the journey he made use of a piece of green cardboard
which he habitually carried in his pocket. The editor of the Bradford
Champion did not have to use his yellow cardboard, yet his columns may
be searched in vain for the event.

Not that it was such a great event, one of hundreds of railroad
accidents that come to court. The son of Hilary Vane was the plaintiff's
counsel; and Mr. Meader, although he had not been able to work since his
release from the hospital, had been able to talk, and the interest taken
in the case by the average neglected citizen in Putnam proved that the
weekly newspaper is not the only disseminator of news.

The railroad's side of the case was presented by that genial and able
practitioner of Putnam County, Mr. Nathaniel Billings, who travelled
from his home in Williamstown by the exhibition of a red ticket. Austen
Vane had to pay his own way from Ripton, but as he handed back the
mileage book, the conductor leaned over and whispered something in his
ear that made him smile, and Austen thought he would rather have that
little drop of encouragement than a pass. And as he left the car at
Bradford, two grizzled and hard-handed individuals arose and wished him
good luck.

He needed encouragement,--what young lawyer does not on his first
important case? And he did not like to think of the future if he lost
this. But in this matter he possessed a certain self-confidence which
arose from a just and righteous anger against the forces opposing him
and a knowledge of their tactics. To his mind his client was not Zeb
Meader alone, but the host of victims who had been maimed and bought off
because it was cheaper than to give the public a proper protection.

The court room was crowded. Mr. Zeb Meader, pale but determined, was
surrounded by a knot of Mercer neighbours, many of whom were witnesses.
The agate eyes of Mr. Brush Bascom flashed from the audience, and Mr.
Nat Billings bustled forward to shake Austen