begone
and wretched-looking object it would have been hard to find anywhere.

"Why, ma, what's the matter with you?" cried Miss Celandine, as Mr.
Mecutchen went to take the stand. "Don't you see it's all right?"

Mrs. Stiles shook her head and rubbed her damp brow with her
handkerchief. "I don't feel no certainty about it, Celandine," she said.
"I wisht Mrs. Tarbell had let me accep' that compr'mise."

"Mamma!" cried Miss Celandine, in warning tones.

"Well--I think I would have been better satisfied. Because--because
mebbe I was the one to blame, you know."

"_Ssh_, ma! After you have come into court! It's ridiculous! Plenty of
people saw you. Listen to Mr. Mecutchen, if you want to know what
happened to you."

"I wisht," said Mrs. Stiles, "I wisht Mrs. Tarbell would say something
to the jury about how the railroad offered to compromise. That would
show 'em 'twas true about my accident."

"_Mamma!_ Be careful! If they hear you talking about that compromise
they'll stop the trial right here and turn us right out of court."

"Well, but they _did_, Celandine: they offered me six hu--"

"Ma, will you hush?" said Celandine; and when her daughter spoke in that
tone of voice, Mrs. Stiles knew that she must obey. She relapsed into
silence again, helpless and despairing.

Mecutchen testified, Vickers testified, Parthenheimer
testified,--Stethson had gone to Baton Rouge, according to
Mecutchen,--and all were as strong as could be. Dr. Laycock identified
his bill, swore that his treatment of Mrs. Stiles was in accordance with
the most recent discoveries in medical science, that Mrs. Stiles had
suffered unheard-of agonies, and that she had obeyed all his directions
to the letter.

Miss Celandine also swore to her mother's agonies, and described the
condition to which the household had been brought by Mrs. Stiles's
accident.

Then Mrs. Tarbell bowed to the judge, and said, "That is my case, your
honor."

"And a very good case, too," she thought, as she sat down.

Pope's cross-examination had effected nothing, and the judge was against
him. Alexander, with his thumbs in his waistcoat, looked entirely
satisfied; Judge Measy, fanning himself and gasping under the heat,
appeared to be anxious for Mr. Pope to get through his flimsy defence as
quickly as possible.

Mr. Pope rose, flung back his hair, paused a moment, and then began. He
thanked his learned opponent for kindly putting the jury on the track of
a suggesti