Judge — June 28, 1924 — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Magistrate—Have you appeared as a witness in a Witness—Yes, of course. “What suit was it?” “My blue serge.” The Endless Chain T= witness, Johnsing, took the stand, and testified all day; Smith's repu- tation, once so grand, grew pale and For we were probing Smith, his past, that justice might be done, and crimes that made us stand aghast were dug up, one This Smith was justice of the peace, and long had held the post, and long we thought him slick as grease—he was our pride and boast. But rumors, set afoot by fools, this fine official panned; and so we took our probing tools, and probed to beat the band. The witness, Johnsing, said he knew that Smith had stolen hens, and so oozed away. y one. he had swiped a sheep or two from Farmer Bungshaw’s pens. And Smith had cheated left and right, whene’er he made a trade; he was a fierce and godless wight whose morals were decayed. The people heard, with faces gray; their tears streamed down their coats; when Johnsing left the stand that day, Smith looked like fourteen groats. Ah, it is sad to mark the fall of one we have admired, to his frame and merits all into the discard fired! But Beeswax takes the stand! A righteous gent is he; he is a see see, James credit to our land, a man from evil free. but Smith's “You heard this John- He is a man of sterling sense «attorney. cries: sing’s evidence—is it the truth or lies? You've known him long, you've marked his growth from youth to man’s estate; would you believe him under oath? a truthful skate?” “This Johnsing gen said, “has Ananias skinned; he hands out falsehoods large and red with every breath of wind. If he should try to tell the truth, for past lies to atone, he'd surely dislocate a tooth or break his collar- bone. He is a man of evil life, his deeds are raw and rank; the neighbors say he beats his wife, and robs the children’s bank. He stole a statue from the park, purloined an orphan’s shoes; I know he s after dark, dispensing rotten Is he James Beeswax This was a shock to us, a scream, for Johnsing always stood quite high in everyone’s esteem, as being true and good. thing we knew that it was so; among truth tellers he was king, no falsehoods would he throw. And then Pete Pringle took the stand, his face all flushed and red; he held the Good Book in his hand, and took his oath and “ve known James Beeswax which fact has made me groan: he rustled seven of my He trains with highly moral mugs, but he’s a false alarm; he But when James Beeswax said a said: many years, steers, and sold them as his own. peddles vile narcotic drugs from his sequestered farm. He's three in the pen—if things were running right he would be served stretches 23 suit before? serving time again, without release in umes tread, Beeswax with without a left, dragging vackward look; he went to soak his once proud head in yonder babbling brook. Then Campfire Cotton had his turn upon the witness stand; “This Peter Pringle skate I spurn as one who should At this I rose and left the hall, my breast surcharged with woe; my heroes all were looking small, like goose eggs in a row. Warr Mason. be canned.” Suspense Two women met on a busy corner and, after the usual discussion of the styles: and other topics, one whispered excitedly: “Oh, [heard the most thrilling scandal about Mrs. Van Dyne!” “Really! exclaimed the other. you must—” “Oh, Just then a nearby hydrant blew up suddenly, the first being badly injured that she was taken to a hospital for months. On her covery, her husband took her for a year’s tour of Europe for her health, but finally she returned to the old town. There she met her friend, who looked wan and thin. “Whatever happened to you? You look so ill!” gasped the returned tourist “[’'m so glad you've come back!” cried the other. “I haven't been able to eat or sleep since you left. What did you hear about Mrs, Van Dyne?” woman so six re- comicbooks.com