Beadle's Dime Novels No. 38: The Wrong Man — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

THE COURT. 83 particular applicability. When a case was in progress, he would have -been seen seated before the Judge or Justice at his table, with a profound, solemn look, busily writing, and completely barricaded behind a huge pile of books. Had any suspicious eye been disposed to watch him, it would have no- ticed that the lawyer, when writing, rarely dotted an ¢ or crossed a f, and that at regular intervals he jammed his pen toward his inkstand, half the time without entering it, all of which might have led one to doubt whether he was trans- cribing any thing at all or not. Then, as something caught his ear, he would pause abruptly, look up, clutch one of the ks before him, and, looking at the page bottom side up, uld turn half the leaf down, and pound it shut as though had nailed an invaluable point, and, contracting his eye- ws, level his restless orbs for a few moments upon the posing counsel, as if he would annihilate him. We further that had those awe-inspiring books which loaded his le been se oe not more than half would have been found relating té law or jurisprudence. He rejoiced im the name of Scroggs. The day of the trial was clear, and so absorbed was the entire village of Adrianopolis with the murder case, that nearly all work was abandoned. Mr. Perkins dismissed school in order to attend the trial, it being generally suspected that he was studying law on the sly, and wished to take notes of this extraordinary case. Of course not one-half or one- quarter 6f the villagers could be accommodated in the build- ing set apart for the trial. The instant the door was opened, the crowd swarmed in and packed the room so densely that the Justice, or “ Judge,” as he was more generally termed, being a pursy man, obtained his seat only by the united ef forts of several stout men, who-shoved him forward by main force. In the sacred square in the center of the room was seated Mr. Seroggs, busily writing with a pen that had no ink in it, while on the opposite side sat Mr. Perkins, the picture of un- utterable knowledge and attention. In the chair behind the desk were visible the head and shoulders of the Judge, who Was Continually mopping his massive forehead with a huge red and brown silk pocket handkerchief, and puffing like a conmmicldooolkks.conn