Beadle's Dime Library No. 412 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

P oe eee ee = ——— ee = _—_—<. - "ec -e=e y confess, as your lawyer, that the case is infer- mally rong, and that I don’t see how you are oe Ie get over it, save in one way, and then it 1 be a matter of favor.” By the time he had finished Skinner was sweating at every why and his voice was low and husky, as he ** And what is toate” **Scriven says that both sides are ready to abandon the prosecution, if you will give Locke a release of his mortgage and agree to sell the amills to your nephew, who wants to carry them on himself.” Skinner started violently, and his face dark- «ened, as he said: “Give up, beat, and to him! Tl stand my “trial first!” ‘* All right,” was the reply. ‘ In that case T'll do the best I can for you, of warn you that I shall have to ask a heavy re- | tainer. You see, this sort of thing is out of my regular line, and we always ask extra pay for | that work. Criminal practice is very trouble- some, and we have to get our pay in advance.” Skinner said no more, but walked sullenly by | his counsel, with a policeman behind him, to the | “Shouse of the judge who had agreed to hear the ase and admit him to bail. He was thinking | deeply all the way there, and trying to make up his mind to fight, while his fears were telling him that fight was useless, course; but [ | When he got to the house he was shown into | the judge’s parlor, and found his old friend Roberts there; but the face of his former inti- ‘mate was cold and stern, and he showed no dis- sition to exhibit to the fallen man any of the avors he had shown so frecly when he was rich sand powerful, and before the strixe had ended in the victory for the workmen, Scriven and Paul Van Beaver were there; and the preliminaries of admission to bail were _ terminated by the announcement, on the part of _ the judge, that he would take bail for ten thou- and dollars, and would require householders for that amount. Skinner had to remain in the custody of the liceman while Van Slack hunted round for il, and at last the lawyer came back, with a loomy face, to announce that, of all Skinner's gloomy not one would become his bondsman wn- _ der the grave charge which hung over him. As Jong as they had~ imagined it false, they had been ready; but when they heard of the evidence ae that had been given, and the fact that all tho ~witnessess were in prison, where they could not - ‘be tampered with, they declined, with one ac- % Ly ams bi. “eo “re - ws, a J ' ‘ona * ‘?. < - + 4 A ae ances of several _ «ord, to go bail for a man who would be sure to ~ vescape if he could, So Skinner had to be sert back to jail, with ‘the comfortable idea that he would have to stay ‘there, till the day of his trial, and that Van Slack would require a retainer of a thousand dollars, at least, with counsel fees and allow- thousand more, before the trial __ elosed; while there was no prospect of an ac- Ni Ms dt Sou ate ~~ ‘a Ss ee not rot led od the life *< quittal, unless the witnesses could be spirited away from Holesburg, of which there was no Mr. Scriven having taken his measures wThe style of living in a jail is of that nature — while some people like it, having never hing as good, most people, who have ofa tramp, find it miserable in the extreme. So, while Terror Jim and his friends were en- oying the unusual comforts of a roof over their ds and plentiful meals, Skinner was wor rae the time over the confinement and the _eoarse food supp plied by the sheriff to his many boarders, while the news that court would open _ in two weeks, and that his case was one of the _ first He ah calendar, did not tend to restore his , Wang li As the ah drew nigh when he was to be and he realized that he had not a friend | ag . in the world, not even his son, who had deserted 4 = Saale. him in his trials, the spirit of the old man began un Di “to waver. At last he made up his mind to send for Van but the lawyer sent back word that “‘ he cs - must decline to seo Mr. Skinner without the re- ye ’ Pag . “st oe F , ~ - * « | tainer for which he nigh ~ ted,” Then, with a deep si e avaricious manu- _ facturer wrote out ac athe and sent it by one of oe pegh te ba lock z who soon returned, usher- k, as mild and obsequious as ze 4 ‘* Van,” said the broken man, as soon as he was in the cell, ‘* tell me, as a lawyer, what are | chances in this trial?” Van Slack rubbed his hands and looked at the | do all I can for you, of course, Mr, Skin- er, ard you can get the best talent in the State by Paying g for it.” ow that,” was the crusty answer, “‘ but - -thatain’t whet I want toknow. Shall I get off ¢ it you say Ican, for sure, Pll pay for it. But you must give me your word as a awyer that J ron urged, Van Slack said slowly: You are asking an impossibility, Mr. Skin- Sek. No lawyer could give such an assur- _ ance Stinner heaved a deep sigh. “ That's all I wanted to know. I can’t get off ee ee TS - NS —— Sees a — a _ ee eee em et et od ——e se = -———e ~ > kd 3 a i ae ee sure. Then I'll do the bestI can. You can go. You’ve got the last of my money.” And not another word would he say till Van > oe > 22 es ————— ed - Larry Locke, t Locke, Fg Man of Iron. Slack had left the cell, when he sent for the | deputy who had carried his messages, and told | him to go to Mr. Scriven’s office and send him | | only making themselves known to Paul at inter- to the jail to see Mr. Skinner. The deputy went and returned in half an hour with the old lawyer, who came into tho cell, looking cold and Stiff, and said: ** You sent for me, "Mr. Skinner, I confess I am ata loss to account for the message, but I have come to see you.” “Yes,” said old Skinner, with a voice that | shook somewhat. ‘I sent for you, Scriven, be- cause you always treated me honest, though’ you went against me. What will you take to dr op this rosecution?” ot a cent!” was the emphatic reply. ‘‘ It has gone out of my hands into those of the State. Ifyou choose to send a proposition to the two men who are the prosecutors behind the district attorney, they may induce him to withdraw the case from the calendar for this term; but that is the best they or any one can do, and the bail will have to remain where | it is, Old Skinner, looking strangely gray and old, | said slowly: “I guess I’ve deserved that. But I’m willing to do the square thing now. See here. If t ive up the mill to Paul, and take an annuity rom him at a fair valuation of my interest, will he let up on me or not?” ‘*Mr. Van Beaver is not in this prosecution,” was the cold reply. ‘“‘Itis Larry Locke. Paul wants nothing from you, He knows well enough that your trial will end in your com- mittal to State’s Prison fora long period, and the courts will appoint him, as next heir, to the probable custody of the’ mill roperty during your life. If you had treated the next heir de- cently, it would be different.” re Well, then, [ll give up the mortgage on that Locke’s house, and all I ask is that he let up on me,” pleaded’ the fallen man, ‘‘Scriven, you don’t want to trample me in the mud, just be- cause I’m a rich man. It won’t do you any good to have me stand in the dock, will it?” Scriven shrugged his shoulders, “You should have thought of all this, while you were rich and in the enjoyment of your liberty. Money will do you no good, now that there are a dozen witnesses against you.” ‘Then you mean to say that I shall have to stand my trial?’ asked Skinner, with the veins standing out on his forehead, while he clinched his hand fiercely. ‘“T’ll go and see on what terms the district attorney will let you go, and let you know, That is the best I can do for you.” And with that the lawyer left the cell, while Skinner passed mie next hour pacing and down, in more a of mind than he ever suffered in all Tite before. He was face to face with his trad bay and the more he thought of it the less he liked it, If, ~ by a miracle, he had suddenly been re- leased from prison and put into the same posi- tion he had occupied a few weeks before, he would doubtless have acted in the same way he had done; but being in prison, and with punish- ment coming on him, he made all sorts of good resolves, as other scamps have done in their day. When at last steps in the corridor showed that some one was coming, he uttered a fervent “Thank God,” for the “Arst time in years, and eagerly waited for his visitors. he only person who came was Scriven, with an agreemen whieh he gave him, saying: ou can look over that at your leisure. If you choose to sign, the judge and district attor- ney have agreed to let the case go for the term; and your nephew has agreed to go your bail. If ie don’t wish to sign it, Fey can stand your ial. I shall be here at ten in the morning. Gondiatier dona. “ And he went away, leaving Skinner staring at the paper in his hand, Well he might ge be for that paper made him not only a beggar, but a pensioner on the boun- ty of the nephew he had treated in his day like aslave. Theagreement for him to sign was one piving up all his interest in the property in- rited by him under his father’s will, and "Neri So to leave the United States and live i rey urope, while Paul Van Beaver, on his agreed to pa y to him, out of the proceeds ) the business, as they should accrue, the sum of three thousand dollars a year, during his natural e. The terms were hard and stern; but they were the best he deserved, and he knew it. When Scriven came next morning, with a second copy of the agreement in his pocket, he found that the crushed criminal had already signed his copy, and a little later_he left the jail with Scriven, and went before Judge Roberts, where Paul Van Beaver, as the new owner of the mills, gave bail for his uncle, in the sum of ten thousand dollars, to produce him at his trial or pay the money, Then they took him to the house that had lately been his, where Larry Locke’s mortgage was duly satisfied, and the young workman at | . — last held in his hand the deed of a free and un- incumbered Property The rest of our story will not take Icng to tell. Skinner and his graceless son took their depart- ure for Europe, where they passed the next few years ina cheap place in the south of France, vals, ina series of begging letters, when they had outrun their income and gone into debt. In the mean time Paul Van Beaver assumed the charge of the mills, and ended his part of the strike’at once, while Larry Locke was made man- | ager of the wor ks, and gave universal satisfac- tion. The business prospered, and in the course of years Paul, finding his profits increasing, vol- untarily raised the wages of his hands, and had the satisfaction of making the other ‘manufac- turers do the same, much against their will. The Knights of Labor in the town continued to prosper, and with their prosperity, the condition of the workmen steadily rose. Larry was often pressed by his old friend Paul, as the bs went on, totakea share in the prof- its > e mill, but he steadily refused. No, Mr. Paul, ” he once said, ‘‘a workman I am, and always shall be. The Knights of Labor made me what I am, ond if I was to go back on them now, and join the bosses, I know I couldn't stand the pressure that would be brought to bear on me, to make me think capital and labor were enemies. In our Order we believe they ought to be friends, and the time may come when the workmen of America will know as much as the bosses, and be able to take care of themselves. But just at present they don’t, ond their enemies are ready to take advantage of the least mistake they make, whenever they see a chance. Till there are no more bosses and slay es, and till the time when work woun’t be looked on as a favor to be asked, I’m going to stick to the Knights. I'd rather be Master Workman than own a mill, any time. When the time comes that eve hon- est workman in America belongs to the Order, and all stick together, as we should do, every workingman shall see more ha gig than he ever saw before. Heaven send the time, and God speed the just aims of the KNIGHTS OF LABOR!” THE END. BEADLE AND ADAMS’ STANDARD DIME PUBLICATIONS Speakers. Each volume contains 100 large pages, printed from clear, open type, comprising the best collec- tion of Dialogues, Dramas and Recitations. 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