Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West
"
As the manager hurried away Uncle John looked after him and said:
"I wonder if he realizes how true his words are? 'The law defies us all.'
How helpless we are to oppose injustice and oppression when one man,
with a man's limitations and prejudices, is clothed with authority to
condemn us!"
Colby stood silent. The poor fellow's eyes were full of unshed tears.
"This is my first case, and my last," said he. "I won it honestly. It was
the judge, not the evidence, that defeated me. I'm going to rent my
office and apply for a job as a chauffeur."
Jones was the least affected of the group. "Never mind, friends," he said
to them, "it will all come right in the end. If you will stand by me,
Colby, I'll retain you to plead my case in the Austrian court, or at
least advise my Austrian lawyers. I've an idea they will treat me fairly,
over there in Vienna."
"It's outrageous!" quoth indignant Patsy Doyle. "I'd like to give that
judge a piece of my mind."
"If you did," replied Arthur, "he'd fine you for contempt."
"It would be a just line, in that case," said Patsy; "so I'm sure he
wouldn't do it."
The jailer had come to take the prisoner back to his cell. He smiled
whimsically at Miss Doyle's speech and remarked:
"There's always one side to kick, Miss, whichever way the judge decides.
It was only Solomon who could satisfy everybody."
"Clear the room!" shouted the bailiff.
Captain Carg's men took the empty chest back to the launch. The captain
followed them, after pressing the hand of his young master, who said:
"Wait for orders, Captain." Uncle John took his flock back to the hotel,
where they gathered in his room and held an indignation meeting. Here it
was safe to give full vent to their chagrin and disappointment.
"Every bit of honest evidence was on our side," declared Maud. "I shall
never be able to understand why we lost."
"Bribery and corruption," said Flo. "I'll bet a cookie Le Drieux divided
the reward with the judge."
"I suppose it's all up with Ajo now," sighed Beth, regretfully.
- Page:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- 86
- 87
- 88
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 102
- 103
- 104
- 105
- 106
- 107
- 108
- 109
- 110
- 111
- 112
- 113
- 114
- 115
- 116
- 117
- 118
- 119
- 120
- 121
- 122
- 123
- 124
- 125
- 126
- 127
- 128
- 129
- 130
- 131
- 132
- 133
- 134
- 135
- 136
- 137
- 138
- 139
- 140
- 141
There was once a king who was very powerful. He had great influence over the wild beasts and animals. Now the tortoise was looked upon as the wisest of all beasts and men. This king had a son named Ekpenyon, to whom he gave fifty young girls as wives, but the prince did not like any of them. The king was very angry at this, and made a law that if any man had a daughter who was finer than the prince's wives, and who found favour in his son's eyes, the girl herself and her father and mother should be killed.
© 2013-2019 FairyTales
Almost all texts on this website are from the Public Domain.