“It was on a Friday morning that we parted from Doctor Dodson; the
weather was getting to be uncomfortably warm, and we were compelled to
travel very slowly, lest Lottie should be prostrated by the heat. Ten
miles a day was the average distance which we marched. We usually
started at sunrise, walked five miles, then rested in the shade until
four o’clock, and marched the other five miles by dark. As we had
determined not to travel on the Sabbath, we began early in the day on
Saturday to look for a cool, shady spot where we might rest comfortably
until Monday morning. Shade and pure water were two articles that must
be found adjacent to each other, before we could expect to pass the time
pleasantly. We, however, had the good luck to come to a spring where
many large trees stood, all overgrown with grape-vines, making a
covering not only sufficient to keep off the hot rays of the sun, but a
shelter that would have protected us from a heavy shower of rain. It
proved to be an unfortunate spot for us, as an occurrence happened there
that gave us a great deal of trouble. The place where we halted was only
one mile from the county-site, and it was from this village that the
source of our troubles came. It was Sunday evening; we had finished our
humble supper, and were all engaged in singing an old favorite song. I
suppose that it was our singing that attracted the attention of some
rude boys from the village. There were three boys in the gang that came
up to where we were seated; the leader, a lad whom I supposed to be
about fifteen years of age, whose features exhibited unmistakable signs
of dissipation and brutality; the other two were much younger and
appeared more genteel. The leader, whose name I afterward learned was
Benjamin Bowles, in a domineering tone said:
“‘Is this a singing-school, or a Gipsy camp?’
“‘Neither, sir,’ Harry replied.
“‘Is it a Sunday-school, or a camp-meeting then?’
“‘No, sir, it is neither a Sunday-school nor a camp-meeting.’
“‘Then what in the deuce is it?’
“‘It is no business of yours, sir, and we would be much obliged if you
would let us alone.’
“‘Oh, would you, now? See here, little sweetheart, I’ll give you a
dollar for one of those pretty curls.’ And he reached out his hand to
take hold of Lottie’s hair. She blushed and moved to Harry’s side. I
felt the blood in my veins begin to boil, and the demon to rise within
my heart.
“‘You had better go away and leave us alone,’ said Harry, as he made a
movement toward the boy.
“‘Now, do you really think so?’ said he sneeringly. ‘What a polite nice
boy you are!’
“I thought Harry was going to strike him, but Lottie laid her hand on
his shoulder.
“‘Don’t have any difficulty with him, brother, he will go away
directly,’ she said softly.
“‘Now that’s a daisy, my little queen,’ he said; ‘let us be social.’
“The other two boys seemed to be disgusted with the rude conduct of
their comrade, and began to persuade him to go with them back to the
village; and when he peremptorily refused, they went away and left him.
“‘Let us drink and be friends,’ said he, as he drew a flask of brandy
from his pocket and presented it to Harry, who of course refused; then
offering it to me--‘You’ll drink with me I know, won’t you, old boy?’
“‘No.’
“‘Well, indeed, I must say that I never met such uncivil fellows in my
life. If you won’t drink, suppose we have a dance.’ Then he began to
caper about like a madman. ‘If you won’t drink nor dance, suppose we
have a boxing match.’ Then he threw himself in an attitude supposed to
be that of an experienced pugilist.
“‘Give me a drink of water then,’ he said, ‘and I will leave you.’
“I went immediately to the spring to fetch him some water in order to
get rid of him. The spring was over a hundred yards from our camp. I had
arrived at the spring and had stooped to dip up the water, when I heard
Lottie calling me.
“‘Come quick, Eddie,’ she screamed, ‘he is killing Harry!’
“I got there as soon as I could. The boy was gone, and the blood was
streaming over Harry’s face from a wound on his head. The boy had
evidently sent me off after water on purpose to have a chance to abuse
Harry; because as soon as I was gone he seized Lottie by the wrist and
attempted to kiss her, when Harry struck him on the head with a small
stick; then he threw Harry down (being much larger and stronger than he
was), and began to beat him, when old Bob seized Bowles by the leg,
tearing the flesh to the bone. Then the boy quickly released Harry and
scampered off, vowing that he would have revenge. Harry was not
seriously hurt, and very soon we were all asleep. We had scarcely
finished breakfast next morning when the town marshal came out and
arrested all of us, saying that Bowles had caused a warrant to be issued
against Harry for an assault and battery committed on him. We were
required to go with the marshal to the mayor’s office, where we were
ordered to wait until that individual should finish his morning nap. We
had been there about two hours when his honor came bustling in. Falstaff
would have appeared lean by the side of this moving mountain of fat. He
was the largest man I ever saw; the greasy rolls of flesh under his chin
lay in waves on his breast; his jaws bulged out like the jaws of a fat
hog, and a couple of teeth in the corners of his mouth stuck out over
his lips like the tusks of a wild boar. Two little bunches of hair on
the sides of his head were all he had; the red skin on top of his head
was sleek, and glistened like polished metal.
“‘What have you got for me this morning, Mr. Marshal?’ he inquired as
he seated himself by a table and began to adjust his spectacles on his
large nose.
“‘We have two cases for trial this morning, sir,’ said a foppish young
man. ‘One criminal case and one civil suit.’
“‘Ah, good! We’ll try the civil suit first.’
“The plaintiff in the civil suit was a pale-faced, poorly-dressed woman,
with a forlorn, forsaken, half-starved appearance, who sat on a bench
with a sickly-looking infant in her arms. When she stood up to be sworn
as a witness she was compelled to lean on the table to keep from
falling.
“‘What is your complaint, madame, against Judge Bosh?’ demanded the
mayor gruffly, as he stared savagely at the poor woman. In a low,
tremulous tone she stated her case:
“‘I contracted with Judge Bosh to work for him three months, for six
dollars per month; I worked for him for two months and three-quarters,
then fell ill, so that I was unable to work any more. He refused to pay
me because I was unable to work the other quarter of a month. As soon as
I got able to walk I went back and offered to work out my contract, but
he said that it was too late--that he had made other arrangements. We
are out of provisions at home, sir, and I hope you will make the judge
pay me for the work I have done for him.’
“‘No doubt you do, no doubt you do,’ growled the fountain of justice, as
he told the plaintiff to stand aside. ‘What has the defendant got to
say?’ and he smiled blandly on Judge Bosh as that distinguished
individual stepped forward and laid his hand on the Bible. ‘It is
unnecessary to swear you; please make your statement.’
“‘That woman contracted to serve me three months. She failed to comply
with her contract. As to her reasons, I know nothing about them, neither
do I wish to know. A contract is a contract, and it binds both parties.
She violated it, and I demand judgment.’
“‘Certainly, certainly, judge; most assuredly you are clearly entitled
to it. Judgment against plaintiff for cost,’ he muttered as he wrote
down the entry on his docket.
“The poor woman staggered out of the room, and fell fainting on the
pavement.
“‘What’s next, Mr. Marshal?’
“‘A charge of assault and battery against Harry Wallingford.’
“‘Is that the little scamp who tried to murder our esteemed young
friend, Bowles? He looks like a first-class rascal. I’ll teach him a
lesson that he’ll not forget soon. O, Lord, how wicked this world is
getting to be!’ And he attempted to sigh, but it was a savage growl.
“Bowles was sworn as a witness; he took the stand, and commenced
uttering falsehoods from the start; I was almost struck dumb with
astonishment at his total disregard of the solemn oath he had made to
tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He wore a
bandage on his head, and pretended to be suffering intense pain from the
wound on it, while he had his leg in a sling. He stated that he ‘had
been attracted to the camp by the singing, and that as soon as he
arrived there he was insulted and abused in a most rude and vulgar
manner by the two boys, the girl joining in with them. He said that
while his back was turned toward the defendant he was knocked down with
a club, and the savage dog set on him, lacerating the flesh of his leg;
that as soon as he was able to regain his feet he had made his way home,
completely prostrated from loss of blood.’
“‘Shocking, shocking!’ growled the mayor savagely, as he began to open
and shut his mouth rapidly. ‘I wish I had the power to send all of them
to the Penitentiary; they are traveling thieves, no doubt.’
“‘We are no thieves, sir,’ exclaimed Harry, springing to his feet; ‘the
insinuation is false!’
“‘Silence, sir! How dare you insult this honorable court? I guess I’ll
put you where you won’t have a chance to murder anybody soon. Any other
witnesses, Mr. Bowles?’
“‘No, sir,’ said Bowles meekly, ‘that’s all.’
“‘Have you any witnesses, sir?’ he said to Harry.
“‘My sister was present, sir, and knows all about it.’
“‘Of course, of course, she was present; and I suppose you expect me to
believe what she has to say, ha?’
“‘She will tell you the truth, sir, and nothing but the truth, and I
hope no insinuation will be made to the contrary.’
“‘Ah, no doubt; come here, gal, and be sworn; and be sure you confine
yourself to the facts. What are you shaking that way for? Nobody wants
to eat you. Put your hand on this Bible.’
“Lottie was very much frightened, and was trembling like an aspen leaf.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks and I stepped to her side to
re-assure her.
“‘Take your seat, sir, and let her tell her own story,’ said the mayor,
as he thrust his huge finger at my nose.
“I obeyed reluctantly, and Lottie began to tell her version of the
matter. A large crowd of spectators had come in to witness the
proceedings, and I perceived that the eloquent manner in which she was
delivering her evidence was winning the sympathies of the crowd. I saw
several of the spectators wiping tears from their eyes while she was
describing the death of her mother, and telling how she and her brothers
were trying to get to their uncle at Memphis. Her extreme beauty and
modesty, the sweet melody of her voice, and the simplicity of her
pleading, to some extent softened the marble heart of the mayor. She
began to regain her self-possession as the story of her sufferings came
from her lips. The brutal old official leaned back in his chair, with
his mouth wide open, gazing with wonder at the angelic creature before
him. Lottie seemed to have lost sight of the case before the court; but
she began to plead for her brother with such persuasive eloquence that
every man in the house was moved to tears. She gave a graphic
description of her adventure with the rattlesnakes; showed her wounded
wrist to the court, which had been nearly healed up when it was badly
hurt again by the violence of Benjamin Bowles, who had insulted her and
hurt her wounded arm at the same time.
“‘Cowardly villain was he, to insult my darling little flower queen!’
exclaimed Doctor Dodson, as he hurriedly caught Lottie in his arms and
pressed a kiss on her brow. ‘Where is the cowardly wretch who has dared
to insult this poor orphan child? Let me see his face. I’ll venture the
assertion that it is more like a beast’s than a man’s face.’
“Bowles limped out of the room, being careful to keep behind the crowd
as he passed out, looking as if he had important business that required
his immediate attention at some other place.
"Bowles limped out of the room, being careful to keep behind the crowd
as he passed out, looking as if he had important business that required
his immediate attention at some other place. ‘Why, my dear doctor,
how do you come on? I declare I’m delighted to see you!’ exclaimed the
mayor, seizing the doctor’s hand and making an obsequious bow. ‘I am
glad to see that you know this little lady; I dare say you will be able
to throw some light on the matter now before the court.’
“‘I should say I did know that darling little orphan child. I know she
is the sweetest little lady in the land; and who dares to say otherwise?
Yes, and I know those two boys there (pointing to Harry and me); any one
who has aught to say against them let him say it now in my presence!’
“The good old doctor was very much excited as he continued to defend our
side of the case. Having exhausted himself, he dropped into a chair, and
began to wipe the large drops of perspiration from his brow; and, as he
blew his nose, he gave a snort that startled every man in the room.
“The mayor seemed to be at a loss how to proceed; for he was afraid to
offend Doctor Dodson, who had been his family physician for many years;
besides this, he was largely indebted to the doctor; and it was not
exactly convenient for him to pay the debt just then. On the other hand,
Benjamin Bowles was the son of a merchant to whom he was owing a very
considerable sum, and he was anxious to decide the case so as not to
offend him. The idea of deciding the case according to the rules of law
and justice from the evidence never for a moment came into his mind.
“‘My dear doctor,’ said the mayor, as he scrambled up from his seat,
‘let me consult with you a moment privately.’
“The doctor followed him into a private room, when the mayor said:
‘Doctor, what do you know about those three children?’
“‘I know enough to convince me that the boys are heroes, and that the
girl is a lovely little heroine. I know that they are friendless
orphans, which should entitle them to the sympathies of all good men. I
know that any one who would oppress or wrong them ought to go to the ----’
“‘Yes, yes, I know, doctor; I’ll discharge them at once.’
“‘You should never have molested them at first. What business had that
Bowles boy at their camp, I should like to know? You knew that he was
the meanest, most unprincipled boy in this county, and I am surprised
that you should so far have forgotten yourself as to have those poor
helpless children dragged into court as if they were thieves. Now
that’s what I think of the whole business. You go in there and discharge
those children immediately, else we are enemies for life.’
“‘Oh, my dear doctor, I beseech you, don’t for a moment imagine that I
would oppress the orphans, or deal harshly with the helpless. I was
going to discharge them anyway. I was merely investigating the case for
form’s sake. You know one has to appear stern and unbending sometimes,
while his heart is melting with pity.’
“‘Yes, I know how it is. I have long been acquainted with the secret
goodness of your heart; I wonder how you could keep it smothered so
well.’
“‘Ah! doc, one in my position has much to contend with. It’s a difficult
thing to hold the scales of justice so as to be impartial. I am not fit
to be in office--my heart is too tender; I can’t keep from sympathizing
with the weak and helpless, even when they have violated the law. I
think I shall resign.’
“‘I would if I were you; your heart is too tender for the place; but let
us go in and have the children discharged.’
“The mayor resumed his seat, adjusted his spectacles, and deliberately
surveyed the crowd.
“My young friend Wallingford, we have had some difficulty in arriving at
a correct conclusion respecting our duty in this case. We have patiently
listened to the evidence, pro and con, and find in many respects a great
conflict; that is to say, somewhat of a contradiction between the
statements made by Mr. Bowles and the evidence given by Miss
Wallingford. But I am pleased to be able to say that it is the opinion
of the court that no willful perjury has been committed in this case;
but the apparent conflict grew out of the confusion caused by the
interference of that savage old dog in the little unpleasantness. The
court very much regrets that it has no power to imprison dogs, or to
impose fines upon them. This is more especially to be regretted in this
case, as it is the opinion of the court that the dog is the only MAN to
blame in the matter. That being true, and as there is no lawful
authority given me to punish the dog as he deserves, I am consequently
compelled to dismiss Master Wallingford from custody and tax the
corporation with the cost. I would admonish my young friend to endeavor
to teach his dog better manners in future, lest he might involve his
master in some serious trouble. Adjourn court, Mr. Marshal; and don’t
fail to collect the cost in the case of Mrs. Bonds against Judge Bosh.’
“Now let the curtain fall, for the farce is finished. It was a lucky
thing for us that Doctor Dodson came to town that day, for Harry would
have been sent to prison but for his timely arrival. Lottie threw her
arms round the old gentleman’s neck and kissed him fervently, and I saw
the tears trembling in his eyes as he pressed her to his heart.
“‘Heaven bless you, my child!’ said he. ‘I had a daughter about your
age, but she is dead. Poor thing, she was very much like you; and should
you ever need a home, come to me and you’ll find one.’
“‘I thank you so very much--much more than words can express, and I hope
God will reward you!’
“‘There, there, child, hush, or you’ll make a fool of me!’ and he left
the room with the brim of his hat pulled down over his eyes to hide his
tears.
“Once more we were permitted to renew our march on the road to Memphis;
and during the next three days nothing occurred worthy of mention. We
were happy because Lottie kept up so well--she was so cheerful, and
never complained; the cloth shoes I had made for her proved a great
success; no more blisters appeared on her feet; the weather, though
quite warm during the day, was pleasant mornings and evenings, while the
nights were delightful. We continued our gipsy plan of camping out
nights, and traveled leisurely during the day, so as not to fatigue
Lottie.
“But as I hear the music in the saloon, which is the signal for the
dance to commence, I shall break off the thread here, and promise to
take it up again when her Majesty shall be pleased to command me.”
“I had rather listen to the story than to dance,” said Scottie.
“So would I,” said the queen.
But just then the band struck up a lively air, and the temptation of the
dance proved irresistible, for the majority of the maskers hastened to
the cabin, and the others had nothing to do but to follow.