The Confessions of Artemas Quibble

en hours' journey from Boston, with a considerable quantity of fine raiment-rather too fine, as I soon discovered, for the ordinary uses of a serious-minded, workin

that I was in any degree supercilious. I was simply a good fellow who had always enjoyed the comradeship of other good fellows, and as a result felt reasonably sure that the rest of the world would treat him kindly

on the clay itself: I wore my hair rather long, with an appreciable modicum of bear's grease well rubbed in, side whiskers and white beaver, and carried a carpet bag on which was embroidered a stag's head in yellow on a background

ings in an actors' boarding- house, and I am free to confess that at the time I was undecided whether to follow the bar or the boards. I have since frequently observed that the same qualities make for success in both, and had it not been for the fact that I found my new friends somewhat down at

melt of cabbage and onions, was a distinct shock to my highly sensitive tastes. However, my new acquaintances proved warm-hearted and hospitable and did everything in their power to make me feel at my ease, with the result that in spite of the cabbage and the woode

oadway after a one o'clock breakfast, and of spending most of the afternoon, evening, and following morning in or about the same locality. We usually went to some theatrical show on what was known as "paper," and I afterward joined my actor friends at a restaurant, where we sang songs and told stor

ad enjoyed a salary of fourteen dollars per week, but having overslept several times running he had been discharged for absence from rehearsals. He had reached the limit of his resources about the time of my arrival in the city and had been in a most lugubrious frame of mind when I first had the honor of his acquaintance. Suddenly, however, he ap

in wants t

my companion, for he turned deadly pale and the perspiration collected in beads

le?" I inquired in

rd. I had already begun to suspect that the ugly man was none other than an officer of the law, and visions of myself locked up in jail as a possible accomplice, although

a negative reply, the officer strongly recommended our immediately retaining counsel in the person of one Gottlieb, who could be found across the street from

OTARY DEEDS RENTS COLLECTED BAI

he officer led us across the street and into

n smoking a vile cigar, who was sitting with his feet upon a table. "I'll leave you alone,"

removing his cigar. "Mike tells me you're cha

asping the table for su

Exchange Bank for about six hundred dollars when there was only fifteen on dep

heck, come to think of it, for that amount,

ust box under the table and w

got left?" he inq

lls still of some dignity. Gottlieb stretched forth a claw, took them, place

e station-house, where poor Toby was searched and his pedigree taken down by the clerk. It being at this time only about eleven in the morning we w

ot to be for several hours, and during this interval Gottlieb mysteriously vanished and as mysteriously reappeared. It was half after three before the judge announced that he would take up Toby's case. Now, the judge looked even more of a rascal than did Gottlieb, which was paying his Honor

is fellow here has swindled my client out of six hund

say, Mr. Gottlieb?

guilt. My client, Mr. Robinson, whose abilities as an actor have no doubt hitherto given your Honor much pleasure, was so careless as to forget the precise amount of his bank account and happened to draw a check for too larg

orthless, lazy fellow who has not a cent to his name, and who induced my client to cash his check by leading him to believe that he was a man of substance and position. No doubt he has sp

uld not lock your client up. Did he not falsely pretend, by requesting th

money be advanced on the faith that the bank will honor the demand made upon it. One who cashes a check does so at his own risk. H

ther. "How do you make this out a crime? What false prete

unt set forth? If not, no one would ever cash a check. The innocent person who advances the money has the right to assume that the borrower

something in what you say. What answer

the intent, your Honor! There can be no crime without a wrongful intent; and how can there have b

ther, "he knew ver

he was perfectly honest in the matter. Now, there is absolutely nothing in this case to prove that he had any guilty k

dge. "That is it! You

d Gottlieb-"no

r?" wrathfully demanded the lawyer. "I can't pry op

hat he had previously tried to cash a similar check and that it had been returned. In any even

Gottlieb, grasping him by the arm, dragged him away from the rail and pushed him into the street. The complainant and his attorney indignantly followed us, the former loudly deploring the way modern justice was administered. Once outside Gottlieb shoo

u are going to return Mr. Robins

Give him back his money! I have no money of his. I

?" I protested. "You certainly d

," he retorted calmly; "a

ere in that roll

" answered my friend. "But l

fee. He merely got up and said that you had no scienter-

to the law. Ten dollars! Scienter is worth a thousand! Your rascally friend got his money for nothing, didn't he? He's

slipped inside his offi

eat deal of truth in what he says. I don't be

ollars just for scienter. If that

ly each moment in my mind I returned