The Gilded Age by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

But the letter containing these particulars was lost. Once he heard of

him at a hotel in Washington; but the man departed, leaving an empty

trunk, the day before the major went there. There was something very

mysterious in all his movements.

Col. Sellers, continuing his testimony, said that he saw this lost

letter, but could not now recall the name. Search for the supposed

father had been continued by Lackland, Hawkins and himself for several

years, but Laura was not informed of it till after the death of Hawkins,

for fear of raising false hopes in her mind.

Here the Distract Attorney arose and said,

“Your Honor, I must positively object to letting the witness wander off

into all these irrelevant details.”

Mr. Braham. “I submit your honor, that we cannot be interrupted in this

manner we have suffered the state to have full swing. Now here is a

witness, who has known the prisoner from infancy, and is competent to

testify upon the one point vital to her safety. Evidently he is a

gentleman of character, and his knowledge of the case cannot be shut out

without increasing the aspect of persecution which the State’s attitude

towards the prisoner already has assumed.”

The wrangle continued, waxing hotter and hotter. The Colonel seeing the

attention of the counsel and Court entirely withdrawn from him, thought

he perceived here his opportunity, turning and beaming upon the jury, he

began simply to talk, but as the grandeur of his position grew upon him–

talk broadened unconsciously into an oratorical vein.

“You see how she was situated, gentlemen; poor child, it might have

broken her, heart to let her mind get to running on such a thing as that.

You see, from what we could make out her father was lame in the left leg

and had a deep scar on his left forehead. And so ever since the day she

found out she had another father, she never could, run across a lame

stranger without being taken all over with a shiver, and almost fainting

where she, stood. And the next minute she would go right after that man.

Once she stumbled on a stranger with a game leg; and she was the most

grateful thing in this world–but it was the wrong leg, and it was days

and days before she could leave her bed. Once she found a man with a scar

on his forehead and she was just going to throw herself into his arms,`

but he stepped out just then, and there wasn’t anything the matter with

his legs. Time and time again, gentlemen of the jury, has this poor

suffering orphan flung herself on her knees with all her heart’s

gratitude in her eyes before some scarred and crippled veteran, but

always, always to be disappointed, always to be plunged into new

despair–if his legs were right his scar was wrong, if his scar was right

his legs were wrong. Never could find a man that would fill the bill.

Gentlemen of the jury; you have hearts, you have feelings, you have warm

human sympathies; you can feel for this poor suffering child. Gentlemen

of the jury, if I had time, if I had the opportunity, if I might be

permitted to go on and tell you the thousands and thousands and thousands

of mutilated strangers this poor girl has started out of cover, and

hunted from city to city, from state to state, from continent to

continent, till she has run them down and found they wan’t the ones; I

know your hearts–”

By this time the Colonel had become so warmed up, that his voice, had

reached a pitch above that of the contending counsel; the lawyers

suddenly stopped, and they and the Judge turned towards the Colonel and

remained far several seconds too surprised at this novel exhibition to

speak. In this interval of silence, an appreciation of the situation

gradually stole over the, audience, and an explosion of laughter

followed, in which even the Court and the bar could hardly keep from

joining.

Sheriff. “Order in the Court.”

The Judge. “The witness will confine his remarks to answers to

questions.”

The Colonel turned courteously to the Judge and said,