Some Curious Decisions. The balcony-maker admitted that the structure had been placed by him, but, he said, the woodwork of the windows needed strengthening before his part of the business could be completed, and as the carpenter was away at the time, it had been impossible for him to proceed with the supports of the balcony. Clearly the absence of the car penter established the innocence of the ac cused; his plea was accepted, and the out raged balcony-maker left the court without a stain on his character, while into the dock, in his stead, stepped the carpenter. And now the question became fraught with interest — was it after all the carpenter who was responsible? His story was this: He was hard at work on the aforesaid win dow frames, when, in the street below passed a lady. She was young and doubtless beau tiful, but it was not this which had attracted his attention, it was the extraordinary bril liant and vivid color of the dress she wore; it flamed like a nasturtium, it glowed like the eye of an angry bull. Was it his fault that, dazzled and blinded, he could no longer sec to do his work? He left, intending to return when his eyes should have recovered from the shock, but the next morning he was called to Barcelona to do some work upon window frames there; so that was how the whole thing happened. And was he, an honest carpenter, to suffer because a woman's dis ordered fancy flaunted a bewildering gown before his eyes? Perish the thought! "The plea is a good one," said the judges, "it would be scandalously unjust to punish this man under the circumstances." It was plain to them that the culpability lay with the wearer of the offending dress. Where was she? So brilliant a garment must surely have attracted the attention of others than
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the unfortunate carpenter who had so glori ously vindicated his innocence; the woman must be tracked. The whole machinery of Spanish law was set in motion, and in less than a week the lady was found in Seville. She admitted that the dress was strangely, crudely bright; but, was it right, was it just, was it Spanish to condemn a woman for wearing a color the vividness of which she deplored even more strongly than her judges? No, she continued with rising ex citement, let that rascally dyer answer for his misdeeds. Had she not given him a pat tern of her great-grandmother's gown — an intense, but dusky red — so subdued that the most sensible to color of carpenters might have continued his work in peace and com fort while she passed? And had he not sent her this gown, midway between a meteor and a flamingo? And could she afford not to wear it? Was not Pepito even now waiting till she had amassed her dowry?— and the cost of a new dress would retard the wedding! A thrill of mingled sympathy and indig nation ran through the court : sympathy with her, indignation against the unprincipled dyer. " Let him be brought! " cried a hun dred voices, as the officer of the court con ducted the innocent damsel from the dock; and in an hour or so the offending dyer was placed there in her stead. He found no excuse; he was convicted and sentenced to be hanged to the doorpost of the house where the burglar had met with his accident. When the moment of execu tion arrived, however, an unexpected diffi culty presented itself : the doorway was low, the dyer was tall. But justice might not thus be defeated—they found a shorter dyer, and they hanged him!
