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The Green Bag

The Bench deprecates long arguments, and hence admires most your men of few words. Timothy Coffin, once, in rising to address the Court, remarked : " May it please the Court, I am about to make a very short and a very excellent argument, for Mr. Justice Wilde once stated to me that he considered that the first proposition always included the last. I shall submit the case upon the record." The Bench was unani mously of opinion that it was a model argu ment. Mlle. Chauvin, one of the few lady barris ters in France, has just acted as counsel in an action for infringement of patent corsets. The court room is described as resembling a musichall stage rather than anything else, so numer ous were the elegantly dressed ladies, examining with expert feminine eyes the multitude of cor sets ranged in line. It was precisely these cor sets that led to the present litigation, and pro cured for the public the pleasure of listening to the lady barrister. The learned counsel, it seems, edified the court with such elaborate technical details regarding corsets that her male adversary was fairly confounded, and the mag isterial mind so bewildered as to require eight days to ponder over the matter before pronounc ing judgment. It may be recalled that some years back Mlle. Chauvin had to fight tooth and nail against prejudice and precedent in order to secure the right to practise as a barris ter, after passing very brilliantly all the needful examinations. She now appears to be reaping the reward of her patient, persevering struggle, which some time ago was the topic of the day in Paris. — The Law Times. A short time after a recent political conven tion in which his faction of his party was badly worsted, Judge N. M. Hubbard, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was asked to go on an entertainment and replied : "No, I can't go." » Why?" "What Well, Iis don't the matter feel like ? " it." "Well," said the judge, reminiscently, " I feel like a gambler I once knew, who had played all night and drank to quench a great thirst. About four o'clock in the morning his head was

foggy and he was groggy on his feet, and the last of his money had disappeared. He got up and staggered to the bar and said to the bar tender : ' No,' Yes, IBut want you said I you dodon't the

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bartender, do know want something what whisky, ' I can't.' want.' forand me.'you have

enough now.' ' No, there you are mistaken. I don't want whisky. I only want a couple of glasses of cold water and a few kind words.'" To another inquirer, who asked how he felt. Judge Hubbard told the story of a well-known character of his State, " Uncle Jimmie " Jordan, who was once a candidate for State senator in the Polk district. Jordan received the Republi can nomination and had a big majority to go on, so felt perfectly confident about his election. A man named Mitchell, who lived in the eastern corner of the district, was nominated against "Uncle Jimmie " on an independent ticket, and was indorsed by the Democrats. Election day, to the amazement of all true-blue Republicans, Mr. Jordan was beaten by Mr. Mitchell. Jordan retired to his farm, and was not seen in the city for several days. Finally one day he drove in and a citizen hailed him, as he was going by on the street, and asked him how he felt. "Uncle Jimmie " leaned out of his wagon and in a high-key voice, which was heard all over the street, answered : "Well, I tell you how it is, I feel like Lazarus when he had been licked by the dogs." The bailiff of Guernsey, says The Law Journal, " is not only the chief magistrate of the island, but also the president of its legislative assembly. The judicial system of which he is the head is simple to the point of quaintness. He is assisted in the Royal Court by twelve jurats, who are elected for life by the rate payers. The presence of two or three of these jurats (nombre infirieur) is deemed sufficient when he sits at a court of the first instance; the attendance of seven (nombre superieur) is re quired when he hears appeals. Not the least curious thing is that the bailiff sits to hear ap peals from his own decisions. It is a delight fully simple system, and works admirably — in Guernsey."