Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 25.pdf/176

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The First Lawyer The Chieftain glumly nodded, and the tribesmen, row on row, Exclaimed with approbation, 'By the Wingless Auk, that's so!' "Then the lawyer strutted homeward, and as a litte joke, Remarked to Mrs. Riatoh, 'My dear, observe my smoke While on polished rocks, with chisels, I carve a thousand laws, Not to mention several maxims and some ponderous legal saws.' So every day 'twas rainy, and every day it snowed, He chipped away with ardor on the Riatohnian Code; And oft the Chief came thither, being curious to see His industrious legislature making laws so merrily. Meanwhile, a youth named Dog Tooth, among his other sins, Planned to steal his war-lord's mantle of glossy otter skins. "One night there was a scuffle in the Chieftain's rocky den, A muffled imprecation, a yell, and all again Was quiet, till, for seven miles around, The startled clansmen trembled at the conch-shell's bellowing sound, And skurrying to the Council Rock, they saw their leader stand Beside the flaming beacon, his war-club in his hand. He waved aloft his bludgeon, and spluttered in his rage, 'Was there ever such a caitiff since the Cenozoic Age? That slinking little Pup Tooth — 'tis well that I awoke — Crept into my royal cavern and stole my otter cloak! Now after him, my warriors; bring him to me, and then —' Most expressively he brandished his heavy club again. As The Of Then, If And But One R. Releases "Then 'My Iany C. the recall is old mighty with Chief, four confronting properly citizen Riatoh guilt Chief the Mesozoic correctly hundred with hand whatever, defendant; you've stood stepped called allcaressing the — sixty, due logic, confounded, cited Dog some attorney, smilingly and deference, so reversed this Tooth, was the his Dog day technicality forehead's never indictment's hissed Tooth's I'll to inby I'll him his uttermost look Rock-Pile known handle judicial 'You with hands itbald up quashed.' his Prehistoric as this perplexity, — throne: convexity; are 'Pup,' forty-three, club. alone. washed Dub!'

"With solemn ceremonies, and much display of woe, Beside the Council Rock they buried Riatoh, And o'er the mound erected a dinotheriurris jaw, The symbol for Attorney and Counselor at Law." Clyde, 0.