Finnigan,
before he sobered up, had let her completely out of the
bag. It was otherwise with the charges that were to be
made, according to the Mercury, on the evidence of Chief
Joseph Fry and another member of his tribe, to the effect
that he and his Conservative friends had been instructed
by Squire Ormiston and Mr Murchison to vote on this
occasion for both the candidates, thereby producing, when
the box was opened, eleven ballot-papers inscribed with
two crosses instead of one, and valueless. Here, should
the charges against a distinguished and highly respected
Government official fail, as in the opinion of the Express
they undoubtedly would fail of substantiation was a big
libel case all dressed and ready and looking for the
Mercury office. "Foolish--foolish," wrote Mr Williams at
the close of his editorial comments. "Very ill-advised."
"They've made no case so far," Mr Murchison assured the
family. "I saw Williams on my way up, and he says the
evidence of that corner grocery fellow--what's his
name?--went all to pieces this morning. Oliver was in
court. He says one of the judges--Hooke--lost his patience
altogether."
"They won't do anything with the town charges," Alec
said, "and they know it. They're saving themselves for
Moneida and old man Ormiston."
"Well, I heartily wish," said Mrs Murchison, in a tone
of grievance with the world at large, and if you were
not responsible you might keep out of the way--"I heartily
wish that Lorne had stayed at home that day and not got
mixed up with old man Ormiston.
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