DISCOMFITURE OF CYRUS 225 



friends, or some of them, smiled and wished us 

 luck. 



It took the entire police posse to force an en- 

 trance to the court-room, and after we had taken 

 seats the prosecuting attorney began his opening 

 address, upon which he had spent the entire 

 week. He pictured me as a monster, a bloodless, 

 cruel, devilish vampire, a man with a heart 

 barred to every human impulse, with blood 

 as cold as an iceberg. He pictured the meek, 

 mild, gentle cow, made for man's delight, for 

 woman's happiness, for children's life and wel- 

 fare, thrown roughly to the floor, pinioned and 

 helpless, while the cruel, scorching, red-hot 

 branding-irons burned their relentless way into 

 her shrinking, palpitating tissues, leaving their 

 shameful brand like the mark of Cain or the Scar- 

 let Letter. He said, but perhaps it is unneces- 

 sary to repeat all he said ; but at the close of his 

 address the audience turned from me with loath- 

 ing, or glared at me with baleful eyes, and my 

 w r ife, on hearing her name called as the first 

 witness, jumped as if some one had jabbed her 

 with a hat pin. 



Mrs. Shute, being sworn, testified that she was 

 the wife of the respondent, that she lived with 

 him on Pine Street, that he was perfectly sane 

 and responsible, and had never acted queerly, 

 no, sir ! he certainly had not ; that he kept a Jer- 



