amount of de _ca. sa._?"

"Two thousand dollars," said the sheriff.

"Two thousand dollars!" repeated Milliadon.

"Goodall _vs._ Milliadon," said the Judge, "Preston, for
plaintiff--Grymes, for defendant. What do you do with this case,
gentlemen?"

"We are ready," said Preston.

"And you, Mr. Grymes?" asked the court.

"Vill you take my check for de _ca. sa._, Mr. Sheriff?"

"Certainly, sir," replied the officer.

"Say we is ready too, Mr. Grymes--all my witness be here."

"I believe we are ready, your honor," answered Grymes. Milliadon was
writing his check. "Enter satisfaction on the _ca. sa._," said Grymes.
The sheriff did so, as Milliadon handed him the check. Grymes now
turned his attention to the case as coolly as though nothing had
occurred. That was the last Milliadon ever heard of his two thousand
dollars.

Laurent Milliadon and the millionaire John McDonough were litigious in
their characters; and their names occur in the report of the Supreme
Court decisions more frequently than those of any ten other men in the
State. Grymes was the attorney for both of them for many years. They
were both men of great shrewdness, and both speculative in their
characters, and both had accumulated large fortunes. Without any
assignable cause, McDonough ceased to employ Grymes, and intrusted his
business to other counsel, who did not value their services so
extravagantly. Mentioning the fact upon one occasion to Grymes, "Ah!
yes," said he, "I can explain to your satisfaction the cause. In a
certain case of his, in which he had law and justice with him, he
suddenly became very uneasy. 'I shall certainly lose it, Grymes,' he
said excitedly to me. I told him it was impossible; he had never had
so sure a thing since I had been his attorney. In his dogmatical
manner, which you know, he still persisted in saying, he was no great
lawyer as I was, but some things he knew better than any lawyer, and
'I shall lose that case.' At the same time he significantly touched
his pocket and then his palm, signifying that money had been paid by
his adversary to the court, or some member of it. 'Ah!' said I, 'are
you sure--very sure?' 'Very sure--I know it; and you will see I shall
lose this suit.' He was not wont to speak so positively, without the
best evidence of any fact. 'Well, Mac,' said I, jestingly, 'if that is
the game, who can play it better than you can--you have a larger stake
than any of them, and of course better ability