Wish You Well(92)

battle, / In the bivouac of Life, / Be not like dumb, driven cattle! / Be a hero in the strife! /

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! / Let the dead Past bury its dead! / Act—act in the

glorious Present! / Heart within, and God o'erhead! / Lives of great men all remind us /

We can make our lives sublime, / And, departing, leave behind us ... Footprints on the

sands of time."

" 'A Psalm of Life.' Henry Wadsworth Longfellow," said Lou without much enthusiasm.

"There's more to the poem, but I've always considered those lines the essential parts."

"Poetry is beautiful, Cotton, but I'm not sure it can fix real life."

"Poetry needn't fix real life, Lou, it need just be. The fixing is up to us. And laying on the

ground and never moving again, or running from trouble, is not the Lou Cardinal I

know."

"That's very interesting," said Hugh Miller, as he stood there in the doorway. "I looked

for you at your office, Longfellow. I understand you've been over at the courthouse

paying the debts of others." He flashed a nasty grin. "Right good of you, however

misguided."

"What do you want, Miller?" said Cotton.

The little man stepped into the room and looked at Lou. "Well, first I want to say how

sorry I am about Miss Cardinal."

Lou crossed her arms and looked away.

"Is that all?" Cotton said curtly.

"I also came by to make another offer on the property."

"It's not my property to sell."

"But Miss Cardinal isn't in a position to consider the offer."

"She already refused you once, Miller."

"That's why I'm cutting right to the chase and raising my offer to five hundred thousand

dollars."

Cotton and Lou exchanged startled glances, before Cotton said, "Again, it's not my

property to sell."

"I assumed you would have a power of attorney to act on her behalf."

"No. And if I did, I still wouldn't sell to you. Now, is there anything else I can't do for

you?"

"No, you've told me all I need to know." Miller handed a packet of papers to Cotton.

"Consider your client served."

Miller walked out with a smile. Cotton quickly read through the papers, while Lou stood

nervously beside him.

"What is it, Cotton?"

"Not good, Lou."

Cotton suddenly grabbed Lou's arm, and they raced down the stairs and over to the

hospital. Cotton pushed open the door to Louisa's room. The flashbulb went off right as

they came in. The man looked over at them and then he took another picture of Louisa in

her bed. There was another man next to him, large and powerfully built. Both were

dressed in nice suits and wore creased hats.

"Get out of here!" cried Cotton.

He raced over and tried to grab the camera from the man, but the big fellow pulled him

away, allowing his partner to slide out the door. Then the big man backed out of the

room, a smile on his lips.

Cotton could only stand there, breathing hard and looking helplessly between Lou and

Louisa.



CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

IT WAS A PARTICULARLY COLD, CLOUDLESS DAY WHEN Cotton entered the courtroom.

He stopped when he saw Miller and another man there, who was tall, portly, and very

well dressed, his fine silver hair combed neatly on a head so massive it seemed hardly

natural.

Cotton said to Miller, "I was pretty sure I'd see you today."

Miller inclined his head at the other man. "You probably heard of Thurston Goode,

Commonwealth's attorney for Richmond?"

"Indeed I have. You argued a case before the United States Supreme Court recently,

didn't you, sir?"

"More precisely," Goode said in a deep, confident baritone, "I won the case, Mr.

Longfellow."

"Congratulations. You're a long way from home."

"The state was kind enough to allow Mr. Goode to come down here and act on its behalf

in this very important matter," explained Miller.

"Since when does a simple suit to declare a person mentally unfit qualify for the expertise

of one of me finest lawyers in the state?"

Goode smiled warmly. "As an officer of the Commonwealth I don't have to explain to

you why I'm here, Mr. Longfellow. Suffice it to say, that I am here."

Cotton put a hand to his chin and pretended to ponder something. "Let's see now.

Virginia elects its Commonwealth's attorneys. Might I inquire as to whether Southern

Valley has made a donation to your campaign, sir?"

Goode's face flushed. "I don't like what you're implying!"

"I did not mean it as an implication."

Fred the bailiff came in and announced, "All rise. The Court of the Honorable Henry J.

Atkins is now in session. All those having business before this court draw near and you