had carefully prepared their timber and every bolt necessary for the span that should make up the drawbridge between these two piers. Judge Grant went his way to Washington, and upon his return to Iowa three weeks afterwards he found the cars in operation crossing the bridge. He immediately went to Judge Love, and making the necessary affidavits for contempt of court, obtained warrants for the arrest of the parties engaged in constructing the bridge. Without disclosing what our knowledge and view of the law was upon the subject, the parties at once gave bond and security for their appearance at the next term of court to answer the charge of contempt. When the next term of court convened, Justice Miller and Judge Love presiding, I made the necessary motion to discharge the defendants upon the ground that the injunction had been dissolved by operation of law immediately upon the adjournment of the prior term of court, and there being no injunction in force, the completion of the bridge did not constitute any contempt of court. The motion was sustained and the defendants discharged. Judge Howe and Judge Blodgett of Chicago were so delighted with the result, that they telegraphed to Chicago for a case of wines and inviting Judge Grant and Mr. Lincoln of Cincinnati, who represented the plaintiffs in the case, into our room, we spent a very merry evening together and all seemed to enjoy the evening save Judge Grant who could hardly forgive himself for his over-confidence which had resulted fatally to his clients. During the evening many excellent anecdotes were indulged in: among others was one by Judge Blodgett for the benefit of plaintiff's counsel. He said in the early history of the lawyers who were in the habit of traveling the circuit in Illinois, they had a gentleman come among them who would never admit that he had made a mistake. The attorneys were accustomed to amuse themselves in the evening at the hotel, and among other amusements they had a game called "kicking the slipper," which consisted in inducing some green victim to put a slipper upon one foot and attempt to throw it into the air and kick the slipper with the other foot before it reached the floor. One evening they induced the over confident attorney to undertake the experiment, with the result that he came flat upon the floor in the attempt to kick the slipper with the other foot. The other lawyers thereupon greeted him with a hearty round of laughter, but he sprang to his feet and said to them, "Now, gentlemen, you needn't laugh, you needn't think you fooled me, for I want you to understand that I had no sooner struck the floor before I understood that it was a trick." Mr. Lincoln was a merry, good-natured man and enjoyed this anecdote at his expense very much, but Judge Grant hardly saw the application of Judge Blodgett's anecdote.