Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-02-26
DARK. DAYS
BY HUGH CONWAY.
Author OF "Calied Bdek." "

expected ad Introduction. He raised L.
hat and made some court ous and pleasant
remark, to which PiiIppa, 10 my surrrIs.',
replied In a calm an tit iny way
Grant knew hal no sister. ! called H.;
cousin because had a wild hope that, T. iii
worst happered. MIGHT he able to conceal
the true IatirnShip In which we stood, and
% be permitteu to give evIdencs on ! er b
half. Itrusted my wife would guess that !
had good reas,n Tor tins deception
"Try and manage this for me, Grant" !
aid 90 earn .Stly that my friend mads no
further demur.
"Take me in your cab, and will see whri
can do"
During our drive to the ShirehaIl 1 asked
Grant what he knew about the impending
trial.
'Nothing.r he sail. frankly. al hat,
murder cases--hate ey n to read about them
or course know hat Sir Mervyn Ferrand
was killed and hidden IN tho snow for days
and days But know no more"
"Who IL the nccus dr.
81 don't know. th,ught, from your
anxiety. ven must know him"
"Will he he found cuiltvf
~ don't know. Stov. heard Soma onc
who ought to br well inrormai sav vns cr-
day that the cnse for to nrosn"u'ion waS
most feehlp He sn,mnd IN douh4 the
grand fury wou'd re'urn n tr1n hill
As lea d t"Is resstd P"inppa's hand
secretly. Ielt LLaL h. as trembling.
The uriye 10 liie II e.al. occupied OH q
few minutes. We did u n'. 90 to the BuJ &c
entrance, in front OI " len l cOulI zee
crowd o. people near y nl' cking up the
street. We soorpe,i another door, an
Grant, alter iUokinS round, caught sig It oI
what app are to .c an .nspec.Ur IUIice.
He entered in it'll, cunve s.. ton vi II
L h., ,.f IA, thnt.
given INTO h care.
sThis Is IL reach of the law" whisp red
my friend Us he ad me good.bye. "Yuu
will have to atone Tor 1t by q handsome
gratuily."
We followed our gui le. Pnilippa, al
thou h walk n with firm siep, l. anc
heavily upon my uruI. scarcely know by
what door We entered tnat palac of jl,-
tice. Tue sta,vnrG policeman led US tnrou IN
stone corridors and pas>ags. which re-
echoel with iLe tread o our feet, an at
last We ounl ourselves before a doubl.
swinging !.nin oak toor. over which in old
English letters was written "Criminai
Court"
l felt Philippa shudier, and knew that
the sight 0 tnu,e words brOu sht the horror
Of the 81 uatioH fully home TO her. Mechan
ically pr sseh a sovereign in the hand OF
the venial iuspec or, or Whatever lie was;
then, holding my wi,e's hand. l passed
through TIE noiselesS swim sing ioor INTO the
all but empty court.
A few policemen AMI Other officials wers
lounging auout. Two or three peope who
had no doubt gained nd ittance in the same
way as We Lad done. were seated in various
qoignes Of vantage. ! Id Phiiippa up tn.
broad steps, and pointed to one Of the harl
sootlen benches Ilrovid d tor the acconm-
lation of the general pui lie. These benches
Fero raised ,tep t'v step, tne above another.
We chose our position about halfway Cd,
IN the ri .ht-uan side Of the court. f,..-
tppa, With her tnIck veil .niIing down to her
dhin, and ~ Iy.ns reco 1nlAon, SANK wear
ny into her Sc |. l PLACID mys'if beside
her; my hani crept unIcr tho cloak she
wore and h, ID her hanu.
Surrey, II WAS ali dreum-a dreadful,
realistic dream! shuuli wake and find
mysel unde. the great orang, tree i'll that
cpurtyaid in gay 5 v,la. my hal. smoked
Cigar and the COX which mad be n lazi y
rea ling lying at lhy fee.: my motner opp
4te me, laughing al my somno. .ency, and
Philippa'S grave uar3 sy i looking wi.u
CALM everlasting love INTO my own !
should wake anu find the cool OF the evening
aad succ' eied % tn- giar' Ut the u ternouu.
We shouId walk tnrougl tine merry streets,
lounge lii the Alanel . wander throug the
glow ng AlcaEsr garden. or drive Out miies
an mites over the lrr;Ae smiling pains. Or
should evtn wake and find mysel! noddin;
0v r my fire in " ion",v ,ttags. the st,lld
Willinm the emily human creature within
4Ail; Plilipp1's return, t,e snow storm. the
dread ul discovery. The & KIT, Seville, the
maria call, all a drrun
In kind siupor-t.!" temporary reac-
uon, sunrosn. cons quel upon such fatigue
and trcmhle-I gaE d a ound me, AMI won.
dered whe was.
What is this great m,ty building, lit
from me sle hy large c erartorv windows
missed brNes on either s; ie q the building
OF ecclesiastical dcsi~n! What are these
dull grry vacant walls, that lofty ceilinr.
crossed and cut in % small squares by dark
Fafters. this iead"d flo"r IN which Ice,
fall all bnt nn;selrs>.y. What are those
those small rallied plat nrin' all but ljoin.
ing them. and all hut nd joining that pancie'l
1ek structure at t'e enl acing me!
whit II that rectangular box SHAPED
erection vi h overhnDr ring carved coinies 7
Let us away from this dismal, colorles,
placel l. me wax an | find myself ami
the flowers. orange tro"s, the fair sights and
anrrounings o. our Sp nish home.
No! have but TO in n my dazed ey es to
8e cnSe of sp"ce in which W" sat to know
nat am dreaming no dream; that we must
vait here an learn on" fNtes. That obong
wooden enclosure with hig sides. topped by
light iron rai'ir-, rims reality ba X tn
He. II IL the rrisoncr's dock In Nh hou,'s
tme man will stant therN He will be
4fnuTht un those ST ~ stems which lead 20
y FROM below. re tormos' flag OF which /
ON just sea. lie viii stand there for hours
IA y" leaves the dNcl;, d cared innocent or
gnil'v. so will our lives he declared happy
6 nisnrahla.
Nv h.uJ ~ = 10 .. - -,. -.
o. last minutes which may bs ours to
sfend tr~ather are slipping by SO fast, 50
vsry fast!
Bee. III" clock under the balcony marks
hAlf-past nin'. The all lu' deserted cour,
hbgins to assume the Hprearancs of pre-.
QNring for lu>inrss. Policem N and othr
0drtals PISS 20 and re-. some arrangin
larers, some rerlenishing ink-botties. ana
tincinr quill rens ready for tie barr listers
and solicitors who will soon fill those front
Oats. Some on, with Whit seems to me-
utter ironv. rlaces n nacnifcent bouquet
q flowers on either hand of the Judges va
ON. hair. What have finw'r, in comm NJ
With such scena as thiSi Flowers, too,
which are bautifnl enough to recall to
roy mimi the f'ir Span sh homs. which,
Ipayi~ We shall sec no more. Flowers in
this d'n of sorrow! R thor should every
sact. ev"rv b",m. he drarel n black.
Now the d ,ors o. each siic Of tho court
oPen. anil remain open. hear a shufflnr
q manv 'ent. Peoplr. in continuous
aream, r"ss through the entrance, an |
Yend Their vav to the ymrtinn Of the court
allotted ~ tho ccn,ral rnb'ic. So fast, so
ttick they c,me, that in Ten minutes this
scsca is throng'd alm,st to suffocation.
F,ilIrra and I pressed closer and clos r to
eNrh ether. as everv inc' o. the bench on
which we "re seated Is appropriated. Thr
coart IA full.
Crowded by respectable.looking, we'll
dfessed people, who have gain d admission,
~ ! heart, hy favor OF the sheriff. Yet,
rsspectable as they are, each man, each
Y0man. r"shes In eagerly and strives for
the b ct available scat. And for what r,a.
3nt TO see and hear poor wretch tri.d