Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-08-21
ually the horror Of that night wore
away, and went about the house again

| ually the horror Of that night wore
away, and ! went about the house again
as usual. Il III s
II Louis felt troubled he concealed
it from me, and he spoke SO confident
y OF everything coming out right at
\ the trial that at last believed it would,
too. We had not many weeks to wait
for the trial. Then again my love was
prisoner at the bar.
| As l listened to the array Of evidence
against him my heart grew sick with
fear. l wondered how I could have
been SO hopeful; I wondered how he
could have borne up as he did through
all those weeks. His attorneys did all
they could for him, but the attorneys
for the prosecution drew closer and
closer about him chain of circum-
stantial evidence that felt it would be
almost impossible to break.
1t was almost over The counsel for
the defense had finished his eloquent
appeal. The counsel for the prosecu-
ton had made it appear quite plainly
that Louis was guilty. 1t only remained
for the Judge to charge the jury, and
then-then the fearful sentence.
So this was life. o, how long ago
seemed to me the time when Louis and I
laughed so joyor1sly at every little thing.
1t was not two months ago, but it seemed
years, ages.
1t was very still as the Judge arose
and he did not speak just at first. In
that pause slight disturbance at the
door was distinctly heard. Then q
woman and little girl came timidly
up to me. It was Donna and her moth
or. The mother whispered to me, and
in turn told our counsel what she said.
Then he arose.
"1our honor, we have new witness.
This little girl claims she knows who the
real culprit is, and I beseech you to let
her be examined" Her objections
were interposed by the counsel for the
prosecution, which were promptly over.
ruled by the court, and Donna was placed
upon the stand.
"You won't let him 60 to jail?" she
said, appealing to the Judge. "He
didn't do it. I know who did it, but
I've been sick, awful sick, but we
didn't have the scarlet fever either.
didn't know nothing about it tl]
now, but knew all about it weeks ago.
knew all about it the night it was done.
That is the man who did it"--pointing
to the junior partner ct the firm, who
laughed scornfnlly, but whose face later
on as her story progressed became livid
with terror.
An angel from heaven could not have
looked more glorious to me- at that mo-
nent than that pale, hollow-eyed red
haired child.
Then she told it all in her quaint, IL
iterate ay-~how she was passing the
store the night she had been spurned
from our door, and by the light of the
lamp she saw her father approaching in
drunken frenzy. Afraid Of a blow if
he should recognize her, she slipped
into the dark alley and crouched down
in the shade of a large packing-box I'm :
til he should have passed by. She had
been there but q minute when two men
camc swiftly up the alley and stopped
so near her she could have touched
them. They were the junior partner
and his accomplice, one Of the clerks.
"This is what he said," she went on,
taking slip of dirty paper from her
pocket. He whispered, but l heard
him, and I writ it all down. It's al
most like what the prince said in the
| Primrose Princess of the
"Never mind about the princess,
child, but let us hear what this man said
said our attorney. So she repeated
Remember the quarrel tomorrow,
and don't overdo your part. I'll dis
miss you; then you take the first train
for Dakota and buy up those lands I
told you of, and rs soon as can find
an excuse III sell out and Join you. I've
fixed the telegram right.
The junior partner was arrested, the
clerk was traced out west and confessed
the crime and justice was melted out to
them. My Louis was a free man. He
was offered a partnership in the store.
and not many years after became. sole
proprietor.
My poor baby came few weeks
after the trial, but God took her back
Immediately to Heaven. Our hearts
were full of sorrow, but we felt that il
would be wrong to mourn long, so We
tried to bear it bravely.
And Donna? You saw that tall, fair
girl who passed through the room just
beforeI began to relate-Shis story-the
girl with the glorious hair-hair which
looks as if it had caught and kept
prisoner the sunshine-and great dark
blue eyes--eyes like violets that have
grown in the shade-that was Donna.
She has been our daughter ever since
the trial, and no daughter in the whole
; city is more heloyed.