The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-09-01


| circumstances: she was never very communi
cative, but now she was repeIlant in her cold
| beauty and resolution, and the longer M
looked the frmer grew his conviction thai
something mysterious was swaying her against
him.
Julia, surely. you realize the situation in
| some of its details You are aware that your
evidence would weigh heavily in my favor
Your signature y
One of the white hands suddenly came "
and mperiously commanded silence.
II am going back to Chalons-sur. Marine TO-
morrow" she exclaimed. "Gen. Van Dyck
should have told you that will not be wit
| ness in this case"
mot for the sake of old days, Julia D.
| She seemed to shiver, and the lifted hand
dropped; her mouth was seen to twitch; hel
white teeth bit her lower lip half through, and,
turning she seized the knob of the door.
"You may have heard the story about the
engagement l could not help that. No news
from you-none but rumor which the next
news strengthened; and. then, was thrown
almost daily in Irma's company"
| Julia Tarpon groaned. She seemed to shud-
| der at the door which her form touched, and
| her eyes, regarding Harold, appeared to pity
him as an abject creature.
"You would like Irma-I am sure you
would" he went on. in an appealing, apologize
| manner. "She is more like child to be loved
self about my heart, Julia. in manner which
would have captured the hardest cynic."
"Don't!" cried Julia Tarpon, throwing up
her hand "Don't, say. Man, with all your
experience, you don't know what woman's
heart is. / must keep my resolution. l can't
testify"
"Not to save Irma as well as myself? You
don't know what you do! Julia, am not here
pleading for myself. I have thrown self aside
in this fight for honor. see nothing before
me but the sweet girl who wonders what all
these court proceedings mean. She wonders,
too, what signify the sleepless nights which
worry through. You will not help me? Julia
Tarpon, you know you signed that will ]"
For another silent moment Julia Tarpon
stood at the door looking at the man before
her, and then with cry which seemed to come
from the secret recesses of woman's heart,
she threw open the portal and disappeared.
The echo of her footsteps sounded for half
second in Harold's ears, and then he found his
way to the table, which he clutched in the
agony of strong mans despair.
He took memorandum book from an inner
pocket, and with trembling hand wrote some.
thing on one of the leaves. then placed it on
the comfortable, after which he found his way
from the house.
"She will not, she says, and I know some.
thing about Julia Tarpon," fell from his lips.
II thought tho mention of Irms might change
her will, but it only seemed to strengthen it.
l don't know this strange creature after all.
The following day, when Gen. Van Dyck
came down to the office, he found among his
mail letter bearing the city post-mark. The
superscription was in femininish characters,
and he looked at it critically ere he broke the
seal.
"Ho! from Julia Tarpon, eh 2" he exclaimed,
onrEnxL VAN DYcK: When this reaches you
will have left the city. I am compelled to keep
my resolution. and since quitting your office, l
have had my determination strengthened. My ST.
lence may be susceptible Of several constructions,
but shall keep it, no matter what comes Of 1t.
repeat that crossed the sea for the purpose OF tes
tifying in your clients favor, but have changed
my mind, and my silence must be regarded as proof
of the saying that woman's will may change
Wishing you successful outcome In the case In
which can take NO part
am, your friend.
JULIA TARpoN.
Twice Gen. Van Dyck read this letter, and
as often he looked up and smiled in his legal
way. He knew the value of Julia Tarpon's
testimony. He was sure that it would be the
turning point in the case, for SO much hinged
OH the signature of the woman in the will in
dispute. If Julia Tarpon signed such will
the case would be established in his clients
favor, and the prosecution which he was un-
dergoing would fall to the ground. There was
no other way to look at this matter, and the
old lawyer felt to the minutest degree the ig-
nominy of failure at his age.
1t was an exciting day when the long
looked-for and much. talked-about case was
called by the clerk. The crowded courtroom,
the interested spectators, the pale-faced but
outwardly-calm defendant, made up picture
which some painter, sure of his skill and colors,
should have transferred to canvas. 1t was
agreed among the other members of the bar
that the matter was practically determined
beforehand as much as anything in court
could be. The fact that Julia Tarpon had re.
turned to France without remaining to testify
in the young mans behalf, was taken az proof
that she was against him. The wonder was
that the prosecution had not held her, but the
public did not know that she had been cornered
be the lawyers on the other side the night be-
fore she went back, only to tell them what she
had in substance told the defence. that her lips
were sealed, no matter whom the scaling in
jured.
For three days the case dragged its length
along. Gen. Van Dyke exhausted all his legal
acumen fortified by 10 years Oh the bench but
it seemed to weigh as rothing against the
array of testimony produced by the well-armed
and equipped PLAINTIFF.
1t was the last day of the trial, and the argu.
ments had been finished just aftor the lighting
of the lamps ~ ~, =
Gen. Van Dyck, conscious of having made
the legal effort of his life, sat down amid muir
murs of applause. which the old man did not
seem to hear. 3 -
He looked at Harold, and caught the nerv-
! Gus twitching of the lbloodless lips, which the
young man could not coItrol, and from the
bottom of his heart he pitied him. He knew
tho terrible value of Circumstantial evidence;
he was aware that it had frightened the moose
| about the neck of moro than one gultless man,
| and in his own career Of 40 years at the Amer
lean bar he had seen the innocent go down be-
fore this razor-edged sword of circumstance.
| The lights in some parts of the breathless
| courtroom were not very good. Persons stand
| ing in the corners were not distinguishable by
| those who looked over the room from the mid
die of it, and here and there were people who
were scarcely discernble at all.
Cunningly Dallas Cole the head attorney Of
the opposition, man known and celebrated
for his keen analysis of evidence. woye about
| Harold Jordans case network OF doom. He
was watched by the young man from his seat
near Gen. Van Dyck, and when Harold leaned
toward his attorney and whispered something
the eyes of the old General seemed to change,
and he made swift note with his pencil.
On one of the back seats sat woman whose
face Harold had caught sight Of as his eye,
wandering half aimlessly about the room, had
come across the look which filled the eyes Of
this interested listener.