The Portland daily press., 1892-01-26
THE ALIBI.

Jem Blake was shot dead in his own
doorway by Antonio Gueldo and the
trial was to come off directly.
The extraordinary interest in the af-
fair was less due to the murder and its
peculiar circumstances than to the fact
that this was the first case tried at San
Saba in any more formal court than the
time honored institution of Judge Lynch.
AS there was no place specially ar
ranged for the trial, Judge Pitblado hos
pitably offered the use of his shed. Here
rough table and chair were placed for
the judge, the other necessary furniture,
intended to represent the dock, the
stand, ETC., being el1ed out with boxes
from Silas Bagget's grocery store.
Jake Smith looked at these prepara-
tons for time with frowning discon-
tent and thon strolled down TIE road,
turning into the lane that led to Blake's.
When he reached the door of the shanty
he leaned against the jamb and poked
his naked head inside, tanning himself
in AN embarrassed way with his greasy
fragment of hat. He had come there
with the intention of saying something,
but the sight within made him forget it.
Blake's widow sat there, as she had
pretty much all the time since the MUIR
der. staring straight before her, with
her chin in her palm. The sunlight
struck through the foliage of the red
oak trees that grew before the door, and
checkered with the Pickering brightness
the floor and cradle in which Jem's baby
was sleeping.
There it was, just as it had been three
days ago (co1:ld it be only three daysD-
just as it had been when she went out
that morning to look after the drying
clothes and left him standing in the door
by the cradle chow fond he was of the
baby!)-just as it was when she heard
the crack of the pistol and ran in with
an awful sense of suffocating fright
just the Same as when she had found
him lying upon the cradle, dabbling its
white linen with his blood and the baby
playing with his hair. She screamed
once, tho first and last complaint any
one had heard her make; then she was
quiet and helpful through it all--when
men came and lifted him up; when they
had laid him on the rough bed in the
other room when they carried him to
the grave, she following with the baby
in her arms.
Jake Smith was trying to find the link
missing in his thoughts; he shifted with
perplexity-or something-and Blake's
widow looked up without speaking.
Jake nodded pleasantly four or five
times.
"Pooty chipper?" asked he.
Blake's widow smiled sadly, bent over
the sleeping child and smoothed the
clothes with tender touch.
They're ayoin ter try him in a court, !"
Jake went on, ian don't believe
TRY who-Antonio?" She turned to-
ward the burly figure in the door with
flash of interest in her black eyes.
Eyes. The jedge is making court
out of his shed. hope it'll turn out all
right, but it seems like givin that Mexi-
can devil Il chance he oughtn't ter have"
.'Hecan get clear, can he?" she asked,
rocking the cradle gently and patting
the coverlet.
81 don't see how, but he's got some
kind of law cuss to speak for him-a
Teller that stopped here a day or two ago
on his way to Galveston-and it makes
me kind O nervous"
Blake's widow did not appear to no
tiee the last remark, for the child, dis
turbed by the talking, had awakened
and sat up in his cradle with wonder
ing look.
''Pooty, amt he?" said Jake, regarding
the small figure with interest. "Looks
just like-ahem-you. Poor ittle-l-
an-he stammered, and treated his hat
like mortal enemy. "Of course he'd
had--you've got-theres nothin could
do fur yer, naybe?'
She answered with grateful look, but
it was accompanied by shake of the
head.
Jake bent down and with his big fore
finger softly rumpled the hair of the ba-
by's head; then he went out and left
them. Blake's widow sitting as he found
her and the baby staring down the path
after him.
He walked on until he reached the top
of the little hill. where he could look
down upon the roof which covered the
piteous scene he had just left. Here he
seemed to have half mind to turn back,
for he hesitated and stopped; but he
changed his partial intention after lin
gering moment and walked medita-
lively onward, with the exclamation,
WAL, some women do beat the ID
amazin."
OF course everybody came to the trial.
The arrangements were soon found to
be altogether too meager. Pitblado's
shed was filled to OVERLOOKING and Bag
get made clean sweep of every empty
box in his store.
Antonios lawyer, a sharp eyed, sharp
featured fellow from Galveston, had
hustled about with surprising agility on
the day previous, holding mysterious
with i'll conditioned fellows
of Gueldo's kidney.
The court was assembled, the jury had