Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-01-30
NJ a r ~ The The MID OF
A Story of English
BY JOSEPH HATTON.

baa
II do"
do you remember the night when
you first saw him%
yes"
When was it,"
"On Oct. 15."
Where did you see him."
I'm the bar"
I'm the bar of the Star and Garter
Inn?"
Yes"
WAS there another man with
him?
yes"
81 think the court needs no further
evidence as to Foster, who is not be-
fore us, unless the learned counsel has
any new facts In regard to him which
he conceives to be of importance"
Thanks. your lordship," said the
counsel, who was quite ready to take q
hint Of the growing APPROACH of supper
time, and the determination of his
lordship to finish the case without ris-
ing.
Did the prisoner remain at the inn
until Oct. 1872"
YES"
What did he say when he left?"
II don't remember"
Did he say he was going to Lon
DOM
II think So"
you are not sure?"
mo"
Il Will only ask you one question
upon q matter that cannot fail to be
more or less painful to you. and you
may answer it simply yes or no, and |
will refer to it no further Were you
pledged to marry the prisoner"
"Yes."
The answer came softly and slowly,
but much in the same tone as Mary had
answered the other questions, only that
she seemed to struggle with herself
against desire to turn and look at the
prisoner, the lawyers clerk having ad-
vised her to try and resist any desire
to look at him, but simply to attend to
the questions Of counsel and keep her
eyes on the Judge. or straight before
her.
Presently, when the counsel came to
the events Of the fatal night of the
wager. much Of the calmness of her de-
meanor left her.
The story of the wager had already
been told by Taylor, and what she did
and said on her return had been
vouched for by several witnesses.
The court was, nevertheless, breath
less to hear an account of Mary's ad-
ventures from her own lips.
She took them along with her in i'm
agination to the abbey bent on win
ming the wager for Mr.. Barnsley, and
the learned counsel ELECTED the facts
from her with gentleness of manner
and questioning that was marked in
contrast with the treatment which
Jack Meadows had received at his
hands.
When the crucial part of her story
was reached, so far as 1t concerned
the prisoner, Mary glanced at the dock
with anxious and fearful eyes.
When you were picking bunch of
elder. the hat blew from one of the
mems heads and rolled to your feet?"
a hat rolled close to me-"
"Yes. SO you have told us--you saw
the two men?"
"Yes."
"They had hats on their heads when
they passed by your"
II suppose So"
Don't you know so?"
mo"
WAS there a moon?"
"Yes."
ut was shining clear and bright"
mo, 1t was fitful."
1T was fitful; but you saw two men
carrying something between them
which appeared to you to be the body
of dead person."
Yes" said Mary, with deep sigh.
And when they were a short dis
lance from where you had hidden, you
saw the hat of one of them fall Off"
mo, l did not see 1t fall off,"
Very well, you did not see 1t fall
of. but you heard one of them make
remark about hat?"
"Yes."
What was the remark"
Curse the hiatt"
WAS that all?"
NO"
What else?"
You can get 1t when the Job is
DONE"
"You had no doubt at the time that
the remark referred 70 one of them
losing his hat in the wind, and that
the hat you picked UP was the hat Sc
lost?"
She hesitated.
The question was repeated.
II thought So" she replied. but
might have been mistaken"
"Yes," said the learned counsel
quite SO: but when you got back to
the inn you said Murder has been done
and this is one of their hats and you
recognized the hatr'
II looked at 1t"
Yes. you looked at It: you had seen
1t before:"
No answer.
"You thought you knew to whom II
belonged?'
No answer.
II will give you time; am sorry tc
have to press these questions"
The prisoner looked at the girl, who
glanced at him in an appealing way
The tears stood in her eyes as he noted
her deep distress. The silence in court
was awful.
You had picked up the hat, you
know. and had run home with it in
your hand"