Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-05-16
BY ANITA CLAY MUNOZ,
Author of 'ln Love and Truth

er's whispering to the questioner now,
instructing him mayhap to be easy WI
thee Go, Hetty. / wot twill be bet
ter for thee"
At the earnest solicitation Of her low
er Hetty rose and, making her way
slowly through the crowded council
room, reached the witness bench, where
she stood, oblivious to all the curious
glances cast in her direction, regarding
Margaret's dropping figure with an
expression in her dark eyes Of mourn
full sympathy. Sharply rebuked for
her inattenton by the chief councillor,
Retty was instructed to be seated. and
the young attorney took his place be-
fore her.
Henrietta Taunston," he commenced,
with great seriousness, thou hast been
herein summoned as witness against
this woman Margaret Maryland on the
representations Of thy family that thou
didst on several occasions come under
the baleful influence Of her spell. Hast
thou aught to say?"
"Oh sir" Hetty faltered tearfully in
trembling tones, although the evi-
dence is awful an convincing, 1 can
not bring myself to think i'll of Mar
garet, who was ever most kind to me.
I can think Of her only as my fathers
sisters child-now both dead-alone
among her accusers. forsaken in her
hour Of trouble by the man she loved
an, how nearly, only one close to her,
as I ha' been, could give thee under
standing Of It,"
She began to sob bitterly.
"Have pity on her. If she hath done
aught of wrong it's of the cross she
weareth, on account Of promise, good
councilmen, given her by a dying
papist, mayhap with dying curse
breathed on it. Entreat her to destroy
it and let her go away" she cried
piteously.
Her brothers face was black as
night, and he sat we'll forward on his
seat. glazing at Hetty savagely as if
he could strike her words back into
her throat. His mother, seeing his
agitation, plucked the sleeve Of the at
torney who stood near her and whis-
pered some instructions in his ear.
When she finished he stepped forward
sternly, with uplifted hand.
Enough, Henrietta Taunston! IT'S
not thy place to plead for the prisoner.
but to give what evidence thou hast"
Good sir, as have promised to
tell the truth before Cod" Hetty Sob
bed, not daring to look toward her
mother or brother, IT have never felt
any influences of the evil spells at
tributed to her, but rather have re-
ceived much kindness from sweet Mar
garet"
"Didst thou not one evening meet
this woman-the accused-on the road
and pass her by with aeered face in
obedience to thy mothers command 2"
II did, sir"
"And did she not in her anger stand
rigid, fixing her baleful glance upon
thee so that thou didst run with all haste
to thy home, falling in fit on the floor
at thy brothers feet, where thou -didst
lie like q creature possessed by the
devil, foaming at the mouth and NOV
ing convulsively?"
In her excitement Hetty almost rose
from her seat.
"Nay, sir, nay" she cried earnestly.
ed from evil tongues. IT'S true that
I met Margaret, but her glance was
not baleful, but, oh, sirs," lifting her
fearful, supplicatlng face toward the
tribunal, "'twas SO sud that my heart
hath not stopped aching since with the
memory of it! An believe that twas
not our meeting that caused my swoon-
ing, but the news brought
Here Josiah Taunston, unable to con-
troll himself any longer, rose from his
seat, white faced and wrathful.
II do proclaim the witness now to
be under the spell Of the prisoner" he
cried in loud voice hastily in his de-
sire to stop her further utterances,
, who was ever wont to influence my
sister easily, and do affirm that she is
not responsible for what testimony she
giveth."
Immediately there was a great up
roar and wild excitement in the coun-
IA doii. 4ACtlSJ AA1SdLCACo az uSl
brothers violence and bewildered by
the confusion, rose from her seat, and,
while the attorney consulted with the
councilmen and Josiah Taunston on
the ACCESSIBILITY Of questioning her fur
Their, the witness, regardless of conse-
quences, made her way hastily to ST.
mon Kempster and, sinking into her
place by his side, laid her face against
his coat sleeve, sobbing bitterly.
The gaping auditors eyed her curl
ously, entertaining themselves with
coarse comments on her evident fond
ness for her lover and sneers for her
sorrow at the prisoners predicament
! Suddenly there was loud rapping for
order. The council, having decided not
to recall Hetty, made the fact known,
and when all again was quiet the Wild
| ow Dawson, whose child had died of
| commissions, was on the witness bench
giving an account Of that nights ex-
| periences.