The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-04-15

The speaker went on to his perora-
tion "And now, my lords, thank
God have been. by his blessing, sur
flciently instructed in the extreme van
tty Of all temporal enjoyments. com
pared to the importance OF our eternai
duration. And so. my lords, even So
with all humility and with all tran
quillity Of mind, 1 submit clearly and
freely to your judgments. And wheth-
er that righteous doom shall be to life
or death, l shall repose myself, full OF
gratitude and confidence, In the arms
Of the Great Author Of my existence"
On none Of the vast visible throng
had the effective grafton exercised
greater power than upon an unseen
listener. The awed stiffness was sud
denly broken by splintering crash.
and the startled audience, looking up,
saw the frail latticework Of the al
cove shattered, and the king standing
there like ghost Unframed by jagged
laths. Stern determinat ton sat on that
handsome cOuntenance; look which
said as plainly as words, This man
shall not der His hands clutched the
broken framework beneath him, and he
moistened his lips as If to give utter
ance to the words his expression fore
Swallowed. But before he could speak,
a tall, angular figure sprang out from
among the commons and held up
sinewy hand. His face was ablaze
with anger; his stentorian voice domi-
mated the hall, envenOmed with hatred,
striking the ear with terror as does the
roar of tiger.
1.-The might Of England, in parliament
assembled, gives judgment untram-
meled and unafraid. The king is not
here. The king cannot be here. The
throne is vacant and must remain va
cant until justice is DONE"
AS the last words rang out, the long
index finger, shaken menacingly, point
ed at the empty chair. There was de-
fiance of king or minister in words and
tone and gesture, challenge to the
throne. The pale face of the king be-
came CHASTITY white, his hand trembled
and fragments of the latticewOrk fell
from beneath it. IrresolutiOn took the
place Of former determination, and he
glanced pitifully from right to left as
if seeking human support, Of which,
in the amazed stiffness, there was no
indication. Then the fine white hand
of an unseen woman showed for a mo-
ment on his arm like snowflake, and
Charles, with one look of haunting
compassion on the prisoner, disappear
ed from sight. The phantom picture
had vanished from its ragged frame
without sound and blank darkness
occupied it's place. Truly the king was
not present, conjured away by the
strenuous hand of the fierce combat
ant on the stage and the soft hand of
the woman behind the scenes.
"Who is that man?" whispered Fran
ces, gazing in frightened fascination on
the rude interrupter.
'"That is John Ppm, the chief prose
cutor and deadly personal enemy OF
Lord STAFFORD"
As the girl gazed at this dominating
individuality all the froth Of confidence
in her fathers acquittal, whipped up
by the chatter Of conversation at the
beginning, evaporated. There stood the
personified hatred Of England against
the Earl of STAFFORD. No wavering in
accent or action there, but determined
man, knowing what he wanted and
bent on having it. To her excited
Imagination the resolute face took on
the semblance Of death mask, and the
clinched hand seemed to grasp the
shaft of an ak. 1t was as If the heads
man had suddenly stood forth and
claimed his own, and a chill as Of the
grave swept over the audience with a
shudder in its wake.
A low wailing cry went sobbtng
across the silence, a cry that tugged at
Strafford's heart when he heard 1t.
What memory did it stir in his trou-
bled mind? A "reminiscences of some
thing that had escaped him, crowded
out by matters Of more pressing mo-
ment.
what is that?' he asked anxiously.
1T is nothing, my lord" answered
Vollins, stepping between his master
and the commotion among the women.
"a lady has tainted, that is all. They
are taking her out"
(To be Continued)