Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-09-17
CHAPTER XIII.


wall the eyes of the lawyers
n and reporters wandered offer
TO Ariel as she sat In the packed court
room watching Louden's fight for the
life and liberty Of Happy Fear. She
had always three escorts, and, though
she did not miss a session and the
same three never failed to attend her
no whisper of scandal arose. But not
upon them did the glances of the mem.
bers Of the bar and the journalists
with tender frequency llnger, nor were
the younger members of these two pro
fessions all who gazed that way. Joe
had fought out the selection OF the
jury with the prosecutor at great
length and with infinite pains. II wns
not young Jury, and II stared Mt her.
The court" wore gray beard with
which flock OF sparrows might have
villagcd n grove. and yet I'm spite Of
the vital necessity for watchfulness
over this fighting case. 10 once needed
90 be stirred from trancelike gaze In
Miss Tabor's direction and aroused to
the realization that IL was there to
"sit' and not TO dream.
The August air was warm outside
the windows, inviting TO the open
country, TO swimmln' hole, TO orchard
reveries or shaded pool wherein to
drop a medltative line. You would
have thought no one could willingly
coop himself I'm this hot room for three
hours twice dGy while lawyers
wrangied, often unlntclligibly, over
the life OF n dingy little creature like
Happy Fear, yet the struggle to swell.
Ter there was almost like n riot, and
the balliffs were busy men.
II was n fighting case throughout.
fought 10 a finish on each tiny point
as IL came up, dragging, IN the mere
mntter OF time, lntermlnnbly, yet the
people OF Canaan mot only those who
succeeded In penetrating 10 the court
room, but the others. who hung about
the corridors or outside the building.
and the great mass OF stay at homes,
who read the story In the Tocsln)
found each moment OF II enthralllng
enough. Tho states attorney. fearful
OF losing no notorious case and not
Understanding his opponent. had
modestly summoned others 10 his aid, |
and tho attorney for the defense sin |
gle handed faced IAN array OF legal
talent such as seldom indeed had hol.
Tered at this bar" faced II good ma
turedly, an eyebrow crooked up and
his head on one side most OF the time,
yet faced II indomitably. lie had
certain careless and disarmlng smile |
when ho lost a point, which carried |
or the defeat as OF only humorous
account and not at all part OF the se-
rious business I'm hand. and In HIS
treatment of witnesses he wns plausl-
BILE, kindly, knowing that In this case
he had no intending perjurer TO en-
trap; brought into play the rare and
delicate art OF which he was a master.
employing In his questions subtle sug.
gestions and shadlngs OF tone and
manner and avoiding words OF debat-
able and dangerous mcanlngs-a fine
craft often attempted by blundercrs
20 their own undoing. but which. prac-
ticed by Joseph Louden, made lnartlc.
ulate witnesses articulate 60 the pre-.
else effects which he desired. This he
accomplished Ms much by the help Of
the continuous fire OF objections from
the other side as IN spite OF them.
He was infinitely careful. asking mover
an III advised question for the other
side 90 use 10 his hurt aud, though ex-
A MI q /
manner. was electrically alert,
A hundred things had shown Ariel
that the feeling OF the place influenced
by 'public sentiment" without was
subtly and profoundly hostile to joe
aud his client. She read this la the
In the jury, even Ia the
Judge, but Il seemed 20 her that day
by day the inlmlcal spirit gradually
failed inside the railing and also IN
those spectators who. like herself. were
by special favor 10 be present
throughout the trial, aud that now aud
then kindller sentiment began 20 be
She was unaware how
strongly she contributed 60 effect this
herself not only through the glow OF
Visible sympathy which mdiated from
her, but hy particular action. Claud-
me was called by the state aud told as
much OF her story as the lawpermitted
ser 90 tell. intcrlariing her replies with
protestations. too quick 60 be
that she 'neyer meant 10
lring no trouble 10 Mr. Fear" and that
'he ''iid hate 90 have gen'lemen start.
ng things ON her account" When the I
iefense took this perturbed witness
Ier interpretations became less fre-
Iuent. and she described stralghtfor-
Eardly how she had found the pistol I
"a tho iioor near the prostrate igure
4 Cory and hidden II In her own dress.
me attorneys for the state listened
With somewhat cynical amusement
o this portion of her testimony. be-
lesing II OF no account uncorroborat-
q