The Lake County times., 1907-03-20
CHAPTER XIII.

ROM within the glossy old wal
nut bar that ran from wall to
wall the eyes of the lawyers
a. and reporters wandered often
to Ariel as she sat in the packed court
room watching Loudens 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 men,
bers Of the bar and the journalists
with tender frequency linger, 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. 1t was
not young jury, and it stared at her.
The court wore gray beard with
which q flock of sparrows might have
villaged a grove, and yet in spite OF
the vital necessity for watchfulness
over this fighting case, it once needed
to be stirred from a trancelike gaze III
Miss Tabors direction and aroused to
the realization that it was tne1e t.
''sit' and not to dream.
The August air was warm outsid
the windows, inviting to the open
country, to swimmin' hole, to orchard
reverieS or shaded pool wherein to
drop a medltative line. You would
have thought no one could willingly
coop himself in this hot room for three
| hours twice day while lawyers
wrangled, often unintelligibly, over
the life OF dingy little creature like
Happy Fear, yet the struggle TO swell
ter there was almost like riot, and
| the bailiffs were busy men.
1t was a fighting case throughout,
fought to a finish on each tiny point
as it came up, dragging. in the mere
| matter of time, tnterminably, yet the
people of Canaan mot only those who
succeeded in penetrating to 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 TocSin)
found each moment OF II enthralling
enough. The states attorney. fearful
of losing so notorious u case and not
Understanding his opponent. had
mOdestly summoned others to his aid
and the attorney for the defense sin.
gle handed faced 'an array Of legal
| talent such as seldom indeed had hol-
Tered at this bar" faced 1t good ma
turedly, an eyebrow crooked up and
his head on one side most OF the time
yet faced it indomitably. He had a
certain careless and disarming smile
when he lost a point, which carried
off the defeat as OF only humorous
account and not at all part of the Sc
rious business in hand, and in hif
treatment of witnesses he was plausi
bic, kindly, knowing that in this case
he had no intending perjurer to en-
trap; brought into play the rare an(
delicate art of which he was Il master
employing in bis questions subtle sug
geStions and shadings of tone ant
manner and avoiding words of debat
able and dangerous meanings-a fn'
craft, often attempted by blunderer
TO their own undoing, but which, prac
ticed by Joseph Louden, made inartic
ulate witnesses articulate to the pre-
else effects which he desired. This b
accomplished as much by the help O
the continuous fire of objections from
the other side as in spite of them
He was infinitely careful, asking neve
an i'll advised question for the othe
side to use to his hurt and. though ex
hibiting only pleasant easiness O
manner, Tas electrically alert,