Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-20
was father waiting FOR. me.
Aulhr 81 TflE COAST OF CHAM



you to the witness room and you can
wait for me there" he explained to me.
Y "Oh,a no." said, ''let me stay here.
I am afraid to be alone. I suppose the
of the Spanish woman oc-
Cured to him, for he did not insist. but
really I was not afraid of anything ex-
cept OF having to leave the court room
before knew what the endswas to be.
BY the time i had got back to my
seat they had already called another
witness, and such queer, little com.
pact positive looking woman, with a
very gay, very best hat, was sitting
In the witness box looking, possibly as
I had looked, like queer, scared AMI
NAL in a pen.
She told how on the morning Of May
the seventh she had been awakened By
a pistol shot, had looked out of the win.
dow and seen a woman running down
the street. Questioned as to this WON
ans PERSONAL appearance, she said
she could not tell, but that she wore
q white dress. In what direction did
she run? The woman thought south,
yes, she was sure it was south. At this
| saw father shake his head, for our
house was north Of Mr.. Roods gam
bling place, and noticed that Johnny
Montgomery, who had been very calm
while | was talking, had now grown
nervous and jerked about in his chair.
4 Father was the next witness, and
when he came back again he really
tried to insist that we should go home.
But. for the first time In my life,
stood out against him. said could
not 60 until knew at least what was
going to become Of Johnny Montgom-
cry. Father gave me such a strange
look, neither angry nor sad-some-
thing which did not at all understand.
He didn't urge me further, he hardly
looked at me, but was conscious OF
his set profile while l listened to dis
agreement between Mr.. Dingley's as
sociate and Mr.. Jackson. Mr.. Jackson
waved his arms good deal, but the lit
tie man kept saying, II insist, your
honor" And finally the judge seemed
to decide it in a way that pleased Mr..
Dingley's man, though MIR. Dingley
himself seemed not to be interested.
paying no attention at all to the little
man, who kept leaning over and speak
ing excitedly to him, and the court
crfer was calling for "Latovier."
"A pale, indefinite looking creature
rose up from somewhere out OF the
crowd and shuffled slowly toward the
witness box. There he Is" heard
the whispers around me. "Why, don't
you know? That's the man who was
shipped off. They only got him back
yesterday. He's supposed to know
1 felt in my heart that something de-
cisive was coming, and had premo-
milton it was going to be something
bad; the man appeared so wretchedly
nervous as he sat there in the witness
box He kept glancing at Johnny Mont
gomery shuffling his feet and shifting
his hat from hand to hand and what
they got out of him came not at all as
a story, but only with very many cues
TONS
1t seemed he had little gunsmith's
shop, not very we'll known, to which,
he admitted, gentlemen such as the
prisoner there, hardly ever came. But
he said that on certain night, perhaps
two months ago, the prisoner and an
other man had come into the shop and
looked long time Aand bargained for
the very best pistol he had in the
place. 1t was mother of-pearl handle.
he said, with trimmings Of steel, and
quite small. He had told them that 1t
was hardly the weapon for man to
carry, and johnny Montgomery had
answered him that he did not mean
to carry it long.
At this there was quite an uproar in
the court, the lawyers shouting, the
clerk trying to call order and a great
commotion in the press about the door.
But / do not remember being afraid.
only the inconvenience Of having IA
Their keep his arm around my should
ers while was trying to see how
Johnny Montgomery looked. Finally
quiet was restored, and then the man
who had gone into the gunsmith's
with Johnny testified; and after an
other pause, with all my expectations
strained to tighter pitch than could
bear, came the general uprising which
meant the court dismissed, that it was
noon.
Father, looking down at me, said.
Nov, what do you propose to do? Are
you going home with me?'
Please" 1 said, edo this one thing
for me. have done everything you
have wished so far. can not endure
not to know the worst or the best that
can happen. 1 must hear the end. Let
US come back here again this after
noon"
/ was so excited that didn't care
what father thought Of me. But all he
said was, Well" And, "Then we will
90 over to the restaurant across the
street for luncheon instead of going
home"
1t was help not to have to step
out Of the excitement of the proceed
ings. It was that which kept me up,
which carried me along. There she Is,
that's the girl who saw it." The voices
whispering behind me gave me a sad
stir of feeling. but it was better than
being left to think. It spurred me; and
the clatter of dishes and the crowd
which filed the restaurant, talking all
at once, yet with no distinct words
audible, all helped to bridge over the
chasm of the waiting. l could see
Laura Burnet sitting at near table
with her thick veil raised only. little
above her nose, just enough to let her
drink cup Of tea. Some of fathers
friends and one or two of the young
1,rax, cfopnod of orr table tO