The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-09-11

tell him the whole adventure now WhiIe
it was so burning fresh in my own
mind, with all its suggestive atmos-
phere. its eloquent details, couldn't
make him see it as saw it? No. Inc
Spanish Woman had blown the magic
breath of her plausibility, her IN
genuity. upon the poor little sub
stance of my true story, and hao
scattered it like ash 1t was too
much of an undertaking, even suppos-
ing it to be possible, TO bring to-
gether the pieces again. And
vaguer but even more insistent voice.
prompted. Then suppose he does be-
Heve me? What will il mean 10
Johnny Montgomery 1t seemed 10
me that l had been enough Of Spartan
as far as that man was considered
I looked up at father and said, she
frightened me-the Spanish Woman
frightened me, and so I ran away.
How readily he took this up. showed
me 1t was the explanation he expected
YES, know. IT would be quite natu-
ral," he said soothingly. You have
been much overwrought, and this in
fernal performance has thrown you
into Mysteries. But that wall, child
an awful drop," He laughed little,
but / could see how, much moved he
was. Il hope TO see that courage dis
played in worthier cause some time.
l did not tell him how worthy the
not for that bold leap of mine there
would have been no star witness for
the people tomorrow.
Something in my noncommittal air
seemed to touch father, and make him
still look anxiously at me. "Of course,
Dingley is going to have the matter
investigated further. The woman will
probably be arrested, if only on sus-
picion."
But that evening he told me that Mr..
Dingley had said nothing had been
ELECTED from her that would warrant
such a thing; and though father
seemed vexed and dissatisfied he ar
gued what could one do If there was
no evidence to fasten upon?
l did not answer; l knew it would
be of no use. Mr.. Dingley's explana-
tiens were so reasonable. But since
I had talked with father that morn
ing a piece of news had come to me
which had only. succeeded in strength
ening my belief in the meaning of the
Spanish Woman's actions. This was
brought me by Halle, my envoy ex-
traordinary, who had wormed 1t out
of her mother, who had got it from
Mr.. Ferguson.
1t seemed that on Saturday, just aft
er Halle had left the court, the Span
ish Woman had taken the witness
stand and testified that she had been
Rood's wife. Mr.. Ferguson said this
was ridiculous to suppose. yet no one,
not even Mr.. Dingley, had challenged
her statement She denied there had
ever been any trouble between the two
men. She said she had been interested
in Mr.. Montgomery as a woman might
be who was old enough TO be his
mother, but that Rood had been her
husband and that she had loved and
been faithful to him. She was won
derfuHy calm and convincing, Mr.. Fer
guson had said, and it looked at first
as if her testimony would help the
defense very much, but when Mr.. Ding
ley's associate began cross examining
her, he seemed to turn her testimony
inside out, and then it appeared that
her evidence had been the worst thing
possible for the prisoner. For if Rood
had stood so firmly in Montgomery's
way, the lawyer argued, that would
give the very strongest motive for the
shooting.
Wasn't it dreadful Halle ex-
claimed. when she wanted so much
to help him, to find she had only made
things worse. Father said that when
she realized how the evidence had been
turned against him she grew as white
as death"
From this I was able to understand
better why the Spanish Woman had
been willing to take the terrible chance
involved in sending for me to come to
perate. But what I could not under
stand was why had not Mr. Din gley
challenged any of her testimony in the
court? Why was it always his asso-
ciate?
1 had sense of things going on I'M
der the surface which even my father
did not suspect. There was plenty of
news flying about in plain hearing md
sight-news of mob law preached fl
the custom house steps; news of t.Iu
double guard at the Jail so there would
be no second chance of escape-all
these things I heard without their be-
ing able to rouse in me any special in
terest. My mind was fixed on the under
currents. 1 couldn't explain them to
father beca Use GiCE't understand them
myself, only felt them / felt as if I
and. all the rest had been handled, were
being handled now, by a bathing and
subtle power which one could not lay