The Washington herald., 1910-08-09
CHAPTER VII.


L ne last Day OF the TT1ul.
After the restless crowd-craning nAclzs
shifting feet. half-caught sentences-ex-
cited, alert like a nervous horse dancing
az a shadow, ready at the vaguest rumor
TO rush into a sensation, how quiet.
prosaic. and even peaceful the court
room seemed. That morning when we
entered it was only partly flied, and in
the space behind the railing the clerk OF
the court was scribbliug. the LAWYERS
were lolling. certain individuals looking
Ike janitors were wandering i.!v about.
and az his high desk the judge was writ
ms steadily, his fine. white hand mov!n,
across the paper, his eyes now ana then,
glancing aside as If he wer. thinkingl
and paying no attention at ali 10 what
was going on Ia the room around him.
Il Was reassurinE IN q way. as iC, after
an, nothing remarkable were COINS 10
happen.
Some women came in ali N a group.
among them Halle Ferguson. her meth
CT hanging back in her wake. as II sha
were being towed along in spite OF herd
self. Halle came over 20 where We "a
and began 20 whisper in my ear son,
long story Of something which she W.
deeply absorbed in at the moment. Th
too, had habitual and pleasant feelii
about H. Even when, with a black
over her face. sweeping in folds dol
the length of her dress. the Spanil
woman came In, il was hard 10 beliey
that she was that same terrible creatursl
who had stood before me only the dav'
before yesterday telling me I should
never leave her house.
She took one OF the chairs which had
been placed along the wall. so that instead
Of facing the judges desk. she frontedl
the crowd and threw her ven back. She,
looked white, whittier than I had ever seem
her, as II she were deeply powdered
and this had the effect Of a mask. i
have never been a human face so calm|
or so indinerently sweet as hers. audi
she sat as mouonless as II she had beent
craved there One heard the whisperinesl
around the room, saw the nudges and
the twisting Of heads. but it was as il
she did not see or know them. Then
the interest of the room turned toward
the door With that queer instinct Of
a crowd, which knows before It sees. tho
whole room knew that the prisoner. was
coming before there was a glimpse OF
him visible
He walked up the aisle. looking re-
markedly fresh and calm. as il he wero
here on the merest matter Of business.
As soon as he was seated he turned and
glanced behind him, and I thought his
eyes rested first on that place where I
he'd sat the week before: but they did
not llnger there a moment. sweeping on
in a half circle around the room. Elanc-
ing over me so quickly that I could not
tell at all whether he had noticed ne.
I thought he had been looking for some
one, though Il couldn't have been the
Spanish woman. since she sat in plain
sight on the other side Of the room.
The court filled rapidly Young men
whom I knew came in. evidently one or
two Of these knew Johnny Montgomery;
for they walked UP and into the rallied
inclosure where he sat. shook hands with
him and stood talking with hin.
could not but believe that at any time
he pleased he could rise and leave the
court as freely as those others could
have done The thing going on here
which they called trial had the ap-
pearance Of being just pretense-a play.
At last one of the men who had been
wandering aimlessly among the tables
came forward and intoned those words
which 1 could never understand. but
which. nevertheless. always brought
quick order. Then there was some ex-
change of words between the lawyers
on the other side Of the rail. now with
the judge. now with one another: and
now it was the clerk of the court who
was speaking. and 1 couldn't repress the
absurd feeling of surprise that they
should turn their backs and humble so.
since il appeared trreSistibly TO me that
ne were an audience. and the thins was
being done for our benefit
was trying 20 make out what it was
that Mr.. Jackson had been saying 10 the
Judge since it seemed TO make for much
smiling. when above the rustic and wills
per / heard again the voice OF the clerk
calling out. There was a moments wait.
Then he raised his tone; / heard. and
the words went pealing through me:
Eleanor Fenwicki Eleanor Fenwick.'
sat gazing pitifully at him while he
chanted it out in that monotonous, sing.
ing voice.
"Elne" father whispered.
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.