The Washington herald., 1910-08-04
@ 6f0THER SIDEg&DOOR
Ne .AST0RYo OF MYSTERY
tSF 8LUCLACHANlBERLAIN
kBnl9i AuAOrofT COAST OF CHANCE
Ekh4RsP Copyright, BObbsllsuin Company

was like great light in a closet. il
was oppressive. began to breathe
quickly. and the odor Of her flower was
making my head ache.
I heard The cracke Of fathers paper
as he rolled it; than his voice. low and
I! speaking close to me. Mr.. Dingley said
you were TO be called after Cora. We
would better go into the court now. so
as not TO be hurried"
Somehow I had a fancy he would not
have suggested our going into court so
soon if the Spanish woman had not come
into the witness room. followed him
down the hail. not daring 10 turn my
head, though I thought 1 heard the
! door open again after we had closed it.
and then the rustic Of her dress; but
il Sit -'ot seem 10 be following us. but
to grow fainter. as if she had turned
IN another direction.
( We Joined the crowd Of people hasten
4 irg toward the swinging door AS we
came up to 1t l heard from within a
/ high-lifted resonant voice that I thought
l recognized as Mr. Dingley's speaking
/ with pauses and rising reflections. as
/ If addressing an audience. II ceased
/ just as we entered the court.
The room was large though not nearly
( so large as / had Imagined. and quite
( cheerful in color. I had an impression
/ Of yellowish pine walls and plenty Of
hsht, continuous though not loud muir
muir or voices and the incessant hutter
| Of the movement of The crowd. There
were no serial ranIs Of judges and bar
\ rtsters in black gowns indeed AZ first
/ sight my confused eyes saw nothing but
/ the crowd. And such a Nc dressed
! holiday-looking gathering, I saw girls
\ whom I knew. their gowns making bright
spots Of color among the mems dark
/ coats II looked more ike an afternoon
concert than trial Every place seem
/ ed TO be taken. and men and women.
/ standing up. lined the walls. But a
/ police officer said seats had been re-
( served for us. and led us TO two on the
/ side aisle near the front. and quite under
/ the shadow Of the balcony. once I had
! sat down among the crowd ceased 10
/ notice IL, and began 20 take IN what
was directly before me.
AZ the end Of the room which we were
facing was a platform. rallied or and
on it a great high desk. az which a
4 rather understood man sat. leaning his
/ head on a beautiful white plump hand
( and looking up at the ceiling as II he
/ were thinking His face was round. fair
and Unllned, ana had il not been for
/ his mop OF grizzled hair I would have
| thought him quite young
That Is Judge KeIland. who tries
/ the case. father whispered.
] felt a wonder that he should seem
/ so unlnterested in what was going on.
| In front Of his desk. but below the
( platform a man was writing at a little
/ table covered with papers. and in front
( OF bhis again was another table. larger
and quite long, at which a number OF
men were sitting. Nearest us Mr. Ding
Z ley sat with another gentleman. small.
slim and very calm looking They had
4 their heads together. evidently talking:
and next TO them was a young man
/ who seemed 70 be making jottings in a
/ notebook. Beyond him could make out
no more than vague heads and elbows,
on account Of the movement Of the
crowd. To the right Of this long table
and on q line with our places was some
thing I recognized as the jury box the
/ heads OF some OF the men in il showing
/ quantity over The high side
/ From one thing 20 another my eyes
Travelled hastily. taking them in uncon-
sciously, for the one figure was look
ing for-that 1 had expected TO see be-
/ fore al others. standing Up In the pris-
I oner's dock, the centering point OF an
I eyes-I could not find. The only thing
! that might have been a prisoners dock
a small rallied inclosure on the RICH;
( hand of the judges desk. was empty
/ But presently there was a shift In the
/ restless gathering. some people. who had
I been standing up. sat down; and I saw
a little more OF the long table. first a
/ space. where no one was Sitting. and
! then the broad back Of a man. who had
shifted in his chair as II 10 face the
J person next to him. In a moment
he had turned back again. and leaned
/ forward, and there. in the little space
through the crowd-a profile like picture
in a frame-I saw Johnny Montgomery
face
The start it gave me may have been
/ pure establishment. saw it so suddenly
/ and il looke6~>so different All the dis
I hevelment the defiance and anger were
| gone. His black hair was brushed down
smooth and FURNISHED as a crows breast
/ The stock and the great black satin
| bow beneath his chin were as immacu-
late and as perfectly arranged as faith
| ers. and his face itself was calm. al
most sweet IN expression.
had been expecting to find a pris-
oner in a dock, and here he was, dressed
like any other distinguished young gen
tleman in the court room. and sitting
among the lawyers. All at once he put
up his hand to push back his hair. and
I saw that his hands were free. I felt
a sense OF unspeakable relief. as II he
had already been acquitted. The only
thing that seemed "a set him apart from
others was that expression Of his, which
was troubling in its very sweetness, as