Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-08-15
CHAPTER xx1y-(continued.)

XXlV-(COntlnued.)
MIR. Dobson spoke to him. and he
at once followed his friend and solicitor
across the body of h court room to
the row of reserved chairs in front OF
the crowd.
A whisper went our the room. and
Louisa with cool Indifference turned to
greet those among the crowd whom she
had recognized as a-cquaintances and
friends. Some were sitting, others
standing back against the walls in the
rear. Lady Ducies was there, excited
and over-dressed, with a large hat that
O~bStructed the view of q
looking woman who sat Immediately
behind her. and who seemed quite pre-
pared to do battle against the obstruc-
ton.
Farther on sat the Countess OF EYint-.
shire. novelist and playwright. eager
frown between her brows, denoting
thought and concentration of purpose.
She bowed gravely to Louisa. and con-
trived to attract Luke's attention, so
was able to note carefully in indelible
pencil in a tiny notebook that a muir
derer about to meet his just fate may
bestow IN infinity of care on the nice
ties of his own toilet.
IN. b. The next play written by
the Countess Of Ilintshire, better known
to the %playgoing public as Maria An
nunziata, had an assassin for it's prin-
cipal hero. But the play found no
favor with actor-managers, and though
it subsequently enjoyed some popular
ity in the provinces. it was never per-
formed OF the London STACEY
Louisa looked OF all these people
With Eyes that dwelt with strange per-
sistency on trivial details; h Countess
of Flintshire's notebook, Lady Ducies'
suffraget in the rear-all these minor
details impressed themselves upon her
In after years she could al
ways recall the vision OF the court
room. with Its drabby background to
q sea of ridiculous faces.
For they all seemed ridiculous to
her-all these people-in their obvious
eager agftation: they had pushed one
another and jostled and fought their
way into this small, stuffy room, the
elegant ladies with their scent bottles.
the men about town with their silk
hats and silver topped canes; they
were all ready to endure acute physical
discomfort for the sake of witnessing
the narrowing sight of one of their
own kind being pilloried before the
to the savourless condiment Of every
day life. Then there were the 9TH
ers; those who had come just out of
Idle curiosity to hear a few unpleasant
details or to read a few unwholesome
pages in the book of life Of people who
AVN ~ q W ONlIe
Ridiculous they seemed, all of them.
Louisa felt a sudden desire to laugh
aloud. as she realized how very like a
theater h place was, with its boxes,
its stalls, and its galleries. But in his
case those who usually sat in stalls or
boxes. displaying starched shirt fronts,
bare shoulders and bad manners, they
were the actors now made to move or
dance or sing, to squirm or to suffer
for h delectation of pit and gallery.
On the left a group of young men
with keen young faces, all turned
toward Luke and toward Louisa and
her father. Note books protruded out
of great coat pockets, fountain pens
and indelible pencils Struggled close to
hand. Lucky the lightning artist who
could sketch for the benefit of his
journalistic patrons a rough outline of
the gentleman with more than one foot
in the dock. Close by, a couple of
boys in blue uniform. with wallet at
the side and small pill box cap on the
head, stood ready to take messages,
fractions of news. hurried reports to
less favored mortals whose duty or
desire kept them away from this scene
of poignant interest.
Louisa saw Them ali, as in a vivid
dream. Never afterward could she be-
lieve that it had all been reality; the
lists, the idle. whispering, pushing
crowd, the loud murmurs which now
and again reached her ear.
"Oh, you nay take 1t from me that
tomorrow he'll stand in the dock"
such boazen indifference I've new
er seen."
"And they've actually found the DAG
GER with which he murdered the
"B-rr.r It makes mo feel quite
creepy"
"Yes. he was at your at home dear.
wasn't he? q week ago."