The San Francisco call., 1913-09-13
WITHIN THE LAW
E3*.51 Greatest Serial of the Day g @
By Marvin Dana
from the play Of Bayard VeiIIer
/ ay Of Bayard VeiIIe

man, who was stung to more sava ge
resentment in asserting his impugned
self-rfghteousness
I pay them the same as the other
stores do" he repeated. sullenly
Yet once again the gently cadenced
voice gave answer. an answer in
formed with that repulsive insistence
TO the man who sought to resist her
indictment OF him.
But you won't pay them enough to
live on The simple lucidity of the
charge forbade direct reply.
Glider betook himself to evasion by
barking back to the established
ground of complaint.
And so you claim that you were
forced to steal. That's the plea you
make for yourself and your friends.
i wasn't forced to steal" came the
answer. spoken in the monotone that
had marked her utterance throughout
most of the interview. Il wasn't
forced to steal. and / didn't steal.
But, all the same, that's the plea, as
you call it. that I'm making for the
other girls. There are hundreds of
them who steal because they don't get
enough to eat. I said I would tell you
how to stop the stealing. Well. l have
done it. Give the girls a fair chance
to be honest You asked me for the
names. Mr.. Glider. There's only one
name on which to put the blame for
the whole -business-and that name is
Edward Glider, Now, won't
YOU do something about it?'
At that naked question the owner
of the store jumped up from his chair
and stood glowering at the girl who
rislxed d question so full OF vitupera-
tion against himself.
u a
this7" he thundered
There was no disconcertion exhib-
tied by the one thus challenged. On
the contrary. she repeated her ques-
tion with a simple dignity that stili
further outraged the man.
Wont you please, do something
about it?"
How dare your he shouted again.
Now there was stark wonder in his
eyes as he put the question.
why. 1 dared Mary Turner eN-
planned, because you have done all
the harm you can to me. And now
I'm trying to give you the chance TO
do better by the others. You ask me
why / dare / have a right TO dare.
7 have been straight all my life. ]
have wanted decent food and warm
clothes. and-a little happiness, all
the time l have worked for you. and
have gone without those things,
lust TO stay straight. The
end of it all is: You are sending me
to prison for something didn't do
That's why l dare"
Cassidy. the officer in charge OF
Mary Turner, had stood patiently be-
side her all this while, always hold
ing her BY the wrist. lie mad peen
mildly interested in the verbal duel
between the big man OF the depart
ment store and this convict In his own
keenfng. Vaguely, he had marveled
at the success Of the frail girl In de-
claiming of her injuries before the
rnacuata. He had felt no particular
interest beyond that. merely looking
on as one might at any entertaining
spectacle. The question at issue was
no concern of his. His sole business
was to take the girl away when the
interview should be ended. It oc-
cllrred TO him now that this might.
in fact be the time to depart. It
seemed. indeed, that the insistent re-
iteration OF the girl had at last left
the owner of the store quite power
less TO answer IT was possible, them
that II were wiser the girl should be
removed. With the idea in mind, he
stared inquiringly at Glider until ne
caught that fiustered gentleman
eye. A nod from the nagnate sufficed
him. Glider. in truth, could not trust
himself just then to an audible com
rnand he was seriously disturbed
by the gently spoken truths that had
issued from the girls lips. He was
not prepared with any answer. though
he hotIy resented every word of her
accusation. So, when he caught the
question in the glance OF the officer.
he felt a guilty sensation of relief as
he signified an affirmative by his ges-
ture.
Cassidy faced about. and in his
movement there was a tug at the
wrist Of the girl that set her moving
toward the door. Her realization of
what this meant was shown in her
final speech.
s@Oh. he can take me now she said,
bitterly. Then her voice rose above
the monotone that had contented her
hitherto. Into the music Of her tones
beat something sinister, evilly vim
dictive. as she faced about at the
doorway to which Cassidy had led
her. Her face, as she scrutinized once
again the man at the desk, was coldly
malignant.
Three years isn't forever" she
said. in a level voice when I come
out. you are going to pay for every
minute Of them, Mr.. Glider. There
won't be a day or an hour that I
won't remember that at the last it
was your word sent me to prison.
And you are going to pay me for that.
You are going to pay me for the five
years l have starved making money
for you-that, tooi You are going
to pay me for all the things I am
losing today, and
The girl thrust forth her left hand,
on that side where stood the officer
So vigorous was her movement that
Cassidy's clasp was thrown off the
wrist. But the bond between the two
was not broken, for from wrist to
wrist showed taut the steel chain of
the rnanacles. The girl shook the
links of the handouts in gesture
stronger than words. In her final
atterance to the agitated man at the
desk. there was a cold threat, q
prophecy Of disaster From the SYM
Dol of her degradation, she looked to
the man whose action had placed 1t
there. In the clashing of their glances,
hers won the victory, go that his eyes
fen before the menace in hers.
You are going to pay me for thist'
she said. Her voice was little more
than a whisper, but it was loud in
the listeners heart. Yes. you are
going to pay--for this"
CHAPTER vi
Inferno
They were grim years, those three
during which Mary Turner served her
sentenpe In Burnsing. There was no