The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-03-13

By FREDERICK TREVOR HILL

the witness stand for some moments
before addressing her.
Miss Mapes. you are an intimate
friend of the defendant, are you not:'
The housekeeper eyed her questioner
suspiciously.
Miss Emory and | are friends, she
answered cautiously.
And you believe her guiltless of the
charge against her. do you not!'
Il certainly do
Then the truth cannot injure her in
any way. can it,
Miss Mapes shrugged her shoulders
noncommittally.
1T depends upon who is speaking,
she snapped. "Some tongues are nat
urally formed for lying. They'd twist
the best truth in the telling"
The audience chuckled ~delightedly,
| and some one started applause. which
was instantly silenced by the judges
eavel. Gilbert displayed no resentment
| n the witness retort, but returned to
the task of conciliating her with ad-
mirable tact and good nature. Miss
Mapes, however. was in no mood to
bc placated or treasured. She was dis
| d~ainfully suspicious of the prosecutors
| Difference. She de~liberated over each
| question before answering it, and more
! than once | thought the examiners en-
| durance was at an end. 1t was not
until he touched upon the housekeep-
er's disappearance from Pollicet that
| his n changed and his questions
became more insistent.
The witness had been given the posi-
ton of caretaker of Mr.. Shaw's Polli-
Ger farm after his death, had she not?
Why had she surrendered her duties
to another person and departed from
the state shortly after the inquest!
That was her private business: Why
did she AXE the ex-housemaid, Betty
Field. with her ON that private bust
! ness? Because she needed companion
ship? Then why
What was the prosecutor driving at:
Did he mean to imply that the witness
was trying to escape from testify1ng!
Then why had she returned in time Tor
the trial.? She'd come back v%oluntari-
ly. hadn't she? The prosecutor hadn't
brought her back, had he? No one
could have brought her back. Wasn't
that so: Then what did he mean by
his insinuations and insults and twist
ings and turnings and pretense OF fair
play:
Although / knew the woman was
lodging, | could not but admire the
courage with which she turned upon
the prosecutor with her GREATNESS
burst of questions, but my admiration
was tempered by the suspicion that
she was fighting, not to help her friend,
but to save herself.
Gilbert made no further attempt to
soothe the witness after her hostile
outburst. but, accepting the gage of
battle, settled down to fight it u
Miss Mapes, did you ever see the
defendant wearing a blue skirt of this
shade and texture:'
L started at the question. and instant
ly Gilbert's opening words required to
my mind. When we found the wearer
of the skirt from which the telltale
threads were torn, he had told us, we
would know the murderer of Gregory
Shaw. This, then, was the crucial mo
ment of the trial.
Miss Mapes carefully examined the
exhibit which had been handed her and
to my intense surprise nodded as she
returned it. gpc
81 haze seen Miss Emory wear a
dark blue skirt, she responded calm
". but / couldn't say it was exactly
like this sample
when did you last see the defendant
wearing such a skirt eHr
Miss Mapes carefully considered the
question. but her eyes never left the
prosecutor. and as she weighed the an
swer she appeared the calmest person
in the room.
More than two years ago
where did you last see it?'
I'm the closet of my room"
"Of your room? How did it happen
to be there:"
Miss Emory rave it TO me-"
when did she give it to you"
Nearly W years ago.
What did you do with itT'
II ripped the silk lining out Of it
and threw the rest away
"Where did you throw it,"
Il don't remember"
why don't you remember
Because | haven't charged my mind
with the whereabouts of every bit of
rubbish I've thrown away in the last
! two years
How long ago did you throw away
this particular bit of RUBBISH
Il don't remember
WAS it since Mr.. Shaw's death:"
you know 1t wasn't she burst out
snappishly. 1T was almost, If not
quite, two years ago. / don't remem-
Der which,"
could hear the audience giving vent
10 its relief. but | took no satisfaction