The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-03-19

ARENA vi lic uSiSlINAubi'. ~ s''u llOl.
The h]ousckccpcr eyed hcr lucstioncr
suspicionsly.
Miss Emory and | arc friends she
answered cautiously.
and YOU believe her guiltless of the
charge against her, do you not:
81 certainly do
Then the truth cannot injure her in
any way. eau it.?
Miss Names shrugged her shoulders
noncommittally.
ut depends upon who is speaking"
| she snapped. "Somc tongues are nat
urally formed for lying. They'd twist
| tho best truth i'll the telling
The audience chlcklcd dclightedly,
and some n started applause, which
was instantly silenced by the judges
eavel. Gilbert displayed no resentment
at the witness retort, but returned to
the task of conciliating her with adj
mirable tact and good nature. Miss
| Mapes, however. was i'll no mood to
be placatcd or treasured. She was dis
painfully suspicious of the prosecutors
Difference. She d%eliberatcd over each
I NuVSlIou DCIoh 49, eA" AAoAS
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 manner changed and his questions
! became more insistcnt.
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 aud departed from
the state shortly after the inquest:
| That was her private business: Why
did she take the cX-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 testlfylng:
| Then why had she returned in time for
the trial? Shed come back %voluntari-
~. hadn't she? The prosecutor hadn't
brought her back. had he: No ono
could have brought her back. Wasn't
that so? Then what did he mean by
his i%nsinuations and insults and twist
ings and turnings and pretense Of fair
play:
Although I knew the was
lodging, l could not but admire the
courage with which she turned upon
the prosecutor with her breathless
burst Of questions, but my admiration
was tempered by the suspicion that
.I,o ,,,,. &rl,%;,,~ ,,nf ~ hn1n hols frip11
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 out.
Miss Mapes. did you ever sec the
defendant wearing Il blue skirt of this
shade and texture:'
/ 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 Names carefully examined the
exhibit which had been handed her and
to my intense surprise nodded as She
returned it.
81 have seen Miss Emory wear Il
dark blue skirt she responded calm
~. "but I couldn't say it was exactly
like this sample"
when did you last sec the defendant
wearing such a skirt:'
Miss Mapcs carefully considered the
question. but her yes never left the
prosecutor. and as she weighed the an
swer she appeared the calmcst person
in the room.
More than two years ago.
"Wlerc did YOU last see it"
"In the closet of my ROOM
"Of your room: How did it happen
to he there
Miss Emory gave ii 10 me-
"When did she give it I" YOU:
Nearly two years ago
What did YOU do with it,:
Il ripped the silk lining out Of it
and threw the rest away"
"Wherc did YOU throw it:'
II don't remembers
"NhN dOnt YOU remember:
"RccauSe I 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:'
II don't remember
WAS it since MI. Shaw's dca1h:'
you know it wasn't" she burst out
snappishly. 1T was almost, if not
quite. two years ago. l don't remem.
Der which,"
could hear the audience giving vent
to its relief, but l took no satisfaction
in the sounds.
| knew that the h~ousckeeper had
been detected in the act of destroying
something in the furnace after the
discovery of the crime. She had oc.