The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-04-13
The Strange Case OF
Mary Page
Continued from Tuesdays Banner.l

lOI Lueul Ill HIS Nctp. Qulel NNlNt--o
scene SO unreal that ii was incredible |
to most Of those present that it could
all have happened not so very many
miles from the courtroom where they
now sat--a scene with the dark, snowy
road and the silent woods for its set
ting. with the flying sleigh speeding al
most noiseless over the slippery road.
Langdon, his face white and set with
fatigue and anxiety holding the tug
ging reins in one hand while the other
arm held close the half-cOnscious form
of Mary, her bandaged head CHASTITY
above The enwrapping blankets; while
over them lowered the grim figure of
the great Scotchman. his shotgun TO
his shoulder, his big body swaying
with the speed Of the flying sleigh.
II waited till they came oop too
close" he finished, a deep note throb
bling in his voice, land then / did fer
a tire wi the second shot. The auto
nigh upset wi the force of the eXplo
sion, and they all jumpit DOT. And that
was the last we saw of them
"Did you remain at DR.. Jamison's
house when you reached there"
ma. For when l had seen the puir
lassie taken away by the kind guide
wife Of the doctor. and | knew she
were safe, | kept thinldn' of how
fast the men had gone fra the hoosc
that NIGHT, and says 20 Mr.. I.angdon.
4 viii jes' take run back to the town,
Pm thinkin', and make sure there's ma
harm COON to Dan Page through this
NIGHTS work And Mr. Langdon says,
quick like, What do you meant SO
told him and the doctor, and Mr.. Lang
don was all fer comm wi me. but Tie
doctor wouldna let him. 'Dinna fash
yersel,' said. when l saw the doctor
was RIGHT. I'll gaze fast, ana If there
is need fer you Ill come RIGHT back
And the doctor said, You're all WON
out, Philip. You've got TO have some
rest Be sensible SO | went back
alone"
AT what hour did you reach the
home Of Miss Page
Il dinna ken the exact hour, but it
We're ABBOTT daylight, and | cude see
quite ways ahead of me-
"Will you tell US, please, what you
saw when you approached the Page
house,
| Slowly one great hand clinched itself
into knotted fist, and the muscles OF
| his Jaw frightened, and across those
who sat between, the gray eyes OF the
Scotchman and the tear-dimmed eyes
Of Mrs. Page met in mute commun-
Ion of terrible memories. Then, slowly,
with new tone of suppressed excite
ment lending thrill to his voice he
said.
when / got HE enough to see the
hoose, cude see great black splotch
in front Of it, that I made GOT TO he
men. Then / cude hear shouts. Come
DOT. Dan Page, we've summat to say
10 your SO | didna drive right oop
to the place. l stoppit in the road and
| crepit through the wood at the back
and, hiding under the hedge got oop
| to the rear. Then | wrote on wee
scrap Of paper, I've news of Mary
and l come TO bring help Then |
tappit on q window, till | saw Mrs.
Page perrin DOT and | held up the
paper.
After minute or So she unlatchit
the back door and slippit in. oh,
Mr.. MacPherson,' says the puir lady,
cryin' is my girl safeT And | says,
Safe and sound asleep And she says,
Thank Cod Then | heerd another
voice sayin', Annie. Annie-who is il?
| Don't let them get me-oh, my God,
don't let them get me" And l saw
that Dan Page was hidin behind her,
clingln 10 her skirts like a scared
BARN. His face were all drawn and
twistlt like, and his mouth was slob-
berlin and he kept cryln. Il was drunk
Il was drunk You tell them, Annie
You tell them" At that she says like
one spealdn' TO child, There. there,
Dan-you'rc safe And then there
came an awfu' cry from ootside:
Come GOT, Dan Page-or wen smoke
ye GOT like the beast that We are! At
that Mrs. Page began TO sob and says,
oh, what shall l do? What shall |
do. They will ma talk to me--and
they'll burn cor hose, they'll burn cor
hose! Oh, il Philip were only here
"'Dinna greet | said, I'll yet him,
but he mum ha' time. Let Dan Page
30 upstairs and talk to them from a
window
"'Oh, Dam says the puT lady. Dan
will you do that? Tell them you
didn't mean to hurt Mary or-or me.
No, no., he whlmpered, 4 can't, |
can'tn But | grabblt him 10y the arm
and pulled him to his feet. BE man.
| cried, and shooEit him. Re man
and get you upstairs
"'You'd be safe in the cupola. Dan
says Mrs. Page. I'll stay with YOU
and this kind man viii 20 for Philip
But he kept sayin, No, no. and |
could hear the others bangin ut the
door and | dared not stay. so | slippit
DOT the way | came and went OF for
Mr. Langdon."
Mrs. Page, whose anxiety to be near
Mary had kept her from returning Ia
the witness room, shuddcred at the
memories that MACPHERSON was con
juring up out of the past. The soft
nnct 10 hinh iiiln.. L.. LIN ~. 40 ....ll