New Britain herald., 1916-04-05
CHAPTER XII. Maggie Hale.
What is your name ?" Maggie Hale"

What is your name?'
 Maggie Hale.'
 And your occupation? ?"
 For a fraction of a minute she hesitated and then answered lightly T am out of employment just at present I was private secretary to Theodore Barker"
 A flicker of mutual amusement shot from Langdons eyes to those of tn. Prosecutor, and the spectators with a whispering rustic of interest leaned forward to stare for Texas" Barker was striking figure in the city.
 His millions amassed by the mascI- line love of taking a chance" would have made him notable anywhere, but Texas the gambler enlarged that notability to the spectacular, though his constant clashes with the police had recently robbed him of some ol bis more exclusive patronage.
 To Mary Page. alone the name Barker meant nothing, and the sud den eagerness in, her manner was duo not to the expectation of a bit of sen sational testimony. but because this was the woman she had been sup posed to be on the night when the police dragged her to jail.
 This new witness was, however, not woman to bring from Mary any thing but an uncomfortable shudder of aversion. For she was of the hard-mo outhed, bold-eyed type whose profession it is to make herself attrac- tive to men.
 She was the decoy of the great gam bling hell back of the Hotel Re public and Mary wondered vaguely what on earth she could possibly know of the tragedy. that after so many weeks seemed no nearer a so- l lution.
 The Prosecutor wondered much the same thing, and the Judge made a mental note to warn Langdon that witnesses whose characters were not beyond reproach detracted from
 rather than added to a case. And he make that resolution in the face of the twinkle of amused recog- hilton that Maggie Hale had shot him when she took the stand. For all kinds and all classes met at Barker's and it was with this famous place that Langdon's first question dealt. AS secretary to MT. Barker you must have been frequently at his es- tablishment back of the Hotel Repub- llc. were you not Il was" the witness answered read fly. But mostly in the day time. | had my evenings free" There were evenings when you
 were there, though, were you not?" "Oh, lots!' Her tone was freighted with easy amusement. Sometimes met up with party for dinner or 8
 show, and then we'd drift about tc try and bank at The House." She smiled, and several men in the courtroom smiled too. | Miss Hale. were you a friend ot ! David Pollock?"
 T knew him. knew him brett,
 well. He was at Barker's a gooc bit"
 Were you at Barker's on the night that he was shot?' Yes, but early. Somebody tipped me off that the air was fresher at ( 1 cabaret"
 A snigger of repressed mirth filtered | big raid, but Langdon frowned.
 Had you seen MT. Pollock tha ] day?'
 i NO. Not since the night before.'
 Miss Hale, isn't it true that yol
 were to have joined the supper party Tor the company that MT. Pollock anC
 MT. Daniels were giving?"
 NO. ] wanted to. but he said i
 was purely theatrical Then I be | him l would come anyway" 'Why were you particularly anxiou. l to attend that party-On MT. Dol | locks account?"
 l Not on your life. I knew tha ] there was going to be some crook ec l work pulled off, but I couldn't prov, 1 it. I-I had q grudge against some