Putnam patriot., 1916-03-10

| rose involuntarily TO her lips. But HER
agitation was no more than an echo of
| the excitement that swept through the
crowded room. Somewhere a woman
caught her breath in stifled sob. and
at the back the spectators clambered
| upon their chairs. erowding forward
| in spite of angry whispers of "Sit
down." and the sharp rap of the
! judges gavel augmented by the official.
-"Order in the cOurt!n
To Lanedon alone the calling of Mary
came as 10 surprise, and he was at her
side in a moment, whispering reassur
anee and urging her to answer as sim
! ply and clearly as possible the ques-
tons she was asked. His calm gave
her back some measure of her own Sc
renity, and her voice was low but clear
as she took the oath and. stepping VI
| into the witness stand, looked down
| upon that sea of faces For Il moment
| they swan before her eyes, and with a
! catch in her throat she remembered
| the last time she had looked down upon
| crowded faces; looked down across the
footlights upon thousands of smiling
lips and friendly eyes above a snow
storm Of appauding white gloves. How
long ago ii seemed and yet hew short
time And now the faces that stared
NJ at her were avid with curiosity,
seine hostile. some sympathetic but
all pallid with the voraeity of the sen
satien seeker
Then her eyes travelling beyond
J them, met the tear diumed ones of her
mother leaning forward yearningly
from the witness ben h. and because
of the suffering on that face Mary
smiled. Her first answers to the ques-
lions of the District Attorney We're
spoken with quiet dignity.
Miss Page. isn't it true that James
Pollock wished to marry you?"
Yes" The answer was lower now.
and a hot flush crept for a moment into
Marys pale cheeks.
And you found his attentions I'M
welcome?'
Something in the tone brought her
head up sharply
u had told Mr.. Pollock that | could
not marry him. she said firmly, and
with hauteur that wrung little
whisper of admiration from the spec
tators.
Abruptly the prosecutor changed his
train of questioning.
Now. Miss Page" he said harshly.
please tell the court exactly what
| happened just previous to the time
when the revolver-shot was heard and
| Mr. LangdOn found yeu unconscious
beside the murdered man. Begin with
the moment you left the banquet"
With shiver of aversion Mary clos
ed her eyes for second; then, grip
ping the edge of the witness stand, she
began speaking slowly and with an OBJ.
| yious effort
when the boy brought me the mes,
sage-I-was glad to go. They were
drinking and We're very noisy at the
banquet-and | was tired. The boy
showed me the door of the suite, and !
went in
She paused and covered her eyes n,
! If to shut out something terrible thai
she saw.
| MFR. Pollock was in the room," she
said at last. "He-4he had been drink
| 1nS-ue WdSulI LulIilSell-lc ttOulu
ly stand He-he said he wanted to
talk to me alone for five minutes-and
he wouldn't let me out, though i was
afraid ana begged him to-"
did you try to get out? Was there
a struggle between you and MFR. Pol
leck?'
She shook her head Not then" she
said with a little sob. Butt was
very angry--I told him he had tricked
me-and i wouldn't listen to him. We
we quarreied over his being drunk,
and-he tried TO make me take drink
of the whiskey myself
A shudder Of repugnance swept over
her, and her eyes grew wide and star
Ing. and she swayed for a moment like
a flower In storm; then, with tire
mendous effort, as one called back
from the borderland to consciousness.
she added hoarsely:
II remember striking at hlm-and
knocking the glass out of his hand. |
heard it break-and then-I must have
fainted!"
Miss PAGE" came stNl another aues-
ton. IF you had refused James Pol
ieek-if you feared him-why did You
grant him an interview hate at night
La a private room at the hotelf'
Grant him an interview her voice
rose in startled protest Il didn't
That was why / was so angry had
expected to find Mr.. Langdon In that
room
'Ohi Yon had made arrangements
.nen to meet Mr. Langdon there
Again the Satire note crept into the
marsh voice and crimson tide rushed
to Mary's pale cheeks.
'srhe boy told me" she said with dig
nifty, THAT Mr. Langdon was waiting
to sneak 90 me- thought he had come
to take me home"
.sThe boy-what bey?' The question
leapt sharply now.
"why. the beilboy who brought the
message" she said in surprise, and.
| turning. pointed toward the group OF
witnesses where the small belihop
covered, half covering his face with
his shaking hands.
For the moment at least every eye
was upon him. and some Of the hostil
ity vanished from those watching faces
as a wave of surprised comment slip
ned from lip to lip. For after all. II
sJarv PAGE had indeed gone into that
room expecting Langdon and net FOL
lock. il robbed the murder of the IN
fanny Of cool deliberation.
sd n n