Connecticut western news., 1916-05-18
"Did you and Miss page secure posi-.

t1OnS in that new company!
 !'Yes The minute the manager spot i ted Mary, he picked her for the lead l because she was the proper type, and 1 Mary, the darling. said she couldn't 1 take the job unless 1 went along too. l So he handed me an ingenue role with about ten sides and twenty-five beans ! as salary. Mary's was to be featured in the play which had the giddy moni, 1 ker of "A Woman's Pledge.'"
 May it please the court broke in the prosecutor, getting laZily to his feet, 1 ''all this is no doubt very interesting delightful, in fact, and might prove Of l great help to us if we had stage aspi- ratons. But,'' (with q sudden change l of tone) i've are here to decide the 1 guilt or innocence of Mary Page. whom l the State declares to have murdered 1 James Pollock. I fail to see, your HOn- or where the somewhat rambling fable 1 in slang which the witness is telling has any bearing upon this case"
 "Your Honor, and gentlemen of the jury" Langdon's voice rose before the words of the prosecutor had died away, 1 ''the story which the witness is telling has everything to do with the question of the murder of James Pollock. It will show how again and again he 1 forced his attentions upon Miss Page, and of the horror in which she held him; and of the almost inevitable mcn- 1 tai collapse that followed his brutal Cf- forts to make her marry him. If have allowed the witness to tell the story in her own way, it is simply that l wish [ to bring before you the picture of these 1 two young girls, so brave and hopeful, and hard working, whose positions and | good character were atta acked by James l Pollock"
 For a moment the judge hesitated, and the court held it's breath-aggres- sive, even antagonistic at the mere thought of losing the gay little witness who was looking from the judge to Langdon with such childishly startled 1 eyes. Then his Honor said slowly:
 q cannot sustain your objection to 1 the testimony as irrelevant, sir. l con- slider all that has a bearing upon the l curious relations existing between MT. Pollock and Miss Page as of paramount ] LClnCc. AL lDC IAAACs i1C ! added, turning to Langdon, '1 would suggest that you instruct your witness to confine her testimony to mere state ments of fact"
 The entire courtroom, not excepting the jury, heaved a sigh of relief, .and 1 LangdOn's face showed a flush of tri- umph as he asked:
 How. long did your engagement in A Womans Pledge last, Miss Bar ton?"
 "Six weeks. but we only got salary for four.''
 "Where did the tour end?'
 Ut didn't end. It blew up in one tank rube town called Prindleville. It was one of those towns that have the railroad station on one side of Main Street, the hotel and 'Opry' house at tbe other and the rest of the buildings scattered about wherever they happen. cd to drop"
 Again a gust of laughter Tilted through the dingy room, but Lang don drowned and shook his head at Amy.
 Never mind descriptions" he said more sharply than he had spoken SC far Amy, far from being awed by his sternness, pOuted at him with q gay little moue and went oil with heI story in her own fashion.
 We were all feeling pretty grouchy when we hit Prindleville. because thC ghost hadn't walked for d month. anG nobody knew whether we'd ever get hack to New York or not
 Did you give the performance that night?" broke in LungdOn impI tiently.
 Well, we started to. but it never go beyond the ticket-taking stage for tho sheriff blew in with a badge as big a; q sa1ccr and said that he'd been or dered to hold all our trunks and prop> for unpaid board bills in the last foul towns, and that meant that we wer, stranded with Broadway doing tht Sheridan act many miles away. Wt went back to the hotel and said wha We thought of the producer and triej 70 borrow carfGre from the hotel pro priGtOr. That was when we saw Jame. | Pollock again. He arrived in town bJ the last train. and walked into the lob Hy while we were there. He Cam( ever ana said .he was going througl the town on a business trip, and see ing Marys nAme on an eight sheet you knoW-Aig postar-he had jumpe} off OH impuI"c. I-a said he was awful r. sorry that the tour had ended s, ;lHfortunatcly, and begged her to le him arrange for our return to Nev York"
 Did Miss Page accept?"
 No. She refused absolutely. She
 :.lc looked as if she would scream j 4e touched her. She held onto my arn &o ;i%l!t it made a black-Hn1-iluc SHOt anI you could see the pulse i'll he
 >'!roat jumping the way it does bo ,J"r E;0.2@n dissO!vcs into mysteries !i9 proprietor of the place was decent cid Rube with a fatherly ey