The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-05

would have sat absurdly upon her slender shoulders, but in the part of the insouciant ingenue she never failed to score. She was the quaint blending which modern life has evolved, of an fashioned small town up- bringing, veneered with a bright crust of bravado born of battling for her liv- ing in a city brimming with tempta- tions, but she had never lost her gay defiance nor had she lost the corner- stone of her simple creed, Be decent, loyal to your friends and don't go around with a grouch."
 Her gaiety was infectious, and as she tripped up the two steps to the wit ness chair she nodded a familiar greet ing to the judge and smiled at the jury.
 Miss Barton,' said Langdon, "you have told us of the experience with MT. Pollock that led to your sudden resig- nation from The Blue Feather com- pany. Did you see him at any time after that?"
 See him again!" she retorted. 'Why, that man was a regular epidenlic!" A delighted giggle greeted the words, emanating from the jury-box itself. "We bumped into him the day we land- ed our first real job for the road. We were on our way to the Prentiss Agen- cy. We'd been there before and they'd handed us the call again sign, so we were playing a return date though we hadn't much hopes. Old Miss Prentiss is such a sour old maid she'd never hand anybody job if she could get her commissions any other way, but she has the inside with some of the good managers and you can't overlook any bets in the show business. So we went back, and while we were going down the hall Mary looked so blue that I had to play Little Sunshine with much business of Tve-a-hunch-that- we'll-land- today'-to try and make her smile and look pretty for any possible manager. That's why we didn't see David Pollock till we fairly bumped into him, and he made grab for Mary's hand. Then he began to spill out an apology. He said he'd been searching every theatrical agency and every theatre in town looking for Mary. I've been wretched, Mary he said. I think I must have been crazy that night at the "Blue Feather. I was jealous and angry and hurt besides, and lost my head. Won't you forgive me? I'm not going to bother you any more, but can't live without your forgiveness. By that time Mary had got the power of speech back and she jerked her hand away from his as if it burnt. I am perfectly willing to forgive you.' she said, and accept your apology. but do not care to continue any acquaint- ance with you With that we both sailed by him and into the office. where there was a fine young lineup of leads
 l. k41 kSvrrp O be selected by manager who Was closeted with Miss Prentiss."
 Did you and Miss Page secure posi- tions in that new company"
 "Yes The minute the manager spot ted Mary, he picked her for the lead because she was the proper type. and take the job unless went along too. So he handed me an ingenue role with about ten sides and twenty five beans as salary. Old Miss Prentiss was so friendly after that thought she was going to kiss us goodbye, but she didn't and we got away with our first call for rehearsal and our contracts tucked in our handbags. Mary's in- cluded the fact that she was to be fea- tured in the play which had the giddy moniker of "A Woman's Pledge"
 May 1t please the court" broke in the prosecutor. getting lazily to his feet. "all this Is no doubt very interesting delightful in fact and might prove of great help to us if we had stage aspi- rations. But," (with sudden change of tone) i've are here to decide the guilt or innocence of Mary Page, whom the State. declares to have murdered David Pollock. fail to see. your Hon. or. where the somewhat rambling fable 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, "the story which the witness iS telling has everything to do with the question of the murder of David Pollock. It will show how again and again he forced his attentions upon Miss Page. and of the horror in which she held him: and of the almost inevitable mem tai collapse that followed his brutal ef- forts to make her marry him. If have allowed the witness to tell the story in