The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-19

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 K wide pool of mellow light over
 H the scattered papers on the ta-
 ble and brought out boyish glints in Langdon's dark head as it lay on his folded arms, sunk in ineffable Weariness.
 All through the long hours of the night he had kept his lonely vigil-now boring over the legal documents on the table, now pacing the floor in frenzy of anxiety, or makin. his way down the echoing corridors to look in with mute suffering at the re pm where Dr. Fos- ter and Nurse Walton watched so si- lently beside moaning, 'witching fig ure on a narrow prison bed. But when the scanty furniture of the office was gradually emerging from the envelop- ing cloak of night into visible ugliness he had at last sunk into a doze of com- plete exhaustion. Miss Walton, com ing to the door, an carer message on her lips, turned silently and pityingly sway. Some betraying sound reached him, however, and he lifted his head with a start, blinking to find the lamp light paling before the gray of morning.
 Yawning, he got to his feet and crossed to the window. He flung it wide and drew in great breaths of the chill air. A heavy fog was wrapping the city in dense gray waves. and from the river came the minor monotony of warning whistles. Dreary as it was, his heart lightened; for after all. it was morning, and he was still young enough to feel that nothing can be quite so bad in the day as 1t is in the shadows of the night.
 For the first time since Mary's at- tack of madness in the courtroom he realized fully how tremendous an as- set the tragedyswas to the defense. and in spite of his grief, as a lover, over her suffering, the lawyer in him ex- ulted in the episode which cemented into place the cornerstone of his case.
 The thought of this lent a hint of buoyancy to his tired body as he made another trip to the cell where, at Dr. Fosters orders, they had carried Mary, still screaming with frenzy. But 1t was the lover rather than the lawyer who had surged uppermost by the time he reached the door. and all thoughts of the trial were submerged in an overweening anxiety and pity for the slender girl who was paying so heavy u enness.
 Mary herself was sleeping soundly when he glanced into the cell. and Dr. Foster was on his feet, frankly stretch ing, while Miss Walton was bathing her tired eyes at the basin in the cor ner.
 answering the question in his eyes
 L- l.> r1yi1~ .1>s. pered with his lips, Dr. Foster said:
 "She will be all right now. She woke conscious, just after your last visit and is now sleeping soundly. There's noth- ing to worry about-at least. not just at present"
 "Thank Goal" Langdon's voice broke on the words. and Dr. Foster put out his hand and patted the shoulder of the younger man reassuringly, saying: We all say that, but you'd better go get some rest now; you look done up.'
 "Oh. Pm all right" said Langdon 'But, Doctor. is she-is it going to be possible to go on with this trial? Can Mary bear it?"
 "I think so." The answer came slow ly. "Of course yesterdays scene was bad. very bad. But you must realize that the attack. while it was plainly due to the whiskey thrust upon her was only to some extent brought about by the fact that the liquor was hand ed her at a time when she was hys- terical and had been re-enacting events that kept her earlier experiences con- stantly in her mind Given healthy surroundings and happiness, wouldn't worry about attacks in the future. But it's fine reflection upon an American city," he continued harshly drawing Langdon out into the hall so as not to wake Mary. "A fine thing when ii is impossible to keep ONE woman from the sight of drunken men and the smell of liquor."
 Langdon nodded absently. for his heart was echoing the earlier words of the great alienist: "Given healthy surroundings and happiness I wouldn't worry about attacks in the future." and he was vowing to himself that. cost what it might. he would yet win free- dom and happiness for her.
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