The St. Charles herald., 1922-10-21


stand and held up her hand for the
administration of the oath. Fairchild
leaned close to his partner.
"At least she knows enough for
that"
Harry nodded.
"She knows lot, that ole girl. They
say she writes down in book every
thing she does every day. But what
can she he ERE to testify to-"
The answer seemed to come in the
questioning voice of the coroner.
"Your name, piease"
laura Rodaine. Least, that's the
name l 20 by. My real maiden name
is Laura Masterson, and"
"Rodaine will be sufficient. Your
age?"
II think it's sixty-four. If had my
book l could tell. +"
"YOur boOk?"
"Yes, I keep everything in book.
But it isn't here. l couldn't bring it."
1.-THE guess will be sufficient in this
case. You've lived here a good many
years, Mrs. Rodaine?'
"Yes. Around thirty-five. Let's see
yes, I'm sure it's thirty-five. My boy
was born here-he's about thirty and
| we came here five years before that
II believe you told me tonight that
you have habit of wandering around
the hills?'
"Yes, I've done that do it right
| along-Pve done it ever since my hus-
band and l split up-that was just
little while after the boy was born"
Sufficient. l merely wanted to es-
tablish that fact. In wandering about,
did you ever see anything, twenty
three or four years ago or so, that
would lead you to know something OF
the death of the man into whose de-
mise we are inquiring"
II know something. l know lot.
But I've never figured 1t was anybody's
business but my own. So haven't told
it. But l remember"
"What, Mrs. Rodaine?"
"The day Sissie Larsen was sup
posed to leave town-that was the day
he got killed"
"Do you remember the date?"
"No-I don't remember that"
"Would it be In your bOok?"
"No-no-it wouldn't be in my book.
looked"
"But you remember
"Just like as if it was yesterday"
"And what you saw-did it give you
any idea"
Il know what / saw"
"And did it lead to any conclusion? p
ayes"
"What, may I ask?"
"That somebody had been muir
dered!"
; "Who-and by whom?"
Crazy Laura munched at her tooth
less gums for moment and looked
, again toward her husband. Then, her
watery, almost colOrless eyes search
: ing, she began a survey of the big
} room, looking intently from one figure
J to another. On and On-fnally tC
reach the spot where stood Rober,
Fairchild and Harry, and there they
stopped. A lean finger, knotted By
, rheumatism, darkened by sun ant
wind, stretched out.
Eyes. / know who did it. and know
who got killed. 1t was 'Sissie' Larser
he was murdered. The man wht
] did it was fellow named Thornton
Fairchild who owned the mine-if
l amt mistaken, he was the father o
this young man
II objectw Farrell, the attorney
was on his feet and struggling forward
tanning his horn-rimmed glasses int
q pocket as he did so. "This ha
ceased to be an inquest; 1t has re
:, solved itself into some sort Of an In
QUESTION"
81 fail to see why" The corone
had stepped down and was facing hin
"Why? Why-you're inquiring int
death that happened more tina
, twenty years ago-and you're basin
: that inquiry upon the word Of won
! an who is not legally able to give tes
. timonv in any kind Of court or o
any kind Of a ease! Have You an
further evidence upon the lines tina
she is going to give?"
"NOt directly"
"Then l demand that all the test
mony which this woman has given b
= stricken out and the jury instructe
to disregard it."
yrs,o oRnfo1 Cyyr3loH