The Meeker herald., 1922-11-18
stat. q Colorado. 90 do your full dut,

The jury, half risen from tHe cnun.s
some with their left hands held hign
above them, some With their right
swore In mumblins tones 10 do their
duty, whatever that might be. The
coroner surveyed the assemblase.
.Ffrst Witness" he called out;
Harry Harkins!"
Harry went forward. clumsilJ seek
Ing the witness chair. He was quef
toned regarding nothing more than
the mere finding of the body. the iden-
tifcation by means Of the watch. ana
the notification Of the coroner. Fair
child was called. to suffer no more
from the queries Of the investigator
than Harry. There was q pause. il
seemed that the inquest was over. A
few people began to move toward tie
door-only to halt. The coroner's
voice had sounded again:
Mrs. Laura RodaInei"
Prodded to her feet BY the squint-
eyed man beside her, she rose and.
laughing in silly fashion. stumbled to
the aisle. her steaying hair. her ragged
clothing, her big shoes and shuff1ins
gait all blending with the Wild, eerie
look Of her eyes, the constant munch'
Ing Of the almost toothless mouth.
Again she laughed. In q vacant. EN-.
barrasxed manner. a. she reached the
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. fhsy
say she writes down In book every
thing she does every day. But what
can she be ere TO testify to?"
The answer seemed to come In the
questioning voice Of the coroner.
"Your name. please?"
laura Rodaine. Least. that's the
name go by. My real maiden name
Is Laura Masterson. and"
"Rodalne will be sufficient. Your
age?"
"I think it's sIxty-four. II 1 had my
book could tell. l."
"Your book?'
ayes, ! keep everything in book
But 1t isn't here. couldn't bring It."
'-The guess will be sufficient In this
cnse. You've lived here good many
years. Mrs. Rodaine?"
"Yes. Around thirty-flve. Let's sec
yes. I'm sure It's thirty-five. Ny 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 hlllsr'
ayes. I've done that-I do 1t right
along-l've done 1t ever since my hus-
band and I split up-that was just
little while after the boy was born"
"SufiicIent. merely wanted to es-
tablish that fact. In wandering about.
did you ever zee anything. twenty.
three or four years ago or 30. that
would lead you to know something Of
the death of the man Into whose de-
mise we are inquiringl"
n know something. know . lot
But I've never figured IL was anybody's
business but my owp. 80 haven't told
1t. But remember"
"what. Mrs. Rodsjnef"
"The day Sissie Larsen was sup
posed to leave town-that was the day
he got killed"
do you remember the dater
"N0-I don't remember that"
.Would It be in your bookr'
.No-no-it wouldn't be In my boos.
I looked"
"But you remember
"Just like ~ II 1t was yesterday"
.Apd what you saw-did 1t give yos
any idea"
II know what saw"
.And did 1t lead to any conciuslonl r
ayes"
"What, may ask7'
''That somebody had been mur.
deredw
"Who-and by whomr
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 q survey of the big
room. looking intentIy from one figure
to another. On and on-6nally to
reach the spot where stood Robert
FaIrchlld and Harry, and there they
| stopped. A lean hnger. knotted oy
rheumatism. darkened BY sun and
wind. stretched out.
ayes, I know who did II, and know
who got killed. It was 'Slssie' Larsen
-he was murdered. The man who
did II was q fellow named Thornton
Tairchild who owned the mins-if I
amt mistaken. he was the father Of
this young man"
II objecti" Farrell. the attorney.
was on his feet and struggling forward,
jamming his horn-rimmed glasses into
4 pocket a. he did %. '.This has
ceased to be m Inquest: 1t has ~
solved itself into some sort OF an In
quisitioni"
II fall to see why" The coroner
| had stepped down and was facing him.
"whyf Why-you'rs inquiring into
q death that happened more than
| s~nmtv voAra a0O-An6 v0usrA h0HINH