Evening star., 1923-06-27

so you've brought 1t off again,
Francis!'
Touch and CO." the barrister re-
marked. Il managed to squeak
home"
Wilmore laid his hand upon his
friends shoulder and led the way
towards two easy-chairs in the
lounge.
Il tell you what it is, old chap"
he confided, you'll be making your
criminal at large. thanks to that glib
tongue and subtle brain of yours
The crooks of London will present
you with a testimonial when you're
made a Judge"
$50 you think that Oliver Hllditch
curiously.
MY dear fellow. how do 1 know or
care?" was the indifferent reply. II
shouldn't have thought that there
had been any doubt about it. You
probably know, anyway"
That's just what I didn't when !
got up to make my speech" Francis
assured his friend emphatically. THE
fellow was given an opportunity of
making clean breast of 1t, of course
-Wensley. his lawyer. advised him
to, in fact-but the story he told me
was precisely the story he told at the
inquest"
They were established now in their
easy chairs. and Wilmore summoned
d waiter.
Two large whiskies and sodas." he
ordered. Francis" he went on
whats the matter with you? You
don't look as though your few days
In the country last week had done
you any good"
Francis glanced around as though
to be sure that they were alone.
ID
Andrew" he muttered. This case
has upset me-
Upset you? But why the dickens
should it, the other demanded, in q
puzzled tone. 1T was quite an ordi-
nary case, in its way, and you wor
Il won it," Francis admitted
Your defense was the most in.
genious thing L ever heard
Mostly suggested. now / come tc
think of it," the barrister remarked
grimly by the prisoner himself"
But why are you upset. about 1t
anyway" Wilmore persisted.
Francis rose to his feet, shook him.
self, and with his elbow resting upor
the mantlepiece leaned down toward
mis- friend. He could not rid him
self altogether of this sense Of un
had passed through one of the great
crises of his life.
I'll tell you. Andrew. You're about
the only man in the world ] coult
tell. I've gone crazy"
Il thought you looked as though
you'd been seeing spooks." Wilmort
murmured sympathetically.
Il have seen a spook," Francis re-
joined, with almost passionate seri.
BUSINESS. "a spook who lifted an in
visible curtain with invisible fingers
and pointed to such a drama of hor-
Dc OJIinppV Poe nd S,,n
bined could never have imagined
Oliver Hilditch was guilty. Andrew
He murdered the man Jordon-mur-
dered him in cold blood"
I'm not surprised to hear that,
was the somewhat puzzled reply.
HE was guilty. Andrew, not only
of the murder of this man, his part
ner. but of innumerable other crimes
and brutalities." Francis went on
He is Il fiend in human form, if ever
there was one. and l have set him
loose once more to prey upon society.
1 am morally responsible for his next
robbery. his next murder, the con-
tinued purgatory of those forced to
associate with him"
You're ,dotty, Francis" his friend
declared shortly.
II told you l was crazy" was the
desperate reply. so would you be if
you'd sat opposite that woman for
half an hour and heard her story
What woman" Wilmore demand
ed leaning forward in his chair and
gazing at his friend with increasing
unea SineSS.
"a woman who met me outside the
court and told me the story of oliver
Hilditch's life
"A Stranger"
"A complete stranger to me. 1t
transpired that she was his wife"
Wilmore lit a cigarette.
""Believe herr"
There are times when one doesn't t
believe or disbelieve." Francis an
swered. ''One knows
Wilmore nodded.
"All the same, you're crazy" he
declared. Even If you did save the
fellow, from the. gallows. you were
to the best of your ability. You had
no reason to believe him guilty"
That's Just as it happened
Francis pointed out. "I really didn't
care at the time whether he was or
not. ! had to proceed on the assump-
tion that he was not, of course, but
on the other hand should have
fought just as hard for him if 1 had
known him to be guilty"
And you wouldn't now-tomorrow.
say?"
Because Of that woman's story?"
Because of the woman"
There was a short silence. Then
" ifhore dshed very obvious queS-
tion.
what sort of a person was she?''
Frances Ledsam thought several
moments before he replied. The ques-
tion was one which he had been ex-
pecting, one which he had already
asked himself many times, yet he
was unprepared with any definite re-
ply.
II wish I could answer you. An
tor Of for NJ I,v
speak of the impression she left upon
me, and you are about the only per-
son breathing to whom 1 could speak
of that"
Wilmore nodded sympathetically.
though Francis Ledsam appeared, he
was nevertheless a highly Imaginative
person, something of an idealist as
regards women. unwilling as a rule
to discuss them, keeping them In a
Go ahead. old fellow" he invited.
You know I understand"
She left the impression upon me-"
Francis continued quietly, "of a
was young. she was beautiful. she
had all the gifts-culture, poise and
breeding-but she had ceased to live.
We sat with a marble table between
Those few feet, Andrew, were like
an impossible gulf. She spoke from
the shores of another world I lis
tened and answered. spoke and lis
tened again. A,Ad when she told her
story she went. can't shake off
the effect she had upon me, Andrew.
/ feel as though I had taken a step
to the right or to the left over the
edge of the world"
Andrew wilmore studied his friend
thoughtfully.
CHAPTER III.
The two men occupied table set
against the wall, not far from the
entrance to the restaurant and
throughout the progress Of the earlier
part of their meal were able to watch