The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-05-25

Isn't 1t strange I've always been
wrong? You don't know how awful
it is to lie here and wonder and
wonder. My whole lifes been u
blunder---"
She stirred the milk slowly, draw
ing her fine black brows together
that the tears might not creep from
under her lids. judy meant to
leave Douglas alone. | couldn't look
in those eyes of his and rob him.
In the end | wouldn't have done it.
| would have gone with Ramon. Oh
surely, | would have.
when I'm better. Jude, I'm GO
ing away l ought to be better.
Why is it taking me so long,
much longer than Hal thought"
Judith looked at the glowing eyes;
the red hair falling in a deep wave
over the rounded forehead. How
different from the dear blithe Sandy
who used to come breeding into the
office on many an unexpected Satur-
day-breezing in all perfume and
little, throaty laughs.
How wondrous Judith had fancied
it must be to walk soto have all
that flippant chatter ripping at her
lips to be so arrogant with men and
love; so careless with her kisses.
How wondrous to be Sandy with The
dazzling future that should surely
! come to one so audacious-such a
thrill to look upon.
Hastily Judith took the cup.
Sandy repeated; "Why does it
take me so Ions to get better, Jude?
oulne days 1 feel great-and today,
not SO great"
Because you worry, Sandy. Hal
says you're not to think OF a thing
except happy things"
"Oh, Judith"
And you're much better"
From the far end of the room Judith
repeated: Ever so much better"
But Sandy was worse. And every
day Hal Hume became more uneasy.
He was afraid the wound had lit up
an old Inflammation. Three days
ago he said this to Judith.
He said: IN have to tell Doug
| Give him another smash"
Judith WINGED Every time she
looked at Sandy she thought. How
has it all happened? Oh dear, dear
God-how can all this be!'
The month had been n crucifixion.
A month since the inconceivable
thing had happened. A month Doug
las was held in Jail.
Even in a whisper Judith wouldn't
say: Charged, with murder But
sometimes in the night she awak
ened to find herself sitting bolt up
right, her forehead and her hair
damp; her heart beating violently.
Then her lips were saying: Muir
der-oh, my God-murder."
And she would press her hands
roughly together. or course they
didn't mean it. 1t was just to force
him-make him confess
They brought his mother there
plored him to tell what he knew
oh, didn't he know something? Tell
it, then-tell it to ease her tortured
soul.
All this proved to Judith's desper-
ate hope that the charge was just
an effort to bring out the facts.
The charge would be dismissed.
For a whole month Judith had
prayed this. She had knelt hours
praying with an insane fervor. The
idea. Douglas charged with muir.
der. No one would believe him
guilty-no one in all the world.
But the month passed and
tomorrow they would choose men
to try him-twelve men. And these
men wouldn't see the bonny lad
Judith had spied on as he dried the
dishes for Em--as he brought a
table near the stove on a cold night
and did his draWing--as he stood
up, tired, running a hand through
the slick brown hair, surveying his
work, showing it delightedly to his
| boy, this son of yours, En-"
They wouldn't see the Douglas
Judith knew. But a stubborn youth.
whose finger prints We're found in
the room where murder had been
done. a hardened criminal positive
ly identified by three people as the
man who entered RAmon's office on
the night Ramon died; entered his
Office, shot him, carried away some
wounded girl. And now callously
presumed to lie out Of it all.
These were the things that would
be told of Douglas.
Judith went to the door. looking
down over trees to the distant. sill
ver-traced bay. Tho hills were blue
and impalpablc, mellowing into the
/ sky.
/ The middle OF March-she thought
Of Douglas sitting in a cell. She had
never been in "A Jail. She wondered
what the cell was like. She saw him
with the dark, hazel eyes that she
couldn't quite bear to look in be
cause they ruled her so-with these
young, fighting eyes grown desper-
ate. Saw him with the young, man
ly chin grimly set. She had a pic
ture in her thoughts of him when
he sometimes talked so emphatically
through shut teeth. She ALWAYS
laughed when he got vicious over
this and that.
But now fancying him so, she
, leaned despondently against the
door Tears rushed to her eyes. She
thought: His life is ruined-just
ruined. 49,"
Suddenly she recalled the wav he