Evening star., 1926-11-30
MRS. HALL REMAINS AN ENIGMA
AFTER SEVERE TEST ON STAND
Witness Battles Prosecutor Seeking to Find
Weak Place In Her Armor of
Self-Control.

with spiced fruits to grace Winter
suppers.
Senator Simpsons presumptions
seem to many persons plausible
enough. Eleanor Mills letters show
that she thought that Minna Clark
was aware Of their clandestine cor
respondence. They show, too, that
Minna, dethroned by reckless and tri.
umphant Eleanor from many of her
churchly prerogatives, might we'll
have been somewhat embittered.
Development Of Theory.
The rest, according to Simpson, fol.
lowed as the night the day-inevitable
and terrible as any Greek tragedy.
Minna Clark gives to Frances Hall
an intercepted letter, or possibly a
packet or them. Having made her
move on the board marked out by
destiny, she goes her way. 1t is near
ly supper time-Hall and the two lit
tie girls are back from their errand.
In the Hall home the supper Is at
the questionable hour Of 6:30.
Supper Tranquil Affair.
Supper, according to Louise. to
Willie Stevens, to Mrs. Hall. was the
same pleasant, tranquil affair as
usual, possibly slightly more festive,
owing to the presence Of the little
girl. According to the prosecutor,
the dark figure that had entered the
house an hour before drew up his
chair with the rest of them--he was
growing bolder.
Supper over, Mr.. Hall went up to
his study and the others on to the
veranda. The dark figure lowered.
frrnCn1rrta for q Which "
now? Then a bell rang, and the diff
ficulty was solved. 1t rang again,
more insistently, and Frances Hall
came in from the veranda to answer
it. According to her, before a word
was spoken at the other end, some
thing arrested her-either Louise's
voice or the click of the receiver be-
ing removed from the extension up
stairs. She tells us that she hung
up the telephone and went back to
the veranda, not hearing even what
Mr.. Hall said. Louise, however, was
not so discreet. We know from her
that he said: "Yes-Yes-Yes-Th s
too bad-Can't I see you somewhere
Iater?-How about a little after 81"
If we believe Simpson, Frances Hall
heard not only that, but the hurried,
frightened voice at the other end, "Is
that you?-Are you alone?-Darling,
I'm so frightened-Some ones found
our letters! Well, but what can we
do?-All right, III go straight to the
farmhouse-I'n get the first Easton
avenue car. This is the end Of pre-
tense, they've forced our hand"
Going Out Short Time.
A few minutes later Hall came hur.
riedly down. he was going over to
the Mills to see about that doctors
figure hesitated, looking after his
portly figure Fastening through the
gathering twilight, and then turned
back with a shrug. Mr.. Hall was
wrong, he would be long, long time
not eternity itself would see him
again on that vine-hung veranda.
The figure turned to watch Frances
Hall bending her silvering head over
picture puzzle with little Frances
Voorhees,. It was close to o'clock
From this time on till the moment
shortly after 10 when a woman as
tride a mule saw the headlights of a
car light up the faces Of gray.haired
woman and a man who looked like q
negro, even Senator Simpson becomes
trifle vague.
What messages did that woman
send to bring her brother and her
cousin hurrying to her-Henry, fish
ing carefree in Lavalette; Harry, try
ing to forget stocks and bonds at the
end of a tiresome day? How much
did she tell to Willie, who tells us
that before he locked himself in
finally for the night with his beloved
exiled pipe he came down some time
between S and 8 to bid goodnight to
his sister?
Saw Her Playing Solitaire.
Had she put little Frances to bed
then, or did she hold her long past
her bedtime, dreading the moment
when she must inevitably face the
consequences of those ruled and. pen
ciled scraps of paper? We know only
that Louise tells us that some time
after o'clock she saw her seated in
the library, playing solitaire. Louise
does not tell us, however, what
thoughts were weaving through that
head bending in the lamplight over
the bright bits of pasteboard. Louise
only tells us that she believes that,
save for Mrs. Hall, the room was
empty. If, behind the players
shoulder, there leaned q dark figure,
whispering that solitaire was a poor.
dull game, Louise neither saw nor
heard him. She went her way tran
quilly upstairs. past the landing.
From that time on we are confront
ed with a clear-cut choice. Motives,
incentives, theories yield to action.
Either we believe Willie and Mrs.
Hall, with their simple recital of bed,
locks, sleeplessness and a visit to a
church, or we believe Senator Simp-
son and Jane Easton, with their ugly
tale of darkness, flashing lights,