Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-12-02

ASNobOyS W6IS waited 1dlAG'
OF department "a.
Jury out at-make it IL 40. JIMMY
Peter slammed the telephone receiver
on the hook and threaded his way
through the chatterng group of report.
ers In the little witness room. The,
swung their legs from the table OF
leaned against the wall, smoking wjtf
the furious zest of men who had beer
deprived Of cigarettes during the Ions
hours in the courtroom.
Two to one they'll be out less than
an hour!"
They might hang-that old biro
with the goats beard in the second row
wasn't taking in much of the doctor.
fireworks"
Not chance I'll bet dollar They'll
acquit on the first ballot"
"Done!" They'll stay out long enoug.,
TO get one more dinner on the tax
payers, anyway"
"All the same, Orme might have
done it."
Purely circumstantial evidence, iuries
don't like that. They can remember
too many circumstances of their owl,
that might take deal of explaining. ;
1t was the doctor that did it. He
handed it out like Jehovah on Sinai
If he told them to render a verdict
that the moon was made of green
cheese, they'd do it, Clever of Graham
bringing that in about THE Man Who
Makes No Mistakes they got it firm
ly fixed in their minds that the great
Cavanaugh just couldn't be wrong"
He certainly made the D. A. wish
he was some place else
Hello, Peter! You look as If you
needed drink"
II do" Peter agreed moroSely, and
slid through the door.
The rows of chairs in the courtroom
were deserted. With stray sheets of
copy paper and stubs of pencils strew-
ing the floor, it had the diSheveled look
of room after a party-that indefln-
able atmosphere of place where things
have recently happened and are no
longer happening.
Half q dozen correspondents sat on
the rail Of the jury box, like line of
birds lettering on fence, chatting with
each other, the photographers, and the
humanized bailiff. The chairs behind
the lawyers table were pushed back,
empty. Above the back Of chair next
to the railing which divided the room
in half, Peter caught sight OF the top
of small black hat.
He swung open the gate and dropped
into the chair beside Barbara.
Well" he said with weary relief,
that's over"
Barbara turned to him o brooding
face.
ZOh!" she breathed, do you really
4aHnk it is?"
Peter turned sidewise, resting his ell
bows on the arm Of the chair. BY lean
ing forward just three inches, he could
kiss the tip of her ear. He glanced over
his shoulders at the group on the rail
of the jury box. Better not risk it.
He relinquished the opportunity with a
Tegretful sigh.
There's not a doubt in the world"
he said confidently. Il wish you'd take
OF your glove, Barbara. think could
grabyour hand without anybody MOTTO
inf"
: GObediently, almost absent mindedly,
Barbara took of her glove; but she
smiled up at him with tremulous graft
tude as her cold fingers relaxed under
the reassuring pressure OF Peters clasp.
But that speech of the district at
torney'S-it sounded horribly convincing
with all that talk of motive and oppor-
tlnity, and the way he kept emphasizing
the threatening letter and the attempt
to escape"
Eyes, it was a better argument than
Graham's-for people like you and me,
but not for the jury. The jury VIII
think the D. A. is bit Of bully, and
Graham a nice honest kid, desperately
in earnest and at a disadvantage.
Which is lust about right, both ways.
But Graham has brains as well as a
pink and white complexion. He knew
he didn't have to argue the case. What
he had to do was to cut everything
else away and hammer that jury with
DR.. Cavanauga's testimony and nothing
else. They've got to remember that
testimony as the one important issue
and that DR.. Cavanaugh is man who
can't be mistaken.
"Orme is acquitted beyond shadow
OF a doubt-and 1t was your father
that did it with his little Ratchet
"Yes," Barbara was staring straight
before her at the state seal on the wall
behind the judges bench, "he was
very clever-wasn't hep"
HE wasn't the whole works." Peter
began enthusiastically.
Then he saw that her lips were trem-
bling so that she could hardly control
them for speech. He glanced again over
his shoulder at the chattering re-
porters.
ITO hell with them," he grunted with
1OW-VOice0 violence, ana raising his
hand to Barbara's chin, turned her head
gently toward him. Her eyes shone I'M
naturally large in her small thin face
pitifully smaller and thinner than when
he had first seen 1t.
You poor little girl" Peters Groom
ing voice had tone which no one had
ever heard In it before. Il know what
YOU want to do. You want to put your
head on my shoulder and cry and cry
and cry. And God knows how much
want you to do just that. Barbara
whenever you want shoulder to cry or
promise me that youth cry on mine
That's what I'm for. It's the one best
thing On earth I'm good for, Barbara.
Eyes" Barbara said family, I'D like
that" The tears welled slowly in hel
eyes, slipped down her cheeks. The
corner of pink tongue emerged, like
a kittens. to lick them from the cor.
ners of her mouth. Something in thai
childlike. wholly unconscious movement
wrenched at Peter almost unbearably
Damn these people" he murmurec
fervently, damn everything Ht
squared his shoulders, blocking the view
of the men by the jury box. Then M
pulled out a crumpled handkerchief ano
awkwardly but efficiently mopped Bar
bara's wet face. A shred OF tobacco
chung to her chin.
AT least I'm sure you don't do THU
vary often" Barbara smiled tnrougt