The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-10-07
Bv Ben nm es. WILLIRms

session, Mrs. Loran stopped them,
volubly explaining:
"Of course I know you don't want
to stand here with people staring,
but ! thought you'd like news from
Mary. Jimmy's here in town, but
naturally Mary didn't come. She's
staying on at Palm Beach and Jim
my's going back in two weeks" She
was watching Mrs. Sentry. Jimmy
says Mary's wonderful, SO gay,
dancing, playing around; says you'd
never think she had-anything on
her mind"
And when Mrs. Sentry could not
speak, she added maliciously: II
told Jimmy he should have stayed
there to keep her company, but he
said she has all the masculine COM
pany she can handle. A different
man for every hour of the day or
night if she wants them. Of course
she always was SO beautiful"
Dan Fisher came up quietly be-
hind her. He said casually: "Hullo,
Mrs. Loran. I'm Fisher, of the Her
aid. Is it true Mr.. Loran's thinking
of buying a ticket to Reno?" She
stared at him furiously and whirled
away, and he said: "Phil, you need
a guardiani Don't let women like
that stick pins in your mother"
Mrs. Sentry nodded gratefully.
Dan had been throughout the trial a
source of strength, managing some
how to reduce all this to the level of
an everyday human experience,
making them realize that others, all
over the world, had been from time
to time pilloried as they were pill
loried here. Mrs. Sentry assured
herself that this was small comfort;
yet it was comfort just the same,
making her feel not so completely
alone. She admitted to Phil on the
way home one day, "You know. I
begin to like Dan Fisher"
"Sure," Phil assented. "Dan's n
good scout"
She asked: "What does he think,
Phil? About the trial?"
'Why, he said today that unless
the State proves father was down
there that night, their case won't
hang together"
She looked at him in quick, spring.
ing hope. Arthur's guilt seemed to
her so certain that she could not
believe anyone else might doubt it.
She protested:
"But all that about the key, and
the bullet, and the gun, and-what
the New Jersey hotel man said"
"I know" he assented. "But Dan
says that isn't enough, just-sug-
costing motive and generalization
and all that isn't enough-unless
they can prove that father was down
there that night, between eleven and
twelve"
"But he wasn't" she cried, for a
moment almost believing her own
words. "He was at home at quarter
past eleven"
Phil, about to speak, hesitated,
then held his tongue. Let his moth
er cling to this straw if she could.
'Sure," he agreed. $50 he couldn't
have been down there"
But next day listening with dull
ears, and as though from a very
great distance, Mrs. Sentry heard
Professor Brace testify that on the
night of the murder he was driving
Barbara home from the North
Shore. Questions and answers
struck her like dull blows.
"Did you come through the city?"
eyes"
elbow did you cross the Harbor?"
Through the Tunnel"
EDO you know the location of Sem
try and Loran's place of business?"
eyes"
elbow far is it from the city end
of the Tunnel?"
"a few blocks"
eff you were driving from their
place of business to the Sentry
home, what route would you take?"
"Past the mouth of the Tunnel,
down to the station, out along the
river"
ITO BE CONTINUED)