Show vr a ff YOU cr ir DRAGONS unive DRIVE CHAPTER IX continued some stared nt at her hostilely as it 1 the she would cheat them of tile the death they desired for or the girl in black before them some thrust forward from the same seats as if they would surround and defend the prisoner goner and her witness suddenly you saw raw faces mothers and bees and two who had bad been in the fie papers his first wife with her daughter beside her how flow did they reel feel a few feet away from myrtle did they want her killed too here was another face an old face a fine face A little old woman who wh bad lived a lot and never let life beat her winnie she was agnes never had seen so much as a likeness of tier her but bat there was no missing her when she blie looked at martin omara she knew winnie was his grandmother agnes sank down upon the witness chair and waited for winnies grandsons first questions they were simple enough what was her name where did slie she live how old was she had she gone to chicago on a certain day did sue she meet any one in Ch chicago iengo then what did they do after she had looked at the empty apart went ment and mr air braddon had bad left her what did she do now tell the jury in your own words what you did and what you yon saw lint anil what w list you yourself heard after the door of the apartment upon which mr colver knocked was opened 1 I saw said apes agnes a girl a young woman 1 had ne never er seen before that girl there she looked at the prisoner myrtle corrle she was vas in negligee over underclothes and stockings she was very excited and disheveled she looked as if a good deal had just happened to her 1 I object mr nordell for the state wis was on his feet sustained nedi said the judge you must list confine your statement to what you observed and heard you roust must not give your inferences he said kindly enough to agnes 1 I know she said 1 I forgot I 1 can say I 1 saw bruises and hurts burts on her I 1 did I 1 can call say slie she was shaky she was she was holding to the doorknob with both hands whore you ebore you she asked but wait tor for me to answer slie she grabbed me find and pulled we me into the room she said oil oh god im glad to see you glad to see you she pulled me down into a big soft chair beside tier her mr colver the agent went to look for smelling salts for tier lier aheard I 1 heard him call from down the hall mr corriel 1 mr lor rieb ale ue ile came back and he could hardly speak finally lie be said to me you know what weve were walked in on A killing theres murder here she shot him I 1 had bad mrs airs lorrie in my arms then I 1 was holding her slie she was lying limp across me agnes had bad no idea how she looked as she related this she was not dot thinking of herself on tile the witness stand she was seeing herself back in that room but the judge the jury and peo people ale crowding the benches nere w ere staring in at her as she sat in the big witness chair young and slight and fair and so co completely mple tely unaffected and for forgetful gerful of herself indeed and so honest look ing cathal standing before her ste stepped P ped back a little as though lie dared dare d not trust himself closer to the d delight of 0 her what a start she was maling making beyond what he be had expected expect edl 1 he could not possibly have planned this then did you do anything he be asked her very quietly ner her blue eyes on his shortened their focus from the faraway far away room which agnes bad been seeing for an instant only her retinas were aware 0 of him then she back again yes I 1 tried to rouse her I 1 asked tier lier did you do it she reply at first she seem to understand der stand me I 1 kept slinking her maybe I 1 did she finally said maybe mayb e I 1 I 1 did I 1 said maybe Mi lybe dont you know she seem to know 1 I object ill nordell protested sustained said the judge im sorry said agnes but she 1 I object sustained said the judge and to told d agnes more sternly you must n not of give your opinions or inferences 1 I wont again v wild id agnes or ill try not to the phone rang pretty soon then I 1 heard beard mrs lorrie corrle say oh ob god bert then I 1 guess tie he talked to her I 1 mean she caught herself mrs lorrie waited and listened its as it if some one was talking to her then she said bert some things 3 happened charle charley y died to today day 11 1 then mr colver used the phone to call the police and I 1 mr fr omara called you she topped stopped aghast at herself and before martin omara this was w as not at fill all as she has reil reviewed ewed and a ad prepared her evidence with him s she he had bald things she had never reamed dreamed d of uttering and omitted a score core of items she had p promised to repent repeat but lie he h had id no re reproach for her quite to the contrary I 1 ills his own pulses were dancing with new and watton wanton pleasure slie she delighted ill him in she delighted tile juryman jurymen jury men at least tome some of them the jud judge ge was wag hunsuc lo in his beverla severity y toward tier her three or tour four newspaper reporters luct antly left the courtroom re they carried the heads for tile the afternoon news A agnes gues Glenel th til had gone cone on tor for the defense and u winning I 1 11 ining the courtroom wits cathal of course brought her back by EDWIN BALMER by edwin balmer service to tile the cl evidence dence site had bad omitted she remembered the memorandum aich slie site had bad made on the morning after the visit to the lorrie apartment and now is carbal questioned her she read it and explained that she had writ written it on that first morning because people nere cre ing so go many things different from what id seen this helped but already by the unplanned ways of tier her own agnes had established the feeling essential to a favorable turn of tho the case the jury the judge the courtroom had seen her and approved tier her they believed and trusted what she said it was perfectly plain that only accidentally had she become concerned with the lie case yet having happened to be the first person to come in on myrtle corrle after tile the shooting arld and haling been the person in best position to judge sirs mrs lorries Lor rles physical and mental condition at the time when the crime had occurred this girl had not a against blust her but had set herself to help her when the lie agent had sent for the police agnes lie herself had summoned for sirs mrs corrle corric a lawyer agnes was almost the only person in the courtroom unaware of eliat she had accomplished site she she had burgled bungled everything ever thing she thought she had much more to do when after she had described myrtles bruises and hurts as she had seen them cathal asked now at the time you first arst saw sat her find ii hen you were in close contact with her what was the general state of tier her mind did she show any clear recollection of v what hat recently bad happened no she was both confused and contradictory I 1 found tier her in a sf state ate of ot of shock of extreme shock 11 thank you said cathal Cat lial all I 1 need ask ile he stepped back a little and turned to the table of tile the state your witness illness lie he said to the attorneys charged with the prosecution lie ile retreated to his own table faille if that at of the defense whereat mrs lorrie all the time had been seated and he dropped upon a chair beside liis ills client myrtle turned to him and lie he nodded to tier her almost absently he touched reassuringly the impulsive hand she stretched toward him then turned and watched nordell as he came to his feet for the cross examination cathal jerked forward to tile lie ed edse e of ills his chair lie kept dept his hands relaxed but he felt as it if with fists clenched ready to fight light as he had bad never ought fought before if the prosecutor tore into her as he could yet while halt half of cathal ting tingled led and bristled thus for the light fight tile the cooler half the professional half halt the part of him which was a lawyer hoped the state would tear in what a mistake what complete catastrophe it if they attempted to sneer and jeer at this girl and s show h ow her up I 1 nordell kordeil did not make that mistake you have said miss Glenel th he began with careful courtesy that you happened to be in the building where mrs lorrie lived because 5 jou 0 U were looking at an apartment in it with mr braddon Y yes es s said aid agnes you 1 0 were engaged SS to be married to him hi agnes hesitated for the first time engaged Ln were they ever enga engaged pd l they had been looking at an part went together so she must bust have been then yes she said that was the honest answer are you engaged to him nowel now honest const NO too toa there lt it was out that was w ment jez when did you break your engage we didn t break it what a thing to talk of before a courtroom full fagot of people and writing biting it all down I 1 demanded denied then did d you do nordell norde cathal was on ills his feet to help herbut for the first time la in this trial lie he was confused he did not know how to right help aher her tills this was all within Nor nordelis dells ive we decided not to be married th alu you jo who decided that mr braddon or 1 I 1 object ill cathal protested but nordell tile n y judge before bafo ruling looked to overruled ruled 11 lie he said to call an an ser he said to agnes 1 did when it was when we w etere N ere in the e part apart merit n mr nta upstairs that was why 1 I jeb mr braddon adal lert left the bull building ding w what effect had this on you ya Effe ctr 1 I in e tin ade explained Pla ined after just lus having broken your engagement upstairs did you enter the ss apartment downstairs in a calm and mental state was HH your own condl lion perfectly clear or confused biear said agnes 1 I wag per factly clear n my mind ss s she repeated s perfectly clear yes for I 1 bad 1111 not cared ed enough elou ir Al Kordell rdell stepped buck back ile he hesitate atell he had one effect an d lie d N ceded to rest on it nil be s ald suddenly lo okill at all S told cathel you can step down n IS 1 is agnes s stepped she down binl ys relt c 1 u lain of her feet a ohp 1 1 N I 1 ill floor and jf dij passed over oer tier her what had bad the she just said of jeb she halted for an ln antt instant tt water wt r she heard beard some one say she im wit felt hands fiands on her strong steadying hands martin omara hands ile he hell held her firmly and pleasantly she felt that she alic could not possibly fall heres water ater omara mr air tor nor dells voice sat sald thanks lie he said and held the glass to tier her lips lip 1 agnes swallowed and looked up sorry sorry she bhe said then tier her mother was there ill 1 take her she said to cathal alt all right now cathal asked agnes she looked up at him jeb she said it mr Brad dons back in that room take me back to him please she begged Cl cathal clethal ithal 1 I want I 1 want to tell him myself what I 1 said ill get him cathal offered im not calling him to the stand Th thedell etell be no more court this afternoon I 1 think then said agnes tell him film please ill wait for him in the car bailiffs opened tile the way tor for her mother and bee and her an elevator lowered them to the ground they went out through the breathless hazy I 1 heat heal of to the hot and dusty car omara went to jell jeh ili ii the witness room ile he was wag pleased jeh jeb saw the hour for him film had gone well ini im not calling you today or at nil nl mr I 1 cathal said 1 I thank you for having been ready rut put now ill not need you were through with MISS Gl eneith then where Is miss Glenel Gl eneith th sites ashes gone out ashes writing waiting for you w wilh till her mother and sistr sister at t tile the car all ri right ht said jell jeb and demanded demand cil well what did she to do on the stand she did it cathal told him she turned the case for your rotten little murderer and you cathal drew back a little you dawned jeb vels from ills his soul cathal heard and knew anesi he wits was meant to hear and he caught control of himself lie he could not hite hate tills this min now low lie could not envy him to strike him physically would he be silly 11 ay surplusage lie ile would not let himself liliu self deliver the blow lie could with a few words more ile he said as quietly as he might in the tension between then bliem some evidence came out in cross ex aini nation which I 1 neither linew knew nor expected what evidence A statement she made which she sha waa as forced to make by the state concerning herself and yourself what did she say about us that said cathal she wishes to tell you h herself As jell jeb stepped from the door to tile the criminal courts building cameras clicked at him again and the crowd turned jell jeb heard beard his name passed passe 1 and he saw lips that passed it smile he straightened and faced them be B hind his back somebody laughed jell would have liked to turn and knock the idiot down ile he would like a bove above all to knock down omara damn him I 1 jeb recognized the Glene glendith Gl eneith fth car and he halted agnes saw jeb and she knew that she had bad nothing left to tell ill him ue lie came to the cart car and simmons sammons opened the door tor for him better take tier her directly home borne Jeb said looking in ills his eyes were upon agnes but they went at once to her mother and he be spoke to her im going to my office cathal drove north alone at nine that evening the roads were e choked with cars many of them parked more of them barely broili rolling ng as their possessors sought the III night and relief in the little lit tie breezes of motion from the dull and heavy heat another day whatever bat ever its triumphs and ad despairs was done its final pale flaunt was furled in the west darkness n ess spread its treacherous shield to satisfactions of the longings of flesh for flesh self sufficiency capitulated one hungered for another everywhere young people paired arms about each other lips together careless what silhouettes hou bou ettes tile the headlights surprised and betrayed night MOIL for day the making makin or of money tile the struggle and the light for 1110 night relaxation and love NI kight ailt alth the bright star low over the lake ns as low almost as the masthead I 1 light of a little yacht drifting along cathal was clear of the city thunder threatened but from tar far away beside him the street lamps ceased he followed the dark lines of cool country places it was nag unlike cathal to falter before a determination he be had taken yet hu he passed tile the gateposts gate cate posts of the and drove a mile beyond before lie he turned back bach and entered their roal it was ten but lie he saw that doors i and windows of the loi lower er rooms I 1 were open shaded lights burned in ahe the family biti had not gone to bod bed who cathal rang and lie he sat said d to cravat Cr avati j recognized him ask mrs fra glen eith alth if I 1 ma may have a few minutes no more lore with miss Glenel glendith Gl eneith tb cravath left him hit outside and with the screen door closed mrs GI glenela CR came me with inith cravath to the sewn screen and spot spoke e to cathal through it what Is it mr omara yo you u A aren ren t through gil with us 37 does DOCS the cawte in w let you ask fynsk ter something more of my d dangl auff 1 not ot the law said cathal his hit hat tt T ifa g I 1 that do holdin TO BE CONTINUED |