Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 101: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘JUDGMENTS. of fifty thousand dollars’ worth of Liberty ‘Bonds, of the issues of 1917 and 1978. - She had pledged these bonds at various times throughout the country and witnesses would prove that the woman who pledged these bonds and the defendant in this case, were one and the same. Her accomplice had already been tried and convicted, but with that exaggerated sense of gallantry peculiar to the French, refused to implicate the defendant in this case. It now remained for the jury when they had heard the facts, to find her equally guilty with the fhan. Janet’s story that day concerned itself with interesting bits of the trial and Mme. Le Montague’s apparent reaction to all that went on about her. She gave a gossipy analysis of the spectators, mentioning a few names of prominent people who, because of the nature of the crime, had been interested. Though the court room was scarcely half full, Janet had a column of good human interest stuff and again Wade was pleased. As the trial moved on, Janet wondered at the courage of the defendant. Witness after witness testified as to the pledging of the bonds. The trial ran from New York through Cincinnati, Louisville, Kansas City, Tulsa, El Paso; and always the destroying fact came out, that a woman—a French woman—young and attractive—had ap- peared as one of the prime movers in the transaction. “Ts the woman in this court room?” thundered the district attorney. Ves, the defendant is the woman!” Through it all she sat apparentiy un- moved. It was hard to connect her in any way with the figures of the underworld who came forward to give their testimony. Fre- quently a suggestion from her brought forth a cross-question that left the witness floun- dering for an answer—often totally dis- credited in the eyes of the jury. After one such occasion as this, Janet re- solved to express herself a little more frank- ly in the evening paper. The witnesses had lied and been shown to lie. She could see that even the jury was convinced of that. Every day the court room was more crowded, until the day on which the State rested its case, there was scarcely standing room. TA “ All due to your stuff,” laughed Bris- com. “ Pretty soft for you sob sisters. We do the deadly work of the trial and you get all the attention for a little personal opinion. It’s getting the public, though. The paper’s selling like hot cakes. Old Wade’s tickled to death.” “T think most of his pleasure is due to the fact that he thinks I’m against Mme. Le Montague. Keeps warning me not to forget that a Liberty Bond has a symbolic interest as well as a negotiable value.” “Well, I think it pays to handle him a bit carefully. He doesn’t have any qualms about cutting the pay roll, you know.” Janet gave this last speech considerable thought during the next few days. Her ar- ticles were interesting the public and hordes of letters were coming in. The court at- tendants were beginning to have trouble handling the crowds; and on one or two occasions lately she had surprised an ex- pression of interest on the face of Mme. Le Montague’s attorney when he looked in her direction. And as yet she had hardly given voice to her convictions. Would she dare? If she were on the jury how would she vote? If it were any other city editor but Wade. To-morrow she’d say what she thought. But to-morrow something urged her to be cau- tious. Better hold off until something hap- pened that left no question of doubt in her mind. After all, what did it matter if she didn’t make the most of her opportu- ‘nity? It would soon be forgotten. News- paper work was like that. You might pull the biggest scoop of the year on Friday. Monday, if you fell down on an assignment, all your Friday value was forgotten. “Every day is a fresh beginning; every morn is a world made new,” must have been inspired by the life of a reporter. Strange world. Not until the State had rested and the defense had opened its case had she a chance to express the thoughts seething within her. Rackham, Mme. Le Montague’s attorney, a dapper gentleman of the old school, had many new and surprising bits of evidence up his sleeve. These he pro- ceeded to exhibit before the bulging eyes of the spectators as a conjurer produces COMnicoOol<s Ms { _ aA KY com