Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

a CIRCUMSTANCES. / murder case that was unique. It he could prolong the proceedings sufficiently the par- rot would speak. But with an unholy screech of “ Elsie!” from the. parrot, the judge’s nerves and patience reached their limit. “Mr. Prosecutor,” he said irascibly, ““T see no need of you going over and over again this particular point. I appreciate the weight that the words actually spoken by the parrot would have with the jury, but I can no longer countenance this dis- turbance.” To an attendant, he said: ‘““ Remove the evidence.” —_ Gladly did the attendant descend upon the cage. There was a pause in the par- rot’s tirade as it was swung from the table, then, as it was being borne down the aisle the bird broke into shrill cries of: “‘ Police! Robbers! Help!” Madden, his hands gripping the chair, half lifted himself, then collapsed, sobbing. Prosecutor Pendleton faced the jury, and smiled pleasantly. CHAPTER XVI. SHUFFLED EVIDENCE. OMEHOW the testimony of Sam West S wasn’t as satisfying to Mrs. Fanny - West as she had hoped it would be. The reflected glory left much to be desired in the way of brilliance. Two things i creased her sense of disappointment: _ The first was that she wore her made- over hat with much aplomb; it really looked awfully well. The second was that of all Mrs. Spalding’s neighbors she alone had not ‘been called on to testify. When she saw that the prosecutor was deliber- ately delaying in hoffes that the parrot would speak, she began to grow dizzy with expectancy—which only» made her disap- pointment the more bitter. —_ Much of what followed, Mrs. West missed. She sat wrapped in thoughts about the injustice of man to man (especially when the party of the second part was a woman) and furthermore about the futility of life in general. Vaguely of course, Mrs. « West followed the case for the defense. After the array of witnesses Pendleton 11 A - 449 had produced, “‘ Shufflin’ Joe” Madden was a hopeless figure when he took the stand in his own defense. Apparently there was not another one in the whole world who could say a good word for him. But Philip Brent was aware that the woman he loved had confessed to him that she knew Madden was innocent—and yet she refused to speak. Brent realized that if he were to report even the little he knew that Peggy Archer could be made to tell. But he was keeping quiet. Brent was in a tremendous confusion of doubts and fears. He clung desperately to a hope that Madden could clear himself. but that hope was fading fast as the tramp blundered through the story of the missing Genroe, the gift of the twenty dollar bill, and that thin explanation of walking in his sleep. The alibi was pitifully weak, utterly unsupported, and Pendleton was Machia- vellian in cross-examination. _ Why, raged Brent, why was he sitting by silently and seeing this grievous wrong done? Time and again he was minded to speak, but always he recalled the horror of Peggy Archer’ at her knowledge of the thing. But horror, or no horror, she should | speak. And Brent should: speak, too, he did not deceive himself. He held this for- lorn man in the hollow of his hand; a word would save him, would mean the difference tween life and death. Brent’s thoughts were in a fever far be- yond logical analysis. Impulse swayed — him from one extreme‘to the other, swept him to the brink of confession, swung him back, to cling desperately to that frail hope that Madden might go free. And always there burned like fire the thought that Peggy Archer was the woman he loved; that this was her secret. Now Pendleton was tearing into the | tramp’s story. He was tricking and trap- ping the man at every turn. *' Already Mad- den was floundering in a mire of contradic- tions. The cracking lash of the prosecu- tor’s questions was fi gging him into numb- ness, so that actually the tramp hardly knew what he was saying. Madden had been told often enough that they ‘‘ would put the fear of. God in his heart.”” And. shuddering, gulping, bab- = 5) Original KO) MUGIOOKS CO THE OH fc ) STATE