Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

~~ eitement ran through her. es Stephen’s witness when the moment ‘Her glance sweeping the spectators Se "discovered Mrs. Yates, damp but deter- _minedly cheerful, and in the row just behind her Dicky Tewson caught her eye. He nod- ~ Ged deliberately with an enigmatic smile and a tiny glow of annoyance mounted in = her wan cheeks as with no sign of recogni- _ tion she looked above and beyond him. Her search was unsuccessful ; Stephen was not _ there. Dreyer appeared as nonchalant as ever as he greeted her, and Rowe as calmly pa- ternal, but Claudia detected beneath his __ urbanity a shade of self-consciousness as = hag he were endeavoring to veil from her some inner emotion. A little thrill of ex- Was he going to _ €ame? The ascetic, jeaerai able face of the judge se down from behind his high desk, but ARGOSY-ALLSTORY. WEEKLY. of human nature, = with added confi- dence her gaze traveled to the next man, — to find his feed full upon her in a wistful, absent stare which seemed incongruously pathetic, coming from this man whose heal- thily tanned, perfectly groomed coeunte- nance seemed otherwise to radiate complete satisfaction with life. But this was the man who had been “ crazy about just one girl,” the girl who had looked like her and — who was dead! Hastily, as if she had surprised him into a confidence, Claudia’s eyes turned to num- ber six, but the stolid baker, too, was re- . _ Somehow the bloodless, waxen countenance — seemed a shade more animate, and in the turned. — _ meditative gaze a gentleness brocded. Was it only because hope filled her heart that he appeared more human and kindly? - She had avoided the eyes of the jury- = gas en the previous day, not in fear or confusion, but in a proud aversion to the ~ thought that some one of them might mis- New she re- read appeal in her glance. garded them each in turn with a calmly ee gaze, ‘The foreman seemed lost in =peticcicn, bet his immediate neighbor eyed the dis- _ trict attorney expectantly, his bread, good- “Matured face still weighed down with that expression of portentous gravity. This was the man with the suspicious wife, Claudia — ~ remembered; had the prosecutor’s cynic- aay, sarcastic allusion to the blind belief ~ any wife” already prejudiced him? as aber three, the excitable Frenchman _ appeared to be on ill terms with Garfinkel, - who sat beside him, for he was shrugging expressively and .eying the little pawn- broker with exaggerated contempt; but the latter was smiling quietly to himself as though he had gotten the better of some = » argument. _ Again that impression of vast wisdom came to the girl as though his self-contain- — _ tent emanated from a profound knowledge _ garding her, though with a lively, personal curiosity, and her glance traveled swiftly _ along the second row. Broker and truck ‘driver, “professor and manufacturer, musi- cian and salesman, all six had fastened their gaze upon her with varying degrees of in- terest as though her scrutiny had drawn theirs and her glance fell. | At that moment the clerk of the court == “ Risdon Lance 7 Claudia started. Why, he was N iles’s friend, and had been an usher at her wed- ding! What could this middle-aged, rather pompous clubman have to impart? Whatever it was, he seemed highly re- luctant to reveal it, for his face flushed painfully as he took the stand, and he — mumbled his oath with obvious embarrass- ment. “Mr. Lamont, you were present at the marriage of Niles Hamersley and Claudia Langham, the prisoner before you?” ie district attorney asked. _ 3 Mr. Lamont. contented. himself with : == bow. of assent ‘and the prosecutor con- tinued. “In what capacity?” ‘““T was an usher.” “Do you recall any guest or guests who — sought admission without a card?” He meant Zorn! in a reverie which seemed to be affording = him much inward satisfaction. _ “T recall one, a man.’ a The witness coughed nervously. Be Do- ae ‘recall him distinctly?” eT } Claudia glanced at her attorneys, but Dreyer had assumed an air of utter boredom, and Uncle Matt was lost _ — = ¢om cboo cs (ele) fF =~ i < a