"ON TRIAL"

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 47, 11 December 1929, Page 3

"ON TRIAL"

. . By ELMER RICE. I • Copyright, 1928, Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. 5

„ CHAPTER 1. A bright April sua flickered anc danced in sheer abandon over th( tops of the tall buildings that ris< like the walls of a canyon, above the narrow lengths of the streets of New York, hurling long spears ol light to strike the brightly garbed hurrying crowds of people. May Deane, boarding school for the holidays, hurried with th e throng—hurried for nc reason other than to express her exuberance of spirits. It's Sprang! Spring! Everything seemed to be calling: It's-Spring. Spring and Romance J j |1; *< May stppped fpr a moment on the curb, Jjke a bjrd ready for flight. -The next fnstant she had dashed into the street. A thunderous pounding of hoofs; the crack of a whip; the aqgry shouts , of a driver. And then a strong arm' had reached out and pulled the girl back to safety, and May found herself looking' up into the face of a decidedly handsome man. And that was all., All—so it seemed, but that little accident was to mark the beginning of a series of events, Staffing, jborribla, juhbelievable,, Gerald and Joan Trask had been married, then, for five years. There bad been a time when Joan had believed -whole-heartedly that nothing could mar their life together. They loved each other; they had money, social position,— everything that could make for happiness.- And then slowly Joan began to realise What was going on about her. There were si range -telephone calls with Women's Voices at the other end of the wire; there were evenings that she passed in solitude. After their sotq was born; Gerald was, for a time, all attention, all solicitude. And then slowly he dropped back into the old ways. He lavished gifts on Joan; he gave her everything that money could buy; he never actually flaunted his affairs in her face. But Joan knew. Ata 4 d when, she taxed him with his indiscretions, Gerald woulcj dj?ny them, pass them by lightly, excuse himself, beg forgiveness. And Joa>s. would forgive him. There was always the child, and she loved Gerald. And so,- for fifteen ydfcrs "Extra! Extra! Read about th' big murder! Read {about; th' bjg robb'ry! Extra!" -Headlines 0 f the early morning editions Of the papers screamed the information, that a banker had been attacked in, his home; that twenty thousand dollars had been taken from his safe. • Long columns of type told the story of Gerald Trasks' murder. The killer, Robert Strickland, was a frieiid of' the banker. Strickland had been taken by the police—c|u|ht red-handed. Glover, secretary td Trask, had "come upon the scene in time to knock Strickland unconscious with a heavy cane. • Robert: Strickland was brfought before a jury of his peers to be tried for the murder of Gerald Trask, his friend.

land—asked him to go fishing with me to-morrow. That reminds me, he paid me that mcqey he owed me. Twenty thousand. All in cash, too. /I didn't want to take it, but he insisted. I'll have to put that away." He walked over to the hidden sate '■in the wall and began manipulating the lock. After a short time it Jswung open u-qd Trask triumphantly deposited the money aiid jewellery. IHe dismissed Glover for the night, fraud started towards his wife. But Hoan turend on him. Coldly, quietly, she announced her decision conceding the divorce. She thought jibe'hated him, and still, his very (nearness made her hesitant, took /possession of her, as it had always [ done. | She clung desperately to her [stand. Out Of the depths of her (mluli'shu reealled that time .ten J years ago when she had had detectives watching him. That was when she had caught him in a hotel on (Long Island, where he had registered, with a girl, as man and wife. What was the girl's name? MayMay Deane—that was it. Poor child. She was only seventeen, too. And Gerald had promised her that he was having a minister there to marry them the first thing iq the morning. Gerald had saved her from being run over. Joan could remember how she had 'got the girl's father to go with her to bring the child home. The father had threatened Gerald, b'ls even then May would not believe until Joan had intervened and explained that Gerald was her husband. What a caddish trick to play on a girl of that age. And yet— and yet, Gerald was taking her in his arms even, now, protesting his innocence, vowing never again to give her cause for complaint. And, after all, he was her husband, and she loved him. Her arms went about his neck. CHAPTER 2. "I promise you, Joan, dear, you won't regr|et forgiving this once." Trask kissed his wife. "I -swear I'lli never look af another womaq. I really don't know anything about that phone call. Promise me you won't talk of divorce again. It breaks my heart to think of it. After all, we've gone on together for fifteen years " He held her! close to him.

Joan sighed. She had heard all

his excuses, all his pleadings, before. But she wanted to believe. !3er love for him was so intense, so deep-rooted. Gerald could talk well and easily. That was probably why other woraj&n believed him. That little girl May Deane. She;'had' trusted him. when he had told her that he was going to marry her—and he had been married to Joan for five years then. Poor child. But why did that name keep recurring iq her mind. Jt Wad all happened ten years ago. Joan tried to shake off those persistent thoughts. i

"Why did you go to the Strickland's home this evening?" Joan queried, although she knew, neither Strickland nor his wife. Habit had taught her this curiosity conceiving her husband's affairs; taUghjtj her to be suspicious of the' most. innocent) statement. It mjight al-i ways mean "another woman." "Oh, I just dropped in to see Bob," Trask answered casually enough. "He's moving to Cleveland —got a big business, deal on out there. I thought I'd take him fishing with m e before h e left. I didn't •know he had the money to pay me to-night. But I'd rather loan money $9 Bob than almost anyone else. He's as fine as they make them. That twenty thousand in cash, though' 1 don't like having it around. I'll take it out first thing to-morrow morning and deposit it." Joan breathed more easily. "Well, don't forget to give Glover the combination to the safe. He had to i/ait for you before I could, get my necklace put away."

XXX On, the evening of the murder, Joan Trask had just flqished dress- . - ing for a theatre with friends. The telephone hell rang. Joan picked up the Feeejyer and answered , A w,qm#n's...ypice asked for ' "Mr Trajs." " Joan replied that Mr Trasfc WS£ not at home, but that Mrs Trask speaking. Abruptly the jnstrunient clicked- " The party hf,d hupg up. Joan was accustomed to such fcalls, a#d yek tp-pight, the thought of that eajil persisted. For some time sh© had beep naming up her mind to the inevitable. She would divorce Gerald. Their son, away in school, was fourteen . now. She couldn't —wouldn't—stand this torture any, longer, On her, returp home Glover, the secretary, .met her in the living ■ room. : ...Ms,-Trask,'had not yet returned,, fcbve sllgnt, bespectacled, old-ish-yowg JP#p informed Joan. "Will ypw please put these in the safe f©F me? ,Gjtov©r." Joan,- slowly h§r v jew«e}s. I "MVfyXt. I'm sorry, Mrs Trask, bul Mr Tr#sk nas just had the new safe Installed and tne only oJle whc ~.; ha£Jt&s. pppibinatiop, yet." J* ftsy grated in the lock of the ..front jjlppr, apd ip another moment Traslc ejpjtered the room. He greet ed hi£ ; wtfe Wjd noticed that sh< • turned her; cheek to be kissed. Coldly, sh© held out the jewels and ask ed to have them put in the {Safe Trask fumbled about in his pockets "Funny," he frowned. 'Can't re member What I did with that card I had the combination written 01 it." Theq suddenly: "By Jove I remember. I gave that card h : vßob Strickland. Wrote down th of the Long Branch hous on it. I went down there to-tlaj Ihtcellent fishing, now, there. Com jjng back I stopped to see Strick

I "I shan't," Trask promised. "Funl ny how I gave Bob that card with the combination on it. Can't think ! how I came to do it. I hope he i doesn't lose it—though I don't sup- , pose those, numbers would mean ; much to anyone who didn/t know j about the safe." I Still talking, the two made their i way to the stairs, switching off the ; lights and leaving the house to the t darkness of the night. | (To be continued to-morrow.) | ,