Latest / Bransford Of Rainbow Range / 11 - Bransford Of Rainbow Range by Eugene Manlove Rhodes

Transcript

11 - Bransford Of Rainbow Range by Eugene Manlove Rhodes · Bransford Of Rainbow Range

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: After ten, the Alibi and all Love's clanging trumpets shocked
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: and the blue. The executioner's argument was that you couldn't
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: cut off ahead unless there was a body to cut
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: it off from. That he had never had to do
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: such a thing before, and he wasn't going to begin
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: at his time of life. Alice in Wonderland, the Justice
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: of the Peace, when the County Court was not in session,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: held hearings in the court Room Proper, which occupied the
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: entire second story of the County court House. The room
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: was crowded. It was a new court house. There are
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: people impatient to try even a new hearse and this
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: bad fare to be Arcadia's first col celebre. Jeff sat
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: in the prisoner's stall, a target for boring eyes. He
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: was conscious of an undesirable situation. Exactly how tight a
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: place it was, he had no means of knowing until
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: he should have heard the evidence. The room was plainly hostile.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Black looks were cast upon him. Deputy Phillips, as he
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: entered arm in arm with the sometime Devil, gave the
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: prisoner an intent but noncommittal look, which Jeff rightly interpreted
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: as assurance of a friend in ambush. He felt unaccountably
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: sure of the devil's fraternal aid. Monte, lolling behind the
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: rail of the witness box, smiled across at him. Still,
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: he would have felt better for another friendly face or two,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: he thought, save John Wesley Pringle's. Jeff looked from the
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: open window. Cottonwoods, well watered, gave swiftest growth of any trees,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: and are therefore the dominant feature of new communities in
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: dry lands. The courthouse yard was crowded with them. Jeff,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: from the window could see nothing but their green plumes,
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: and his thoughts ran naturally upon gardens, or, to be
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: more accurate, upon a garden. Would she lose faith in him?
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Had she heard? Yet? Would he be able to clear himself?
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: No mere acquittal would do because of eleanor there must
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: be no question, no verdict of not proven. She would
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: go east tomorrow. Perhaps she would not hear of his
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: arrest at all, he hoped, not the bank robbery, the murder. Yes,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: she would hear of them, perhaps, But why needs you
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: hear his name? Hers was a world so different He
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: fell into a muse At this Deputy Phillips passed and
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: stood close to him, looking down from the window. His
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: back was to Jeff, but under cover of the confused
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: hum of many voices, he spake low from the corner
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: of his mouth. Lay your hand close to your bosom,
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: old timer, wait for the drawer, and watch the dealer.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: He strolled over to the other side of the judicial bench.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Whence he came. This a vulgar speech betrayed Jimmy as
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: one given to evil courses. But to Jeff that muttered
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: warning was welcome, and a thunder of Bluecher's squadrons to
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: British squares at Waterloo. Down the aisle came a procession
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: consciously important, the prosecuting attorney, the bank's lawyer who was
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: to assist for the people, and Lake himself. As they
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: passed the gate, Jeff smiled his sweetest Hello, Wally. Late's
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: name was Stephen Walter. Wally made no verbal response, but
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: his undershot jaw did the steel trap act, and there
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: was a triumphant glitter in his eye. He turned his
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: broad back pointedly, and Jeff smiled again. The Justice took
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: his seat on the raised dais, intervening between Jeff and
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: the sheriff's desk. Court was opened the usual tedious preliminaries followed.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Jeff waved a jury trial, refused a lawyer, and announced
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: that he would call no witnesses at present. In an
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: impressive stillness, the prosecutor rose for his opening statement. Condensed,
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: it recounted the history of the crime so far as known,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: fixed the time by the watchman's statement to be confirmed,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: he said, by another witness, the telephone girl on duty
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: at that hour, who had heard the explosion and the
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: ensuing gunshot. Touched upon that watchman's faithful service and his
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: present desperate condition. He told of the late finding of
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: the injured man, the meeting in the bank, the sum
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: taken by the robber, and the discovery in the bank
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: of the rubber nosepiece, which he submitted as Exhibit A.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: He cited the witnesses by whom he would prove each statement,
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: and laid special stress upon the fact that the witness
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: clerk would testify that the nosepiece had been found upon
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: the shattered fragments of the safe door, conclusive proof that
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: it had been dropped after the crime. And he then
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: held forth at some length upon the hand of providence,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: as manifested in the Unconscious Self Betrayal, which had frustrated
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: and brought to not the prisoner's fiendish designs. On the
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: whole he spoke well of providence. Now, Jeff had not
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: once thought of the discarded nose guard since he first
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: found it. In his way. He began to see how
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: tightly the net was drawn around him. There was a
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: serpent in the garden, he reflected. A word from miss
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Hoffmann would set him free. If she gave that word
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: at once, it would be unpleasant for her, But if
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: she gave it later as a last resort, it would
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: be more than unpleasant. And in that same hurried moment,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: Jeff knew that he would not call upon her for
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: that word. All his crowded life he had kept the
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: happy knack of falling on his feet. The stars that
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: fought in their courses against Cesara had ever fought for
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: reckless Bransford. He decided, with lovable folly to trust to chance,
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: to his wits, and to his friends. And now, your honor,
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: we come to the unbreakable chain of evidence which fatally
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: links the prisoner at the bar to this crime. We
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: will prove that the prisoner was not invited to the
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: masquerade ball given last night by mister lake. We will
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: prove there was a stir in the courtroom. The prosecutor paused. Disconcerted.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Eyes were turned to the double door at the back
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: of the courtroom. In the entry at the head of
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: the stairs, huddled a group of shrinking girls. Before them,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: one foot upon the threshold stood Eleanor Hoffmann. She shook
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: off a detaining hand and stepped into the room, head erect, proud, pale,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: across the sea of curious faces. Her eyes met the
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: prisoners of all the courtroom. Billie and Deputy Phillips alone
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: turned then to watch Jeff's face. They saw an almost
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: imperceptible shake of his head, a finger on lip, a
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: reassuring gesture. Saw, too, the quick pulse beat at him throat.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: The color flooded back to Eleanor's face. Men nearest the
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: door were swift to bring chairs. The prosecutor resumed his
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: interrupted speech. His voice was deep, hard, vibrant, Your honor,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: The counts against this man are fairly damning. We will
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: prove that he was shaved in a barber shop in
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Arcadia at ten o'clock last night, that he then rode
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: a roan horse, that the horse was then sweating profusely
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: that this horse was afterward found at the house of Oh,
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: but we will take that up later. We will prove
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: by many witnesses that among the masqueraders was a man
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: wearing a football suit, wearing a nose piece similar entirely
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: similar to the one found in the bank which now
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: lies before you. We will prove that this football player
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: was not seen in the ball room after the hour
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: of eleven p m. We will prove that when he
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: was next seen without the ball room, it was not
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: until sufficient time had elapsed for him to have committed
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: this awful crime. Eleanor half rose from her seat again,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: Jeff flashed a warning at her. We will prove this,
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: your honor, by a most unwilling witness, A Rosalio Marques
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: Monty smiled across at Jeff, a friend of the prisoner,
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: who in his behalf has not scrupled to defy the
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: majesty of the law. We can prove by this witness,
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: this reluctant witness, that when he returned to his home
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: shortly after midnight, he found there the prisoner's horse, which
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: had not been there when mister Marques left the house
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: some four hours previously, And that at some time subsequent
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: to twelve o'clock, the witness Marques was awakened by the
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: entrance of the prisoner at the bar, clad in a
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: football suit, but wherein no nose bees with it. And
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: we have the evidence of the Sheriff's posse that they
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: found in the home of the witness Rosalio Marquees the
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: football suit, which we offer as exhibit B. Nay More,
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: the prisoner did not deny, and indeed admitted that this
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: uniform was his. But mark this the searching party found
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: no no speace there. It is true, your Honor, that
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: the stolen money was not fond upon the prisoner. It
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: is true that the prisoner made no use of the
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: opportunity to escape offered him by his lawless and disreputable friend,
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: Rosalio Marquez, a common gambler, doubtless, Your Honor, his cunning
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: had devised some diabolical plan upon which he relied to
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: absolve himself from suspicion, And now trembling, he has for
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: the first time learned of the fatal flaw in his
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: concocted defense, which he had so fondly deemed invincible. All eyes,
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: including the orators here turned upon the prisoner to find
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: him so far from trembling quite otherwise in engaged. The
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: prisoner's elbow was upon the rail, his chin in his hand.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: He regarded mister Lake attentively, with cheerful amusement and a
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: quizzical smile, which in some way subtly carried an expression
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: of mockery and malicious triumph. To this fixed and disconcerting regard,
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: mister Lake a pose an iron front, but the effort
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: required was apparent to all. There was an uneasy rustling
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: through the court. The prisoner's bearing was convincing natural. This
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: was no mirror brazen. Assuming the banker's forced composure was
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: not natural, he should have been an angry banker. Of
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: the two men, Lake was the less at ease. The
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: prisoner's face turned at last towards the door. Blank unrecognition
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: was in his eyes as they swept past Eleanor, but
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: he shook his head once more, very slightly. There was
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: a sense of mystery in the air, a buzz and
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: a burr, of which a rustle of moving feet. The
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: audience noticeably relaxed its implacable attitude toward the accused, eyed
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: him with a different interest, seemed to feel for the
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: first time that, after all, he was accused merely, and
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: that his defense had not yet been heard. The prosecutor
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: felt this subtle change. It lamed his periods. It is true,
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: your Honor, that no eye say, for God saw this
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: guilty man do this deed. But the web of circumstantial
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: evidence is so closely drawn, so far reaching, so unanswerable,
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: so damning, that note events can avail him except the improbable,
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: the impossible, establishment of an almibi, so complete, so convincing
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: as to satisfy even his bitterest enemy. We will ask you,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: your honor, when you have seen how fully the evidence
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: beares out our every contention to commit the prisoner without
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: bailed to answer the charge of robbery and attempted murder.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: Then by the door, Jeff saw the girl start up.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: She swept down the aisle, radiant, brave, unfearing, resolute, all
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: half God's gone. She shone at him, proud, glowing, triumphant.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: A hush fell upon the thrilled room. Jeff was on
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: his feet, his hand held out to stay her, his
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: eyes spoke to hers. She stopped as at a command.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: Scarcely slower. Billy was at her side. Wait, Wait, he whispered,
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: see what he has to say. There will be always
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: time for that. Jeff's eyes held hers. She sank into
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: an offered chair. Cheated, disappointed, the court took breath again.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: Their dramatic moment had been nothing but their own nerves.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Their own excited imaginations had attached a pulse, fluttering significance
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: to the flushed cheeks of a pride girl seeking a
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: better place to see and hear to gratify her morbid curiosity.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: Jeff turned to the bench, Your honor, I have a
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: perfectly good lined defense, and I trust no friend of
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: mine will undertake to change it. I will keep you
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: but a minute, he said colloquially. I will not waste
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: your time combating the ingenious theory which the prosecution has
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: built up, or in cross examination of their witnesses, who
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: I feel sure here, he bowed, to the cloud of
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: witnesses will testify only to the truth. I quite agree
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: with my learned friend another graceful bow, that the case
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: he has so ably presented is so strong that it
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: can successfully be rebutted only by an alibi so clear
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: and so incontestable, as my learned friend has so aptly
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: phrased it as to convince, if not satisfy, my bitterest enemy.
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: The bow. The icy indonation edged the words. The court
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: room thrilled again at the unspoken thought. An enemy hath
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: done this thing? If in the stillness the prisoner had
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: quoted the words aloud in fierce denunciation, the effect could
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: not have been different or more startling. And that your
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: honor is precisely what I propose to do. His honor
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: was puzzled. He was a good judge of men, and
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: the prisoner's face was not a bad face. But he objected,
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: you have refused to call any witnesses for the defense.
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: Your unsupported word will count for nothing. You cannot prove
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: an alibi alone, can't, I said, Jeff. Watch me. With
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: a single motion, he was through the open window. Bending
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: branches of the nearest cottonwood broke his fall. The other
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: trees hid his flight. Behind him rose uproar, tumult, and
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: a labaloo, A mass of struggling men at cross purposes,
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: gun in hand, the sheriff, stumbling over some one's foot.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: Montes ran to the window, but the faithful deputy was
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: before him, blocking the way, firing with loving care at
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: one particular tree trunk. He was a good shot. Jimmy,
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: afterward showed with pride where each ball had struck in
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: a scant six inch space. Vainly the sheriff tried to
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: force his way through. There was but one stairway, and
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: it was jammed before the foremost pursuer had reached the open.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: Jeff had borrowed one of the saddled horses hitched at
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: the rack, and was away to the hills. As Billy
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: struggled through the press searching for Eleanor, he found himself
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: at Jimmy's elbow. A dead game sport. Any turn in
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: the road, agreed Billy. The deputy nodded curtly, but his
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: answer was inconsequent rather in the brunette line that bid
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: a tangible evidence. End of Chapter ten.