There, behold, beside the grave judge, facing the court-room, above the
counsel, the reporters, the prisoners, sat Milly Ridge and Sally and
Vivie Norton, in their best clothes, with the sweeping plumed hats that
had just come into fashion then.... Milly beamed with pleasure and
excitement, casting alluring glances from beneath her great hat at the
severe judge. It was like a play, and she had a very good seat.
It was a play that went on day after day for weeks, sometimes dull with
legal formalities, sometimes tense with "human" interest. And, day after
day, the three girls occupied their favored seats beside the judge,
listening to the evidence of the great conspiracy against Society,
watching the prisoners--a sorry lot of men generally--and staring
haughtily down at the jammed court-room. Their presence, of course, was
noted by the reporters and mentioned as at a social event "among our
society leaders in daily attendance at the trial." Their names and
dresses were duly recorded, along with pen pictures of the anarchists.
It quite fluttered Milly, this prominence,--"the Misses Norton and Miss
Mildred Ridge, etc."
The three girls became deeply interested in the prisoners and picked
their favorites among them. Sally was for a German because he looked to
be "such an interesting devil," and Vivie was intrigued by the newspaper
stories about another. Milly was drawn to the youngest of all,--a mere
lad, blue-eyed and earnest, who had evidently "got into bad company" and
been led astray. Vivie sent her man flowers,--a bunch of deep red
roses,--and the next day he appeared wearing one conspicuously pinned to
his coat. Sally coaxed the obliging bailiff to smuggle them all into the
jail so that they might see the prisoners and talk to them through the
bars. But the great event was when Spies made his celebrated speech of
defiance, breathing scorn and hatred of his captors. Sally Norton rose
in her seat and threw him kisses with both hands. A bailiff came, put
his hand on her shoulder, and forced her to be quiet. It made something
of a scene in court. The judge looked annoyed. Then Sally had a fit of
the giggles and finally had to leave the room.
But when the turn of Milly's hero came to speak in his own defence,
Milly had a choking sensation in her throat and felt the warm tears run
over her cheeks. He, too, was brave. He talked of the wrongs of society,
and Milly realized somehow that she was part of the society he was
condemning,--one of the more privileged at the feast of life, who made
it impossible for the many others to get what they wanted. Of course his
views were wrong,--all the men she knew said so,--but the pity of it all
in his case, so young and handsome and brave he appeared!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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