“You are a witness for the defense?”
“I most certainly am. From what I hear I believe this girl,” and he laid his hand upon Janice’s shoulder, “has not made out a very good case for herself.”
“She has made no defense, Doctor,” said the Squire. “She admits the facts as put forward in the evidence of the reputable witnesses against her.”
“And claimed no extenuating circumstances, eh?” ejaculated Dr. Poole. “I can understand that she’d do that. She’s that sort of a girl, I guess. She’s not one to beg off. Ha! What did she tell you made her drive so fast yesterday, and refuse to stop on the road when she was told to?”
“Why, Doctor, she has made no excuses,” said Judge Little, rather severely. “She was given an opportunity to tell her story, and merely admitted the truth of the accusation.”
“Truth? Half-truths, more likely,” growled the doctor. “I reckon she didn’t tell you that she was driving home from school and came to a house where there was a baby sick unto death and nobody with sense enough to do anything for it? She didn’t tell you that she made the child’s sister jump into her car with him, and how she was driving the sick baby to my office to save its life when these two old grouches,” and the wrathful physician glared at the Elder and the constable, “tried to stop her? She didn’t tell you that, did she?
“If she’d stopped, the baby might have died in the car. They got him to my office just in time for me to save him. Suppose they had stopped while Janice tried to explain to these opinionated old men what she was doing? The death of the baby would have been at their door! They ought to feel grateful that she didn’t obey them!”
The murmur that went through the room brought a sudden flush of tears to Janice Day’s hazel eyes. It was like a subdued cheer. Uncle Jason put his arm around her—and right in public, too! Uncle Jason was not given to open expression of his affections.
Dr. Poole prepared to go. His testimony was not under oath, nor had anybody been sworn before the justice, whose administration of the law was very informal, indeed.
“Lemme tell you,” said the physician, as he started for the door, “I drive all over this county, and I meet a good many of these motor-cars; if their drivers were all as careful as this girl, we’d have few accidents on the road caused by motors. Excuse me, Judge. I’ve got to hurry to a case.”