OCR Text |
Show page 136 "Forrest Clinton, the night Storey Porter was in Albany, conquered Anne Sharpe physically and emotionally. And she in turn, in loyalty to our moral code, the moral code of her l i f e, in loyalty to her family's teaching, to her own fine way of thinking, concluded that she had t o marry Forrest Clinton, although her romance of years, as sure as the a i r of Heaven is pure, xtfas Storey Porter, her childhood sweetheart, "Now I will say no more about these things. This g i rl would have sacrificed her love unselfishly by what she considered God's judgment. This man would have sacrificed his by remaining far from home, h i s property abandoned and weedgrown, denying himself alxi7ays the love of the woman he so greatly desired. Each i s humble and unselfish. You a l l remember Storey as the only youth around who could take a fast swamp buck x^ith a r i f l e, who can t h i s very minute throw up ten cents and shoot out two nickels. If Storey Porter had purposely shot Forrest Clinton, I don't believe Forrest would have made i t around a corner of Ray Boling's house and carefully set down his jug." Flam walked to his t a b l e , leaving the jury pensive. When the jury r e t i r e d , he took Storey by the arm and led him out to the corridor. "We'll have a smoke," he said, "and in a l i t t le while xtfe'11 go back in." Shortly Storey caught a glimpse of Anne Sharpe approaching from the courtroom. He stepped toward her. Farrell herded them both back toward the courtroom. "Let's go in now," he said. The jury was returning. With everyone seated, Judge Moore called for the v e r d i c t . The jury foreman read: |