Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-05-25

er heavy weary step toward the door
way of the inner courtyard. 4
"Goin' in are you?' said the turn
key.
eyes" replied the prisoner.
The official stalked on before him
into the adjoining square, then open
ed a door, passed through a long
stone corridor, and stopping before
cell door unlocked it. off you want
you can call" said he, gra-
ciously, through the trap of the door
as he relocked it.
"Thank ye," answered the condemn
ed man.
Had the official been better skilled
in reading faces, he might have look
ed to the fastening of the cell door a
little more carefully.
Tim Welsh had noticed that the
bolt of the lock was very shaky, and
he knew that a shaky bolt can be
forced back.
1t would not be dusk for a long
while yet, but he could not wait; the
only one chance-desperate-hope-
less, as it seemed must be tried
quickly. While the turkeys steps
re-echoed in his hearing, he, still fet-
tered, unscrewed the iron leg off his
bedstead, and stealing forward, wait
ed until he heard the great doors at
the end of the corridor clash; then
putting the leg of the bedstead be-
tween the bolt and the wall, he strove
with all his strength to force it back.
But it resisted and he dared not make
a noise.
In despair he replaced the leg, and
sat down to recover breath. Soon
he heard another turnkey coming.
He went to the cell door and called.
"What is it? What dye want ?"
"a dhrink Of water plase; I'm very
thirsty"
When the turnkey had brought the
water and retired, Welsh, who had
been watching the lock, saw that, tho
gone to its place, it was not half as
far home as before. He drank the
water to cool his burning mouth and
parched throat, and, seizing the iron
leg again, listened as before until the
door clashed, when, placing the in
strument in the old place, he-frst
gently shaking the bolt-gave it a
vigorous blow, the sound of which
was lost in the noisy echoes from the
shutting doors. The bolt shot back,
he pulled the door open, and peered
around; returning to his bed, he re-
placed the leg, and made up bundle
under the clothes, as well as he could,
with the aid of the bolster; then clio.
sing the cell door softly after him, he
ran lightly down the gallery to the
door that opened into the yard. The
key was in it, he turned the key, and
glancing around for the second time
shut it after him and darted across
to the arched doorway, where sen
try paced.
How to get past this soldier was q
question, while he trembled in min
gled horror at the sound of the crap
rap" coming freshly to his ears, and
the thought of probable freedom and
more probable recapture. At this
moment the sentry turned back or
his beat, and the prisoner, crouching
il the doorway, stole swiftly along by
the wall to the opposite side of the
yard, and skunk in beside buttress
The open sewer was on the same
side but farther down. Trembling
in every limb, he lay huddled up, not
daring to move, lest he should attract
attention, until the sentry turned fol
the third time. Then he fed along by
the wall, and dropping into the sewer
crept into the darkness there.
"Sate ior a while, anyhow, glory
be Godr' he gasped.
But as the poor creature pusheC
his way onward, through the foul air
in STOPPING position with his fetter
ed hands pushed out before him tt
feel his way, deadly sickness came
over him. Still the family glimmer
ing prospect of escape kept him up.
Fortunately there were but few rats
Five or six times he telt them bitins
at his feet, from which his coars
stockings had long been cut to pieces
and heard them squeaking as the
scrambled up the dripping WALL
"Will | ever smell a fresh breez
again. Lord help mel" he groaned
AS he crawled along under the prir
cipal streets he would hear the cal
riages rolling over his head, and a
one grating to which he came, h
heard the words of a song, choruse,
by some man near a public house. A
length, after he had been more tina
eight hours on his way, he heard tn
rolling of the river, saw faint CLEAR
through the pitchy darkness, felt
faint fresh breeze from the fowin
tide. A few more steps-falling i
his eagerness-and the glimmer grey
clearer, the breeze grew fresher, an
he reached the river bank.
1t was just four o'clock, and tn
clear solemn light of the dawn wa
shed over the sleeping city ) the gal
dens were fresh in the early fruit an
flowers; the noble river ripping 81
renely on, and the cottages, trees, an
meadows lay far on the other side
Very far off they looked, and the rive
cold, broad and deep, lay between
yet the undaunted fugitive, fetteret
aching, sick, exhausted, muttered ant
ther prayer, and plunged in.
The cold water gave him a temp,
rary strength; keeping his eye fxe
; on the goal of his hopes, he swan OF
almost entirely by the movement O
, his legs and feet, as his hands wer
nearly useless to him.
|, But the bracing effect of the col