Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-07-28

fat blade against my throat, as if
by way of warning. sns
81 don't like this, i can't stand
it. I'm going. And SO help me
God, if you lift finger to stop me,
or make any noise, both of us will
have to diel | would a little
rather not hurt you; but-remem-
ber."
He s2rang away, and caught
up my hat and coat that lay near,
still keeping the razor in his hand.
AS soon as its frightful contact
was removed my inertness van
ished. / leaped up, seized the
chair in which / had been sitting,
and shouted Justify.
He turned upon me like q tiger.
"Ahl you will have it then!"
be cried, and rushed toward me.
! thrust him aside with the
heavy chair, and lifting it high in
the air brought it crashing upon
him. He sank for a second, but
quickly rose again. He was
heavier than /, and twice as strong,
| suppose. Persons who have
thus been in positions of great
danger will not be astonished to
hear that I forgot, after my first
cry, to call ont at all. I thought
only of defending myself.
This state of things did not last
q quarter of a minute. He would
have beaten me down soon enough,
bad not, in sheer desperation,
made use of trick which / had
once before seen successfully en-
ployed. I moved my eyes sud-
denly from him, pointing at the
same time, and ia the same direc-
tion, with my arm. BY a lucky
chance | pointed to the window.
/ think that movement saved
my life. 5.s
He stopped, irresolute. glanced
at the window, flung his hands
above his head, gasped as if he
were choking, and dashing the
razor against the stone wall, iell
trembling upon his knees. AS l
stepped swiftly across the floor, he
cried out to me:
''Don't go, don't CO." he said
"Stand there at the, door If you
choose, but wait a moment. It's
all over now; and perhaps if you
hear me, you won't wonder that /
/ was driven mad" FAC
/ hardly knew how to act, but
as l involuntarily checked my
steps, he continued: ysa
"Look out at that window, sir,
and you'll see just over the road, a
woman with a child in her arms
in the doorway. That's
my wife and baby. She doesn't
know I'm here-thank God for
that. Icame here under a wrong
name, and she supposes I'm far.
away at sea. I'm sure it would
break her heart to know the truth.
Well, sir, that's my home. I've
seen it, and I've seen her every
day now these three months. 1t
used to make me uneasy, but /
bear it better now. But this
this great chance-was
too much for me. And to think
that / came near losing all hope of
ever seeing her again!"
Could / doubt those struggling
sobs and tears? There was truth
in every tone. / looked through
the window and saw, as he had
told me, a woman standing on a
threshold opposite, with little
child. She tossed it up once or
twice laughingly, and disappeared.
"You won't trust me, know"
said the prisoner; "but / want to
beg you not to LET the warden know
of this. It's no use, / know
Well, ] swear I'll be true to home
after this. Nothing but three
years solitary now, and who can
live through that? No, no;
you'll let that pass won't you ?
You may believe me--you may
indeed" -
Feet shufling along the passage
announced the return Of my COM
panions. The prisoner endeav-
ored to calm himself, and ] put on
an air of unconcern. which | think
was very successful, under the
circumstances. -. q
"Not shaved yet" said the
warden, astonished. If be only
knew how close q shave / had
been through - q 1ei-1saJQ
81 have broken my razor said
johnson, looking imploringly at
me. "Sees sir, ] must have an
other
"Very wel1,a said the warden
"Will you wait?' he asked me:
ssT think not" said !. cam
other time will do for me"
So ! wiped my face and went
-. .--a,, tlt<f-4 ~sff-s 80 ~ =
on my Way'f.8w .8F,Fgfg. :,