Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1875-05-22
Ugly Greg.
fFrom the Detroit Free Press.

white-Washed walls 6f the c0rri-
doris were furnished with brackets
and fiOWer-p0ts 10 relieve the mo-
notOny and take away some Of the
gloom. One would scarcely think
that the rough-looking, wicked
men sent there for robbery, burg
larry, arson and other grave crimes
would have cared for the change.
yet they gladly welcomed it. A
r0se,or geTanium, or tulip, or pink
seemed TO bring liberty and sun
shine little nearer, and 10 drive
the evil out of their hearts, and it
was a strange sight to see harden
ed criminals watering and nour-
ishing the tender plants watching
their lender growth.
Two or three months before the
brackets were hung up prisoner
came from one Of the territories
an old, sullen-looRing. bad tenn
pered man. convicted Of robbing
the mails. They called him Greg
as short for Gregory, and ii wasn't
long before they made it Ugly
Greg
He was ugly. He refused to
work, cared nothing for rules and
regulations, and % days out of his
first month was spent in the soi
tary for bad behavior. He was ex-
poStulated with, threatened and
punt, he'd but he had a will as hard
as iron. He hadn't friend in the
prison, and he knowledge of it
seemed to make him more ugly
and desperatn.
When the brackets were hung
up there was one to spare, and it
was placed near the door of Ugly
Greg's cell until another spot could
be found. No one had any hope
that the old mans heart could bc
softened, and some said he would
dash the flower pot to the floor.
When he came from the hops
bis face expressed surprise at sight
of the little green rosebud so close
! to the door of his cell. He scented
1t, carefully placed it back, and it
was noticed that the hard lines
melted out of his face for time
No one said anything to him, but
the next morning, before he went
to work, he carefully watered the
rose, and his eyes lost something
of their sullen look. Would you
believe that the little rose-bush
proved more powerful than all the
arguments and threats Of the
keepers? 1t did strangely enough.
As the days went by the old man
lost his ohstinacy and his gloomi-
ness, and he obeyed orders as well
and as cheerfully as the best man
in prison.
His face took on new look
his whole bearing changed, and
the keepers looked at him and
wondered if he could be the man
Greg of four or five months be-
fore. He watched the rose as "a
mother would watch child, and
1t came to be understood that it
was his.
While some of the other flowers
died from want of care, the rose
tree grew and thrived and made
the old man proud. He carried it
into his cell at night and replaced
it in the morning, and sometimes
he would talk TO it as if it were a
human being. Its presence open
ed his lonesome heart and planted
good seed there, and from the day
the bracket was hung up no keep
er had the least trouble with I'M
Gle Greg.
A few weeks ago he was taken
sick, and when he went to the hos
pital the rose-tree, went with him,
and was placed where the warm
sun could give it the n0urishment
it needed.
After a day or two it was hoped
that the old man would get better,
but he kept sinking and growing
feebler. So long as his eyes were
open he would watch the rose and
when he slept he seemed to dream
OF it.
One day when the nurse found
an oDening bud he rejoiced as hear
tily as if his pardon papers had
arrived the bud was larger next
day, and the rose could be seen
bursting through.
The flower-pot was placed OH the
bed, near the old mans face, that
he might watch the bud blossom
into a rose, and he was so quiet
that the nurse did not approach
him again for hours. The warm
spring sun glided in thro' the bars
and kissed the opening bud, and
then fell off in showers over the
old mans pale face, erasing every
line of guilt and ugliness which
had been raised.
AT noon the nurse saw that the
rose had blossomed, and she whis-
pered in the old mrn', ear: