The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-11-24

ed Ike man demenled.
For . week after this night Mr.. Briltol
shut himselfup In his chamber. In hi
agony Of remofse and humiliation he act
ed very like child, and PhGbe wa a. I
mother 10 him. He protested that b
would leave the ministry-eYen thC
Church. Blood-guilttDess was on hi
soul, II not his hands. He never had un
detstood the religion he taught; be never
had known the Saviour whom he showed
10 others.
Phoebe left him only To visit the limo
cent man in the cage. She read 10 him
wrote letters 70 bis vile for him and
about him.
One day she came home trembling aud
ittle disposed 70 talk.
"rhe Governor has 20. The day for
Vrhe executionY'
Eyes. Next Friday. He has bat four
days 70 live"
aHe will die an innocent man."
4Why need he die at ALP
"There Ia no chance. The Governor has
been besieged for bis pardon. Il il neces.
sary to have an example. There has been
TOO great laxity, Il appears, in this part
Of the State.a He hSd been trying 10
read 4 circular letter from the bishop,
but be threw 1t down and wandered on.
"Why look at me PhGbel I ought to
be In his place, and here am, with my
priestly coat and white Surplice, regarded
AZ godly man. John Mailack in chains.
and next Friday 3 rope about his neck!
Think what justice there ia in that
Think"
But Mrs. Britton went hastily into
her own room. She wa mot fond Of
thinking.
HWhat Is to be done abe said TO her.
sell. When she came back her Counts.
nance was rigid az tina. Of middle-aged
woman. She spoke no more Of the pris-
oner.
She went down the next day, as usual,
to the jail. She stopped in Der reading
once or twice, looking at Matlack with =
"What Is that you see, ma'amr' asked
LodOn, with surprise, for she was not a
nervous woman.
sob, the chain. II seems alive to me.
It creeps after him, holds him until they
are ready TO murder him.
+You ought not to come here, Mrs.
BriIton," said Matlaek. ut Is too great
1 strain on any woman"
She looked at him. Confederate other,
with death Just At hand with wife and
child in the world whom be should never
zee again! But MatlAck bore himself
With the same gravity and simplicity in
the face Of his terrible fate as he had
lone when he was a boy. > Nothing but
bis deathly pallor told Of any suffering.
"Do not come Tomorrow he said,
when she rose to 90. There will be an
othef day. lshould like 70 give you a
message then for"
@FOr your vile and little charley. I
know, ohm"
aThere's nobody else I'd ask to see
hem, though some Of my friends have
been down this week. They're very kind.
But you"
fYes, yes. GoOd.by, nov, shaking his
hand and turning away. HOh this copy
81 hyms-I have been reading to you. +
wall leave it." She handed il to Lodon
Tor inapechon-a few small sheets Of
bound in a thick parchment
cover. The iiiler noticed how cold her
hand was as he tOuchedit. He passed the
roll through the bars Of the cage.
@You will ind much comfort in some
Of ihem,n she said, looking MAtlack
,tsadily in the eye-Hespecially in the
As she turned away, the cell grew sud-
lenly dark before her, and the hideous
:lank Of the chain ieered and Knocked at
her.
The street was brewster than usual that
evening. II was the day for the weekly
mail to come in, but the carrier had ar
rived, and his mule and cart were put
away, and all the excitement was over.
Most Of the houses were already closed
Tor the night. The doctor and squire
we're seated in front Of the store, finishing
4 game Of draughts by the fading twilight,
md negro was "pickiug" banjo, while
another shuflled doleful jig and sang,
'Fahwell tOreber-oh.h, fOreber."
Mrs. Britton laughed nervously. The
moon hung low in the horizon, heavy
masses OF tog drove through the valley.
She remembered that the moonlight
would only last an hour. She looked out
70 the vast sweep Of wooden mountain
'anges. Once safe in these inpenetrable
'olitudes, no might've could be discovered,
hank God! There was little chamber,
90, where young vile lay near to death,
With her boy beside her, waiting to hear
hat her husband had died upon the gal.
ows. II
Mr.. BrittOu happened to read that
hight the story d how Lazarus was
out OF the jaws OF death. His
vile listened, with her head lying on her
olded arms on the table.
"This man too, o God :" she said.
When her husband read the evening
prayers, she did not kneel, and did not
Snow he was praying.
Mr.. Brittou touched her gently after a
Shile. "You are fsverish, my dear; you
iced rest" he said.
She walked hastily 10 the window. The
og had blotted street and houses out Of
light, and without was the silence Of
ieAth.
Early the next morning a conmotion
vas heard on the street below, shrill
:ries and men running. Mrs. Britton was
Ilready seated, her sewing IN hand. She
on carefully without lifting her
yes.
Lame Joe tapped the door. He stut.
cred with excitement when Mr. Britton
opened it.
"De prisoner am escaped, Sab. Watch.
lpring saW-cut de iron. Too many OBJ
les frens hyah las week.
Mr.. Britton ran down the stairs to ioin
he excited crowd below. Phoebe did not
move. but as she seRed her eyes shoue,
md the tears fell like rain.
-Four years later Mr.. Britton sat read
ng the newspaper one evening to his
wife. BE was changed man in those
our years, 1t was reported in church
sossiP. HiA sermons were no long the
inc efforts Of literary skiIl and scholar.
hip which they had been at frat; but
here was = humility and earnestness in
hem, like the voice Of man saved from
lhipwreck crying to his fellows, which
gave them strange power.
Look at this" he said, laying the
newspaper before her, and pointing to a
passage. His finger shook as he did II.