Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-07-06

want ennythin', Yank, yeou ken call; I'll
hear yer"
"Thank you," answered the con-
demned man, carefully turning his face
away from the official, lest bis secret
should be visible there.
| Archie Moulton had noticed that the
bolt of the lock was very shaky, and he
knew shalzy bolt is easily forced back.
But he must be cool and cautious be-
fore all, and wait till dusk should give
| him the one desperate chance-hopeless
it seemed-for liberty. While the turn
keys steps still echoed along the CORR
| dor. he tried the bolt with his iron
| wrstlets, and with all his might strove
| to force il back. But it had shot in fur
! Their than usual, and he dared not make
a noise
In despair he waited to recover breath,
| and hearing another turnkey coming,
went to his cell-door and called.
"What do We want, hey?"
"A drink of water; I'm dreadful fe-
| verish."
The turnkey brought the water and
retired. Morlton, who had been watch
| ing the lock, saw that though it had
| caught, it was not half as far home as
before. He drank the water eagerly to
cool his parched mouth, and then listen
ing until the door at the end of the cor
| ridor clashed, he gave the door vigor-
| GUS blow and shake, the sound of which
was lost in the noisy echoes from the
| shutting doors. It shot back, he pushed
| the door open and stealthily crept into
the hall, and closing the cell door softly
and lightly behind him, ran down the
| gallery to the door that opened into the
yard The key was in it, he turned the
key, and peering around for the second
time, shut it after him, and darted
across to the shadow of the doorway
where the sentinel paced.
It was now quite dark, but how to
get by the sentinel was the question,
and he shook as in an ague fit as he list
ened to the crap rap" coming towards
him, and thought of his probable recap
ture. Fortunately, however, the sentry
turned back on his beat, and the pris-
oner, crouching and hugging the door
way, stole softly along under shadow of
the wall to the opposite side of the
yard, and skunk behind huge water
butt that stood there. The sewer was
on the same side, but further down.
Gasping and trembling with nervous ex-
element, he watched his chance until
the sentry turned for a third time, and
then fed along the wall and dropping in
to the sewer, crept into the darkness
there.
"Thaniz God" ne gasped, CT am safe
for q while"
But as the poor fellow CROPPED his way
onward III STOPPING position, his fet-
tered hands before him, the foul stencil
caused deadly sickness to creep over
him, which required all the desperate
energy that the glimmering prospect of
escape kept warm within him to with
stand.
He felt the rats biting at his feet, from
which he had slipped the coarse shoes
before leaving his cell, and they made
his blood run cold as they scrambled up
the walls, dripping and oozing with filth.
But on he crawled, choked, despairing,
fainting; thinking with stolid anguish of
the pure breezes on those far-of northern
hills, his birthplace, calling aloud on
God and his mothers prayers to help
HIM. At last, when he had been going
about six hours, countless ages it seemed
to his benumbed senses, he heard the
rolling of the river, saw a faint CLEAN
through the inky darkness, felt fresh
breath from the outside world. A few
more staggering steps to where the
gllmmer grew clearer, the breeze grew
fresher, and he stood on the rivers
bank.
The clear light of dawn was just strug-
Cling in the eastern heavens, and the
river, cold, broad and rapid, lay between
hIv, o,,1 4ho4 81, al, l.
must reach. For one moment his eyes
dwelt on the fair scene around him, the
next, undaunted, he had plunged, fet-
tered, aching, sick, exhausted into the
swelling food.
The cold water brought back his faint
ing senses, and keeping his eyes fixed on
the goal of his hopes he propelled HIM
self on by the movement of his legs, as
his manacled hands were almost worse
than useless to him.
Soon a distressing numbness seized
upon his limbs, and his utmost efforts
barely suffced to keep his head above
water, and to propel him slowly onward.
Slowly and more slow became each faint
stroke, till just as the food rushed over
his head his feet touched bottom, and
with last despairing effort he stood up
right, and waded to the shore, where he
sank down among the reeds in the soft
mud and swooned away.
Just as the first beams of golden sun
light were resting on the farm chimneys
and on the struggling buildings of the
city hills opposite, Virginia Drake
moved uneasily in her sleep. Presently
opening her eyes wide and muttering to
herself, 81 must have one more look"
she stole noiselessly from her bed, and
began to dress with great CELEBRITY. Let
ting herself quietly out by the kitchen
door, she threw her shawl over her head
and ran swiftly down the garden path,
across the meadows to where the river
rushed rapidly onward. "Poor Archie"
she sighed, sits fine morning, this
last morning he'll ever see;;' when sud-
denly catching sight of something which
looked like heap of old clothes down
in the mud among the reeds, she ran to
where the unconscious youth was lying
faoa down, ward on tho hoplx