Sharp County record., 1881-06-23

weary tread, though his knees shook
under him with emotion.
Presently he turned to 60 into the
buildinr. A turnkey started up from
the steps where he had been lounglng,
and preceded his prisoner through a
LONG stone corridor, and stopping before
a cell door, unlocked it. As he locked
him in he said, graciously, "Ef yeou
want enythin', Yank, yeou ken call, L IL
hear yer."
"Thank you," answered the con-
demned man, carefully turning his face
away from the official lest his secret
should be visible there,
Archie Moulton had noticed thai the
holt of the lock was very shaky, and he
knew shakv 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
key's step still echoed along the cor
ridor he tried the bolt with his IRON
wristlets and with all his might strove
to force il back. But it had shot in
further 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 called.
"What do ye want, hey"
GA drink of water, I'm dreadful te-
verish."
The turnkey brought the water and
retired. Moulton, who had been watch
inc 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
inc until the door at the end of the
corridor clashed, he gave the bolt a
vigorous blow and shake, the sound OF
which was lost in the noisy echoes from
the shutting doors. 1t 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 tbatopened
into the yard. The key was in it, he
turned the key, and peering round for
the second time, shut it after him and
darted across to the shadow of the
doorway where the sentinel paced.
1t was now quite dark, but how to
get by the sentinel was the question,
and he shook as in an ague-it as he
listened to the crap, rap" coming to-
wards him, and thought of his probable
recapture. Fortunately, however, the
sentry turned back on his beat and the
prisoner, crouching and hugging the
doorway, stole softly along under shad-
ow 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
excitement, he watched his chance un-
til the sentry turned for third time,
when he fled along the wall and drop
ping into the sewer, crept into the
darkness there.
"Thank Cod" he gasped. ~ am
safe for q while"
But as the poor fellow CROPPED his way
onward IN 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 course 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, de-
spairing, fainting; thinking with stolid
anguish of the pure breezes on those
far-off Northern hills, his birth place,
calling aloud on God and his mother S
prayers to help him. At last, when he
had been going about six hours, count
less ages it seemed to his benumbed
senses, he heard the rolling of the river,
saw faint CLEAN through the inky
darkness, felt fresh breath from the
outside world. A few more staggering
steps to where the glimmer grew clear
er, the breeze grew fresher. and he stood
on the rivers bank.
The clear solemn light of dawn was
just struggling in the eastern heavens,
and the river, cold, broad and rapid,
lay between him and that further shore
which he must reach. For one moment
his eyes dwelt on the fair scene around
him, the next, undaunted, he had
plunged, fettered, aching, sick, ex-
hausted, into the swelling flood.
The cold water brought back his faint
ing senses, and keeping his eyes fixed
on the goal of his hopes he propelled
himself on by the movement of his legs,
as his manacled hands were almost
worse than useless to him.
Soon distressing numbness seized
upon his limbs and his utmost efforts
barely sufliced to keep his head above
water and to propel him slowly onward.
Slowly and more slow became each
faint stroke, till just as the flood rushed
overhis head his ettOuched bottom, and
with a last despairipg effort he stood
upright 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. Present
ly opening her eyes wide and muttering
to herself, 81 must have one more
look she stole noiselessly from hel