The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-09-11
NUMBER 1892.



and found myself one September after
noon on Dartmoor, a few miles from
Princes Town. / had been .strOlllng
lazily aboutfo for some time, when | sud
denly came upon o bit of m%oorland,
which | decided it was imperatively
my duty to transfer to canvas, so |
sat down on a messy bOwlder, and
was soon diligently at work, and alb
sorbed in the task of trying to repre-
sent the lovely autumnal tlnts on
stream, rock and heather. Intent on
my picture, took no note OF time,
till suddenly I perceived the shadow
getting ominOusly long; and consult
ing my watch, I found it was past five
O'Clock, and that unless l made q
speedy start should hardly reach
Princes Town eforenightfall; so hast
lily packed up my traps, deciding that
would come and finish the sketch on
the following day.
Twas just lighting my pipe, prepare
tory to starting, when | fancied that |
a something move behind a large
rock q few yards away and | heard
what sounded very like a smothered
cough. l was a bit startled, as, save
the birds, no living thinghad been near
me for hours; but | thought | would
see what it was, so l walked up to the
spot, and pushing aside the high
bracken, was going to examine the
place, when suddenly a figure o up
and confronted me. | am not a ner-
vous man, but | must confess | got a
start as Isaw before mea man clothed
in convict garb, bare-headed, wild and
disheyelled. Even in my first alarm |
remember | notiCedthe number 402 on
his clothes, and / don't fancy l shall
ever forget that number.
[ grasped my stick firmly and
thought to myself that | was, so to
speak, in a very nice little fix. Con-
victS arenot pleasant neighbOrs at any
time; but a tete-a-tete with an escaped
convict on a lonely moor, miles from
any house, is decidedly an interview
not to be desired.
However my fears speedily subsidized
for my convict did not seem at all dis
posed to make himself disagreeable,
but merely stood looking at me, trem-
bling in every limb, and from time to
time coughing in a way that shook his
wasted frame all over, Poor chap!
he vas a piteous spectacle-his prison
dress just hanging abOuthim, he look
ed like a living skeleton.
The situation was awkward to me.
As a law-abiding citizen | felt that it
was my duty to take some means of
restoring him to the establishment at
Princes Town, which he had evidently
quilted without leave; while, as an
ordinary haman being, | felt the sin
cerest pity for the haggard fellow who
stood there gazing at me with hollow,
feverish eyes. However, the contest
between duty and compassion was
speedily put an end to byNo 492him-
self, for after a more than usually
racking cough, his legs gave way under
him and he rolled down among the
bracken. Duty fled; compassion won
the day. / went and picked
him up and propped him with
his back against q rock, where he
gasped and choked till Ireally thought
he would die then and there. In a
rainute or two, however, he revived,
and in a very fais4s and feeble voice
said: "I'In nigh starved, guv'nor; |
guess it's about up with me-"
| went back to get some sandwiches
out of my case and offered themto him;
he seized them eagerly, and began to
eat them rayenously; but again a ter
rible tit OF coughing came on, and he
sank back saying: sit amt no use; ]
can't eat now; s'spose I'm gone too
far
Here was a pleasant position. The
man was evidently in the last stage of
exhaustion; and even my nm
practiced eye could see that No. 1872
had his days, oreven hours, numbered.
i moistene6 his lips with some
brandy out of my flask, and saw, to
satisfaction that this produced a
decided Improvement. But what in
the world / should do next perplexed
me s5reiy, SO | repeated the dose of
AAAiA0y O&hA tOOh tOulAlh VIII lily sui
to the next move.
Under the influence of the brandy
my patient propped himself up again,
and with great difficulty told me how
he had escaped the convict prison
three days before, and had wandered
over the moor till want OF food and
exposure had-to use his own words
''spoilt his own game" and he wasgo-
Ing back to prison to give himself up.
Seeing me sketching, and feeling his
strength almost gone, he had decided
to surrender himself to me; but when
he got neart the poor fellows courage
tailed him, and he had crawled away
behind the rock where / had discover
ed him.
4 did not think he would die in quod;
but / kept my thoughts to myself. for
1 felt sure That before the prison could
be reached No. 1872 would be fax
enough away, and it would only be a
suit Of convict clothes on a poor skele-
TON that would enter The gloomy cate