Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-31

ana so he contented himself with just loving
| HEREWITH Just wOrshiping her whether she was
angry or whether she was pleased. 1t was not
| manly devotion-it was the unreasonDg 10y
| atty OF the brute. 1t did not honor his humani-
ty, but IL demonstrated its burning intensity
and all-consuming power. 1t could not be de-
Tended; it could only be marveied atand pitied.
| III Tom Mason is hung" she said finally,
| having exhausted all her entreaties, commands
and scorn, "you are responsible, and 1 will
ardly murderer and 1 will never. never stop
hating you until die, and with this parting
saot, she ,e drew her skirts about her lest they
| walked away. And Sandy wen: back to his
comfortless loom with heart heavy as lead
and q mute agony in his loving eyes, but not a
complaining or rebelliOus Thought in his mind.
The days passed on, and the fatal Friday was
| almost at hand. Already the gallows had been
erected in the high-walled yard attached to the
| prison, and from the dangling end OF the strong
hempen rope heavy bag of sand was kept con-
| stantly suspended that the cord OF death IN ight
| be fully stretched and tested. The huge strap
hinges, and the spring bolt of the swinging trap,
| had been oiled and worked until they performed
| their parts in the CHASTITY machinery with
| scarcely any friction and no possibility of fall
ure. Since the attempted rescue and Sandy's
prompt foll1ng OF III, the prisoner had lost his
cheerful air and had become mOrOSe and sui
len. He was realizing that the end was coming
with remOrselesS certainty and steadiness,
aud the thought was telling on him. He no
longer answered Sandy's kindly greetings
except TO swear, and he regarded the sheriff
now with wild hate in his vengeful black
eyes -,
he often Missed, I'D be willin ter dance in Their
| air."
He declined to see anybody, including the
priests OF the mission, and spent his time in i'm
patient pacing up and down the iron cage which
| served the Conejos us u prison cell. The cage
| occupied the center of the large room which con-
! stituled the Jail proper, and completely sur
| rounding it to the thick walls of hewn logs and
| sold adobes, was a wide space for the of the
sheriff ami his deputies. There was Away one
OF these officers on duty within this Enclosure,
| for the formidable looking cage was not looked
upon as impregnable TO u desperate man.
! one morning, a Mexican boy brought Soiled
letter to the Jail, directed TO the sheriff. Sandy
was alone i'll the office moodily smoking his
pipe and wistfully gazing through the window
at the glisteping shingles of the Cadwalader
| home which showed above the intervening
| roofs He took the missive absenty, with no
| look of recognition at the dirty urchin, who i'm
mediately Disappeared and yet the youngster
| had often been the bearer of messages from the
uncertain Kitty. Then, with an involuntary
| sigh, Sandy turned his eyes from the bright
| view without, and mechanically tore the nvel-
| ope open. As he did SO, something hard and
feet ON the table dropped to the floor with sud-
den violence, while he caught his breath with a
gasp, and his fingers trembled nervousiy. He
ialu the object on the rough table top 1t was Il
gold rlng-the pledge OF his engagement with
kltty; II was hashy ring. with its cheap and
wretched imitation of Il valuable stone in its
| setting, but it the best he could purchase
when he had bought it, and to him it was the
most Deaull1ul thing in the world, for 1t sigui-
| ned the sum total of his earthly happiness. 1t
| was the first piece OF jeweiry he had ever
seIected-gaudy and ill-chosen though it was
! the girl he loved, IL had become h;,ilowed in
ms sight and priceless in its value. He
looked at it now with j dazed expression in his
blue eyes, and nervous checking of his
| breath. Tnen, he slowly opened out the letter
and read.
Twill never marry hangman. duty or no duty.
Until You promise me that 1om Mason shall not be
hung never want to You ever touch this ring
| again. can never be happy ii Tom is hung.
| The sheriff read the note over again, and
then looked long and steadfastly at the poor
little golden circiet before him. Presently his
hands fell heavily on the table. and he buried
his face In them with u scarcely uttered moan,
and thus he was found hours afterwards by his
deputy. That evening he went to the Cadwal-
aders, and before he left Kitty wore the ring III
triumph, and the sheriff carried a queer look
OH his face. The impetuouS Kitty was SO elated
with her victory that she ielt she loved her
silent adOrer as she never had before, and she
kissed him goodnight with real feeling and a
Ing ali their courtshIp. She stood in the door
way and watched HIM us he slowly walked
across the moonlit plaza, and kissed her hand
lovingly when he turned and looked at her as
he disappeared down the street.
$50 thereIi be no hanging Tomorrow she
thought as she closed the door, land i have
saved ION S lie, and hereafter Im going To be
| good to dear Oiu Sandy.
When the sheriff reached the Jail, he went
softly up To his room Tor Il short time, and then
came down and relieved his deputy Who was
ION guard.
I Yer needn't come back ter-night Bill" he
sald, " cause don't feel much like sleeping
an III watch Tom till Inornin' Come round
arter breakfast Goodnight, and so the subal-
tern had FASTENED away TO the Mexican bali
| which was being given across the river. The
| sheriff locked the doors, lighted his pipe, and
went into the jail.
"Tom, he SAID, as he sat down near the cage
| and leaned against the bars, Il allowed praps
ye might be lonely, an ez this ez yer last night
in Their valley, reckoned ye'd like ter hev some
company, an hop u lip over good cigar. w all
ye try it,, and he extended the rolled tobacco
| towards the prisoner.
! NO., growled Tom suriily, II amt smoAin'
with hangmen.'
80, I'VE 4ugntn't ter teei tibet way, Tom,"' replied
dom my sworn duty, and Iivin' up ter my word
an my OATH
ayes, damn YOU" he said tiercely. 81 ought
| ter heV drapped ye when ye come 10 my caUin
| an then I'd ben adOin o my duty"
| Guess 1t wud hev ben best" assented the
| sheriff; lit wud saved heaps o trouble sure
/ IN sorry we didn't now, but Horsepower thar's
| no use o taikin' ther matter over ter-night.
Eve got ter hang We in Their mornins ef live.
an tnars no gettin round it, though allows
| it Amt cheerful prospect fer YOU Then the
| sheriff was silent Il few moments, while Tom
| threw himself upon his bed. Presently the
omcer removed the pipe from his lips and
asked:
Did ye ever hear how Comanche Bill got
"No, an l don't want ter. Shut yer gab"
was the surly response.
1T wuz atore yer time in Their San Luis, ;" went
| on the sheriff cany, 'an' it S a real good tale
1t wuz Thursday cvenin', jist like this, an he
| wuz ter be hung ther next mornin' same ez
| you, Ther gallOws wuZu up, an all ther things
| wuZ OH hand fer ther circus, jist like I've got
every thing fixed fer yer show ter-norrow.
wal, tner sheriff, he come in ter chin with
him q while, an he sot up agn Their cage same
as be. Their sherifts boss wuZ htched round
back other jail, jist whar mine Ell standin' now
| an Their wuZ no one in ther hull place 'cept
him an ther prisoner Navajoe Jake, same ez
we air now
81 thought it wuz Comanche Bfl?' said Tom.
as he rose from the bed and drew near the
! bars
80 it wuZ, so it wuZ," assented the sheriff
| quietly, "nly memory ain good eZ it used
| ter be. Wal, ther sheriff wuZ sittiu', list ez
| be, wuth his pistol up agin the cage, same eZ
mine, an Bill wuZ st;tndin bout as We air This
yere sheriff wuZ a leetle tangled i'll his mind
| not hang
| Yes" whispered Tom excitedly, leaning
| object.
"But he wuz likewise sworn to do his duty.
| an his duty sed hang. Now, IL did seem ez
| though lie cudn't do both, an so he a.
! studyin' an a-studyin' Their matter, when
like an draws ther sherif's gun out o tner
| holster an sneaks it through the bars"
| AS he spoke, Toms nervous hand performed
the theft described.
| "Wal," continued the sheriff in perfectly even
tones, thar WuZ fandangO across the river in
| Guadeloupe tibet night an most o Their Next
cans an whites wuZ thar, SO tibet Couejos wuZ
very quiet an thar wuZ nobody on ther streets
| This angel spoke OF wuZ thar-ther purtiest
bein' in the hull crowd, an she wuz happy-
| like" The sheriff gave faint sigh and was
| silent for q moment. Then he resumed: This
! yer Toni mean Bill, knew all these things
! Ter reckon somebody he'd tole him. an so
| when he got outside he jest jumped on ther
sherif's boss an lit out south. The boss wuz