The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-03-22
IN A HIGHER COURT,
[Atlanta Constitutional

"ltwill establish bad precedent. The
prisoners will think all they have to do
is to get sick SO as to get Free" said the
judge. testify.
at is but a question of time, and very
short time, too, before a greater judge
even than you will give him his discharge,
and not only him, but good many others
besides" said the doctor, much provoked.
"Eh, is that so?" said the judge, ignor-
ing sarcasm, sis there really so much
sickness in the jail?"
"a good deal, and chiefly confined to
the United States prisoners. Spotted
fever RACES with fatal effect among
them"
THAT is strange. How do you account
for it2 Is illicit distilling an unhealthy
occupation?"
when it reaches its natural result of
landing the operator into Jail, there to
sicken, 1t may be called decidedly I'M
healthy. But, TESTING aside, these noun
tain fellows suffer more than the other
prisoners for the reason that they have
always lived a free life in the open air;
therefore the close confinement of the
jail proves very irksome and they sicken
under it. This spotted fever is, think,
the result of lack of proper circulation
of the blood 1t is a sort of epidemic
among the mountaineers. Some of them
have died of it and others are very low
and they will die too, if they stay in
that Jail. The thought of going home is
all that will save them now-Jack Big
by, especially; release is the only hope
for him."
"He has no one to thank but himself"
said the judge. "Why did he NEEDLE
with Illicit distilling?"
IL grant all you say; but death is Sc
we're sentence for few gallons of noun
tain dew" said the doctor.
True" said the Judge after a pause.
Il will suspend sentence in his case, and
let him go home. Here is his release"
said he, as he filled out blank; ''take it
to him--a new sort of physic, trulyi But
tell him he won't get off so easy the next
time he NEEDLES with the revenue"
Thanks" said the doctor as he took
the paper. 1T will be many day, if
ever. before he will feel like playing
with edged tools. Judge, this is the first
time ever envied your high position
when see the mercy you can show"
us the sun a-shinin' outside, PAP
-
The sick man lay on his bunk in his
cell; his fever scorched tongue was stiff
and blackened SO that he could scarcely
speak. 1t was difficult to recognize in
the wan shadow lying there the stalwart
mountaineer of few months ago. His
blue eyes were sunk deep in his head;
his matted hair and beard were bleached
from sunburnt yellow to sickly straw
color, and over the hollow caverns of his
cheeks the white skin, blanched by pris-
on dank, was tightly drawn. On its
bloodless surface the red blotches of the
spotted fever showed with startling Wv
idness.
Could this be Jack Bigby, the man
who could outshoot, outride, outiump
and Guidance any Of his comrades?
Old Bigby, otherwise Pap, as he sat
by the bedside Of his sick son, felt dazed
and stunned by the change. He had
only arrived that morning, and, in the
few hours that had passed, failed yet to
realize it. Could that be Jack? He was
changed in his ways as well as in his
looks. How strange he talked!
'Set whar / kahn see We, Pap" he
said, when his father had arrived. 1.-THE
sight of ye is good fersore eyes,"
And, as he said it, all at once the IA
Their had choked up and felt like crying;
he didn't know why. But he hadn't
done 1t.
"Hit war powerful curious. Jes' ter
think O. Jack a-sayin' sech a thing!
Rough an ready Jack ter wanter lay
thar an look at his ole pap!"
Mr.. Bigby, it is true, was not very
beauteous object, nor one on which most
people would crave to feast their eyes.
He looked as if the summer sun had
shone upon him very hot and the winter
rain had beat upon him very hard. He
could, in fact, be called weather beaten.
His long, iron gray hair and beard were
guiltless of barber or comb and brush
either, for that matter. The seams and
rugged lines of his face caused his coun-
tenance to look like bit of rolling land
scape. But all scanned and rugged as it
was, to the homesick eyes Of his son it
was more beautiful than the face of
Adonis.
Mountaineers are not emotional people,
and so old Bigby sat there, his throat
swelling queerly under the strange gaze
of his son. Mingled with his emotion
was feeling of wonder and horror at
his changed appearance.
His hands," thought the father, "air
like chicken claws!' Could that pale,
shadoYy thing be Jacks muscular fst2
sis the sun shinin outside, pap" asked
Jack, for his fathers presence had bright
pned up his cell.
Eyes," said the old man, "hit's a-shin-
in right smart, but hits so dim in hyar,
re KANT see hit"
"Hit air dim in hyar allus," said the
prisoner, "tell fer leetle taste o. sun
shine, pears like I'd perish"
YEN git better now" said the father,
taking the invalid's thin hand in his
brown, horny one, and awkwardly strok-
Ing it. why, yer hand" said he by
way of joke, sis 80 thin an white hit
looks eenamos' like streak O light"
u low l looks like. afternoon shad.
der, anyhow" said the invalid, feebly.
Il KANT hold out much longer"
Yer mouths dry, honey" said the
anxious father, unconsciously going back
to his childhoods way Of speaking to
him. "Hyar, let pap gin We Lee tie sun
o water ter wet it."
But the prisoner closed his eyes and
slightly shook his head.
Jest drap," coaxed the father; sic,
the matter O. drap, Jackie, honey"
"Not tibet thar water" said the pris.
oner rousing up. "Thet thar prison wa
ter makes me heave. Oh, fer a drink
outer The spring at home! seems like ]
could drink hit dry"
Old Bigby felt frightened; he was nc
part Of nurse, and the changed appear
ance Of his son still shocked him.
"Hit looks like good water" said he,
"hit does. Try a sup"
But the sick man refused, and hii
father welcomed the entrance Of the
jailer.
Here, Jack" said that official, "my
vines sent you some soup; try and TAX.
but the invalid still refused. II kahn,
rat HIT" he said.
what do you crave?" asked the taller.
sunshine an fresh ar" cried the pris-
oDer, rouslng up. "Ef 1 could only git
out whar the sun'd shine on me, an the
mountain ar would blow on me. an wba,
/ could see the peak O. old Baldface