The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-01-01
look them in the face after what he

She followed the man for hours
through streets and parks, where he
sometimes sat down, but could not
rest for longer than a minute or two
at a time. At length he came to q
bridge. 1t was still dark and driz-
cling rain was falling. He paused
upon the bridge and looked over the
parapet into the river, and presently
he swayed as though he were about
to fall. She ran close to him with
wild scream, and threw her arms
around him and implored him not to
destroy himself, but to come with
her to the prison and confess the
crime.
"What crime?" he cried. care you
a madwoman?"
"No," she answered, ~ am a mes
senger from heaven. Come with me
to the prison and save your soul"
LET me CO., he shouted, cor I
will do you mischief" ..*. ....
"Youa are murderer" she shrieked,
"a murderer! Help! Help!"
Aroused to fury and to sense of
his danger, he shook her violently
off, and she was so weak and ex-
hausted that she fell to the ground.
When she struggled to her feet the
man had escaped.
81 shall go out tonight she said,
'to search for him, and tomorrow
night as we'll. They tell me this is
the last time I shall see you, and
that it will be useless my coming to
the prison again, for I shall not be
admitted. But when I find this man,
this murderer, and drag him here,
and when they hear him confess to
the crime, they will give you back to
me, my son, my darling boy! Oh.
what happiness! What happiness!
My heart is breaking at the thought
! of it.
"Wc will go away together, and be
happy once more. We will not re-
main'in this cruel city, my darling.
We will go into the country, or to
another land, where there is no in
! Justice. Yes, shall find the man, l
| shall find him! He shall not escape
from me second time. Don't for
one moment lose hope, myboy! Your
old mother is working for you, and
will set you free''
She knelt beside me and pilowed
my head upon her breast and spoke
of the old times, and recalled Incl
dents OF my early life which would
have formed tender "reminiscences to
the end of my days had I lived to be
an old and innocent man. Old and
innocent! Ha, ha, ha! Why should
l not laugh in bitter, savage def
ance at the idea of innocence and
old age? Ha! ha! ha! What is the
matter with you, my nervous, lynx
eyed warder? Why do you start up
and look at me so suspiciously? Sit
down again, my man; I am only in
dulging in a little natural merriment.
Don't grudge it to me, this time
tomorrow I shall not be able to
laugh. But if were able, and if,
after what is going to be done to me
is done, you happen to peep into my
coffin when [ am cracking my sides;
ifyou see me grinning and opening
my jaws; if you hear my voice ex-
pressing what / feel-you will take
to your heels, my brave fellow, as
quickly as if old Nick were treading
them down. t..
Is there anything on your con-
science, you watchful limb of the law,
that you could not stand and face it
out; that you could not sumroon
courage enough to drag me from nv
coffin, and ask me what the devil I
was grinning Tor, when [ ought to
be lying like log ofwood in my box
gray and dead, waiting for what
was going to happen next? There
is such a conscious strength in
Righteousness, you know, that it
ought not to be scared by such a
light thing rs a dead mans mirth.
Have you committed a crime so hor-
rible that people shudder at the
mere mention oft? Here take nv pen.
and confess as I am about to do.
And there was my old mother,
kneeling, pressing me to her breast,
and telling me that she was going to
save her innocent boy: while the
dread phantom looked down upon
me with it's accusing eyes. My moth
er recalled such tender "reminiscences
to comfort me as memorable holi-
day in the country, by the seaside in
the summer, when she and and Pet
sic played upon the sands. and row.
ing in boat on the blue sea, and
listened to the boatman's STORIES
false, no doubt-about whales and
storms and shipwreck. We had a
wagonette and a picnic in the moods,
where we pelted each other with
! flowers.
"Petsie isup there" said my moth
er, raising her eyes to the black CELL
ing, waiting for us: But we will
not 60 until we are called III a nat
ural way, and until my darlings IN
nocence is established. Petsie is
working for you there, as I am work
ing here.'' -
Then she sang a hymn, in a thin,
piping voice, and would have liked
me to join with her in the singing.
But I could not; my throat was
parched. ~. :
The jailer laid his hand upon her
| OF nd lifted 1,o,, +<> boz