St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-31
IN LOVE WITH A CONVICT.
A Halloween Story.

armed men.
sob, Mrs. Perry, it makes me SILVER
already!" cries Nell Nash, looking pity
ingly at the rows of barred windows,
then at one or two sad ced men,
dressed III the prison suit of black and
white stripe, that she sees in the hall,
as she slowly walks into the office and
| JOINS the little crowd of SIght-seers al
ready there. The guard enters as she
speaks and with a silent nod says:
'Follow me-" then takes huge key
from the chain at his side, unlocks the
iron-barred door, and Nell steps into
the small barber shop and room where
the prisoners receive their friends, rela-
tives, and ah! sadder than all, the wife
and babies. Seated on bench that eX-
tends along one side OF the room she
sees prisoner of about forty holding
in his arms baby, while at his knee
cuddles ten-year-old boy, his son. come
to see papa there. NIell's eyes fill as
| she sees the set, drawn look on the
| mans face, and turning, at the sound
of suppressed sobbing, sees the wife,
with her face buried in her hands, cry
| ing bitterly. Another door is unlocked,
| and they gladly step into the clean,
sunny guards dining room, with its
neat negro walters in their striped suits.
| AS they slowly traverse the gal
cells, for, although most of the prls-
Oners are at work i'll the bucket
| shop and Irvine factory, some of the
cells are occupied, and she sees in one Il
man reading, while from another a
heartsick moan, breathed from mans
broken heart and shattered hopes, comes
mournfully out, and CHANGING in they
see striped suit stretched full length
on the narrow bed, in a hopeless, de-
! spairing way that goes straight TO their
| hearts.
AS Nell walks sadly along she notices
man standing at one corner of the
| gallery, and the fuce attracts her atten-
ton Immediately. Pale and stern; with
eyes of deep, dark blue. Honest eyes
that look one straight in the face, i'll
spite of the striped suit that covers his
| tall, well-proportioned form. The face
is smooth, as are those of all the prison
ers, and Nell finds herself CHANGING a
second time at the still figure, for, lean
| ing against the railing, he seems carved
in stone. As she passes unconsciOuSly
she drops her handkerchief, and is
startled moment later by a voice at
her side saying,
pardon me, lady, but / think you
dropped this. land looking up she sees
Alfred Lincoln, as the guard tells her
later is the name of the man she had
noticed but a moment before, standing
| before her.
"Oh, thank you" she answers. Il am
sorry 10 have troubled you"
ut was no trouble, lady," he replies.
lifting his stripped cap, then turning
| slowly away.
what was he put in for guard?" she
! asks, curiOusly.
"Kobbery. Miss. Stole $4,000 worth
| of diamonds from wealthy st. Paul
man. He was found standing just be-
| low the dining room window. for the
alarm was given while the burglar was
III the house and he probably had just
time to get that far. The butler saw
him when he first entered, but he set
| tied his hash quick enough: struck him
| SenSeleSs, though fortunately he didn't
kill him, and the fellow recognized him
| in court. 1t was a Kind of queer
| trial, for Lincoln pleaded not guiltY,an
though his attorney, who was a great
friend of his-for he was we'll
| known business man of st. Paul and
| adalways borne a good reputation be-
| fore. tried to get him to clear himself for
| DC Sdlu Tic COuIu, nOQlQl l.,
nothing could make him open his
| mouth. lie stood the trial and sat like
stone image when the verdict was an
nounced. He's been here two years
now, and his sentence is only five"
Nell listens with rapt attention, and.
when the story is finished, mods her
head decidedly, as she says:
Il do not believe him guilty. Those
eyes are too honest to hide guilt"
The guard smiles cynically, as he re-
Plies:
Ion, they can all put on that honest
look; but they're all just alike"
ga gloomy. rainy night for Hallow-
cen, says Fan Grey. peering out into
the dense darkness from the NaShes'
cosy, warm sitting room.
Yes, and black as ink" answers
Nell.
''Oh. dear, wish your father and
mother were home; Pm almost afraid to
stay here ali by ourselves" eXclaims
Fan, drawing her chair closer TO her
friend.
Pooh, Fan; who in the world would
come way out here in the country, l
would like to know" and Nell laughs at
her friends seaious face, then eXclaims,
suddenly:
all, WHY CALL u we uO SOIIG Ol Tile
Halloween tricks tO-night?''
what can we do? We cannot run
| around the house thee times, it is rain
| ing too hard, and you would not dare to
go down cellar backwards, and there's
nothing else l know Of"
"Well, we must do something, and l
am going TO try the cellar trick" And
Nell jumps quickly TO her feet.
Good gracious, Nell; are you crazy?
Go down cellar backwards with 10 Que
with you to-nightn'
and l would like to see my true love
| Laughing gaiy] for once in my life :;
so come on; you can stay in the kitch-
en-
mercy, no! If you are determined
to go, you can. but Pm not going to stir
out of this blessed room.'' And Fan
cuddles deeper into the big. easy chair.
'All right, you needn't. Here is a
mirror. Now, let me see-how do you
do it?" and Nell pauses, with the mirror
grasped tightly in one hand and the
lamp in the other.
why, close the cellar door; take the
lamp in one hand, the mirror in the
other, go down the stairs backwards,
and when you get to the bottom, say,
Come my true love, whoever you may be,
Come and look i'll the glass with me-
And them" with a slight SILVER, she
will come and look in the glass!"
''How thrilling" laughs Nell, pinch
ing her friends pale cheek. swell.
bye-bye. Fan. If ! never come back tell
them they will find me in the coa-bin, %
and she walks, with determined step,
into the kitchen, opens the cellar door,
steps down one step, then closes it and
slowly. slowly, backs down the stairs
Gracious, it is dark; ana how still it
is! The air is heavy with silence
Phantom like shadows seem to pervade
the place and hover round and about
her. She stops irresolutely. Shall she
go back and have Fan laugh at her?
Never! and the rosy mouth closes firmly
as Nell backs down the remaining
three stairs and says softly, although it
seems painfully loud to the frightened