Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-06-24

months OF prison life1but once be-
gun his thoughts carried him q long
way off, and he neither saw the surlY
stewards assistant bring his break
fast nor take it away half an hour
later. He thought of his childhood
and his mother, of the school he had
attended, and of the mischievous
tricks he had played. Then his
thoughts passed on to the girl he had
loved and for whose sake he had COM
mitted the crime which had landed
him In the sspen." He remembered
how bright the day had been when he
asked her to be his wife, and that other
day when she had told him that her
father would not consent to their be-
ing married or even engaged while he
was poor.
The time after that he did not
care to remember, SO he passed on to
tho day s'they took him down." He
rccollected how she had hung on his
neck and cried: sIll never forget
you, Jim; I'll wait till you como out"
And of course she had waited. She
had not written to him, to be sure;
Ut course her father could prevent
that. but she would be waiting.
] Poor Jim, ii he had only known
1As had married before a year had
k@Dsed and died a few months later!
What a good time they would have
with the money he had laid away,
for all of it was not captured. He
knew he could not live long. but for
a year, perhaps two, they would be
free. He must try to grow stronger
before then. She would ask the doc
tor when he could get up. BY and
by the doctor came. the man whom
all the prisoners loved as the one
pleasant person they came in contact
with, and upon being asked looked
confused and troubled. At last he
said:
MY poor fellow, 1 have got to tell
(you some time; it has been on my
mind for weeks and I may as we'll get
~ off now. You will v get up
again: you have only a short time to
live"
81 can live a year, can't II" asked
poor 306 %anxiouslY. 81 will be free
In six months"
"Jim," said the doctor sorrowfully,
s'you can't live three weeks, and if
YOU excite yourself this way you won't
live one."
For awhile the prisoner made no
answer, only lay with his face turned
to the wall, but presently he said:
"Doctor, If 1 can't live to be free 1
should like to die outside the walls.
DO you think it could be flxed?:"
II don't know, Jim," was the doc
tors reply, s.but I'll see the warden
and ask him."
"Come back and tell me right away.
Won't you?:" begged the convict, and.
in half an hour the doctor returned.
The warden was sorry, but he had no
power to authorize such an act,
though being a kind-hcartcd man, he
yielded to Jlm's imploring messages
delivered by the doctor and paid the
wretched man q visit. His answer
"a the same.
"'Thc only way it could be done
would be by permission of the State
board, and that won't meet for three
months yet" he said.
"Threc months!" groaned the pris-
oner:: land the doctor says l shan't
live three weeks"
The warden went downstairs and
Jim began to beg the doctor to assist
him to escape. hedoctor withstood
his pleadings for.somc time, but finally
said: ''Jim, I will help you-no, you
needn't thank me. Ibelieve it's wrong,
but l know you can't possibly live and
I'm sorry for you. When I come this
afternoon 1 will bring you a bottle of
whisky and a file, and see, here is the
key to the outer door, the one leading
to the fire-escape. Look, I'll drop it
on the floor. 1 hen Iget downstairs
l shall send a man to look for it and
you must be asleep, and remember, if
you get caught you must never betray
me-"
Jim had never opened his lips after
the doctor declined his thanks, but
his eyes had been eloquent. When
the file had been promised him they
had flashed strangely then softened
with alternate hope and despair, and
now, as he caught the doctors hand
and kissed it, they we're dim with
tears. The doctor kept his word in
all particulars, and next morning BOG
looked like anything but a dying
man. ..It's all right, DOCTOR" he
whispered. sits all right, DOCTOR"
he whispered. .'1'he bars are all
through, and once I get to the outer
door I IA use the key"
"Well, JIM" said the doctor,
ssthink it all over; it's a wet day, and
though I'll try to keep them off the
scent till night they'll start then.
And. Jim, I am not much of preach
er, but remember now, soon you have
got to die"
That afternoon directly after din
ner Jim started. AS he had said
during the night before, he had filed.
the bars to the inner door and the
other one he opened with the key.
Watching till no one was in sight he
slid down the fire-escape and hurried
away. There was no guard at that
Al.