The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-12-02
DAWN.

."A' OcAuty, WHOSE eyes alone WOuld
have lured any man to his ruin. There
Is no stain on my hands; they are white
and clean. I hated her, but 1 would
not have hurt a hair Of her head.
There comes to my mind, as I lie in
the darkness and the silence, q horrible
story.
We had q fair at Dunwold every
year; and when I was about ten years
old 1 was allowed to go to it. The
thing that struck me most was not the
booths, the stalls, the amusements, the
people or the fun, but a man who car.
ried a large board, on which We're
painted the several scenes of a murder.
| remember every detail Of it, even the
sound of his voice as he shouted out
the story.
1t was Of a mother who had muir,
dered her child by throwing it upon a
large blazing kitchen fire. The picture
that thrilled me most vas a represen.
tation Of the condemned cell, in which
the hapless woman sat staring help.
lessly at one corner, where the mur.
dered child sat, surrounded by n bright
light. The man chanted the. mothers
words: by night and by day the child
stood always in a corner Of my cell,
looking at me with such sad eyes,"
There was no silent figure %reproachine
ME, for on my soul lay no sin Of mur.
der.
The darkness increases; and the
matron, who has asked to remain with
me for the night, sleeps; I can hear her
calm, regular breathing, and it seems
to me that my pain is increasing. My
restless signs awake her, for she opens
her eyes and says:
Can You not sleep? Would you like
to get upT'
l thank her, and try to lie still, SO
that she may rest.
Oh. the horror Of that last night,
spent, rs 1t We're, under the outstretch.
ed hand of death! l cannot tell if ]
slept; my very senses were stepped in
fear and dread; but there came a time
when the darkness seemed to enfold
me, and l remembered no more.
When / opened my eyes again, q
pearly light lay across the window
The was rising; it was the last
sunrise for ME. In my mind I saw il
all-the rose-red clouds, the birds
actively in quest Of food, the flowers
with dew on their leaves, the cool,
sweet earth; I saw all the beauty and
color at home.
A plying voice asked would I take
some tea. My lips were parched, my
mouth burned, longed for a cup OF
most refreshing; yet I could hardly
drink 1.-THE recollection that It was
my last ALMOST prevented my swallow.
ing 1t. .
Six o'clock-and at eight I had to die
A strange calmneSS came owe me, q
stupor that froze all my senses; / could
not even pray-and l had been 50 anx,
ious to pray. The chaplain came in
then, and the others stood apart that
he might talk to me. I raised my
dazed, miserable eyes to his face, the
kind, good face that in my distress and
horror had been to me as that of an
angel.
Il have but two hours" I said; and
then it must have been the sight OF
the tears in his eyes that brought mine,
for I fell wet ping at his knees, crying
to him that l had to die-to die!
He turned away his head with a sob.
"She is only d child" heard him
say, "only a child" He recovered him.
self. LET us spend the two hours In
preparing for heaven" he said; and
then told me how much it was to be
desired that I should make a full and
free confession Of my crime, with all
Its details.
My crime! That had been loving nv
lover too well, not the murder of my
rival, I could only lock into his face
and cry out:
Il am innocent. Do you not believe
that II am innocent? IT I had heea
guilty, I should have told you before.
Do you not believe me?
1.-THE law has found you guilty. my
poor child" he said. <s
1.-The law is UNJUST" I exclaimed.
He laid his hand upon my shoulder.
Hush, my poor child" he said. ERE
member that you are at the threshold
Of another world; there should be calm.
ness at the gates Of death. If you are
guilty of the crime for which you are
going to die, then accept death as d
Just punishment Of your sin; believe
me, child, the scaffold, as well as the
cross, has opened for some the gates
Of heaven. II your are innocent, give
your life c~heerfully. You can die 0
martyrs death"
Until just before the terrible hour
struck, he prayed for and with me,
He told me what / should have to sui.
fer, how great would be the ordeal OF
stepping out from the dark gloom OF
the prison walls into the bright sun.
light, where thousands Of faces would
be turned eagerly toward mine. He
told me, when deadly fear seized me,
to pray God be merciful to me q sin
ner..
AS he talked I grew calmer, and
the thought eRtered my mind, IF men
pay such a man as this with gold, what
will his reward be Ia heaven?r'
Calmer. I had need to be calm. There
was a hush In my cell, q FoaF from
the crowd outside, then q solemn and
terrible pause; one voice said, slPOoi
child!" another, Lord have mercy on
US an ..HpsA!F said the governor
Al, I kpew-I kneWM The pelll aoe.9l
opened, and . man came In with 4
rome ia his hands.
1T Is time" be said, In q low low, harsh
voice.
He took hold Of my arms to piRiou
them. I opied out to him;
ssPray let them be free. I will be
docile. silent, motioniessi only Let my
arms be freev'-those white, rounded
arms that had been clasped round my
lovers neck. With q passion OF ae.
amir. / kissed the little hands that had
gathered the lilies in the garden al
| home. They were warm roWi My q
few minutes more and they would be
dead
llte when he saw me kiss my hands:
ana then my arms e pinioned to my
side.
The dread moment was drawing ter.
rahly near. The bell began to toll, and
the warders came. Was I q coward
that / cried@aloud In my agony fol
heaven to help me4-that wOful cries