Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-07-06

sort Of way. AS Lo W..
courtro m another woInal :n.
way to bim in spite of t,a c':.....> IL
was the little chemists $ wife, VINO years
before had been his father housckeopcr,
who had been present when he first
opened his eyes Oh the world.
MY poor boyl My poor boyr' she
said, clasping his manacled hands.
He kissed her on the cheek, without
word, and hurried on into his prison,
and the good world We shut out. In
prison he refused to see all visitors, even
Medallion, the little chemists wife,
and the good Father Fabre. Letters,
too, he refused to accept and read. He
had no contact, wished no contact, with
the outer world, but lived his hard,
lonely life by himself, silent, brooding,
studious, for now books were to him a
pleasure. And he wrote, too, but never
20 any soul outside the prison. This life
had nothing to do with the world from
which he came, and he meant that it
should not.
So perfect prisoner was he that the
warders protected him from visitors,
and he was never but once or twice
stared at, and then he saw nothing,
heard nothing. He had entered his pris-
on wild, excitable, dissipated youth,
and he had become mature, quiet,
cold, brooding man. Five years had
done the work of 20. He lived the life
of the prison, yet he was not part of
it, nor yet was he part of the world
without. And the face of the woman
who looked at him SO strangely in the
courtroom haunted him now and then,
so that at last it became part of his
real life, which was lived largely at the
window, where he looked out at the
pigeons on the roof of the hospital
''She was sorry for me, he said many
a time to himself. He was sorry for
himself. and he was shaken with misery
often, so that he rocked to and fro as he
sat on his bed, and warder heard him
cry out even In the last days of his i'm
prisonment, 20 God, canst thou do
everything but speak?" And again,
''That hour, the memory of that hour,
in exchange for my ruined life"
But there were times when he was
very quiet and calm, and he spent hours
in watching the ways of the pigeons,
and he was doing this one day when the
jailer came to him and said: I'M. Con-
verse. you are free. The governor has
cut off five years from your sentence. -
Then he was told that people were
waiting without-Medallion and the
little chemist and his wife and others
more important-but he would not go
to meet them, and he stepped into the
old world alone at dawn the next morn
ing and looked out upon still, Sleep
ing town. And there was no one stir
ring in the place, but suddenly there
stood before him woman, who had
watched by the prison gates all night,
and she put out hand in entreaty and
said, with a breaking voice, "You are
free at lastr'
He remembered her-the woman who
had looked at him so anxiously and sor-
rowfully in the courtroom. He looked
at her kindly now, yet he was dazed,
too, with his new advent to freedom
and the good earth.
why did you come to meet me?" he
asked.
II was sorry for you," she replied.
But that is no reason.''
II once committed crime" she
whispered, with shrinking bitterness.
That's bad," he said. "Were you
punished?"
She shook her head and answered,
"No"
''That's worse" he added.
II let some one else take my crime
upon him and be punished for it,, she
said, an agony in her eyes.
"Why was that?" he said, looking at
her intently.
II had little child, "was her reply.
''And the other?'
'He was alone in the world" she
said
A bitter smile crept to his lips, and
his eyes were all afire, for a strange
thought came to him. Then he shut his
eyes, and when he opened them again
discovery was in them.
II remember you now," he said. II
remember walked and saw you looking
at me that night! Who was the father
of your child?" he asked eagerly.
Jean Vigot," she replied. "He left
me to starve."
II am innocent of his death!" he said
quietly and gladly.
She nodded. He was silent for mo-
ment.
"'The child still lives?' he asked
She nodded again. well. let it be SC"
he added. But you owe me five years
and lost reputation. "
II wish to God ! could give them
back" she cried. tears streaming down
her cheeks. ut was for my child, he
was so young"
at can't be helped now," he said,
and he turned away from her.
won't you forgive me?" she asked
bitterly
Wont you give me back those five
years?" he replied meaningly.
"If the child did not need me,
would give my life, " she answered. II
owe it to you. Her haggard, hunted
face made him sorry. He, too, had suf-
fered.
"It's all right" he answered gently.
Take care Of your child
And again he moved away from her
and went down the little hill with
cloud gone from his face that had rested
there five years. Once he turned around.
The woman was gone, but over the
prison flock of pigeons were flying.
He took off his hat to them. Then he
went through the town looking neither