Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1895-06-15

my poor boy! My poor boy!" she
said, clasping his manacled hands.
He kissed her on the cheek, without a
word, and hurried ON into his prison,
and the good world was shut out. In
prison he refused to see all visitors, even
Medallion, the little chemists wife,
and the good Father Fabro. 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
to any soul outside tho 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 a wild, exoitable, 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
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 oven in the last days of his i'm
prisonment, 30 God, canst thou dc
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 lie 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 breaking voice, "You are
free at lastP'
He remembered her-tho 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.
BuC ChaC Is no reason. -
II once committed a crime,'' she
whispered, with shrinking bitterness.
That's bad" he said. "Wefe 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.
"I 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 strange
thought came to him. Then he shut his
eyes, and when he opened them again
discovery was in them.
Il remember you now," he said. 81
remember I walked and saw you looking
at me that nightl 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 so,"
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. 1T was for my child, he
was. SO young!''
1T 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
vears?" he replied meaningly.
IF the child did not need me, ]
would give my life, she answered. ~
owe it to you." Her haggard, hunted
lace made him sorry. He too, had suf.
'ered
"It's all right" Ae answered gently.
Take care Of your child.'r
And again he moved away from her
md went down the little hill with
loud gone from his face that had rested
here five years. Once he turned around
The woman was gone, but over the
Prison flock Of pigeons were flying
1e took off his hat to them. Then he
vent through the town looking neither
o right nor left and came to his own
rouse, where the summer morning was
'lready entering the open window,
hough he had looked to find the place
losed and dark. The little chemists
wife met him in the doorway. She could
lot speak, nor could he, but he kissed