Evening star., 1896-01-18

sad the slandercu4 Banner- aad -hls swnl
rel es: SAID ns .'aSout this q friend 9f
s.rie ggovnera' =
sMas It the goyernor9'
eyesi aIs thef' anybody elss g can p pardon .f oEf
s19y1stss sDna Saa E penss sas Tas S tas ns % gTsa
hangin' Over over his cot what Nickerson, the
p'liceman ez aln't g9t no folks, neither. like
sad ssnny sona ss sm 1ap saR II gsg 1 his
does you know the eov'ner?o' =
.tYes; but go on with your story. Tell me
all about skinny ytaEYl5i apEaNihis friend"
The tatters % settled @ back into the purple
tie old face, and thss4eat drew the dampness
from the worn clothes, enysloping the thin
figure in a vaporr that might have been
slowly thawing in the good warmth. The
bundle Of papers had been lifted from the
sunken chest and placed carefully hy On the
crimson and olive rug. while the human
bundle settled itself to tell the story Of
Skinny.
me an him wuz on the prism route" said
he. "till-yistiddy. Least, I WIZ ther till
yisttddy. Skinny TUX this route last year.
He begged it fur me when he-come ter quit,
because bent ez strong -Solermun, you
know. Want he the strong un? Solermun
or Merthuslem. get mixed in them Bible
fellers. But twas when we wuz ter the
prism route I larnt about Skinnys friend,
the gov ner, you know First ther' wuz ole
Jack Nasty up an got parelized, an want
no count ter nobody, let lone ter the state.
"A dead expense the ward'n said. He suf-
fered. orful, too, an sod his wife. An one
day Skinny sad he WuZ goin' ter write
pe..!ItIoE an git all the 'fshuls ter sign It.
an ct the gov ner tei pard'n ole Nasby out.
They all signed it-one o. the conyic's writ
It. hut they all told Skinny ez ,twuz no use.
cause he wouldn't do 1t. An one day, don't
yer think. when old Nasby wuz layin' on the
hospittul bunk with his dead side kivered
over with pris'n blankit. an his wife a-Cry-
In becase the ward'n war 'bleeged ter lock
her out, the govner his se'f walked in. An
what yer reckin he done? Cried! What yer
think O. that. Gully? Cried: an lowed ez how
| few folks wuz SO bad ct somebody didn't
keer fur EN- an then he called the mans
wife back. an p'inted ter the half-dead ole
| conyic', an told her ter fetch him home
Did! An the mex day II the Banner didn't
| tan him! Yer Jest bet it did.
"An' ther' wuz feller ther' been In
| twenty year, an had seventy-nine more
| ahead NV him. An one night when ther'
| erligion. An he amt no more en- got it, en-
| he wants ter git away fun ther'. Prayed
| fur 1t constant: Lord, let me out! Lord
| let me out! That's what he'ud say ez he
! set on the spoke pile fttin' spokes for the
| Tennessee wagins; an a-cryin' all the time.
| He couldn't take time ter cry an pray 'thout
cheatn' O. the state, yer know. so he Jest
| cried an prayed while he worked. The
| other pris'ners poked fun at him, an toll
| him If he got out they 'ud try erl:gion in
| theirn. Yorter seen him; he wuz good un.
| Spec yer have heeard bout him. Did yer
| heear bout the big fire that bruk out in the
prism las November, did yer?"
The governor nodded and the boy talked
! on.
We'll, that ther' convic' worked orful
hard at that fire. He fetched thirteen men
| out on his back. They wuz suf-cated yer
know. He fetched the ward'n out, too, in his
| arms. An one NV his arms wuz burnt that
tor said he breathed fire inter his lungs or
sumthin'. An the next day the gov'ner
| pard' ned NV him out. l WIZ ther' when the
pardn come. The 'ward'n's voice trim'ied
up on his iron bunk. An when he heeard
1t he riz up in bed aRF sez he, My prayers is
answered; tell the boys.' The ward'n bent
over i'm ez he dropped back an shet his
eyes, an tried ter shake him up. What
must I tell the goy'ner" seq he. Tell him
| God bless him. An that wuz the las word
| he ever did say tops!de o this earth
Whatcher think O. that Gully? Bout ez big
eZ the Banners growl, want it?"
The executive nodded again. while the
little gossip of the slqms talked on in his
quaint old way of deeds the very angels
must have wept to witness.
But the best uy all WIZ about olt
Bemis." said he, rearranging his tatters 81
that the undried portion might be turned Il
the fire: Did YOU ever hear about Oh
Bemis?"
Did he? Would he, ever cease to kea
about him? he wopasredr .cyar
| tttYer see." said fIes,' Beniis wuy d banker
reglar rich Hn. He kiit'a man-kilt hin
dead. too-an' yer see, Gully. 'twuz his oW,,
son-in-1aw. Am one cote went dead agains
| him. an they fetched 1t ter t'other 'spreme,
or sperm OF sumthin'. An the Banf,e
gov'ner'd let him. But, If he'd cry little
the sov'herd set him On his feet again
when the cotes wuz done with him. Blu
that cote said he mus hang, too an the.
put him In jail; an befo they had the trial
the jailer looked for mob ter come an TAX
| him out at night an hang him. He set u,
| late lookin' fur it. But. Std wv a mob, th
jailer heeard little pitapat on the steps
opened NV it, ther' wuz little lame Grip
| pied girl standin' ther' feanin' on he
crutches, a-cryin' an a-beggin' ter see he
pappy. Truth, Gully: cross my heart"-ant
upon the little gossip's breast. after that
folks begin ter feel sorry fur the ole banker
when the Jailer'd tell bout the little crutcl
ez sounded up an down them Jail halls al
day. The pris' 'ners got ter. know 1t. an te
| wait fur II, a. they named Nv her cripple,
angul,' she was that white and pritty. viii
her blue eyes. an hair like tumbled-up sun
! shine all around her face When the pris'
!. nefs heeard the rustic NV her little silk dres
breshfh the banisters ez she clomb up
stairs, they 'u'd say, Theirs the little angur
| wings An they said the Jail got NOR
darker after the wings went by. An whe
they had that ther' las trial Nv ole Bemis
lots O. meanness leaked out ea had bee
; | done him, an it showed ez the pris'ne
| want so nightly to blame after ALL Ar
lots of folks wuz hopln' the cid man 'u'd b
| plum cleared. But the cote said he mus
hang! hang! hang! Did. An when it sal
so the angul fell over in her pappy's arms
; an her crutch rolled down an lay agins
the judges foot, an he picked it up an hel
r it all the time he wuz sayin' the death sen
| tence. ...,r.
An the Banner said that wuz enough fu
: chicken-heart'-an' said ever body nigh
. | look fur pard'n mex day. An then what
cher Ireckin? What do yer reckin, Gully
t The mex day down come little yaller-head
ed gal ter the Jail a-kerryin NV a pard'r
: Whatever think O. that? Wuz that chicken
? heart? Nav, Gully. that :wuz grit. Skim
. said So And Skinny said-he wuz allu
e hangin' roun' the cap'tul-an he heeard tn
men talkin' bout it,. An they said the Httl
| gal come up ter see the gov'ner an
f wouldn't see her at first. But she got in a
e last, an begged an begged fur the ole ma
/ | bout ter hang.
"But the gov'ner wouldn't l:s'n, till all
v | once she turned to him an sez she, 'Hav
5 you got chile? An his eyes fit up in
minute, an sez he, One at Mount Olivet