The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1896-07-04

After muttering he was silent. No
one cried out Guards and convicts were
seemingly stupefed. There was the hum
Of machinery, but not Of voices. Con
victs turned from forge and anvil and
bench and lathe and held their breath.
The two shop guards leaned forward in
their chairs and looked and looked. but
they did not move or cry ont.
"What will he do with the child?"
The two men working at the trip
hammer with Big Tom had fallen back.
He had control Of the machinery which
worked it. The answer 10 the question
could be read in his eyes. Men had
wronged him under cover Of the law.
He bad been deprived Of liberty, de-
graded and disgraced. Death were more
merciful than such sentence as his,
and in dying he would secure revenge
A piece Of iron had been left under the
hammer. There was heard the sound Of
crash crash crash rs the mass Of iron
rose and fell at regular intervals-that
sounded above the monotonous hum of
the machinery.
"He will thrust her under the ham
merr'
So thought each guard and each con
yict-~so thought the father. whose feet
seemed chained TO the floor and whose
face was whittier than the dead One Of
the guards could have touched a button
and signaled the engineer TO shut of
steam. but he did not move hand
Either guard had fair mark 10 shoot
at, but their pistols were not lifted. Up
and down--up aud down went the ham
mer, but suddenly the belt was thrown
over ON the loose pulley and the mass
rested ON the anvil II seemed to those
who looked as if they had been looking
through mist such mist as rises
from oarth Of summer morning. It
seemed 10 them that this mist thinned
out--cleared away before the Influence
Of rising sun. and by and by thoy saw
the child nesting ON Big Toms hairy
breast. one hand smoothing his cheek.
aud seeming to come from long dis
lance OH they heard her childish voice
saying
''No. you wouldn't hurt Nellie--you
wouldn't hurt Nelliel What makes you
oryY Have you got little girl toof
Won't they lot you 20 home to see your
little girl?"
And the convicts advanced step by
step and the guards crept forward, and
10 Big Toms toars were falling as he
Rugged the child more tightly and kiss
cd her fair hair and rosy cheek. There
was silence yot-silence M he walked
TO and fro and wept aud sobbed and
lifted the child till she could clasp her
tiny arms about his neck and rest her
cheek against his. Not whisper among
the convicts--not move from father or
mother or the guards. BY and by Big
Tom placed the child in its fathers
arms, wiped the tears from his eyes ON
the sleeve of his striped jacket, and
with a "God bless tho little darlingl'
and "Thnnk ye. sirr he returned to
his work, and the hammer was lifted
and held in waiting for the hot iron to
be- placed ON the anvil beneath.
The guards motioned for tho othor
convicts TO 20 back 90 their benches and
FORCES, and minute later the visitors
had gone and work was in full blast.
The long expected outbreak had come
and gone. For 30 seconds Big Tom had
felt such a raging hate in his soul that
he was transformed into "A human devil.
The child had smiled into his burning
eyes-hor soft touch had lulled him
her words had brought back his reason.
Was he punished? mol A year later he
was pardoned, and today another fan
haired. blue eyed, smiling child put.
her arms about his neck and says;
"You are such a great, big papa. but
you wouldn't never hurt nobody, would
youY'--Dotroit Free Press.