Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1896-03-19


back to the wall and sunk down. The
father stood staring, as If struck
dumb but presently held out his hands
in silent supplicatlon. Big Tom glow
cred and muttered in reply. He was
convict-a childless father He was
dead to his child-she was dead to him
He could not make another fathers
heart ache and throb and grieve as his
did, but he would secure revenge.
After mutterlng he was silent. Ne
one cried out. Guards and convicts
were seemingly Supplied. There was
the hum of machinery, but not o.
voices. Convicts turned from forge an6
anvil and bench and lathe and helc
their breath. The two shop guards
leaned forward in their chairs ant
looked, but they did not move nor cry
out.
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 1t. The answer to the ques
tion could be read in his eyes. Mel
had wronged him under cover of thu
law. He had been deprived of liberty
degraded and disgraced. Death wer,
more merciful than such a sentence al
his, and in dying he would secure re-
venge. A piece of iron had been lef
under the hammer. There was hearc
the sound of crash! crash! crash! as tht
mass of iron rose and fell at regular
intervals-that sound above the mo-
notonous hum of the machinery.
HE will thrust her under the ham.
merr
So thought each guard and each con-
vict-so thought the father whose feei
seemed chained to the floor and whose
face was was winter than the dead
one OF the guards could have touched
a button and signalled the engineer to
shut off steam, but he did not move
a hand. Either guard had fair mark
to shoot at, but their pistols were mol
lifted. Up and down-up and down
went the hammer, but suddenly the bell
was thrown over on the loose pully and
the mass rested on the anvil. 1t seemed
to those who looked as if they had been
looking through a mist-such a mist
as rises from earth of summer morn
ing. 1t seemed to them that this mist
thinned out-cleared away before the
influence of rising sun, and by ant
by they saw the child nesting on Big
Toms hairy breast, one hand smooth
ing his cheek, and seeming to come
from long distance off they heard hei
childish voice saying
mo, you wouldn't hurt Nellie-yol
wouldn't hurt Nellie! What makes
you cry? Have you got little girl
too? Won't they let you go home t.
see your little girl?"
And the convicts advanced step by
step-and the guards crept forward
and lo Big Toms tears were falling al
he Rugged the child more tightly ant
kissed her fair hair and rosy scheek
There was silence yet-silence as HI
walked to and fro and wept and sob
bed and lifted the child till she coult
clasp her tiny arms about his neck an(
rest her cheek against his. Not |
whisper among the convicts-not ;
move from father or mother or thu
guards. BY and by Big Tom placed tn,
child in its fathers arms, wiped thu
tears from his eyes on the sleeve of hi
striped Jacket, and with God bles
the little darlingl" and a Thank we
sir! he returned to his work and tn
hammer was lifted and held in waiting
for the hot iron to be placed on thu
anvil beneath. The guards motione'
for the other convicts to go back t.
their benches and FORCES, and minut
later the visitors had gone and worl
was in full blast The long-expecte'
outbreak had come and gone. Fo
thirty seconds Big Tom had felt sucl
a raging hate in his soul that he wa
transformed into a human devil. TIL
child had smiled into his burning eye
her soft touch had lulled him-he
words had brought back his reason
Was he punished? No! A year late
he was pardoned, and to-day anothe
fair-haired, blue-eyed smiling chill
puts her arms about his neck and says
you are such great, big papa, bu
you wouldn't hurt nobody, would you?