The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-14

sheriff. Well, good night, Jim. Noth- in l can do?"
 You might wake me early" suggest ed the other grimly.
 The sound of the sheriffs footsteps was flung back from the iron floor as he carefully made his way down the corridor. In the hall, the death watch | paced slowly before Jim's cell and the one adjoining. When the sheriff had reached the outer door he called back cheerfully:
 Pheasant dreams, Jim!"
 The prisoner smiled and cast his big body on the bunk. For time he watched only the strange shadows in the corners where the light from the candle did not fully fall, and listened to the monotonously irritating tread of the guard Then, tossing about rest lessly, his eyes caught the reflected beams from another candle, and he | turned with some interest in the direc- ton of the next cell. There was a long door between, cross barred and rusty; ! and the prisoner, rising, went up to it and looked through.
 Yesterday this cell had been unoCcu- pied, but now, Crouching in one corner, with the light on rough stool before him, was the figure of a man. He was studying what seemed to be a piece of cardboard and in his attitude there was something suggestively pathetic. Once as if conscious that eyes were upon him, he looked up and encoun- tered the speculative gaze of the other prisoner, In his glance there was a pitiful, mute begging for recognition. Just then the guard came to Jim's door, and the little man in the second cell started apprehensively and turned again to his cardboard.
 Who's next door?" was the reply. "We had ter change his cell" Then, solicitously, Does he worrit ye, Jim?"
 'Aw, no,' was the nonchalant an- swer. Let i'm alone"
 He went back to his bunk again, but the look of appeal was still strong upon him. The eyes were as warm and soft as a woman's, and something In the wan, white face had stirred him. Per haps-
 He got up abruptly and returned to the door. This time the extreme youth of the other prisoner was impressed upon him, and he began to speculate on his age, eventually deciding that 1t did not exceed twenty-four.
 Poor little devll," he muttered.
 The Italian looked up.
 How you feelin', pardner?" asked Jim graciously.
 At his words the other came forward with an apprehensive glance at the cell | i,,t
 "Aw, that's all right they'll let us talk" explained Jim.
 There was a curious embarrassment in the glance with which the Italian fla vored him, while Jim regarded his new discovery with an entirely self-pos- sessed but minute interest. Each would have liked to look down into the others soul and note what was trans piring. The ordeal of the morrow how was "the other fellow" intending to undergo 1t?
 "Whatd you kill the railroad con, tractor for?" asked Jim, sullenly.
 "No--I dld-a not" replied the Italian simply. Jim laughed coarsely.
 ''Aw, now, that was all right wher you was up for trial. You've got tt swing tomorrow. No use in stickin' tC such a story, then"
 Non mentisco," murmured the Ital ian pathetically, but as if it were use. less to argue the point.
 Whats that?" asked Jim. "Tall English"
 Non posso-very much" struggled the Italian with a strange and Judi crous combination of the tongues Nobody understand
 Well, if you didn't do it, how'd yol come here, and where's the man tha did?"
 The little Italian clutched nervously at the bars. Then his eyes opened tc their fullest, and Jim detected a streal of anger in them. Suddenly he poured fourth @ torrent of words, interrupteC by soft maledictions, despairing call for pity and protestations of innocence Although but half understanding tn purport of the wild outburst, Jim be came greatly interested. The Italian carried a certain air of conviction seemed as If he had been long re pressed, and had at last burst forth lil< an irresistible torrent After he hat expended himself in much shrugging O shoulders, raising of arms and rollin, of eyeballs, Jim soothed him into a pa cific state and requested him to go ove the whole tale again, 'leavin' out tn gestures" The Italian was bot amazed and grateful and despite hi evident exhaustion, resumed his tall with his accustomed lingual rapidity With a gesture of dissent, Jim agail , made him pause, and then, after mucl difficulty, many misunderstandings ? and interruptions innumerable, tn v white-faced prisoner made his stor L clear.
 Nor was it new story for that hur rying, nervous period in the west X Somebody had been killed, and some body, said civilian justice, must ham for it. And In it's haste civilian justic , had made a mistake-trifling it Is true
 but yet mistake. The person kile was a railroad contractor. The slave was known to be an Italian hireline
 There were exactly twenty Italian hire
 lings in the camp, and the sheriff, wit commended celerty, seized upon tn first one he came across. This on
 threw aside his pick and followed tn