Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-03-15
A PRISONERS WORK.

prison WITHOUT 0tC1uS any tLiIiS, SeltllHS
himself and fitting himself to the habits
Of the place
Then, as there were yet 20 years of
prison life before him, he said one fine
morning that it was shameful to lead SO
idle a life, and that he must create for
himself some occupation worthy not Of
freeman, since he was prisoner, but
worthy simply Of a man.
He devoted a year to reflection, to
weighing tie different ideas which pre-
sented themselves to seeking definite
aim for his existence.
81 must, said he, "find something
at the same time novel; useful and de-
flying. must invent q task which shall
occupy my time, which shall be pro-
ductive of some good and which shall
have the value of protest. !"
Another year was employed in this
search, and at last success crowned his
efforts.
It was veritable dungeon, that in
which the prisoner lived, which the sun
entered but for one short half hour
daily, and then by single ray, which
was mere thread of light.
The bed Oh which the unhappy man
stretched his aching limbs was pile of
wet straw.
"The very thing he cried with en-
ergy. CHOW, I shall defy my jailers and
cheat the courts. Z"
First he counted the separate straws
that made up his bundle. There were
1907 straws, meager bundle.
Then he made an experiment to find
out how long it would take to dry a sim
gle straw.
Three quarters of an hourl 1t would
require for them all, for the 1907
straws, a total of $50 hours and 10 min
utes, with half hour of sunshine a
day, LOCI days.
Calculating that the sun would not
shine at least one day out of three, it
would require 1 years, month, l week
and days.
He set to work at once.
Every day that the sun shone the pris-
oner carried a straw and put it in the
sunshine, busying himself thus when
ever there was sun. For the rest of the
time he kept warm under his clothes the
straws which he had been able to dry.
Thus ten years passed. The prisoner
slept on only third Of the bundle of
the damp straw, and he had stuffed in
the bosom of his blouse the other two
thirds which, one by one, he had
dried
Fifteen years passed. Happiness I'M
speakablei Only 1876 damp straws re-
manned
Eighty-four days more, and the prison
er could scarcely contain himself Proud
of his work, victory over circumstances,
he cried, with the voice of an avenger,
with mocking, rebellious laugh:
s'Ah, all, you condemned me to the
wet straw of a dungeon! Well, weep
with ragel 1 sleep on dry straw
Alas, q cruel destiny was watching
for its prey.
One night while the prisoner dreamed
of the happiness in store for him, in his
wild joy he threw out his hands in
speechless exultation, overset his water
jug, ard the water ran trickling down
his breast.
All OF the straws were wet.
What to do now? 70 begin again the
toll of Sisyphus? TO pass 10 years more
putting straws to dry in the slender ray?
Oh, the encouragement of It'll
But, you say, he had only l 1-2 years
more in prison.
And do you count as nothing wounded
pride, fallen hope? Think! This man
would have worked 5 years to sleep on
bundle Of dry straw and should he
consent to quit his prison with wet
straws clinging to his hair? Neverl
Eight days and nights he writhed in
agony.
II
One evening he fell ON his knees, de-
spairing, broken.
go God, he cried in his tears, .'par-
don me that have lost courage todayl
81 have suffered for 80 years.
81 have felt my limbs waste, my skin
mortify, my eyes grow dim and my hair
and teeth fail me.
81 have resisted hunger, thirst, cold
and solitude.
ST had hope which sustained my
efforts.
81 had an aim in my life.
'sNow it is impossible to satisfy my
hope.
'sNow the aim is gone forever
Pardon me that / desert my post;
that 1 quit the field of battle; that flee
like a coward. can bear it no lon
ger.
Then in sudden access of indigna-
ton he cried:
''No. no, a thousand times no! 1t
shall not be said that I have lost my
life for nothing. I will not desert. /
am not coward.
mo- I will not sleep for minute
more on the damp straw Of the dungeon.
No fbQv shall NOT defeat mo >
And the prisoner died during the
night, conquered, like Brutus; grand,