Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-03-26
any part Of my valuable information
to the ears of the general.

lelt HlOuc III my Ccli WIS u eAHluluc
every avenue of possible escape. My
room was ten by twelve. There was
in it table, one chair and pallet of
straw. One small iron barred win
dow, looking out on the prison yard
beneath, furnished what light there
was. The bars were half an inch in
diameter, and firmly set in the
masonry. Using all my strength I
could not bulge them. T was not,
however, kept long in suspense. On
the afternoon of the second day was
taken out, tried, found guilty, and
condemned to be shot at sunrise on
the day following-that is, within ff-
teen hours.
Son my return to the hot, badly
aired cell with the stunning effect Of
my sentence benumbing my brain, I
sat listlessly down by the table and
allowed my head to rest in the hollow
of my hands. My attitude Of dejec-
ton appealed to the sergeant who
brought me in, for placing his hand on
my shoulder he asked if there was
nothing he could do for me. 1 shook
my head. There are some very nice
grapes in the market place outside, ,
he said persuasively The sound of the
word grapes recalled to my mind how
parched the roof of my mouth was, so I
thanked him, and said l should enjoy
few. / handed him half eagle,
which my captors had overlooked
when they took everything else of
value from me. In less than five
minutes he was back with basket Of
Notwithstanding fruit, which he
placed OH the table at my elbow, and
offered me the change. | motioned
him TO keep it, saying that he could
spend it to better advantage than l.
He pocketed it with an expression on
his countenance intending to denote
commiseration, but he was such q
happy, smiling-facel fellow that the
effect was rather comical. AS lie was
putting the change in his pocket one
of the larger coins slipped through
his fingers and striking the floor on its
edge it circled about the room and
ended by nesting on the straw at my
feet. Actuated by Il feeling of deli
cacy the sergeant withdrew without
STOPPING to pick it up, and hardly
noticing the occurrence l remained
seated at the table. After short
time | pulled myself together enough
to eat some grapes, and then COM
menced to write few lines to my
friends at home in the hopes that
/ <l,r>u,vh tl,o l. 1,,ncy - ,c;1ar
who had also furnished me with paper
and pencil, they would some day reach
the hands for whom they were in
tended. As / finished writing my
eye caught the glitter ofthe coin at my
feet. picked it up and tossed it onto
the table before me. On looking at it
closer L noticed that it was French
coin, with the head OF Louis XVI.
stamped upon it. This sent me Off
into another train of thought, and as
I mused 1 tapped mechanically on the
coin with the point of my pencil,
thus" and the major illustrated the
action with the fruit knife. "I must
have struck sharp, quick blow right
over the letter O, for all Of sudden
The face of the coin flew open and out
popped little object that fell on the
table with a tinkling sound. 1 took it
between my thumb and finger, and
going to the light could hardly believe
my eyes when / saw that held tiny
file about an inch and half in length,
with delicate sawteeth, which were al
most invisible to the naked eye. The
next moment I was standing on my
stool at the window, experimenting on
the iron bar. The little instrument
was made of the hardest steel, and its
tiny teeth made some impression on
the iron. For half an hour l worked
away persistently, and by that time
I had out into the bar little. Not
much, to be sure, but still enough to
raise my hopes, 1t was only ques-
ton of time and not being interrupted,
and I should be through that window
worked away like beaver. Twelve
hours to saw through two half-inch
bars. I had read of men who, with
files made with watch-springs, had cut
their way to liberty through iron bolts
and bars, or with no other tool than
the blade of of penknife had dug
through q dozen feet OF stone and
mortar to the daylight beyond; bat
these men had taken weeks and
months to complete their task, while
I had just one short summer night
The heat was intense, and what with
the exercise and the con stant fear Of
interruption, the perspiration rolled
in great drops from my brow. had
been at work, as 1t seemed to me,
about two hours, and had ont
half through the first bar, when I was
startled by the rattle OF key in the
lock behind me. Likes an antelope Twas
away from tho window, and by tho
time the door swung open was seated
ON my stool at the table with my face
down and my hands elapsed about my
head. A soldier entered the cell with
lantern which he held above my
head. I did not move. He placed
one hand on my back. I could feel
my heart throbbing like an engine,
and I thought it must send tremor
through my whole body, which he
could not help noticing, but he merely
commented upon the perspiration
which drenched my shirt. I had
taken off my coat in order to work
more freely. Stretching out my arms
and yawning, as if had just awakened,
I looked up duly. 1t was not the
same fellow who had gotten me the
grapes. Have you come for me?' I
inquired, blinking at the lantern.
"'Oh, no; it is only two O'Clock.
"'Two o'clockr I cried inwardly,
in two hours it will be day, and I
have not cut through one bar yet
"'I thought I heard a rat gnawing
in here and 7 came IN to drive it away.
The place is full of them, and they
steal the prisoners bread if they are
foolish enough to go to sleep leaving
any food uneaten.'
'Then he stepped to the window. I
clutched the edge IF the table tightly