The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-05-25
door, to which he put his back.

|
I'll bless you. No. Stay. look at
me WELL You see who l ana convict,
but there's good in me vet. Give me q
drop of milk, for the love of heaven! |!
III not hurt, you miss. Only give me
drop to stop this burning thirst, and
don't call aloud"
The woman's expression of horror
and alarm gradually faded from her
face as she listened and understood
by the mans appearance his desperate
position: and there was something like
compassion in her voice when she spoke.
Are you John Atkins, who escaped
on tuesday," she asked.
AYE, then you've heard!" he
groaned.
They were round the farm yesterda Y
hunting for you," she said. There's IA
reward for you"
"Oh, miss!" cried the man, take pity
! o,. me. Don't give me away. I'll go. III
! 60, you won't give me away. You've not
the face of stone heart, nor the voice
Of one neither. Don't send me bao k
| y
I'm felon, but not villain. My crime
was manslaughter. l don't deny my
guilt. But he lied to me about my
mother; he struck me, and struck him
| back. I've suffered three years now.
For Heavens sake don't send me back
to two years more!'
He threw himself on his knees before
her, and the sweat of agony gathered
thick upon his brow.
Il WON'T" she said, gently, looking
down upon him. But you're not safe
here in those things. l viii give you
something to eat and drink; then you
must GO
He let her go, and while she was
away went round the shed, seeking
something. At last he CHANGED upon
the handle of a broken spade, which he
gripped firmly in both hands, as if to
measure the force he could put into a
blow dealt with it.
The door swung open and tire youn9 g
woman entered followed by a stalwart
man of 80, whose handsome, honest
face betrayed his relationship.
! Cat" Missed the convict at the
woman entered, followed by a stalwart
his head ready to smite down the man
should he approach him.
No names, young fellow, If you
please" said the man, angrily, 'and
drop that tool. No ones betrayed you
yet. Give him the food, Mary; he looks
tit to die"
a spasm of intense emotion passed
over the convict's rugged face as he
seized the bread and can of milk the
girl held out to him. He gulped down
the milk, and took hl.lgry bite at the
bread, turning to the man as he did SO.
Farmer, for goodness sake don't give
me away" he cried. II am a farmer by
calling myself. Take pity upon mis-
| cradle fellow, and I'll bless you all my
life, and her-and her."
Never fear that, man." said the
/ farmer. But that's not all. Suppose
it gets known that we've harbored you;
suppose they prosecute me? Eh?
You're farmer? Then your eye must
have told you there's not much money
| going on this farm, and-well, your wits
| will tell you all ! mean. If you go from
| here you'll be arrested by others; your
clothes give you away. So it wouldn't
be fair to let you go like this. Then if
l lend you some clothes l shall have
helped you to escape-as bad an offense
as if i had kept you working on the
farm FOR me, where perhaps you would
stand better chance of escaping recog-
milton than if you went elsewhere, for
were lonely here, and the place has al
| ready been searched"
LET me stop, then. For PHYS sake,
| give me a chance" implored the convict.
"Yes, farmer, I will. My names
Jolly. D'you know the name of Jolly?
No! Forgotten it, probably. Well, I'm
from your part of Hampshire, John At
kins. and l knew some Atkins, and |
know the ins and outs of that affair of
yours. I'll go the whole hog. farmer!
| Slip you indoors and we'll wash you
| into new farmland"
The new hand at Jollys farm was q
UlStncU success. lie worked with q
will. and knew his work even better
than did Farmer Jolly himself.
Two weeks had elapsed since John
| Atkins, otherwise James Arnold which
| latter name he had adopted, had been
taken on at the farm, and his knowl-
| edge had made him very useful to Mr..
Jolly, while his handsome face and gen.
eral demeanor had induced Mary jolly
| to regard him with something deeper
than mere pity, deep as pity may be.
But it must be admitted that James
| Arnold did not trust Jolly. When the
warders again walked into the farm one
| morning, Arnold had thrown look full
of scorn at the farmer, for he believed
| he had been betrayed. And although
this belief had been dispelled by his es-
Gaping detection by the warders, some
how or other his faith in Jolly's homes
| ty would not reestablish itself. One
reason for this was the knowledge he
had gathered from this word and that
| look, that the farmer was financially
/ gu1 ba seed which in copcponepaa of