Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-12-03

| ne Sulu. lie went over TO the 1oremanS
| desk. "Bill, did the warden come up
here? Tommy is looking for him; his
mother sent him OUT
The foreman raised his eyes from
his books. YES" he replied, 'he went
i'll there, with couple of gentlemen"
The guard looked at the little boy.
Hes in the stock-room," he said.
You'll find him in there, Tommy"
Then he turned and walked out of
the shop. The child ran on into the
room beyond His father was not
there. The stock-keeper did not OBJ
serve the little boy as he tiptoed, in a
/ childish way past the desk. Tommy
passed on into the farther room. He
knew he would find his father in there,
and he would crawl along between the
tiers of straw bales and take him by
surprise.
He had hardly passed the door when
the stock-keeper, raised his head from
the lists of material he was preparing,
held his face up and shifted the air.
Quietly he rose from his revolving
chair and went to the door of the
straw-room. He merely peered inside
Turning suddenly, he pressed upon the
lever near the door and the iron screen
slid down into place, cutting off the
farther room. Then snatching a few
books that lag GA his desk, he slipped
out into the shop, and at that door re-
leased the second screen. AS It fell in
to place with a slight crunching noise,
the foreman turned in his chair. The
| eyes of the two men met. The stock
keeper raised his hand and touched
his lips and with the first finger. He
crossed rapidly to the desk.
Get the men out! Get the men out"
he gasped. THE store-room in there is
on firer'
The foreman raped on the table
twice. Every man working in that
room turned and faced the desk.
'Worl is over for today" said the
foreman. His manner was ominousIy
calm and the men looked at one another
wonderingly.
Fall in"
AT the order, the dingy gray suits
formed the same old serpent, and the
line moved rapidly through the door
at the end of the room and down the
outside stairs.
There, in front of the building, they
were halted, and a guard was de-
spatched to find the warden. He was
discovered in the foundry. Fire
in the broom-shopw whispered the
guard.
The wardens face paled. He dashed
through the doorway ,and one minute
later came round the corner of the
building, just in time to see the first
signs of flame against the windows of
the rear room upstairs.
Within five seconds, a troop of 10
guards had drawn the little hand-en-
gine from its house and hitched the
hose to the hydrant nearest the shop.
From all the other buildings the men
were being marched to their cells.
These menw hurriedly whispered
the foreman to the warden. What
shall | do with them"
Get 'em inside as soon as you can!
This won't last long, the front of the
building is cut off. It'll all be over in
ten minutes"
The foreman gave an order. At that
instant a woman came running down
the prison yard. Reaching the ward
ems side, she fell against him heavily
"Why, Harriet" he exclaimed, "what
is the matterY'
"Oh," she gasped, Tommy! Tommy!
Where is Tommy?'
y guard at the end of the engine-rail
turned ashy white He raised hand
to his head, and with the other grasped
the wheel to keep from falling. Then
he cried, ''AIr. Jeffries, II believe
He went to look"
The warden clutched the mans arm.
up there? Up there? he cried.
The sudden approach of the woman
and the words that followed had
wrought so much confusion, that the
men paid no attention to the foremans
command, and he had even failed to
observe their lack of attention, in the
excitement of that moment.
Great Godw cried the warden.
"What can / do-what can l do? No
one can live up there"'
There was n crash. One Of the win
dows fell out. Get a ladder" some
one cried. A guard ran back toward
the prison-house Then, in the midst
of the hubbub, man in a dingy gray
suit stepped out yard from the line
of convicts. His prison number was
2034 He touched his little square cap.
"If you'll give me permission, 1 think
l can get up there was all he said.
You! you!" exclaimed the warden.
"No, no, will tell no man to do it!''
There was second crash. Another
window had fallen out, and now the
tongues of flame We're tapping the
outer walls above.