Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-05-09

Ronald told him that 1T would mako
little difference to him whether he
spent the time in Jail or out.
"You feel that away now," comment
ed the sheriff, 'but you will feel diff
ferent when you git in thar, at least
that's my experience with prisoners.
A Jail house is like woman's bonnet;
it has better look from the outside
than the inside"
Just before driving into the public
square Ratcliff struck q match and ap-
Piled the flame to his cigar, then he
drew himself up more erectly and
drove on to the Office of Judge Richard
son, the magistrate. A man coming
cut told Ratcliff that the judge had
gone out to his farm to spend Sunday.
"You see," said Ratcliff, as he pulled,
and seemed to view himself from the
standpoint of q group of citizens who
had gathered on the sidewalk and
whose eyes were asking what had hap
pened. One of the crowd stepped out
to the buggy and asked If Ronald was
under arrest, but he received only q
non-committal grin and shrug as
Ratcliff turned his horse towards the
Jail, modern red brick structure ad-
joining the courthouse in the center
of the town. When they arrived the
jailer, short, thickset man, with q
bald spot on his head, was playing
checkers in the yard with the ordinary
of the county. The jailer answered to
bio mama raluofop{1 ,.,;{bou% loo1,iz-
up from the board.
you'd better git up from thar"
called out Ratcliff, jocularly. "The
taxpayers say they are tired O. payin'
you fellers wages to draw flies like
sleepin' niggers in the courthouse
square"
The jailer crowned king and got
up from the grass with a lingering
backward glance Mt the hand of his
opponent. whats wanted?" he
asked as he drew near the buggy.
"Mr. Henderson, you remember Mr..
Fanshaw, of Honeycut Destrict," re-
minded Ratclif. "He's the Teller that
helped me out last summer with that
lynchin' crowd over our way. Well,
he's settled sgd Harris hash to-day
an will have to register at yore she
bang till Monday, reckon. want you
to make i'm comfortable, Jeff; he's q
friend O. mine"
"I'll do the best cam" promised the
jailer; shut you know all the cells art
alike"
They followed him into the Jail and
up the stone steps to a heavy iron doc,
at the head Of the stairs. The room
was too large to be called q cell. L
was Light, having four windows, which
were heavily barred. and bed thai
was faultlessly clean. AS Ratclih ant
the jailer were leaving. the sheriff asked
Ronald If he could do anything fol
him.
| Ronald told him he could think O.
nothing; indeed, he could think Of moth
ing at the moment but sgd Harris eye
| Sgd Harris blood.
| you'll have to have a lawyer" sug
gested Ratcliff.
"Then send Mr.. Redding to me-" sale
the prisoner.
When they had left him, Ronald
threw himself on the bed and stared
up at the ceiling. Harris corpse hat
q way of coming before him with new
force each time that it made its ap
pearance. 1t approached him now i,
solitude oftener and with more tena
cious reality than ever. The Afternoon
died slowly. 1t began to grow colder
as the sun went down, and the ngh'
against the western sky turned from
yellow to gray. Once he fancied hi
saw the body on the floor by his bed
in the shadow, just as it was lying whel
he had last beheld it. Almost with ,
prayer for protection he turned hi
face away and stifed a scream, ant
yet the feeling of actual guilt had NO
come to him. He tried to draw Evelyl
into his thoughts, but there was coli
comfort In the memory that he ha'
blighted her life as well as his own
Could he have done 80 then. he woul'
have killed her affection for him tina
she might have the peace of soul tina
, was denied him. He heard steps on tn
stairs and key ratified in the loo
of a little iron door in the vail, an
through it came woman's voice:
Here's yore supper, Mr.. Fanshaw.
1t was the jailer's wife, and he aros
and took the plate of food and Gu
Of hot coffee from her hands.
"Mr. Ratclif stopped at the door jus
now" she said, in cold, methodica
tone, "an' he said tell you Mr.. Reddir
was out in the country, but he'd LEI
word at his house fur i'm to come AZ
see you rs soon as he got back"
When she had gone, Ronald put tn
plate on the bed (there was no tsbl
in the room) and washed his hands an
face in the tin basin, but somehow th
cold water added to the general chi