Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-01-04

was denied him. he heard steps On the
stairs and a key ratified in the lock
of a little iron door in the wall, and
through it came a woman's voice:
Here's yore supper, Mr.. Fanshaw."
It was the jailer's wife, and he arose
and took the plate of food and cup
of hot coffee from her hands.
ssMr. Ratcliff stopped at the door just
row," she said, in cold, methodical
tone, SAN he said tell you Mr.. Reddin'
was out in the country, but he'd left
word at his house fur i'm to come an
see you as soon as he got back"
When she had gone, Ronald put the
plate on the bed (there was no table
in the room) and washed his hands and
face in the tin basin, but somehow the
cold water added to the general chill
that was on him and he quickly dried
himself on a towel. The sight of the
food gave him a touch of nausea; he
started to drink the coffee, but remem-
bered that coffee at night made him
restless, and he wanted to sleep. He
went to the window which commanded
the widest view of the buildings round
the prison. A negro on a bony horse
was lighting the gas along the avenue.
which stretched out till, on distant
hillside, it lost itself in the clouds. Two
churches were within sight, and they
were being lighted. The choirs were
going to meet to practice for the serv-
ice on the morrow. The nearest bell
was rung. The night fell Ike threat
of coming terror.
He had another vision of the dead
man. This time sgd lay covered with
- hnn ~, 60 1f
his own home. Round the walls of
the room sat the neighbors discuss
ing his many manly virtues and his
untimely end. He saw a white-haired
mother, and old man Hart, from whom
Sgd had inherited his intrepid, turbu-
lent spirit.
"Some men," shuddered our hero,
'could justify themselves in such
case as this, but shall never be able
to forget. My ideal man-the Master
of the World-would have found way
to avoid what did. If only had Of
fered no resistance. Sgd Hart would
have been alive, and land Evelyn
There his agony overwhelmed him
and he threw himself on his bed again
and pressed his hands over his eyes.
The strains of an organ swelled up
from the nearer church and stole into
his room; voices began to sing. The
singers broke down and merry laugh
ter-the laughter of free, hopeful peo-
ple-rolled after the fleeing strains of
music.
Suddenly there was a sound of a key
being pushed into the lock and the big
door swung open. The voice of the
jailer cried:
''Wake up thar, Mr.. Fanshaw. I've
fetched yore brother up to see you'll"
Dave came in with a candle which
the jailer had given him, and he stood
with it in his hand, awkwardly shift
ing his big feet in their new shoes, till
the jailer had locked the door and
had gone.
81 come on, Rom" he said, "as soon
as 1 could after got home, and Miss
Hasbrooke had drove up the second
time to tell me what you'd said. She
lowed she had took you to the sher-
ifs house. She was a-cryin' as if 'er
heart nd break-she could hardly talk.
She begged me to come on an offered
me money to buy anything that might
be needed
81 hope you didn't take it, Dave"
burst from the prisoners lips.
"No, ] didn't take it; somehow 1
didn't think you would want help from
a woman-you are not that Sort
What do people think about it,
Dave?' Ronald took the candle from
the poor fellows quivering hand and
placed it on a little shelf on the wall.
''Sympathy's always with the dead,
at first" answered Dave. 81 never
have heerd as many good things said
about George Washington as I have
about sgd Hart in the last three
hours"
Ronald sighed despondently.
Il presume that they blame me2"
Some few lowed that you ort not
a-bucked agin i'm that night at the
swamp"
But the boy was innocent" said
our hero.
That's fact, Ron; but mountain
folks don't reason that way; they only
remember how mad you made i'm
when you turned his cake to dough.
They don't admit that you was right,
kase they don't want to know how
nigh they come to murder that night.
The niger that did the deed has long
ago met his God, but some of 'em
try to believe he was innocent. Let
body have even a spindlin' excuse,
and he'll clear his own skirts. Do you
reckon they will let you out on bail?''
Mr.. Ratcliff is going to help me
try for it" replied the prisoner. I'VE
shall not know what can be done till
after the trial Monday
Dave moved towards the door, as if
he were ready to go, but he fingered
Il reckon he said, as his eyes
roved about the bare room, ''that you
feel n little lonesome heer." Recefv-