The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-11

zone of 10000, who have wanted to see
them" said the Official Man frowning-
ly and with most unofficial exaggeration
as he gazed briefly at the paper the
Visitor nerVously presented. TN see
what can be done" and he stalked out,
leaving the Visitor to examine her sur
roundings and to wonder what words Of
congratulation could be said to men
whose world for twenty-five years had
been that mysterious region behind the
bars at the end of the corridor and who
had now been promised freedom Con-
gratulationl What a mockery when
they must leave quarter of a century
of life behind them in that corridor.
The office of the Saltwater prison is
not a cherries place. There is a rather
enlivening shade of green paper on the
wall. There are comfortable chairs scat
tered here and there about the room.
Even the desks and their equipments are
as bright as it is possible for anything
official to be. Not a bad place to wait
even to greet men who for twenty-five
years have never seen a bit of blue sky
with nothing between. So thought the
Visitor as she settled herself rather con-
tentedly on the couch. over across the
room a woman sat-a woman with a
strained, anxious face, who every few
minutes brushed ner hand across a
man was bending over a paper while
his foot beat the carpet with a nervous
tattoo. the Visitor at the end of five
minutes knew that it was impossible
to sit contentedly in the office of a
prison. Gradually the cheerful wall
paper became blurred, faded. The desks
and their shining equipments grew in
distinct. One realized only that there
were bars on the windows and that the
cd out ha OF
wall, the figure that paced with mad
dening precision up and down, up and
down, was not at all interested in the
pleasant village scenery. Ten minutes
passed and the Visitor, never before
acutely conscious of any criminal ten
dencies, found herself furtively planning
the best means of circumventing that
inexorable, moving figure on the gray
wall and gaining freedom beyond The
woman with the twitching lips got up
and moved about restlesssly. The
Visitor wondered if she were waiting to
see prisoner or IL prisoners could be
seen. Nobody, apparently. came in to
find out what she wanted. The man
dropped his paper and strolled TO the
window He gaZed drearily out until a
gay little bird iuttered it's wings for a
moment against the bars; then he
turned abruptly away and began pac-
ing up and down like the figure outside
on the gray wall. And then
YOUNGER BROTHERS COME IN.
There was shufling outside the door.
"a little stir as if the air Itself had s d.
denly become eXpec;ant and two gray
clad hgures, unannouncal and unattend-
ed, entered the room. Or rather thsy
0rept into the room and stood, cons ,ious
and hesitating, near the door their heads
bent, their hands trembling nervously.
The gray of prison life was on the lined
faces. The strain Of years of esp 'olage
was evident in the restless hands that
clasped and unclasped themselves nerv-
ously. For a few minutes they stood
there, furtively watched by the peJp'e in
the room, themselves fuIt;vely watching
but never looking squarely at anyone or
anything. They stood there Ishmaels.
For If their hands were not raised
against every man and every mans hand
against them, at least that had been the
attitude that the world had taken TO-
ward them and that they had been forced
to take toward the world for a quarter
of a century. 1t was the Younger broth
ers, of course, that stood there The
Visitor knew tnat at a glance from the
pictures she had seen, but surely she
thought the Official Man would be in
presently to make them known. And
She waited trying to assure herself that
1T was foolish sentirnentality that a.
most forced her to cry out against the
wrecks Of what were once men, but were
now only the mangled remains of men.
And humbly, shrinkIngy, the two prison.
erS also waited as If they We're used to
such exhibitions. Then, suddenly, il
dawned upon the Visitor that there was
to be no sort of Introduction or presen-
tation That these two gray-clad figures
had been thrust into the room in che il
ence to a command and that that same
obedience prevented them from saying a
word or trying in any way to make
themselves known. 1t probably was nee
essary and official. but it was also bru al
and the Visitor slipped out to consult the
Official Man.
"Yes, they're the ones" he assured
her. "Go ahead and speak to them
BROTHERS WE'RE SHY.
In response to her greeting the slighter
of the two men, Jim Younger, as she
afterwards learned, said in a prison whis-
per: SITS against the rules to speak
without the warden's permission" The
warden had granted that permission,
both were assured, and then, very will
ingly, they took the hand that was ex
tended to them and listened to the con-
like numerous other congratulations that
all day had reached them through that
mysterious gion behind the bars in the
corridor.
Eyes we're glad" said Cole Younger,
the more talkative Of the two, ami
were grateful to the people who have
done this thing for US. But we can't
tell you anything more. We don't know
anything more, only that were paroled
and can go out in a short time. Just
when, we can't tell, nor what we're going
to do when we get outside"
An official telephoning in the next room
said rather sharply TO the person he was
communicating with, Don't talk so
loud" and both the gray-clad figures
started nervously and then laughed mirth-
less little laughs at their own alarm.
you see we've been in twenty-five
years now" said Jim and the gray pal
lor of his face seemed to grow a shade
deeper as he faced, for a moment, the
ghost of that quarter of century
A quarter Of century 1t was the
Visitors life, and she told both the men
So
You don't look it," said both the
brothers eagerly, and then, for the first
time, the prison mask dropped. The