Evening star., 1901-02-02
The Quarries.


Eighty degrees In the shade-and there
was no shade!
"Old'' Remnant perceived by stealthy
movement of his head that the warder's
back was turned. ard setting down his
barrow he pulled eff his cap and wiped his
steaming head and face. The younger
man went sI suinsin. his pick as steadily
as ever.
The outdssr gangs had been at work
nearly four hours under that shifting
zenith and ths Erayvhite guarries were
as beds OF FIRE. Civil Guard Tuck went to
and fro on his sentry beat against the wall,
the sun cleaning from the barrel or his
rifle Except fer the rifle On Mr. Tuck S
shoulder that boundary wall would have
seemed small enough; Old Remnant was
certain he could take it at vault. But
Mr Tuck had once severed with a bullet
the spine of a man VINO curious to
know Just what height the wall was. L
suppose the man a.sJ wanted to know what
was on the other side of the wall, for IN
seventeen years he had not passed be-
yond it,
1t was nearly II o'clock, and those hor-
rible auarr.es under that vault of fire
would grow yet more promethean hot.
"OId" Remnant went forward with his
barrow: a brawny convict of five or six
and-forty as fine as steel, the skin of his
face. neck. arms and hands burned almost
walnut. He had long irregular face, win
blue eyes. straight nose, and beautiful
square mouth stocked with the whitest
teeth. " hat haIr the convict barber had
left him was just passing from deep brown
to gray. His arms were tattooed pro1u5e-
ly, and he especially proud OF the
deaths head GA his r.Ent forearm. Ills
knickerbocker suit of drab and the yellow
facings of secOnd-ciass prisoner, for
old Remnant could never stay long IN
the first class and the figures on his sleeve
badge told that he must wear that suit Tor
ten dreadful years.
He cast look beyond the wall, the
look Of a man who uou. d do very lndiS-
Greet things il chance would but give him
the very tinieSt opening. For just beyonu
that paltry barrier lay the fair world OF
freedom. cribs to crack, race courses Where
YOU could bet the odds, flash houses 10
drink and gamble Ia all night music hall
women friends, and quiet pubics south OF
the Thames where you could ENJOY pit
of cock-fghting undisturbed.
But above everything else. 1t was the
thirst that plagued him. and "Oid Rem
nant's eyes were hxed upon the Green SIst
board at the door of the Plum and Feath-
ers right in the middle Of the village
street. which was just visible from 'ne
purgatorial quarries. Free men Were IN
there ont Of the accurSed sun, drinking
what they pleased. "Old" Remnant al
most fanced he could hear the ale now
frothing into the pewter pots. rive years
since he had raised a pewter pot u ms
lips,
The young man continued steadily 10
swing his pick. ~
"Matey!' whispered Old Remnan'; ,ei1 aan ;.,,co
"We!I?' And you cOuld-tel by the voice
that the younger one was a gentleman
lag a ''tofr." His sleeve carried the fig
ure >.
"Oh. pretty well!'
"Cgh! | o'd drink the bloomin' silver
Thames
Now. then, old un," cried the warder,
.',-n1t'u catch n cold if you take IL so easy
there
Right. sir,'' chuckled "Old" Remnant.
who could swallow hint proffered jest
The officer in charge of the quarrles put
his whistle to his lips and blew the Cease
work"
of "Old' Remnants party.
The sun smote him sorely through his
stih cap and serge tunc. and the sword
at his belt seemed to scOrch his leg, but
not a muscle of him was relaxed.
Drawing on their slop Jackets the men
of each party formed in double file; party
advanced to Join the party; the military
guard. swelterlng in their scarlet tunics,
came behind. and the civil guard. with
their guns to shoot down lags, brought
up the rear. Then the long drab column
began Imply to march through the burn
Ing qUarries
Beside old Remnant walked Fairfax.
the one with the ) on his sleeve. He stood
two inches above his comrade. and was
reckoned the best looking of H. NJ con-
victs in Longstaff odd Remnant, who
was fastidi0us In his choice of pal, had
frozen to Fairfax. who had sacrificed his
liberty for five years in an hour of po-
litical sleep walking In Ireland. He was
the only political on the roll OF Long
staff though there were two OF three score
of gentlemen lags.' with very ungentle-
manly records at their backs In all that
drab colored column. moving slackly
through the fervid dust of the quarries.
Fairfax was. perhaps. the only one who
had never stained his nmost self through
the eight and twenty years of his Quixotic
life.
From the broiling gray-white quarries to
the blistering gray yards Of the prison,
and up the asphalt slope to the parade
ground. Search parade, caps off, slops un-
buttoned. arms outstretched. as If novels
excepted) you could fetch in hook or a
file II a saw from the quarries OF Long
STAFF
The deputy governor in from his canter
by the river, famed himself with his straw
and clicked a spur against buttress of
the clock tower. He nodded to the chief
warder the parties checked off
and said Hurry up at intervals
'Ah, You're wantin' that whisky an
soda. amt yOu?" muttered Old" Remnant
"A!n't goin' to put me alongside of one L
Remnant" whispered Fairfax. whats
wrong with ycu this morning? Don't get
In trouble"
He had known his gang companion only
as the wariest and most prudent of prison.
erS. The wardens. having a longer ac-
quaintance with him. knew the ''old un''
very tough member when his foot
itched for liberty
I'm al right, matey," he said when the
search warden had passed down the line
"A bit of trouble would do five stretch COM
Portable. but | gets the hump after that
Matey. I've q notion I'm going to sling
my hook
Don't be a fool" said Fairfax. sotto
voce. "No one has ever got away alive
from LongstaY"
All That's where the ambition comes
in, matey. oh. he's ambitious is the old
'unr'
Three times had "Old Remnant broken
prison. but never from Longstaf. From
Lougstafr, as Fairfax said. no one had ever
got away alive
"Freedom- Hunger"
The next day was Sunday. and Sunday
brought with IL always one blessed re,axa-