The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-01-25

| suppressed IL shall be done
Harmsworth decided. with boyish I'm
petuotlsity, TO tell the whole story
| You understand that II you tell me
anything Il Is without prejudice 10 me-
that bind myself 10 nothing?' said Pey-
ton.
The Young fellow nodded. lie opened
| his mouth twice 10 speak. but seemed 20
make difficulty OF beginning. lie cleared
! his throat and molstened his dry lips with
the - ~ his tongue suddenly he plunST
| ed into the story.
! MY sister Alice and spent the fall OF
! "a with an uncle IN Arkansas, who owned
large cotton plantation in the White
river bottom The planters In that neigh
borhoOd were very well 20 do. Usually
they did not work their places themselves,
but leased In small tracts 10 ne negroes
on shares
About i've miles from my uncies place
was plantation owned by man VINO
rented convict labor from the state 10
run H. This plantation was restoring
healthy community. Its owner had no
object save 10 make money and lhe
guards were selected solely .on account
work out OF the convicts. The plan they
selected was 10 drive the prisoners TO eH-
ertion by the continual rear or puhlsh-
ment. God alone knows all the Drutal,
inhuman crimes that We're committed by
those i'm authority.
One day a dozen young people Of. the
Observation-Disclosures sons ana daukh.
ters mostly-set out 10 visit blum called
Bee Rock, where picnic parties often
went for a day. ca the way We passed
the corner OF the convict farm. squad
of convicts were sitting by the roadside
under the shade of some great walnuts,
eating their noon meal OF hoe cake and
fat pork. while the guards lounged
around With repeating rifles in their
hands Guards ana convicts alike sooked
20 be a bad lot. They nigh. might bay, haye
ing the community Among the con-
yiCts seated q little apart from the rest.
VAS q youth altogether superior 10 ms
companions. pair of restless eyes. set
deep I'm sardonic face. flashed out
look Of contemptuOus scorn both of him
self and OF his vile surroundings. II ever
a soul dwelt Ia hell It was his. He looked
from one TO another of us with defiant
eyes, then turned away with set face:
his fellows gazed at us with an uncon-
Germ that set the seal on their degrada-
ton.
''The rest of our party were more used
10 II, but neither my sister nor | could
get out OF our thoughts the memory OF
that wayside scene 1t was so altogether
incongruous and out of harmony with the
beauty OF the autumn day that it had
alAost spoilt the excursion for us. The
callous guards; the sodden.. faced
conyicts, linked together more surely by
their common degradation than by the
chains which sometimes bound them. and
the splendid youth with eyes of fire.
these rose before US incessently through
out the day.
"A dinner had been specially prepared
Tor us at my uncle's house, and was 10
be served upon our return, We had not
eaten since before noon and were hungry
as bears by sunset About mile from
the convict farm on our return journey
someone proposed that we race for home.
One OF those foolish impulses which
sometimes seize hold OF young people
possessed us. Immediately we set our
horses galloping for the race.
1T CHANGED that my sister rode n horse
named Jen Davis. with a wrench TO his
temper and an insuperable objection To
letting any horse pass him. Before we had
gone three hundred yards ne had taken
the bit between his teeth and bolted. My
sister was fair rider but she had never
pace. He was utterly beyond her control
There was a sharp bend in the road be-
fro In the saddle. | remember slowing
up as l reached the bend expecting TO
@ ilnd he her n ihrown w But we were IN time to
arrow for half a mile. Some two hundred
yards I'm front OF us was the convict
They crowded 70 the worm fences by the
animal. AS the horse reached them
the the roadside and dlyed for h the rein. Elm % The
horse dragged him. swaying to and fro.
for dozen yards tried 10 shake him or
trample him down; but falling in that
JEFF Davis way trembling like an
aspen leaf when Y rode up. The con
yict-you have already guessed u was
the young fellow J have mentioned
soothing the frightened animal patting
/, and talking gently in monotone.
that the strain Of action was past. and
reeled I'm the saddle. Forgetting for
moment what hes was. the convict lifted
did II with a grace that told me he had
once been gentleman.
Whether he was Jealous of what the
"A MI xti IN .
authority before the gentry OF the neigh
borhood. or whether ~ was merely
the most sensitive @ nature s ,' n his &C charge. q
do not know at any rate the chief
guard took the prisoner 70 task.
what do you mean by touching the
| snarlod.
"'rhe convict glared at him. putting an
| iron will against his impulse 10 strike.
| then turned on his heel 10 join the others
| There was something so full of contempt
and disdain In the gesture, az IL he were
more to be counted than the fangless
adder, that the guard was stirred to re.
taliation. lie dashed a riding whip across
| the face of the rctreattng convict. The
man turned, his eyes blazing, and struck
| out with both hands, one after the other
hriG e nfnS E himself IN ,b on .ee f9sr9 ,Is ami
1 dug into the fellows throat like steel
| until the face grew black and horrible.
| The other guards woke 10 life from their
surprise and tore the convict away. lie
| fought them like "A tiger They dragged
him TO the ground He shook them
from him and fought again, till a blow
| with the hstt Of a rife put auietus on
/ his activity.
When the convict recovered conscious
! ness Alice was kneeling beside him. his
| bleeding head resting on her lap. His
eyes opened To meet hers, tender, beam
| ing with divine, iueffable pity, looking
| down into mis- with something OF the
| Christ love I'm her face. From what he
| told me afterwRrd | know that the bitter.
wounded soul went out 10 her and chung
! desperately 10 that one sacred memory,
That moment began the saving of his
| soul.
''The guard. stood back sulleu while
| she bound his head with n handkerchief
! I think they would have inferfered. hut
| the young planters were In no mood to
| stand interference. They had seen n
| brave man beaten into insensihiity and
| they were ready 10 night for him al the
! drop OF the hat, were ready FOR pre-
text Hitherto there had scarce been
! time 90 interfere. nor indeed lac right
! but their southern blood was boiling all
| the more beralse tnaCuon had been
! forced upon thsfn. am sure they felt
/ nearer of kin 10 the convict than 20 his
! brutal guards Years lster these same
/ planters were among The leaders In the
! popular agitation that made such things
1 no longer possible.
1--WE rode home sadly. all the gaiety
| ofFlFAIft ,ffV