Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-18
more the police took possession of us, as

more the pollCe looh poSSeSSlOn us, as
it were.
OF course now everything was explained
| The burglars had evidently entered Joe's
room, and Bogie being in his arms, had
barked and Weakened him. A few blows had
| soon silenced poor Bogie, and a gag and
cords had done the same for joe
When the man saw me from the kitchen
window he must have known that help
would soon come and to prevent Joe giving
| information too soon they had hastily
seized him, bedcothes and ALL and put him
| into the cellar, to starve If he were not dis
covered.
| Perhaps they did not really mean to XIII
| the poor child, and if we had been in 4ac
habit of using that cellar we might have
found him in a few hours or less; but, I'M
fortunately, it was a place we never used
| 1t reached far under the street, aud was
too large for use. Our coal cellar was
a much smaller one, inside the scullery !;
the door of poor Joe's prison closed with a
common latch.
Had there been any doubt in the detec-
tive's mind as to Joe's guilt he might have
taken more trouble and searched for him
but ourselves had been sure Joe had
escaped with the burglars, so the celer re-
manned unsearched
Mrs. Wilson, wishing to spare me the
smell OF the apples, thought that cellar,
being outside of the house a very suitable
place for them. and opening the door
had caught sight of something in the dis
tant corner and sent Mary to see what it
had heard, and Mary had rushed out of the
cellar half mad with fright
In less time than 1t has taken me to re-
late this. Joe was laid on the rug before
the drawing room fire and I summoned
courage to look on the changed face
Could that be Joe-so white, so drawn
so still?"
DR.. Loring was kneelng by the little
form, chatting and Strengthening the Door
stiffened arms, bent with their cruel
pinioning behind the shoulders.
Doctor l said. why do you any
more? Nothing can bring back the poor
fellow, murdered while doing his duty -"
Then 1, too. knelt down and took the poor
cold hands in mine.
''Oh. my poor child!' cried. my little
brave heart; who dared say YOU were
false? Let those who doubted you look
at you now, with dry eyes, if they can"
"My dear" said DR.. Loring, suddenly
have you always hot water in your bath
room?"
you ask? Do you mean-is it possible
| there is life?' And 7 took Joe's little head
in my arms, and forgot,he was only ser
want, only poor, common little page boy
l only know l pressed him to my breast
and called him by all the endearing names
l used to call my own children in after
years, when God gave me some, and kissed
his white forehead in my joy at the blessed
ray of hope.
No want of willing arms to carry Joe up
stairs. Mrs. Wilson had the bath filed be-
fore the doctor was in the room with his
light burden.
"a few drops of brandy to mosten the
lips first of. ALL" said the good doctor
then the bath and gentle friction; there is
certainly life in him.
Now, my good sisters clever nursing
proved invaluable. All that night we
fought every inch of ground. as it were
with our grim enemy; the dear, good doc
| tor never relaxing his efforts to bring ba ok
life to the cramped limbs The burglars
had unknowingly helped to keep allght
Joe's feeble spark of life by wrapping the
blankets round him; they had meant. no
doubt. to stifle any sound he might make;
but by keeping him from actual contact
with the stone floor, and protecting him
from the cold, they had given him his little
chance of life.
Oh, how I blessed that kind thought of
DR.. Loring's. to bring me a barrel Of
apples Had there been no occasion to
open the cellar door, Joe would have died
before another morning had dawned, died.
starved! What a horrible death! And to
know that within a few steps We're food,
warmth and kind hearts-hearts even then
saddened by his absence and grieving for
him. What hours of agony he must have
passed in the cold and darkness hearing
the footsteps of passersby above his living
tomb, and feeling the pangS of hunger and
thirst. What weeks those days must have
seemed to him in their fearful darkness.
until insensibilfty mercifully came to his
aid and hushed his senses to oblivion.
Morning was far advanced when, at last,
Joe's eyelids began to fiutter, and his eyes
opened a very little, to close again i'm
! mediately; even the subdued light we had
let into the room being too much for him
to bear after so long a darkness; but in
that brief glance he had recognized me,
and seeing his lips move 1 bent my head
close to them.
Only faint murmuring came, but I dis
tinguished the words