Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-08-11

| ihSy htIC away tOhh tIsS
bare street in the noon suns glare.
The mother shielded the tiny old face
with one of her rough red hands. Her
| eyes dwelt on it.
"To think his father amt ever seen
him!-to think it'll be the first time
there" she sobbed softly, quieted some
what from her frenzy. Him lookin'
up sudden-think o that, Moll-and
seein' the face of his son for the first
| time! It's queer to think of, amt it?
! Oh, yes, it's queer! How could any
thing come round like that, when we
were so happy little while ago, me
and Larry? That amt the way things
| happen-it amt right!'
She was sorely in need of her breath,
and painted between the words. Yet
she talked ON drearily.
| The man on ahead of them, in the
crowded court room, waiting with de-
! fiant young face for his sentence, was
charged with grave crime. In a mo-
ment of anger, he had felled comrade
with a single blow of his big fist. The
| injured man had rallied at first, and
| AAiCh III u SluDOl anu
died. The doctors talked learnedly of
complicating conditions, but the out
| look was dark for the prisoner. His
stolid bearing was against him.
| "He had provocation-can't they see
what provocation Larry had! When
| there's provocation, it always counts,
doesn't it, Moll? You've heard SO time
| nd oFt 4Do
The provocation Larry had had ought
to help cut, l tell you! OF course it
WILL hope you don't think I'm afraid,
Moll Tinker! I'm only goin' there SOS
to smile when Larry looks up. We
must huITy-hulTy! We're goin' so
| SLOW"
Gasping and white she got to the
court room door and held out her arms
for the sick child.
"Noww she whispered, in sudden,
pale calm. I'm goin' in now. You
tell somebody that I've got to have
seat up near Larry. I've got to-I
can't help it if the baby cries. We've
got to so up there, amt we, fathers
little son? Oh, you'll hush up for
father, won't you, darlin'? Come, I'm
| ready, Moll.'
They went in. Some one made
way through the crowd and piloted
| the two up to the front. Some one
| made chance for them near the pris-
oner at the bar. The lawyer for the
defense was just winding up his ver-
| bose plea. There was already a rest
less expectancy on the weary faces of
the crowd. 1t had been q tedious, hot
! morning
The haggard little woman's eyes
swept the sea Of faces rapidly and then
whitened. She had not found what
she sought. She had not found sympa-
thy. Public opinion was against the
man whose life or death seemed
trembling in the balance. 1t was not
so much to be wondered at, for all
through the monotonous days of the
trial he had sat there, defiant and
scornful. The first shade of softness
was yet to be seen on Lawrence
Knapp's face.
ITS his Way-it's his way" whis-
pered the little woman to the girl, her
friend. "If they only knew it was
Larry's way! It's outside-if they could
only see him inside! 1 can-why can't
they? That's the way he looked when
his mother died-hard, just like that.
Just exactly, and don't 1 know how
Larry loved his mother:"
The Judge got heavily to his feet.
His voice was grave and stern. The
twelve faces of the jury, impenetrable
and dread as fate itself, settled to fresh
!, attention. Then the baby cried. A
|, wailing, piteous cry at first, until it
took on notes of pain, when it shrlled
and sharpened.
flush up-oh, hush upr' breathed
, Larry's wife in agony flush up for
father, darlin'l You don't want them
to put us out-pityin' heart, this is the
/ time I've got 70 be here! There, there,
| darlin'-don'tw
The judge was yisibly annoyed. A
; frown gathered between his shaggy
brows. But there came a short respite
J from the baby cry, and the deep voice
: of the judge filed it resonantly, as he
began his charge. The mothers face
relaxed with infinite relief, and she
; turned her attention instantly to the
} prisoner. But she could not meet his
eye. Again and again she was ready
with her brave smile, but in vain. The
: naughty young head Of the prisoner
t lowered not an inch, and the defiant
e eyes stared on steadily into the sea OF
? faces. 1t was his way-his way. Oh,
t If they could only know!
t The baby cried aGain-this time q
burst of anguish, that settled into a
n steady, piteous moan. The mother
Y rocked and hushed vainly. It kept
/! on. And the judge was getting i'm.
= patient; rustic of nervousness swayed
E the audience, the lawyers, the jury.
h Suddenly something happened. The
t prisoner moved in his seat-when had