Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-09-22

~ NE day before he went on du-
ty Faysie climbed her "a
thers leg and established
herself safely OH his broad
knee by twisting her own frail limbs
in and out Of 1t. Her little soft white
cheek rubbed the solid red of his. her
tiny finger circled his inexpensive eye,
and finally her small pink lips shyly
preferred tickling request in his large
ear, a request which might well have
made his hard brushed carroty hair
stand on end. He turned round to look
at her. "You don't mean it!'
The pale rosebud nodded an emphatic
multiplication Of mods. Parr turned to
his wife. What do you say. mother"
"Oh, give her her way. 1t won't do
her any harm. Perhaps we shan't be
able to always"
Parr coughed away sigh and. hav-
Ing set the little maid down. presented
himself in the due course Of his duty
in Murphy's cell. He assumed even
sterner pose than usual. but there was
ripple Of light breaking through 1t.
an odd mixture of the aspect of dis
approving envoy from rashly gener-
Gus sovereign. with new pleasure in
giving pleasure instead of pain and the
conventional prison sense of humor at
the eccentric contrast Of black and
white.
Murphy. who was always thinking
about the father and child, easily read
excitement in PARIS extra stolidity,
coupled with jcrky movements and q
blank gaze ut a point in the wall ex-
actly above his own cropped skull. His
heart thumped his ribs. but he looked
patient and good because he knew by
instinct that any effort on his part to
elicit condolences prematurely would
make the other perversely silent.
Parr struddled q moment in the CEN
ter of the cell. played with the chain of
the official baton at his side, with
which Murphy had more than once
been privily raped. uttered n conven-
tional rcbuke OH the disorder of pile
of sacks. then suddenly blurted out
with hoarse chuckle:
"She sends you her luv."
He laughed boisterously to cover Ills
embarrassment. The laugh for n mo-
ment misled Murphy. All the jests that
had come his way from Parr had hith-
erto been cruel. even when not so III
tended. He scowlcd accordingly.
"She didn't he said in tone of piin
and outrage.
Parr. for IL wonder. caught the sound
of the disclaimer and was Modified by
the humility II evinced.
81 don't tell no lies" he observed. and
Murphy lost sight of invidious compar-
ison in relief ut the denial. A trace of
his lost brogue reappeared us. staring
with eager eyes ut Parr. he said under
his breath:
"Did she now?'
Parr nodded. "Yes. Give the pity
man'-she always calls you that"-with
a sarcastic chuckle-" my love, dadda.'
she says"
Murphy was in reverie. with his big
head on his clinched fists. His hands
were most at home In this attitude. In
which indeed he mentally confronted
the universe. He began to repeat the
message to himself In several keys and
fashions.
"She sent her luv"-he tried the curt
official pronunciation. then widened 1t
- ''loove her love-" at
length contentedly. Ito me! She did"
Parr assented patronizingly. swelling
his chest with an agreeable sense of
favors and of having more
still in store which Murphy's mind was
far from grasping. Becoming impa-
tient Of the latter's prolonged reverie.
he hemmed loudly. Murphy. perceiving
a claim on his attention, drew a long
breath and looked up, and. 10! there
was a request on PARIS lips. He was
visibly. actually. asking e 45 for some
thing. He even stammered. feeling a
cession of dignity. though he watched
Murphy with assumed indifference, Us
il the matter were a trlfle, because II
the latter, remembering past things,
had refused the position would have
been unbearably humiliating.
"You was sayin' sometime" he haz
arded. Thus he tactfully helped his Of
ficer out.
"Well, you might send her IA bit o
nonsense In return. Children's fools,
you know"
Murphy gaped hideously. He was not
beautiful in moments of emotion. He
thought and thought. Much eloquence,
initiative and original, passed through
his mind, but lie knew his man and, be
sides, had a sincere sense Of the guilt
between himself and the sender Of the
message. So he said very humbly. with
his eyes on the ground:
"Please to give her my respex."
"You might say-love'-I think"
Parr suggested condescendingly. Il
shouldn't mind If you did. Children
don't understand respects"
"My respex-and love-" Murphy
amended, and Parr quite beamed. but
he could not understand Murphy's
jumping up next moment as If he were
going to assault him-he was really as
saulting worse enemies-Or his irrele-
want shout in a broken voice:
"See If l don't do my work now, off,
cerr'
Things did not end here. Shocking to
relate, .Parr became the go between In
this prison love affair. He was some
times artiticlally severe to make up for
the lapse, but Murphy understood and
endured; also, to PARIS amazement,
G As, instead of taking advantage,
became manageable. so that even the
governor himself. seeing results as Parr
saw them. might have winked at SUM-
dry awful breaches Of the rules.
.I've brought you something" said
Parr mysterlously one day. (which
ou:htn't to. Nc breakin' the rules! But,
-