Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-12-13
IN CONNICT'S
DRESS
tCopyrisht. 1907. 10y G. Il Lewis ]

1t was a dark. rainy evening in No
vemhcr, and | sat in my room III East
Norwich reading Il book when sud
denly fancicd that there WAS i man
under the bed III til" :lcoVc. II WAS
only a fancy and one | could not ac-
count for, hut glanced III ttat dir"c-
ton. and next mnut" my heart W2s in
my mouth.
1t WAS Il massive. old Fashioned bed
stead. with Il valance or curtain falling
to the floor around the trout and tia"
foot. lust pc"ping out from under this
curtain was the toe of a sho" coarse,
heavy shoe with hobuAilN III the sole.
1t WAS not the shoe worn lay mechanics
OF day laborcrs. but | spotted it III an
instant as Il prison shoe.
hadu't the slightest doubt that there
was III escaped convict under the bed
It MAS sixteen miles 10 reutield, and
had heard nothing of an escape. hut
the man under the bed WAS no doubt
in prison uniform and from the insti-
tuition named
had pretty good nerve in those days.
and yet as | sat there trying 70 solve
the problem | found my mouth rs dry
as cotton and my Whole body trom-
bling. You will perhaps say that |
should have got up and walked out of
he room and downstairs To be hon.
est with you, NY knees were so weak
that | feared they would not serve n",
and also feared that the convict
would suspect my design and roll out
and attack me.
While | admit that | WIS HnHerNed,
| still had no thought of running away.
by and hy, as | confined 10 grope fer
Il solution. | grew cooler, aud present.
~ did the best thing under the cir
cunstAncrS Doing uy best to steady
my voice aud speaking as if to one be
side me, said
You might as we'll come ont from
under the hod. nly man | have known
of yot!r presence there for this half
hour, ;tnd YOU must be tired by this
| time.
The toe sliGdefiIv disappeared
81 tliuN You had better come out, :"
CONT You are here ON an el
rand. and the sooner YOU accomplish il
the sooner You can go. The men from
| Fenfjeld Will be on your heels before
daylight"
Thou the luan suddenly rolled into
View AND Sprail4 10 lis feet with Il
| mHttered curse He WAS in eonHiet's
uniform, but lie WAS not an evil look
ing MAN. ON the contrary. he looked
to be H0r,. Of Il sufferer than Il erin
inal There WIS nlore pride in his face
than might have been looked for and
he had my sympathy at once
"WelIE" | Gueried rs he stood star
Ing Ht me.
Il shall never so back to prison
never'" he exclaimed as he looked
around the room I'll die right here
I've been in Il living he'll for tea long
years, and the other he'll can't be
worse. | went to prison thinking to do
my best. but as held up my head they
said WAS too airy aud must be broken
down. | was punished again and again
| because would not become Il fawninG
| sycophant. a creeping. crawling thing
at the feet of Il brutal keeper. They
starved me, loaded me with chains,
| lashcd ne till they did not dare to add
| another blow. WAS told that tue gov
erlior rubbed his hands and laughed
! over it. and | sWore | would live to cs-
| cape and escape to drive Il knife into
his heart. fcver knowingly broke Il
rule of the prison. 1t was because |
would not lick the shoes Of the keepers
| that they wanted to break me.
| l asked the man to take Il chair, and
| gave him Il glass of Wine and IL cigar.
| He was nonpluSed at my action and
| didn't know whether to receive it as
| kindness or as Il scheme TO cntrap him.
| For Il long hour he told me OF his life
in the famous English prison. of the
| hcatinYS and StarViilgS. of the cruelty
and the curses heAped upon hiiH every
hour in the day to drive him To rebel
lion. and when he had finished there
was but one thing for IN" to do
| had IL hundred po,iadN in lay wallet.
I made an even div ide with him. | had
a rough and ready suit for fishing l
took this from my trunk and told the
| convict to exchange suits When Il
| pair of shoes had been added and he
/ y
! prisoner was gone With a pair of
scissors | clipped and trimmed his
| shaggy eyebrows, and a strip of plaster
was placed on his cheeks as if to hide
a scratch. | cannot say that he look ed
| like n gentleman when his disguise was
| complete. but no policeman in England
would have taken him for anything
else but mechanic of the better class.
| did not ask where he was going.
| what he intended to do or anythin.
| about his future. | felt that he would
| take care of all that When he was
ready to so we tiptoed downstairs and
| l let him out of the front There he
turned and took my hand and held it
| for long minute. He wanted to
| speak. to tell me of his gratitude but
I hn S,i,, Il,,ft