Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-04-06

the fast fading light, and waiting a
coming hour, and as he stood there,
gulping the clear evening air into his
cramped lungs his emotions grew SO
strong in him that to keep himself from
crying out from sheer excitement he
grasped the bars of the grating with
such force that the knuckle bones of
his hands seemed on the point Of
breaking through his skin.
The man was Convict IS. He was
described in the prison register as
samuel Henscott, fifty-three years,
transferred from Pentonville, under
sentence of eight years b. S. (three
years eXpired) for stealing money in
trusted to him as cashier of Statenford
Bank.
The cell in which Convict 73 was con-
fined was the worst, from an official
point of view, in the prison. No other
cell in the place afforded such facilities
for escape, and for this reason the com
partment was seldom used. But it
happened that at this time the accom-
modatons of the prison were taxed to
the utmost, and, it being necessary
that the cell should be occupied by
some prisoner, 73 was turned into it.
Resigned" was how the chaplain
had described 73 after their first inter-
view, ard it really appeared to the
other officers that Samuel Henscott
was satisfied with the justice Of his
penalty.
He was not resigned; never was man
less so, but he had played the part,
waiting for what he was waiting as he
stood painting with excitement at the
cross-bar grating, longing for revenge
on the man he knew had committed
the crime for which Samuel Henscott
had become Convict rs.
The work before him was not ted
ious, for he was prepared for this hour,
occupying his secret moments in loos'
ening the cement which formed the
lower stone of the easement in which
the ends of two bars of the grating
were imbedded. This stone removed,
the grating lost its fixity and the two
perpendicular bars were soon forced
out of the upper sockets, which left the
two horizontal bars sufficiently wide
apart for Henscott to squeeze himself,
feet foremost, between them.
He dropped a couple of feet to the
wide gutter, just succeeding in main
tanning his balance, and crept along
round the corner to the buttress he had
noticed from the exercise yard.
He passed over the outer wall, en-
countering no one, and along road
for about 200 yards, when he turned
and went he hardly knew where.
When he found himself in large,
well-kept garden, and before him he
saw the dim outline of a house and
some trees behind it, looking like a gi-
gantic skull with one bright yellow eye
"a yellow window blind through
which a strong light flooded onto the
dewy lawn beneath his feet. That was
the window, he thought, behind that
blind-in that strong light sat the man
be had broken Jail to meet.
1t was long French window, and it
stood ajar, and the soft night breeze
stirred the blind slightly.
Henscott cautiously crept to the win
dow, crouched down and pushed the
blind n little aside so that he could
see into the room between the blind
Ind the framework of the window He
saw man sitting at table reading,
and he started to his feet.
"Riverley," he whispered, painting.
Noiselessly he pulled open the win
dow, and for moment he stood with
his foot on the threshold, striving to
control his intense excitement. Then
he dashed the blind aside and bounded
into the room.
II have come, Riverley," said 73, in
low voice, trembling with suppressed
passion; 81 have come to reckon with
you, as I see by your face you under
stand"
"Where have you come fromT Riv-
erley said family. But you need not
answer, for 1 can guess. You have
escaped from prison, you're being
hunted and want me to assist you.
cannot, l dare not"
You know better than that Jack
Riverley. You know that if l were
notwithstanding, and you stood by
me with the most tempting foods,
would not beg crumb from you Nc
no! 1 have escaped. and l am prob
ably pursued; but it is not assistance
I'm seeking here, but reNenge-ant
you know it, you know it. You canno
play the innocent as you played the
friend, Riverley. But if you wish t.
hear the story of your perfdy anC
crime from me-from me, you shall
You played my friend-you won you
way by the charm of your manners
into my full esteem and confidence
you did it with an object. You playeC
my friend until you had the chance 70
which you had been waiting. Yo'
knew when there would be two thou
sand pounds in the bank safe, ant
that l always carried the keys abou
me. You drew me, trading on m.
love for billiards, to accept the chal
lenge of Mr.. Makeshall to play hin
on the night when Won were certain