Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-24

RI
Are yott hstentng3"
me, never to take his eyes from
me for an instant until the warden Of
the prison delivered me into the hands
of the sheriff on the morrow for my
execution.
Bishop vas due at 7 o'clock to In
spect u bolts and bars. He had al
ways arrived punctually. l watched
his door. Presently it occurred to me
that l had not seen Bishop since 6
o'clock, when he had gone into his
room cursing the ale which his daugh-
ter had fetched him.
Suddenly, as I stood at my grating,
l saw Dulcima Bishop step from the
warden's door, close 1t behind her and
noiselessly lock it on the outside. The
tight of the lanthorn fell full on her
face. 1t was CHASTITY. The girl stood
a moment swaying, n hand IN the
door. Then she made a signal toward
Mounts cell, and the next instant 1
saw Jack Mount bound noiselessly
into the corridor. He caught sight of
me, held up a Redeemed, dripping knife.
pointed to my cell door and displayed
a key.
Instantly I turned around and saun-
tered away from the grating toward
my tumbled bed. AS I passed the
deathwatch he rose and walked over
to the outer window where my pot Of
water stood to cool. Pretending to be
occupied in smoothing out my tumbled
bedding. I strove to move so that I
mlgm gel parry Dea1nu nm, Out the
fellows suspicious seemed to be-
aroused. for he turned his head al I
moved and watched me steadily.
AS I hesitated there, holding the
blanket in my hands as though I meant
to fling 1t on the bed again, the lamp in
the corridor suddenly went out, plung-
ing my cell in darkness.
The guard sprang to his feet. l fair
~. flung my body at him, landing on
him in a single bound and hurting him
to the stone floor.
Instantly the light Of the lanthorn
flooded my cell again. I heard my iron
0OoL OhCA1AS. .SlOuClCo LII luly VII
the struggling man under me, whose
head and arms l held crushed under
the thick blanket. Then came a long,
silent struggle, but at last l tore the
heavy pistol from his clutch and beat
him on the head with the steel butt Of
1t until his straining chest and limbs
relaxed.
Pistol in hand, I rose from the life
less heap on the floor and turned to
find my cell door swinging wide and
Dulcima Bishop watching me with di>
lated eyes.
She lifted the lanthorn from the foor
and motioned me to follow. At the end
Of the corridor Mount stood, wiping his
reeking knife on the soft soles Of his
moccasins.
The girl caught me by the arm and
blew out the light; then she drew me
into what seemed to be an impenetra-
bic wall of darkness. Cropping forward,
1 almost fell down a steep fight of
stone steps which appeared to lead into
the bowels of the earth. Down, down,
then through a passage, Mount leading,
the girl fairly dragging me of my feet
in her excitement, and presently a
wooden door creaked open, and a del,
uge Of icy water dashed over me.
1t was rain. I was standing outside
the prison ankle deep IN mud, the free
wind blowing, the sleet driving full In
my eyes.
Mount bent and kissed the girl.
81 swear 1 will use you kindly, child
he said soberly. Come, lass, gay. gay
What care we for a brace O. dead turn
keysT
"Would-would you truly wed me?
she stammered, raising her white fact
to his.
And as he made his vow a startling
change passed over. her face. Sht
laughed, turned her bright, feverist
eyes on us with a reckless toss Of hel
head and drew the poison flask from
her bosom.
you Think she said, that we NJ
longer need this little friend to sorrow
You are wrongwi
And ere Mount or 1 could move sh.
raised the tiny flask betwixt forefngel
and thumb and dropped the dark scar
let contents between her teeth.
81 drink to your freedom she sale
blindly, reelinS into Mounts arms
Observation-Disclosures" she gasped
smiling. my father drank to it-i1
ale. He lies dead on the floor Of it
All this-for-for your freedom, Jack!
Her body writhed and twisted. He
great bright eyes never left his. Pres
emily she lay still. A moment late
the prison bell broke out Wild.