Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-16

the blow
The winter crept on, the hfth winter
Of his living grave. At last the light
Of spring was in the air even Of the
prison yard Pleasant it was, he knew
from Stella's last letter, looking out the
windows Of that cottage by the sea
over the wide tumult Of waters in
shmmering blue and silver blue heav-
ems arching over the plane melting at
last in far horizons Of blue mystery.
But It was not for him. He hoped at
last that there might be something like
peace for those that waited there. The
convicts had come from the chapel and
were returning to their cells. The
chaplain had told them of the meaning
of Palm Sunday and of the palms once
thrown in the way of Hin who went
up to Jerusalem for the last great sac
rifce. and had said that the next time
he spoke to them it would be on the
morning that symbolized the resurrec-
tion, the rising of the soul toward God,
the casting off of the mortal body and
mortal sin, and he implored them to let
IL bring to them the resurrection OF
their better selves, the lifting of their
souls heavenward, the sacrifice Of the
rest Of their lives to the powers that
work for righteousness.
There were only a few hearing or
needing the speaker. The rest were
silently busy with the question of VAN
welt, who had that morning crowned a
long series of abuses by an unprovoked
act of brutality toward a man who.
turning his ankle, was for a moment
unable to keep step. Secret signals
were passing among them and they
were no sooner out Of the chapel than
they broke the lockstep and Vanvelt
was down. But in that instant Goef-
frey lowered over the PROSTATE man
and by the suddenness of his act and
by the fact that the gay defiance of his
bearing in the beginning had made him
favorite with the men, and because
it was known that he himself had suf-
fered from the keepers cruelty, for
moment or two he held them back,
astonished and irresolute. "Men!" he
shouted, NOW is our time to be even
with him! What do we think the best
things in the world? Liberty. light.
free air, free breath! Who says they
are not ours already when we have.t the
power to give them to this man? We
have 1t in our power to tread him into
the dust like a worm under foot, or
we can give him life and light and lib
erty, free air, free breath. Those things
are ours, we convicts and prisoners, 10
give and to give now!"
The men. swayed for an instant, re-
covered themselves and with a yell
sprang forward again. You knowi"
roared Godfrey. his voice ringing
through the great corridors like a
trumpet, that / have suffered mora
than any of you from this man, but
you shall reach him only over my dead
hody!" And in the heartbeats while
he held his ground the prison officials
were there and the case of those men
was worse than before.
In all probability his action would
take a large space of time off the
years in which Godfrey was serving
his sentence, but it was not of that he
thought when, as it happened a few
days afterward, he was sent for by the
governor of the prison.
"I would like to break it to you
gently" said the governor, "but after
all it would come to you like a shock.
Did it ever occur to your mind that
possibly you had not killed Banister?"
II tried to-" said Godfrey grimly.
at seems that you did not succeed.
He contrived to crawl away and let it
appear that you had disposed of his
body. 1t made the crime darker. But
life has been too much for him. He
has come back, confessing everything,
restoring a large part of what he took
from you. And it is now up to you to
put him in your place; for of course.
after some details, you go free"
"And he goes free, too" said Godfrey.
Stella, with the telegram of the night
before in hand, threw open the blinds
of her mothers room and let the sun
shine in.
"The blessed Easter sunshine!" she
exclaimed. What a path of glory it
is making across the sea! On what a
different world it falls since Godfrey
will be home in an hour!"
Are you quite beside yourself.
Stella?" cried the mother.
mot particle, mother mine," re-
piled the wife, her face growing rosy
like a flower in the sun. Listen. You
would not let me tell you last night.
though l led up to it so many times.
Here is the telegram viii be with
you early in the morning"
ooh, it is true, them" cried the
mother. and she wept and wrung her
hands for JOY as others do for sorrow.
"Oh, my son is given back to me! He
has risen from the grave to me this
Easter day."
And Godfrey, holding Stella in his
arms later that morning and telling
his story, felt that his mothers words
- ha