Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-08-01

I@IELL NO. l was a great improve
ment on No. 9. There was no
III shelf Of rock or stone bench,
~ but a cot bed in the corner, a
table and a wooden chair. The living
spring issued from the living rock in
a corner Of the room. When the jailer
and his assistant had retired and
showed in the outside bolts Jack lit
his candle and a cigarette, feeling al
most happy. He surveyed the prem
ises low with more care. The bed
was of iron and fastened to the floor.
On the top Of it was a mattress, a
pillow and a pair Of blankets. At its
head a little triangular shelf Of rock
had been left in the corner, and on
this reposed a basin of tin, while a
coarse piece of sacking took the place
of a towel. Jack threw off his over
coat and flung it on the bed, intent on
a satisfactory wash. He heard some
thing jingle in the pockets and, forget
ting for the moment what 1T could
possibly be, thrust his hand in and
pulled out a glass stoppered bottle Of
ozak. He held it out at arms length
and stared at it for some moments like
a nan %hypnotized.
"Holy st. Peter!' he cried. "To think
that 1 should have forgotten this"
He filled the tin basin with water
and placed it on the table. Again he
dissolved a minute portion of the
chemical and again filled the syringe.
81 must leave no marks on the wall
that may arouse attention." he said,
and, taking the full syringe to the arch
over the torrent and placing the candle
on the floor beside him, he gently push
ed in the piston. The spray struck the
rock, and the rock dissolved slightly
but perceptibly. Coming back to the
table, he stood for a few minutes in
deep thought. Although the cot bed
was fixed to the floor, and although it
was possible that the shelf in the next
| cell conceded with it's position, the
risk of discovery was too great to cut
a passage between the two cells there.
The obvious spot to attack was the in
streamlet ran, but Jack, testing the
temperature of the water with his
hand, doubted his physical ability to
remain in that ice cold current more
than a few minutes at a time, and if
he worked in the tunnel he would be
all but submerged. He feared he would
perish with. cold and cramp before he
had made any impression on the rock.
To the edge Of the stream he drew
the table, and, mounting it, examined
the upper orifce through which the
water escaped when the cell was full.
He found he could stand on the table
n work in comfort until he had ex-
cavated sufficient rock to allow him to
Chamber into the upper tunnel and so
continue his operations. The water
he used would flow through the tun-
mel and down to the main stream in
the next cell. ALI he had to do was to
dissolve q semicircular hole in the rock
that would bend around the end of
those steel bars and enter the tunnel
again on the other side. Eager to be
at work, he took the full basin, showed
1t Tar along the tunnel until 1t was
stopped by the bars; then, placing his
candle beside it and standing on the
table, he began operations.
The limestone under the influence Of
the spray dissolved very slowly, and
by b time the basin of water was ex-
hausted all the effect visible under the
light of the candle was an exceedingly
slight circular impression which was
barely visible to the naked eye.
Il must make the solution stronger.
l think" he said, g~rievously disappoint-
ed at b outcome of his lahors. and as
ne oKe at II ne heard the clank Of
the withdrawing bolts. Blowing out
the candle. he sprang to the loor Of the
cell. picked up the table, set 1t down,
q center Of the DON. 0rnnad fc-