The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-06-02
TIE Jailer's
[origtnal.l

il 4s~%& EeNA 4 l
[Original.l
"What " IN 1sr 2" asked the jailer's
daughter, peering through the bars.
She was a gangling girl Of sixteen,
with blue eyes and light wavy hair
hanging loose over her back. The
prisoner was a stalwart young fellow
Of twenty.
"Horse stealing"
couldn't y find nothing better I'll
do than that?'
II didn't steal any horses. A man
with a grudge against me put up q Job
on me-"
lis that so7 Y ortn't t swing II y
didn't do it."
The prisoner went or reading a pa
per that had been given him.
IT'D let Y OUT she added in a low
tone, "only pop keeps too sharp a
watch on the keys, and there amt
much time" y
The young man turned from his pa
per. "You can help me to. get out II
you WISH" he said.
"How?"
''Can you get a saw"
'sNothing but a buck saw" r..
.'That won't do. Bring me a file and
Q case knife"
s.Pop's got a file among his tools. /
can get the case knife easy enough"
She went away, returning with the
articles asked for. The prisoner. GOV
ering his hands with the b%edclothing
that the fling should not be heard,
proceeded to make a saw OF the knife.
With one or both he proposed to cut
away the bars to his window. This he
did while the jailer's daughter strum-
med on a piano directly over his head
90 that the noise Of cutting could not
DO heard. n
When he had finished, the girl came
again, and he said to her: "Goodby. If
I get out safely, some day I may come
back to reward you"
t'I've been thinking I'd go with you,"
she said, her eyes glistening.
He looked at her earnestly for some
time without speaking. What he was
thinking she didn't know. At last he
said:
IAN right. Meet me soon after 2
o'clock tomorrow morning outside the
wall"
When the prisoner heard the jailer's
clock wheeze out 2 in the morning, he
removed the bars, got out Of the win
dow, climbed a wall and stole away.
he was Joined by the girl, and togeth.
er they ran for a time, then when
they could run no longer walked and
consulted.
Its only five miles t the railroad
this way" said the girl. "Reckon we
better get on a train"
Haven't got any money. Besides,
we couldn't likely get a train till morn.
Ing, and they'd get us sure"
"What'll we doY'
"Hide some place near by till the ex.
element has died out. There's a thick
ct. Well go in there and see what we
can find"
They went into the thicket just as q
rancher ear by was going into his
stable to feed his stock. He saw them
and wondered who they were and
what they were doing there. When
several hours later a posse headed by
the jailer. frantic at the loss Of his
daughter, came along and asked the
rancher II he had see a man and Q
girl go by. be told them that he had
seen them go into the thicket.
Now. the thicket was large, and
there were places In it hard to gel
through. 1t was %ransacked, but the
fugitives were not found. The sheriff
who was with the party, sent the Jail
er on with a couple of men. while the
rest completed the search. He intend
ed to burn the couple out and expect
ed the jafler if present would raise al
objection. fearing for his daughters
life.
The couple had wormed themselves
into a tangled place where they ha6
not been followed. Presently they
smelled smoke. The man paled.
I'VE must get Out. of this" he said
And they dragged themselves from
their hiding place and moved IN. com
ing to, an open space. Tue mar pausee
and looked about him. Then he began
to scrape away the dead leaves ant
everything that could burn. The girl
seeing his object. Joined her efforts t
his. The fire came on. cracking ant
roaring. and when it reached them
found them in the open space covered
by what loose earth they had beef
able to scrape together. The poss,
followed closely in the wake Of thu
flames. Passing some Fifty yards troa
the coa,f'e covered Tsts,sa dit a::stl "@'a
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