Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-30

CHAPTER III-Continued.

CHAPTER III-Continued.
You can trust me, Charlie" he said,
and 1 trusted him absolutely.
He left the next morning, already
| new man both physically and mentally
l saw his lank frame filling out. steady
light burning In his eyes, and listened
with pleasure to his firm confident voice.
The striped convict clothing was gone
now and in neat black suit he had a
new dignity.
Charlie. l feel that you and l are not
done with each other he said. I'VE are
going to be together again some time
| and somewhere, and l think it will be for
| a good purpose"
l did not have the heart to tell him that
| 1 intended to vanish from his life and
! from that of all who were in the prison
with me. my purpose allowing OF nothing
else, and 1 merely squeezed his hand.
while the water rose to my eyes, because
here was true friend, whom 1 intended
| to lose
Goodbye. Charlie" he said, patting
me on the shoulder in his fatherly way
| I was little more than a boy then; you
| can trust me about the letter. know
| that it touches you deep.''
ut does" / replied. land il 1 can't
| trust you 1 can trust nobody"
| In half hour he was gone, and with
| his going the great prison seemed empty
| to me. / was terribly lonesome, and al!
the time l remained in the penitentiary
there was not a day that did not miss
| him. But for the present most of my
| thoughts were for Alicia. and I wondered
| how and when 1 should hear from her
again. The answer came quickly
Three days later 1 was notified that a
| lady was waiting to see me In the war
| denis private office, and I knew at once
that it was Alicia. 1 was glad and yet
sorry-glad to see her and hear her speak.
and sorry because of my fear that she
ran a great risk.
who is it," I asked of Stone-it was
| the deputy warden who brought me the
message. and 1 wished to know whether
Alicia had told her name.
II don't know" he replied, II suppose
that nobody but the warden does.
caught a glimpse of her: she's tall and
slender. Johnson-a fine figure Of wom-
an. I didn't know that you had feminine
friends. Johnson
Neither did 1 know It," I said, with a
f1ppancy 1 was far from feeling, but
fancy it's some charity worker who wants
| to turn me into reformed burglar"
I walked across the prison yard and
toward the warden's office, and glanced
half in pity and half in contempt at the
siouching figures in striped suits as they
went about Their errands. 1t is true that
I often felt a sense OF comradeship with
thenn-that Is, of membership in a great
family-but my consciousness Of innocence
always gave me sense Of sup cr!ority
1t was stronger than ever now, when
was going to meet Alicia No such wom-
an ever came to see any of them, and il
| was she, not I. who was to be the sup
plicant.
l went into the warden's private Office
and the armed guard closed the door
behind me. A lady, all in black, was
standing by the little barred window that
| turned when she head my footstep. l
had made no mistake. it was Alicia. She
| was heavily yelled because OF the winter
cod and not because of any vulgar at
tempt at disguise, but I should have
| known her at glance anywhere The
sive movements could belong to nobody
else. She lifted the veil and I saw her
beautiful face. oh. 30 much saddened by
| many nights and days of painful thought
| rise in her pale cheeks and her eyes glow
with light which 1 felt was for me. 1t
repaid me for much. She held out both
her hands and almost unconsciously 1
| ciasped them in mine. 1 felt or thought
1 felt their warmth though her gloves.
| and my frame tingled pleasantly.
Harry she said. II have had your
| letter, and have read it. 1 cannot doubt
| that you meant what you said, but have
| come to ask you to take it back. 1t is l
who should be In convict garb and not
| you, because another has suffered so long
| in my place. No woman can accept such
| sacrifice from anybody. / entreat you
| TO let me tell all. I can secure your par
| don. Nothing can alter the fact that you
have been here SO long. but hereafte.' II
there is any way in which 1 can make
| it up to you. at least in part, I shall not
| hesitate to use 1T. What Is my life to me
| now? You came here to defend my good
| name. but was 1t worth defendng?"
/ saw that I must protect her, that l
| must be the one who would strengthen
| and cheer and even to a man in convict
sarb it is an electrifying thought that he
can help a woman who is young and
| beautiful, and. as he knows. of noble
| character.
Alicia" said. 81 explained my pur-
pose in my letter. What you propose is
| an impulse of your own true heart, but ii
| would ruin all my plans; it would de-
stroy my future"
| upon my own interest: only thus could l
| reach her, and l noted it's effect as her
| face paled and her eyes fell.
! But for you to stay here in this prison.
| a convict, oh. cannot stand it!' she ex-
| claimed.
| She put her hands over her face and
! cried softly, gently. almost without a
| sound; but I knew that the sobs came
| from the very bottom Of her heart. 1t is
| an awful thing to see woman cry so
| and to know that you cannot help her.
and I trembled. I knew that I was now
putting the burden upon her rather than
myself, and I saw no other way. And she
was poor unhappy creature at the best.
| tied to such a man as Grey. 1t was
| forcing upon her a weight more than one
| woman ought to bear. yet 1 must do 1t.
| longed to speak of Grey. to sympathize
| with her because of him, but I could not
| give her the mortal hurt that such words
would bring. and perforce l was silent.
Alicia" 1 said, and 1 spoke almost as
| a man to the woman he loves, Il cannot
say that am happy here, that l can ever
| rejoice to have been a convict. He who
| enters a penitentiary Is branded in way
| that can never be forgotten. There are
| humiliations that even a knowledge OF
| ones innocence cannot drive away; but
| I do believe that our meeting that night
| in your. house and all that came after
| were intended by Providence for my
| good l was embarked upon a bad road.
| the road to degradation and destruction,
| and l was 50 far gone upon it that only
| a mighty wrench could save me. The
mighty wrench was given, and I feel that
| another path. is now opening before me. -
| I spoke with the deepest earnestness.
| and when the words come straight from