Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-10-22

The
Warden's
OvercOat
By GRACE GORRILL GOWING

Copyright, by shortstory Pub. Coz

shears worked with rhythm while
be counted under his breath: One,
two, three. four, five" then pause,
I and on again from one to ten, followed
by a longer pause. SO No. 19 counted
when he did not want 10 think. Five
years had passed since the prison
doors closed on him-ten more must
drag themselves along before he might
take off the stripes and let his hair
grow.
He looked up at the wardens house,
browning green terraces, then down
at the blue bay, stretching away 10
Join the ocean. He could dimly dis
Germ the land where the city lay
where men came and went as they
pleased.
The prison bell tolled six o'clock.
No. 10 gathered together his garden
ing tools and went down the terrace
steps toward the office The warden
paused in the Office doorway, watch
ing the man coming toward him. He
liked No 10. The hard side of life
that his position compelled him to feel
had not taken the kindness and SYM
pathy from his nature.
You're doing well with the garden"
ne said. Tomorrow you may trim
the rose over the porch. Cut it back
from the upper window. 1t takes too
much sun from my room"
The trusty touched his hat and
passed on.
| cta hn fire.
race toward his home. Above all his
worries there was the pleasant con-
| seriousness that there were some men
about him upon whom he might rely.
No 10 was a trustworthy man A
touch on his arm startled him. No. 10
was beside him. For a few seconds
the two men regarded each other ST.
lently.
"Well?" queried the warden.
No. 10 steadied his voice with an
effort. I've been here five years,
he said For the last year I've been
trusty, working about the garden as
If were free, but for Gods sake, lock
me up again!"
The warden stared blankly at him.
Lock you up again." he repeated
What's the trouble now?"
No. 10 looked past him and off over
the bay. He could see the twinkling
lights of the city through the autumn
twilight.
only this" he answered. I'm not
10 be trusted out here where ! can
look over yonder," with a vague ges
ture in the direction of the lights, land
want TO be locked up again. ! tell
you, IL you've a drop OF human kind
ness in you, you'll shut me up. away
from all this he added, fiercely.
The warden looked at him kindly
you've been thinking too much he
answered. Cheer up, and put those
ideas cut of your head. There's beer
more than one sentence shortened by
good behavior, you know" he added
encouragingly, as he turned and wen
up the steps, while No. 10 went down
and on through the great iron gate
which shut heavily after him.
Twelve o'clock, and alrs we'll
starting family in the distance, ring
ing clear as the guard near the con
vict's cell took it up, dying away tC
an echo as it reached the farthes
wall, round No. 10. He smiled griml,
as he heard It, "Alrs well so far" HI
muttered, but II they don't lock m'
up"
The next afternoon No. 10 trimmed
the rose over the porch of the ward
ems house. There was no countin:
now, only thinking. He climbed thu
ladder. step by step. as he worked. !
; was nearing time for the lookup. A
q quarter before six he stepped from
the top of the ladder to the railing
above. He looked through the opei
window into the warden's room, at tn
: comfortable bed, the bureau with 1T
brushes and boxes, the easy chairs
and through the half open door of thu
closet, in which he caught a glimps
of the warden's clothes, suits withou
a stripe on them.
For five minutes the clipping wen
steadily on. There was no one NJ
stairs, no one within sight in the gar
den. The warden and his family ha'
gone to the city, and they would no
return before seven o'clock. The tw
light had already begun its work o
softening the edges of everything; u
half an hour il would mix all into a.
indistinguishable mass.
No. ~ paused a moment before h
stepped over the window sill. TIL
city lights seemed to twinkle encoul
agingly at him.
The six o'clock bell tolled as h
= climbed over the SILL He stopped a
the sound of the familiar prison voice
: He stood straight and still in the wiz
dow, looking at the dark walls an
buildings far below him. Come" tn
bell called, deep and resistless. II
raised his head and looked up and on
All the free things in the earth abou
him seemed to call him silently.
the last note of the bell died warnin.
ly away, he leaned far out of the ope
window Il am coming he said. II
. had answered the silent voices.
He turned and crossed the room {
the door leading into the halwa,
k.s.--- 49, - :.