The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-02-25

tn b Il
place was silent save for the throb Of
the halted engine, and the shadow Of
the train on the frosty platform quiv-
i cred like a criminal. A block away
he saw the courthouse. Knots Of peo-
pie were standing about it's door wait
ing for what? A fit of trembling seiz-
j ed him.
l All his years Hugh had been moral
coward Life to him had been sweet
for the grosser, material pleasures it
held. He had cared for nobody, had
held nothing sacred. He had now only
to keep silence, let Harry Sanderson
pay the penalty, and he need dread no
more. Hugh Stires, to the persuasion
Of the law, would be dead AS soon as
might be he could disappear, as the
rector Of st. James had disappeared be-
fore. He might change his name and
live. at ease in some quarter of the
world, his alarm laid forever.
But a worse thing would haunt him
to scare his sleep-he would be doubly
blood guilty!
In the awful moment while he chung
to the iron bars of the collapsing rose
window, with the flames clutching at
him, Hugh had looked into hell and
shivered before the judgment, 'The
wages Of sin is DEATH In that fiery
ordeal the cheapness and swagger, the
ostentation and self esteem, had burn
ed away, and his soul had stood
naked as a winter wood. Dying had
not then been the austere terror. What
came after? That had appalled, him.
Yet Harry Sanderson was not afraid
Of the hereafter. He chose death calm
ly, knowing that he, Hugh, was unfit
to die.
Suppose he told the truth now and
saved Harry. He had never done
brave deed for the sake of truth or
righteousness or for the love of any
human being, but he could do one now.
For the one red counter that had been
a symbol of day of evil living he
could render deed that would make
requital for those unpaid days. He
would not have played the towards
part 1t would repair the wrong he
had done Jessica. He would have
made expiation. Forgiveness and pity,
not reproaches and shame, would fol-
low him, and it would balance perhaps
the one dreadful count that stood
against him. He thought Of the scat
fold and shivered, yet there was a
more terrible thought: 1t is fearful
thing to fall into the hands Of the liv-
ing God!
He made his way again to the door
and unlocked it. It was only to cross
that space, to speak, and then the
grim brick building and the penalty.
With a hoarse cry he slammed the
door and frantically locked 1t. The
edge of the searching pain was upon
him again. He stumbled back to the
couch and fell across it face down,
dragging the cushions in frantic haste
over his head to shut out the sick
throbbing of the steam that seemed
shuddering at the fate his covering
soul dared not face.
The groups outside the courthouse
made way deferentially for Jessica,
but she was unconscious of it. Some
one asked question on the steps, and
she heard the answer, 1.-THE state has
just finished, and the judge Is charg-
ing
The narrow hall was filled, and,
though all who saw gave her instant
place, the space beyond the inner door
was crowded beyond the possibility of
passage. She could see the judges
bench. with its sedate. gray bearded
figure, the jury box at the left, the
moving, restless faces about it, set like
a living mosaic
She became aware suddenly that the
figure at the high bench was speaking.
had been speaking all along:
with the prisoners later career in
Smoky Mountain they had nothing to
do nor had the law. The question it
asked-the only question it asked-was,
Did he kill Moreau? They might be
loath to believe the same man capable
of such contradictory acts-the cour-
ILL.,,
for example. and the shooting down of
a fellow mortal in cold blood-but it
had been truly said that such contrasts
were not mpossible-nay, were even
matters of common observation PREF
udice and bias aside, and sympathy
and liking aside, they constituted tri-
bunal of justice. This the state had a
right to demand, and this they. the
jury, had made solemn oath to give.''
The words had no meaning for her
ears. What did he say?' she whis-
pered to herself piteously. She caught
but glimpse of the prisoner as the
sheriff touched his arm and led the
way quickly to the door through which
he had been brought
1t opened and closed upon them, and
the tension of the packed room broke
all at once in a great respiration of re-
lief and buzz of conversation.