The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-10-21
A PARADOXICAL PLAN
By HOPE HOPKINS.

having ruined nlluSeIl lHanCldllS 1T
cards-gambling was very fashionable
in those days-enlisted in a British
regiment stationed at Baltimore When
the war came on Mower, whose sym.
pathies were with the colonies. desert
ed and joined the patriot army. Taken
prisoner at the battle Of Monmouth. he
was recognized as a former British
soldier and a court martial ordered to
try him for desertion.
While Mower was waiting trial he
was lodged in jail at Trenton. One
morning his cell door was opened a
young woman of about twenty years
of age entered, and the door closed be-
hind her. The prisoner looked at her
in surprise.
81 have been admitted here for five
minutes conversation with you" she
said, "by order of the commandant, |
having claimed that you are a relative
of mine. and l wish to give you some
Tense"
But / never saw you beforev' eX
claimed the prisoner. "What informa-
ton can you have for me?"
''None that will save you from con.
yiction. l am told by those who know
that you will be shot. l wish to aid
you to escape. Here are some pellets
containing a drug that will make you
Ill. Take one every hour for three
hours. | wish to secure your removal
70 a hospital where | may be better
able to serve you"
But why this interest in me-a
stranger?'
She was silent for moment, looked
at the floor, then said. do as l tell
you and ask no questions
Mower was making another effort to
discover the cause of this remarkable
incident when his cell door opened and
the girl was summoned by the guard.
AS soon as she had gone he swallowed
one of the pellets she had given him
and in an hour swallowed another.
The guard when he came to leave the
prisoners noon meal found him Civ
ing unmistakable signs of illness.
Mower was carried to hospital.
As soon as Mower got better he
swallowed another pellet and another
and another, renewing the doses every
day. He overshot the mark, taking so
many that one morning he was thrown
into commissions which ended in un-
consciousness. When he came to him
self again he found bis body covered
from head to foot with sheet. He
was about to throw it off when he
heard footsteps and few moments
later the voice of a hospital steward
say:
'He died in commissions"
"WhenT' asked the surgeons voice.
Half an hour ago"
The footsteps We're heard passing on
Soon Mower felt himself lifted by two
pairs of arms and carried out from
the warm TO the cold air aud laid on
some hard substance. Then he heard
a bolt shot, and all was still. Throw
ing the covering off his face. he saw
that he was resting ON a table in Il va
cant room. Beneath him Oh tile floor
was a corpse. He was in dead.
house. There were two windows in
the room, and from the light coming
through them Mower knew that it was
day He dared not move for fear of
attracting attention. He heard the
town clock strike every hear Erom II
to T. Then it grew dark, AM be deter
mined to examine his surroundings.
The windows overlooked ? shed be
yond which was q back F..i, al at
the farther end Of this Wese tFe IS lie
waited till all the lights on tne PREM
Uses were eXtinguishe<i tAVn pes
out of window Oh to 4 ElgJ bnHCtpl
let himself to the ground aaa ran d.
the back Of the yard. Cti1lDas 81
fence, he found himself IL tte bsas
yard of other premises.
Mower was in night lstH2s aG5
dared not enter a street lss a AZ
tract attention. He waited 81. az rs
till a late hour, then. naaiis uc
that no one was near. pas ~ t:f9u 3
the yard and stood lGGEt9s ~
uOWu tie street. I'll h1ttI Liz iFlt'sAl
lses faced Hearing the watch ait
proach crying Eleven o'elgeE aId MI
WE'LL" Mower waited till ha had pass
ed, then ran like a deer til. re1ehiHa
the town limits, he found i:.aljsiI il {.
wood. Seeing house standing by IT,
self and assuming that the inmates
were patriots, he knocked ard told hi
story. He was furnished with clothing
and piloted by one of the family to-
ward Morristown, where he entered
the American lines.
Mower rose to the rank of major I'D
the American army. The mystery Of
his escape was unsolved till the end of
the war Then one day he received
an anonymous letter from Baltimore
in a woman's handwriting announcing
that If when he had occasion to visit
that city he would call at a certain
house he would be furnished with
some information that would interest
him.
Mower lost no time in making the
Journey. called at the house de8igaat-
ed and was there received by the lady
who had visited him in prison. Tie
pleasure expressed in her face. a blush
and shrinking. give him the key t.