The San Francisco call., 1910-08-21

as soon as possible Ellie MS NoiCe
sounded so sharply on my name that
] jumped up, all of nervous tremble
go upstairs and put on your bonnet
| want you to come with me-"
L felt that my voice was woefully
unsteady.
Wont you please tell me what is
happening and where we are going
Martin Rood has been shot; he is
dead. man has been arrested, corre-
spending to your description, and we
are going down to the prison to see
If you can identify him / stared at
father. and my only feeling was one
OF vague, iBcredulous wonder. Martin
Rood the fine. sleek gentleman whom
! had seen swinging out of his gam
bling house in. the late afternoon
could that have been he. that huddled
heap of clothes in the gutter?
Quickly. Ellie. fathers voice re-
minded me. / went stumbling upstairs
in a burning excitement. / think had
some wild notion of locking myself
into my room and defying the house.
for the idea of facing that terrible man
with his wild terror stricken face
threw me into a panic. But Abby
screamed at me that ! was treading
on my ruffle as / came upstairs, and cap
tured me; and / let her put another
gown on me and my turban and
heavy veil without lifting a finger to
itiB lati- dS IL ildu beGli Il C1ll0-
knew father was waiting for me at the
foot of the stairs and there was no
escape, / must go down. When 1 got
into the hall / sa W that Mr.. Dingley's
buggy was standing in front of the
house, though it was but a few blocks
down Washington street TO the prison
on kearny.
But we did not drive as L had ex-
pected straight down Washington,
making instead a detour of several
blocks, and finally by means of little
alleyway. coming to the back door of
the prison.
The only people in sight were
couple ftpolicemen. but, Mr. Dingley
on one side and father on the other,
fairly lifted me out by the arms and
hurried me into the building as if they
Were afraid of being caught by some
one.
The first thing l was aware of was
the cold gray light falling on us
from high overhead and a faint,
sickly odor. very faint but very
penetrating. the like of which I had
never breathed before. We were stand
ing in tagged hall, looking up
through a great well, past gallery after
gallery, 10 skylight covering the top
of the roof. 1t was the sunshine filter
ing through the dull, thick, greenish
glass which gave that cold, sad colored
glimpses of men at work at desks; and
over the ratings lounged figures, peered
faces. disheyeled, sodden. disreputable,
and sometimes neer these a policeman'S S
star twinkled. l saw it all in one up
ward glance, for ] was hurried on. Our
steps clattered over the flags of the
hall and then. turning to the right. we
began to go downstairs. L took tighter
hold on fathers arm, for we seemed TO
be descending into dungeon. That
sickly. acrid odor grew heavier, making
me think of Gagged animals, and yet,
what made /. worse, it wasn't quite
like an animal either
TIE hall we came out into was
smaller and darker than the one above
it, and empty except for a policeman
standing by door To him Mr.. Ding
lev handed his card. and after a few
minutes. we were admitted to small
office Ii was divided in half by a rail-
ing: on the inner side was a desk, at
which man with a star on his coat
was writing under the light of a green
shaded lamp. He came forward, opened
a gate in the railing for as to enter,
shook hands with Mr.. Dingley and
father. and then was introduced to me.
His name did not reach me, but under
stood the words 'ehief of police" Then
all three talked together in low voices
while sat where had been hidden, IN
a chair close 10 the ldlilnS. OLtc u
twice the man with the star glanced at
me. and then. presently. they all looked
at me. and ] couldn't distinguish one
face from another. My head was whirl-
ing so with excitement / felt as II
were living in a dream. Yet when the
man with the star began speaking
heard him with curious distinctness,
'Au that is necessary for you TO 90
Miss Fenwick, is to tell me whethef
the nprSOn YOU saw IA3S
morning.
sat forward on the edge of nay
chair l tried to draw deep breath,
but the sickly atmosphere seemed
choking me. There was the tread OF
feet outside the door; it opened and
two officers came in, stopping one on
each side of the doorway; and then.
with a queer shock, l saw not the one
man I had expected, but file of men,
shutting one behind the other, and
linked together by what seemed a long
steel chain. from wrist to wrist, INTO
the seeming of a single thing. Ihls
thing halted opposite the railing. and
faced about before me, where it ap-
peared to me as line OF heads and
moving arms and legs and shutting
feet, But among them all / saw only
one Individual 1t was absurd If they
had expected TO confuse me with these
other creatures / saw him instantly
ing. His clothes were all torn and dis
ordered; there was cut on his fore
head and a bloodstained bandage
showed on his wrist beneath his sleeve;
and the bitter way he held his head UP
and stared straight past me at the
wall made him seem quite grim, and
yet somehow, very forlorn. A lump
rose in my throat. l heard the chief
of police saying, rs there any person
here you recognize?" / swallowed hard
and opened my lips, but the only sound
that came was like sob
Quickly the prisoner turned his eyes
on me. There crossed his face again a
look like the faint shadow of that look
which had transfixed me as he burst
out of the door. But in moment ii
was gone, and he smiled. Such a smile,
so warm and kind as if he were reas-
suring and encouraging me to go on.
1t transformed him from a terrifying
presence into something beautiful II
made me forget the others and the
room, and, curiously in their place
came the confusing memory of ball
room with slim boy with black brows
whirling down the polished floor with
his splendid partner. both in gale of
laughter. Those long, white hands,
now linked together with a chain
hadn't l seen them holding up a
woman's filmy draperies?
l. Isef f.t1 -