The Washington herald., 1910-07-06
nv FRAME w. Quincy.


which the cells, tier after tier. radiated
like spokes Of a wheel.
hfotionless he stood; his shoulders
dropped. his paIlid face expressionless
His suit of gray had been discarded for
blue serge Of cheap materials product
OF the prison shops. which had absorbed
the indeseribable but unmistakable prison
odor. The flannel shirt had been replaced
by a coarse but warm sweater, which
came well up around his thin neck. The
felt-soIe slippers were left behind. His
feet were shod in strong heavy calf
shoes.
A trusty passed directly behind the
governor, and from his lowered eyes shot
a glance which No. SCI correctly inter-
preted as one Of congratulation and fare
we'll For No. S62 was about 10 receive
his discharge.
For twenty monotonous. tagging years
had this barren citadel Of stone and
steel been his abiding place. Day In,
day out. year In, year out. 1t had been
the same routine, until it had become
part of hts very nature. His record had
not been bad as the behavior OF long
timers" average; nor had II been suf-
ficlently good TO earn for him the liberal
deduction Of sentence which the laws Of
the commonwealth provided for model
prisoners.
The ponderous governor ciumslly WELD
ed the pen which was closing the twenty
years history OF a human life. His
movements would have been exasperat-
ingly slow 10 one in whose veins red
blood was flowing. but TO the broken
man standing before his desk they were
merely an incident in the machinery
which he had watched revolve with the
same heavy motion for TWO decades.
At last the entry was completed and
blotted. the book closed and showed into
place. The governor extended his pudgy
hand over the desk IN the nearest ap-
proach 10 cordiality which he could as
sumo
"Good-by. Williams" he said. Take
care OF yourself and don't get back here.
You're old enough to 90 straight the few
years you've got left.
williams hesitated. then slowly placed
his limp hand in that Of the governor.
He moistened his lips. and his face
worked spasmodically, but no sound came
from his throat.
Slowly, Ike one under the influence OF
an opiate. he turned his face toward the
door which separated him from the free
dom which had been denied for nearly
half his lifetime. Even then he hesftated,
as If expecting to be called TO account by
someone in authority.
There was no sound but the scuff scuff.
scun of trusty's felt soles as he passed
through the rotunda. The press button
at the governors desk had summoned the
/ doorkeeper from one of the long rows of
| offices beyond the double steel doors. and
they had swung open, inviting Williams
to the new world beyond.
Down the stone steps, along the short,
/ tiled path, and he was on the sidewalk
| His pace did not slaclen. hts head was
not lifted. HIS eyes were dovncast. and
/ there was the same hunted. furtive look
at passers-by which had been given him
a few minutes before by the trusty in
/ the rotunda, except that the trusty's
! glance had flashed a message as plainly
/ read as IL it had been craven on copper
| plate, whereas his own eyes reflected
naught but the numbed Darkness Of his
brain
/ Avoiding the buster streets. he walked
on at a listless. shambling gait, oblivious
/ Of the inQuiring looks OF curious people
attracted by the spectacle Of a broken
man, though none could have explained
why they gazed.
/ It was midafternoon when he entered
small village. The changes which
| twenty years had wrought in the thickly-
settled places through which he passed
made them unfamiliar. but here every
| thing appeared as he remembered II
! This had been HIS birthplace-his home
until the wildness within his soul, stirred
! to fury by evil associates, had led hin
| through escapades, each more seriou.
than its predecessor. to the eliminating
crime which had placed him behind
| prison bars.
! As in a dream he turned down a ruttet
side street and into the yard of small
1 old-fashioned house. Half way up the
grass-grown path he stopped with {
sharp intake Of breath For the frs
time since he had heard the doors OF thG
/ prison elang their farewell his MIND
seemed 10 be reaching out, throbbingly
endeavoring to comprehend
Why should he go to this house? Only
strangers were within. When he haC
last gone forth II was with the springy
step OF reckIessness. The crime, which
was TO be his undoing. had been formu'
lated, and every little detail carefully
planned.
His mother. with that intuition which
shields flesh and blood from impending
! danger. had seemed to read his secret
| for she had placed her hand lovingly
upon his shoulder as he was eating his
supper, and had tremblingly sought him
to stay at home.
And he-what had been his answer
He had shaken her hand off roughly. had
cursed her, and abruptly left the table
| kicking over the chair by way of en-
phasls
That was the last time he had seen
her at home During MS detention await
| ing trial. she had come to him. He had
been glad to see her for one reason only
and that was 10 get money with which
TO hire a lawyer to defend him. I'm
| cOmplainlngly she had mortgaged the
house, giving every penny that she might
| have him back She knew his Witness
In her poor, sinking heart she feared the
truth Of the accusations against him
and yet. worthless outlaw that he might
| be, he was her boy
/
Later. when he had begun his long term