El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-06
The Herald's
Daily Short Story
The Man In Disgrace

and the old farmer stood dumoIounoeu'
unable TO find a word.
He turned away and went back into
the ward. where. to Jim, the ostler
surprise, he had his horse harnesseo
and drove straight off home
The fact was that he felt he couio
not face anyone for the time being
Well he knew how such a piece OF scan
dal as Karslake had made public would
be rolled from lip to lip 1t would De
all over the town in an hour, in every
corner of the moor in "a.
He was right. Before the day was
out his own farmhands had got holo
of 1t. He saw them whispering togeth-
er. caught their covert glaHces, half
sneering, Multiplying.
There are some duties which a moor
land farmer must attend 10 in person
The rent audit came round, and MIR: In
gals though greatly against MS WILL
was obliged TO drive into the village.
1t was dun, chill evening. but as
he rode past the tall, gray walls OF
the prison. it was misery, not celo'
which sent a shiver through him.
Job ingalls, had passed by, and was
pacing slowly up the hill beyond when
a woman's shrek made him rein his
horse in sharply and turn his head.
Through The dull foliage behind him
came sudden glare of light
Fire. came the scream again; AMI
then n wild cry Of Gell -
"Tne &c. emo !i.tsS.' ..lutterel Mr..
ingalls, and turning n: Horse gail pee
hack TO the gate, jumped of, and Ting
ing the reins over a pos;. ran in.
AS he hurried up the snort drive lie
saw flames bursting furiously from the
lower windows. On the gravel stood
three women and two children They
were Mrs Peyton, the governors wife,
and her two elder children, and two
maids Mrs. Peyton was screaming for
help. the two maids were staring help
Iesslv at the flames, which were in
creasing with appalling rapidIty.
my baby-my BABY" screamed Mrs
Pevton. the moment she saw the farmer.
and pointed wildly TO top story Win
dow. Looking up, Mr.. Ingals was hor-
rified to see the head of tiny, fair
haired girl looking out of the open case
ment under the caves.
Save herr cried the poor lady des-
perately.
BY this time the alarm had been given
and a dozen men, warders mostly, were
on the scene Some were bringing
buckets, two had a ladder which, I'M
der Col Peyton's own direction, they
were planting against the wall But
when they got it up. it was too short
the nursery indow ledge
At this moment came a loud shout
from one of the bystanders.
Look at that, What's he going TO
do?"
The man was pointing to one OF the
trees at the west end of the house, ana
ingalls,. looking up, saw figure high
nthe bare branches, clamoring up
wards with the agility of monkey.
The red glare of the flames shone on
his drab breeches, and showed the black
arrows on his shirt II was convict
who climbed so boldly.
For a moment or two those befoW
failed to understand what he was after.
but when they saw him crawling out
upon a great limb which stretched to-
wards the roof of the burning house, a
sudden shout went up
Old ingalls, did not shout. His heart
was in his mouth, for, from where he
stood, he saw more plainly than the
others that there was a wide gap be
tween the end of the branch and the
roof.
Surely it was beyond human power
to cross it. But whether that was SO