The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-04-14
a Pardon
Ey HARRY Won AMBERG
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

OH lilC NJ w Pi'S AA\Cu IVY
lying in his bunk 1t was at night,
ard the weather was stormy.
Il can't: I'm sick"
You han't goin to work yer pas
sage on this yere boat sojern there.
Git up. | say. and carry your load"
The boy made feeble attempt to
rise. but failed The mate seized a
stick of wood and held it over the in.
valid.
You git up or III brain you"
Fear gave the boy additional
strength. and he managed to pull him
self out and stagger over the gang
plank to wood pile which the deck
hands were transferring TO the boat
He worked rs best he could till the
task was finished. then crawIed back
to his bunk and fell fninting in it,
This boy. Robert Stewart. was SO
poor that in order to get from New
Orleans to st. Louis be was Obliged
to work his passage on steamboat
The mate was a powerful man. and
the boy. who was i'll with fever. was
the act still more brutal was that
there We're plenty of deck hands to do
the work without calling out a sick
boy. There was something tiendish in
the mates nature that led him to this
act of cruelty.
Years passed meanwhile. That sick
boy was moving in one direction,
while the mate who had tyrannized
over him and had nearly cost him his
life was moving in another. The one
was rising, the other sinking Schooled
in adversely, Robert Stewart possessed
that within him which enabled him to
triumph over obstacles. the hardships
he had endured furnishing spur to
send him onward and upward. Sue
cessful in his own affairs, the people
intrusted him with theirs. In time his
name became known to every one in
Missouri. He rose to be governor.
One day man was brought to the
governor from the penitentiary as an
applicant for pardon. He was large
powerful fellow, and the moment the
| governor looked at him be started
| Then he scrutinized the criminal long
and closely. Without speaking he
| turned to his desk. picked up the pa
per on which the mans pardon haC
been made out and wrote his name a
the bottom of it. Before handing it tt
the prisoner he said to him:
Il fear 1t will be useless. perhap!
wrong. for me to grant you this par
| don"
The man stood stolidly waiting tt
know the governors reason.
You will commit some other Grim
and be sent to the penitentiary again.
mo. governor; l promise you that
will not"
The governor looked doubtful. II
was apparently turning something owe
in his mind Finally he said:
You will 80 hacl, on TO the rivera
mate on steamer. ! suppose"
Yes. governor: III go back to wor
at any position | can get
We'll" the governor continued. "be
fore pardon you wish you to max
me promise"
The man looked interested and wal
ed. The chief magistrate was in n
hurry. The mass of business awaitin
his attention was forgotten in this pal
don case. There must be something
it to move him so strangely. For
few minutes there was faraway loo
in his eyes. He seemed to be pictu1
ing something. That it was painfl
scene was evident from his expression
Then he turned to the criminal an
said impressively:
II wish you to pledge your word ths
when you go back to the river as mat
on steamboat you will never driv
a sick boy from his bunk to load YOU
boat on stormy night"
The criminal looked at the governe
in vain attempt to understand VIII
he imposed upon him such a singuls
condition. Then he made the require
promise, asking at the same time fl
an explanation. Finally the governt
gave it:
Zone night many years ago you wei
mate of steamboat running betwee
New Orleans and st. Louis. On th:
boat was boy sick with fever. Or
night when the wind blew cold an
the rain came down in torrents yo
drove that boy out of his bunk an
forced him to carry wood.
Nov. there are two reasons why
don't wish you to do that again. II
first is that desire any boy yo
might so treat to escape your cruelt
Another time it might cost him b
life. The second is that he might b
come governor of his state and yc
might commit another crime and con
before him with an application +,
pardon"
The man stood looking at the go
ernor. faint glimmer of memol
struggling in his brain. But with
life of SO many brutal acts behind hi
it was hard for him to remember OF
which at the time he had considers
of so little Importance.
The governor handed him his pardon
Il was that boy" he said. eth
document is my revenge. But anoth
time the governors revenge might
Of different kind. The pardoniI