The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-03-10
HEART OF A MAN
Ne Understood and Saved a Girl
in a Most Trying
Situation.
BY CARL JENKINS.

q county seat town. were very prout
OF their new jail They were als.
very proud OF their sheriff. He was ,
man 90 we'll liked that he had beer
placed on both tickets for election. 1
q list Of the things the Rocklanden
might be proud Of had been made on,
It would have been long one.
One evening" while the seri6-elec
waited to be sworn in, and the new
Jail waited its first tenant, Ezra Jones
said to the dozen men gathered at thu
postoflice:
bad news. boys-bad news abou
Uncle Joe Hart"
Barn burn down. was asked.
"A heap worse than that That mort
gage on his little farm has been fore
closed and he's got to get out"
Why. he's sixty-three years old and
always lived there"
but the mortgage sharks DOM
care"
He's got too old to take another
farm, and what's he going to do"
We've got to help Uncle Joe GU,
and do II in a way not to hurt hil
feelings or humiliate bis gal"
but how"
We'll. I've been thinking View
got a new Jail. haven't we?"
And new sheriff.
"Ilurrah En- Tan, QlotrAsW
And Tom will appoint new jailsr
won't he?"
Bound to-
And what's the matter with his ap
pointing Uncle Joe?"
"ltll be bully"
Yes. Uncle Joe Hart had been
brought low after lifetime Of toll and
many misfortunes. He was good
man. but that hadn't saved him. His
last bad stroke of luck was the long
illness and final death of the wife who
had been true helpmate to him
Yes there was a GAIA daughter
eighteen years old named Annie Liv
ing three miles from the town and
school and having plenty to do on the
farm. both inside and outside of the
house. she had had no chance There
was love match between her and
Henry Shields. the son of a neighbOr
Ing farmer. but marriage might be two
years away She was just girl-jusl
a good girl just one of the thousands
Of farmer girls shut out from the
world and having to suppress all long
ings for it
The good hearted men of Rockland
went to Tom Elaine with the utmos,
confidence and said
Yes. Tom. YOU must appoint Uncle
Joe as jaler lis gal will do the
housewOrk. and II will be snap for
the old man Not much to do but
smoke his pipe and draw his pay"
The good man opened his lips to tell
them what responsible position ii
was-a place TO he filled by younger,
stronger man one TO watch and deal
with desperate prisoners. but he re-
membered that he had been elected BY
popular vote and was under obliga-
tons to repay
Yes, I'll appoint him." he replied.
and the committee went away saying
what big heart Tom Blaine had in
his bosom.
The new jail had held only a tramp
| la1
good behavior for the food and shelter
furnished. when one OF a trio Of yegg-
men or postoo 60 robbers was caught
red handed lie was Young and good-
looking and will hammered but tho
new sheriff realized that he must BE-
desperate man 10 be Il partner OF The
others lie vas arr. igned and held 10
the higher court. and thai meant fifty
or sixty DAYS in Jail before his rial
would come OF
II ~as a s.rons 'ail. but he sheriff
cautioned ncic Joe about taking no
chances with the prisoner For two
weeks he was closely watched but
then, as he seemed so quiet. the watch
began 10 relax lie had told of being
forced TO join the gang, and that he
had never broken the law before. and
he carried off The role OF innocent and
penitent so well that the old man
said to his daughter.
| Say. believe they are doing that
young man great wrong | cant be.
lieve he was into that scrape of his
own free will
'lIe don't lock to me like a guilty
man. replied Annie. looking as wise
as a girl that had seen dozens OF
guilty men in her day
Il kinder hope he'll get clear when
his trial comes of
II WAS for the taller TO feed his pris-
| oner three times "A day. and at all
times 10 see that he was secure II
came 10 he left to the daughter II
was without the sherif'S KNOWLEDGE
and ii filed the heart OF the prisoner
with hope He had been hero III The
girls eyes from The FIRST. and then her
father had spoken of him as a martyr
The young ycegman laid himself out
TO capture her
Heroism-iniured innocence-in'us-
tice- no friends even tears She
was his champion within a week. and
ouarreled with her farmer lover about 1