Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-02
The Daily Story
AN IDEALiPERsoNAeE-B SAMUEL BRANT.
Copyrighted. Associated Literary
Copyrighted. 1918. by AssOciatel Liter

prevent my looking about for loop
hole.
The Jail was an old stone smoke
house, With q door made of iron bars. =
1t was getting dusk when 1 saw a girl
somewhere between fifteen and seven
teen years CID come out of the back
door of the jailer's house and take up
an arnful OF firewood. called to her.
She dropped the wood and came to the
door of the Jail.
"What dye want?" she asked.
Have you any feeling?" l asked.
Instead Of replying she stood looking
at me-. silent. and l went on. / told.
her my story as have told it here and
asked her If she could and would find
way TO aid me to escape. assuring
her that If she did not / would he sure
ly hanged by mistake I saw sympathy
yelling up in her eyes and had hope.
Il can't. Pops gone to get the COM
mittee. and nav she's gone over TO
Aunt Sarah's. Pop he's got the key
O. this door with him"
How long will they be gomez"
"Maw she told me to git supper and
have it ready at s o'clock. Reckon she
and pop'll be home by then"
"Is there any one else in the housed"
mo"
There was a good hour In which 10
act. / asked the girl if there was
crowbar in the house. She didn't re-
member any such implement, but she
thought one Of the bars intended for
the door of the Jail was in the wood
house. l asked her to get it for me.
She started to do so. and It occurred to
me that she would suffer by aiding me.
and 1 called her back to ask her what
they would do with her If they knew
she had helped me to escape. She said
she didn't know, but she wasn't afraid
of her pop. though everybody else was,
He wouldn't hurt her. Then she went
on and brought me the bar
l worked half an hour with 1t, pry-
ing and bending the bars of the gate
near the lock, and at last succeeded in
looseniug the bolt from the catch.
There was also chain as an auxiliary.
but with n thick bar six feet long ]
got a big leverage on it and broke it.
Then l was free. The next question
was what should do TO get away from
the locality. OF course l would be
followed.
"Got any horses here?" I asked the
girl.
YES"
"a horse won't do. would have to
keep on open ground, where would be
seen and his hoofs would leave tracks. "
There's a boat You might drop
down the creek. Pop keeps a blood
hound in the barn to track folks with:
he can't git the scent if you go by wa
ter"
"The very thing. No; that won't do
| either The boat would be missed.
But I'll take to the creek. How can l
get out of here and do it without leav-
! ing tracks or scentT
81 kin carry you" i
! l looked ut her. She was of good
| size and seemed strong. IF you can
you will probably save my life." said.
She turned her back to me. 1 put
my arms around her neck, lifted my
feet from the ground, and, taking hold
of my legs, she staggered with me to
the creek, a distance of several hun
dred feet. There she set me down In
the water. <y4
"Goodby" 1 said.
"Goodbyw F
drew her to me and kissed her.
How would you like to go east to a
school and grow up LADY," / asked
her.
Her face lighted up. "Can go now
with you?"
mo, but II get out of this alive
and the mistake is recti6ed will write
your father a proposition to do some
thing for you to reward you for wha
you have done for me-"
held her hand and felt It turn IL
mine, indicating the emotion she felt
but did not put in words. 1 was some
time in releasing it, then waded dowI
the creek, turning before coming to {
bend to look back and throw her {
kiss. Her eyes were fixed on m,
when disappeared.
learned afterward that the jaile
was completely baffled at the direction
] had taken, since there was no indi
cation OF 1t whatever. / got back t.
where I was known, and my recen
jailer was notified that he had bel,
the wrong person. Jimmy the Kid,
as the real desperate was called, VIZ
never captured. but he was shot whel
not suspecting an enemy was near.
My brief experience in the west wit
my previously admired desperate sery
ed to satisfy me, and I left by tn
first train for the east The girl VIII
/ am almost sure saved me from
hasty execution is now at school 4
New England She has been there tw
years. and you should see the chang
in her from the wild thing she wa
when she brought me the bar tina
pried me out of jail to what she Is t.
day. My friends twit me. saying tina
] am educating a girl to make m
wife, but don't care for their innueI
does, for l am paying her for my yer
existence. ! olly wish there was NOR
that | could do in the same direction
for the price seems Infinitely small.
Aug. 2 in American
q