Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-06-30

At last she turned away and suf-
fered herself to be taken back to the
little cottage out In the country. 4
month before she had been sprightly
old lady, quick of step. delighted with
every household task. and always find
ing her reward In the pride that
mother takes In good son. But In
the city she had found the waters of
Marah and the city's system had forced
her down, down, down to drink OF
them.
Her little, old limbs became heavy.
her tiny face whittier than the untouch-
ed scroll of Judgment before sin and
sorrow had ever come under heaven,
and her heart-her good, gentle. tender.
compassionate heart-was turned to
lead
A week after her departure her son
was taken from his cell i'm the Tombs
and over the Bridge of Signs to the
criminal courts building to be sen
fenced.
The boy stood up when the clerk
bade him. He heard the question ask
ed whether there was any reason why
the penalty of the law should not be
exacted from him. He could think of
nothing to say save, II am innocent"
| The formula of sentence was mum
bled by the judge and an officer took
| him by the arm and led him away.
AS they reached the bridge over
Franklin street, connecting the Tombs
and court building, and the sunlight
: from the square windows struck upon
| them for moment, Montgomery ask
! ed his keeper:
How many years did he say?
could not hear him."
The officer looked at him uneasily and
hesitated
Life Imprisonment"
Montgomery staggered and the Off
Ger released his grip and caught him
under the arms, thinking that he would
faint.
There was sob, hard and bitter,
and then the young man cried as a
| child would cry when an ugly temper
ed servant took from the nursery floor
its toys newly given.
! The sentence of the court had swept
from him the toys of young manhood
and had cast them as grass into the
furnace. He would never hear the
sound of a woman's voice, nor the
sound of laughter by man or child. He
would never again see the magic line
where sky and sea or woodlands meet
Even the seasons of the year were
taken from him. The beauties of ma
ture familiar to the eyes of whole
some country boy, the spread of smiling
fields, tasseled corn waving in the
wind, bending roads, glimpses of the
sunlit river through foliage, quiet lit
tie gardens in front of quiet little
houses, were all taken from him as if
the tail of comet loaded with cyano-
gen had swept the earth and had wiped
out all the loveliness that God had
fashioned for his children.
AS the sentenced prisoners were be-
ing taken from the Tombs for the jour
neys to the states various prisons De-
tective Lieutenant Michael Kearney
sat in the Office of his inspector and
received the congratulations for his ex-
cellent work in the Montgomery case.
Inspector Ranscombe looked over his
list of assignments for the day and
found nothing worth the time and skill
of his favorite man hunter.
you have a day off, Mike" he told
the detective.
Kearney rose, saluted and left head
quarters. A man absolutely unappre-
ciative of the ordinary pleasures Of
life, he found himself at loss what
to do. There was only one thing worth
while on a day off-his little fiat. in
Oliver street. He made his way home.
He rang the bell in the vestbule. The
lock clicked and he entered.
Kearney mounted the stairs and
opened his mothers kitchen door with
out knocking.
"Well, Mike" exclaimed Mrs. Kear-
ney in surprise, what brings you
home at this time of day?'
II gotta day off" he told her. "Ye're
scrubbing the kitchen fiure again.
When'll you be dOne|
Pretty soon, Mike. You go in the
parlor and make yourself comfortable,
and I'll bring the beer and your pipe"
} He did as she bade him. and she fol-
lowed, clearing off center table and
) placing his beer, pipe and tobacco on it
He tried several chairs. They were
} all stifiiy tufted-bought for "compa-
n.y." He could adjust himself to none
) of them comfortably. He returned to
the kitchen.
"Could ye spread down some bagging
, SO I can stay I'M hereT he asked.
Sure, lad" she replied from her
knees I'm finished now"
She made him comfortable in his old
chair by the window. He was engag-
ed in balancing himself at his favorite
angle when he noticed something black
on the end of the kitchen table.
whats that, old ladyf" he asked
} curiously.
The mothers face paled
J He reached over and picked it up.
1t was a filmy and torn veil. Beneath
, 1t was little black fan.
"She forgot them-Mrs. Montgom-
J ery," explained the mother, taking the
two articles from the hand of her son.
"The poor little woman. the poor little
womanr'
She hurried with them to her bed