The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-01-31
AUNT BETTY'S
PRISONER
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1918. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

eody's surprise the place was gwen 10
Uncle Jerry Stills.
Uncle Jerry was fifty years old, and
his wife, whe was always called Aunt
Betty, was a couple of years younger.
They were nice old people. They We're
liberal with what they had and knew
about as much of the wickedness Of
the world as two children. The sheriff
had lived with them for four t five
years when he was homeless orphan
and he owed debt of gratitude which
he wanted to pay He knew their soft
spots, and when they were ready to
take possession of the stone jug he
said
Now, listen to mel This is Jail
and not an orphan asylum. No one
will be sent here who Is innocent or
deserves pity. All prisoners are here
because they deserve to be. Every last
one will lie and play the hypocrite and
must be carefully watched. There
must be no fooishness with them.
Uncle Jerry. you mustn't trust one of
them ms far as you can sling bull by
the tail.
And. Aunt Betty, you must harden
that kind heart of yours. know
you'd like to adopt every tramp in the
state and let him swing In hammock
and have ham and eggs every meal.
but It's different thing here"
The jail was without prisoner just
then At length a prisoner arrived to
be cared for by Uncle Jerry and Aunt
Betty. He had been tried for grand
larceny and given sentence OF six
months. He did not look more than
eighteen years old and had face as
Innocent as that Of child He had
tears in bis eyes when he arrived at
the jail.
What q shamew exclaimed Aunt
Betty after look at the prisoner.
He is rather young" replied Uncle
Jerry.
Aunt Betty sighed and said nothing
more She didn't know whether or not
she'd tell the boy she pitied him.
There was something she did do when
she passed in the next meal and she
couldn't help herself She looked sor-
rowful. and she asked the prisoner II
he had mother. He studied her face
for a moment and then answered that
he had
At Aunt Betty's next visit to the cell
she carried two extra dishes not pro-
a., - 4oa nd xI-hn
prisoner had thanked her he timidly
asked:
Good woman. dare / ask you to
write 10 my mother for meT
IF I write her she'll know you are
In jain. and that viii hurt her terri
bly,"
You must tell her, but you must tell
her that the whole world has been
against me- Nobody is willing to give
me show"
You poor boyr' she pityingly said.
They say ! stole watch from a
farmhouse, but l never, never did. A
tramp who came later took the watch"
And didn't they get him?"
mo. and because they didn't they
arrested me and sent me here. / was
poor boy, you see. and had no one TO
befriend me-"
What q shame What burning
shame! Why, the Judge and jury
ought to be here in your place"
Il want you to write to mother and
tell her SO. / don't want her TO think
I've become wicked boy"
Uncle Jerry had to go out on bush
ness one afternoon and was not ex- /
pected home until o o'clock In the |
evening. At Q o'clock Aunt Betty pre-
pared supper and invited the prisoner |
to sit at table with her. She reasoned 1
that 1t would uplift and make man
of him. He ate full meal, speaking /
words OF gratitude between mouth I
fuls. and then rose up and took her
by the throat and banged her head
against the wall and took the prison |
key off its nail and opened the door
TO liberty. 1t was cold weather, but
be went without hat or coat.
1t took Aunt Betty about ten min
utes to realize what had happened,
and then she ran to the street bare
to shout for help, how
ever At a venture she turned to the
right and ran for her life down the
street and out In the country. Half a
mile from the Jail she caught sight of
her poor innocent boy" So did he
II her. and he legged it like rabbit.
Over fences and across fields he led
her. but she was hound on the trail
md ran him down at last.
Then. as soon as she could get her
breath. Aunt Betty cuffed and wallop-
ID and spanked and pulled hair until
hat young man cried for mercy. On
he way back to jail he got a cuff
about once in every twenty feet, and
when he found himself once more iD
lis cell he was a thankful boy. indeed
lis everything all right?" asked
Uncle Jerry as he arrived home.
"Yes. all right" was the answer.
at found out about that boy today.
Hes a tough one. He has no mother
md has been in jail about ten times.
les a slick thief and the biggest liar
n the United States. l hope you
Won't let him bamboozle you with his
ak and his tears"
Jerry Stills, my name is Betty,
iain't it," asked the woman as she
rev herself up