The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-30
-FOUR YEARS TO SERVE
BY JOHN p. ROE.

weeks revolt had been brewing. an,
strangely enough. this time the guard
had no inkling of it. The secret ba
been we'll kept.
NO. TIA was in for 20 years, and h
mad served 16. At any time now h
might be paroled by the pardon
board. But the spirit for freedom
was strong in him. He had long sine
ceased to reason, to be much NOR
tnan q dumb brute. He knew tn,
odds were fearfully against him. Blu
outside the sun was shining. ant
! the birds were building. A mad hun
ger for freedom assailed him.
Only one man in the foundry wa.
ignorant of what was TRANSFERRING
That was little 1887, a boy of twenty
serving life sentence for the muir
der OF the man who had insulted his
sweetheart. He had been there onl,
SIX months. No. ia could read him
IKE book. He knew the sudden out.
breaks of frenzy, the hopelessness, the
longing to see the girl, the certainty
that she would forget him as life in.
creased and memories grew fainter
Poor little 1897!
The signal was to be the opening
OF the outer gates to admit the pass
age of the TRUSTEES. with their carts
OF Stag. No. TIA listened intently.
Creak! Creak! Creak!
simultaneous yell. The men ran
toward the doors. brandishing their
red'hot bars of steel The warders
shrank away in terror. They were
hopelessly overpowered. No. TIA was
oeing carried along in the press. At
MS side, caught also in the crowd of
men, he saw the boy.
He moved like a man in a dream.
He heard whistles blowing. he heard a
revolver spit spitefully and saw a man
near him pitch up his arms and tum-
BILE forward
They were in the outer court The
gatekeeper, an old man with a white.
pointed beard, was trying to close the
gates. No. IA saw a crowbar descend
crashing upon his skull. The gate
keeper fell forward. The men were
IN the open and racing down the road.
NO. IA came to a realization of
what had happened, because, as the I
crowd separated, he was no longer
thrust forward among them. He
stopped. gasping. At his side was the |
boy His long paralyzed brain began |
to work.
Down here!' he gasped, indicating
dry ditch beside the road.
He looked back quickly. They were in
! little depression which hid them
rom the prison. or anyone on
guard there. There was nobody in
'ight. No. TIA dropped fat among
he tangle of briers, dragging the boy
With him.
We're hidden here" he said.
Iheyl never look for US so near.
IND they'll get those other fellows as
ure as gun"
slowly out of the distance came q
reight train. 1t rolled at slow pace
long the meadow banks. It would
ross the road that forked with that
sading to the prison, and that was
My a couple Of hundred PAGES away.
'hey could make it unobserved by
INNING along the gully. And there
'as ample time.
No. ia looked at the boy. He looked
Ike striped caterpillar in his hide
Us convict garb. He himself. az a
rst-class prisoner, wore the working :
arb of any laborer. .
Strip. kid" he said.
The boy began suddenly to tear of /
le stripes. In a few minutes the
'ansfer had been effected.
You'll make the town by night,
ILL.,. said ia. They won't catch
'u If you jump off before you reach
le yards"
but you?" stammered the boy.
-Four years MORE" answered TIA,
lslly. Il could do that bit on my
lad, Hurry, kid"
No. ia watched him as he ran,
saw the train approach, slowing
1t went up the incline, saw the boy
ramble under a car. He held his
cath Involuntary. But nobody had
messed that sudden flash out of the
Ivy into the daylight. The train
ent on.
NO. IA sat still in the gully He
ltched the mounted men ride back
epherding their captives AS they
me toward him TIA stepped into
road. A mounted man dashed at
n. II
An. pat up your WHIP said TIA,
ran because l was scared, I've
en- waiting for you"
lie took his place in the detected
'wd A few minutes later they
'sed through the outer gates, where
old man with his head in a ban.
ye cursed them volubly.
70. TIA felt his heart lean in mis-
asst 1t was not murder, then! And
only offense was against the prison
es. They could take away his four
rs OF copper" but they could give
no more. You cannot imprison a
n for breaking the prison rules by l.
nging clothes, unless you can
ve-but what could be proved?
The boy knocked me down and
EN- Off me" muttered No. TIA.
lie was back in his cell. Outside
birds were pouring out their eve. ue.
3 song. He listened and looked at so'
calendar upon the wall. 'on
-Four years." he muttered, and then
thought of the boy.
III do 1t on my head" he said.
winked, because his eyes were II
of tears. ina