The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-07-09
FOUR YEARS TO SERVE
BY JOHN P. ROE.

foundry. He knew their meaning; for
weeks revolt had tcel brewing, and,
strangely enough, this time the guards
had no inkling Of it. The secret had
been we'll kept.
No. TIA was In for 20 years. and he
had served 16. At any time now he
might be paroled by the pardons
board. But the spirit for freedom
was strong In him. He had long since
ceased to reason. to be much more
than dumb brute. He knew the
odds were fearfulIy against him. But
outside the sun was shining, and
the birds were building. A mad hun,
ger for freedom assailed him.
| Only one man in the foundry was
| ignorant OF what was transpiring.
That was little 1887, boy OF twenty,
serving life sentence for the muir
der of the man who had insulted his
sweetheart. He had been there only
six months. No. TIA could read him
like 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 1887!
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! Creah! Creak!
A simultaneous yell The men ran
toward the doors, brandishing their
red-hot bars of steel. The warders
shrank away in terror. They we're
hopelessly overpowered. No. TIA was
being carried along in the press. At
his side. caught also in the crowd of
men, he saw the boy.
He moved like man In a dream.
He heard whistles blowing. he heard a
revolver spit spitefully and saw man
near him pitch up his arms and ;um-
BILE forward
They were In the outer court. The
gatekeeper, an old man with white,
pointed beard. was trying to close the
gates. No. TIA 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. TIA came to realization OF
what had happened, because, as the
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 herep' he gasped, indicating
. dry ditch beside the road.
He looked back quickly. Theywere in
a little depression which hid them
from the prison. or anyone on
guard there. There was nobody in
sight. No. TIA dropped fiat among
the tangfe Of briers. dragging the boy
with him.
"We're hidden here" he said.
They'll never look for us SO near.
And they'll get those other fellows as
sure as a gun.
Sowly out of the distance came a
freight train. 1t rolled at a slow pace
along the meadow banks. 1t would
cross the road that forked with that
leading to the prison, and that was
only a couple of hundred PAGES away.
They could make it unobserved by
running along the gully. And there
was ample time.
No. TIA looked at the boy. He looked
like striped caterpillar in his hide
GUS convict garb. He himself. as a
first-class prisoner. wore the working
garb of any laborer.
Strip, kid" he said.
The boy began suddenly to tear OF
the stripes In few minutes the
transfer had been effected.
You'll make the town by night.
fall" said TIA. They won't catch
you II you jump of before you reach
the yards"
But your" stammered the boy.
-Four years MORE" answered TIA,
easily. 81 could do that bit on my
head. Hurry, kid"
No. 774 watched him as he ran.
He saw the train approach. slowing
as it went up the incline. saw the boy
scramble under car. He held his !
u VI ttdtit ihfpiuhtnihysr Dut uOuOuy Hdu
witnessed that sudden fash out OF the |
gully into the daylight. The train
went on.
No. 774 sat still in the gully. He
watched the mounted men ride back,
shepherding their captives. AS they |
came toward him TIA stepped into
the road. A mounted man dashed at
him.
"Ah. put up your whip" said TIA.
II ran because | was scared. I've |
been waiting for you.'
He took his place In the detected |
crowd A few minutes later they
passed through the outer gates, where |
an old man with his head in ban
dage cursed them volubly.
No TIA felt his heart leap In mis-
breast 1t was not murder. then! And |
his only offense was against the prison |
rules. They could take away his four
years of copper but they could give
him no more. You cannot imprison a
man for breaking the prison rules by
changing clothes. unless you can
prove-but what could be proved?
The boy knocked me down and |
&,af< 49,. ~, ,,,t,tt.wnl NJ.