The Huttig news., 1915-12-18
FOUR YEARS TO SERVE
By JOHN p. ROE.

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 No. TIA had caught meaning glances from the convicts as they filed into the foundry. He knew their meaning; for weeks revolt had been 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 fearfully 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 1237, boy of twenty, serving a life sentence for the mur- der of the man who had insulted his sweetheart. He had been there only six months. No. 774 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 1237l
 The signal was to be the opening of the outer gates to admit the pass age of the trusties, with their carts of slag. No. 774 listened intently. Creak Creaki Creak!
 A 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 being carried along in the press. At his 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 revolver spit spitefully and saw man near him pitch up his arms and tum- ble forward.
 They were in the outer court. The | gatekeeper, an old man with a 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 a 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 here!' he gasped. indicating a dry ditch beside the road.
 He looked back quickly They were in a little depression which hid them | from the prison. or anyone on guard there. There was nobody in sight. No. TIA dropped flat among the tangle 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. It rolled at a slow pace along the meadow banks. It would cross the road that forked with that | leading to the prison, and that was only couple of hundred paces away They could make it unobserved by running along the gully. And there was ample time.
 No. 774 looked at the boy He looked like striped caterpillar in his hide. ous 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 if you jump off before you reach the yards"
 But you?' stammered the boy
 -Four years more." answered 774. easily. q could do that bit on my head. Hurry, kid!"
 No. TIA watched him as he ran He saw the train approach, slowing as 1t went up the incline, saw the boy scramble under car. He held his breath involuntarily. But nobody had witnessed that sudden flash out of the gully into the daylight. The train went on.