The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-06
MY
PRISONER
By JAMES BRAlNARD


coming from the penitentiary on the
other bank and half mile upstream. |
Whoever was in it was pulling as for |
dear life. AS soon as he came near |
enough to me l recognized the stripes !
Of convict
l stood under overhanging trees, and
he could not see me. He ran his boat |
ashore just below where l was and
without stopping to make fast jumped :
out and climbed the bank. There he
saw a woman within few feet Of him.
shall never forget the agonized look
on his face. and ON seeing me II
changed to despair
For Gods sake. help me" he cried.
II have just escaped from over there.
and they'll be after me right away.
was put in for crime l never commit
| ted. Either kill me or give me a chance.
| If you tell them which way l go from
here they will overtake me and take
me back to what Is worse than hell to
one reared as | was
looked up into the dense foliage of
| a tree above where we stood. He took
the hint and, giving jump, caught a
! lower limb. pulled himself up and dis
appeared among the topmost branches.
Meanwhile his boat had foated down
| with the current. | saw another boat
| shoot out from the penitentiary. 1t
came daShing along, scattering spray
with its oars and making directly
for the spot where | was. Some one
| b. ;o%
have marked the location. The boats
occupants jumped ashore directly
where l stood
Now, was not quite up to telling a
deliberate lie. but was willing to look
one, especially for poor fellow fleeing
from prison. Before the men had
climbed the bank had turned and was
looking southward as if intensely in
terested in something. When they ap-
peared behind me turned toward
them. They asked me which way
man in stripes had gone. l did not
reply But | had indicated the route
he had taken 10y dumb show, and they
set off in that direction.
Soon after they had gone the man in
the tree called to me to ask II they
were out of sight When told him
that they were he came down and,
taking my hand, cOvered>it with kisses.
He was too much moved to say word.
go back" l said, land keep In hid
ing. will get you some clothing
He went back into the tree and
went home. caught up some OF my
| "a a. hoo nd honL yrfth IA
/ them. The prisoner descended and
took them in among some bushes, put
them on and, rolling his striped suit
about Il stone, threw it into the river.
Then, selling my hand. he looked a
world Of gratitude. then went of in a
direction opposite the one his pursuers
had taken
About year after this, while looking
over a newspaper, | saw mention of
the arrest OF an employee OF a bank
for embezzlement Of the banks funds.
The item went on to say that the same
bank had suffered In the same way a
: few years before. An employee had
: been convicted of the crime and had
been sent to the penitentiary, but had
escaped and had not been found. The
person now arrested had confessed to
having committed both crimes.
certainly had not forgotten the
young man in whose escape l had as
3 sisted. Indeed. | had thought grea;
/. deal about him.
One afternoon | was sitting on Tho
porch reading when a motorcar was
driven up to the door and vel
dressed young man alighted and came
up on to the porch. | recognized him
: at once as my escaped prisoner. I,
: my surprise, he did not appear to recog
nize me- He looked at me as though
trying to discover if he had seen mt
before.
"Whom do you wish to see" asked
him.
: "A young lady who assisted pris
oner to escape from the penitentiary.
| 1T does not seem that she made
much of an impression on you"
| THAT was because / was so ABSORBED
in my flight. All my faculties wer'
riveted on making good my escape
| II can understand that. Well, l an
that girl you are looking for
His manner changed at once. III
!, looked at me as though to use para
doxical expression, he was oblivious t
me. He was trying to remember tn
girl to whom he owed so much.
II have learned that you have bee
| vindicated," l said.
"Yes, thank God"
II confess | was much pleased wheI
saw an account of it In newspaper.
my main object in life now is I
show my appreciation, my gratitude
you for keeping me from being sen
back to prison. l owe you more tina
my life
Il did not tell a lie for you"
you acted what made me a FIRE
man."
He took seat near me and told m
| his story Ii was q lengthy one an