The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-18
Worries Over Elk Prisoner.

osilhe me- VIII SheF 4 o thtnk ia
IKE her to know her father was the
Prison Demon
When Darby handed him the pardon
and the IS his hands shook. II don't
know how to thank you, warden"
70 don't have to! God knows
Ira took his two little caharles with
him, TN give them to the girl for a
present, | want to see her. ! have to
see, her" He shook hands with Darby
and me,
A week passed. We heard no word
from him.. The warden became alarmed,
Il wonder II anything could have hap
pened to the old mang" Maralatt was
but 46. His terrible sufferings during
magnificent strength. He seemed about
80. y wonder II he went to see his
daughter? Funny | didn't hear"
Asks Why She Wasn't Told.
1t worried Darby so huch he in.
CURED, He sent for the girls foster
mother. He told her of Ira and the ca
naries. Back came the frantic answer
from the daughter herself. In an hour
she was at the warden's office,
An old man with canaries? Yes, an
old man had come with them. She had
the birds now, What about II? That
man my father!"
why didn't someone tell me? How
dare they keep 1t from meP That's
what he meant when he left. That's
why he called me little Dora. oh, what
shall we do now"
In broken sentences she told Of the
mysterious visit of the old bird peddler.
Ira had gone up the steps of the pala-
tial home where the girl lived. He had
brought the little cage with the birds.
Perhaps he had intended to tell Mary
he was her father. The sight OF her
beauty, her culture, her happiness had
chilled his ardor. The grand old fell
low could not bear to spoil her glad
youth with the tragedy OF his bleak life.
He had left with his claim u%nspoken.
Bought Out of Sympathy.
The girl was coming down the stairs
IS the old man a the bell. Tho
butler had denied him entrance, And
the glrl a run forward and ordered
The old man to come In.
Il thought. Mas, perhaps You would
buy these birds. I'm very poor and
they are wonderful singers
And just out of sympathy for the
pathetic old stranger, the girl had
bought the canaries. He would my
take a half dollar from her. She had
not understood. He had looked al her
and the tears had streamed down his
cheeks.e
Goodbye little Dora he said as he
left, He stood at the door az though
he were about to say something further
and then he looked at her with q queer,
sad light on his face and went down
the steps.
They thought he was a harmless, un-
balanced old oddly.
Where can / find him? Where shall
! look for himl Why didn't someone
tell me-" the girl was torn with grief.
Hurry, let us look now"
Outside 1t was showing. There had
been n wind storm for n week. Mara
latt's daughter and the warden searched
In every street and alley for the old
man, He was nowhere to be found.
Maralatt Returns.
One night there was q knock at the
guard room door and a faint voice
called out, LET me come in, please"
door. Ira Maraiatt, his Thin prison suit
drenched and hanging In a limp rag
about him, was kneeling In the snow at
the prison door.
Let me in, please, I have nowhere
to 60" .
ed, closing the door in Maralatt's face.
Let the old man in, it's freezing
outside" another gaurd protested.
II can't. It's against the law" the
captain answered.
well, he'll die out there" They
kept 1t up for an hour. | passed and
overheard them.
who was it," I asked.
"Maralatt," they answered,
Let him in, let him in" ! yelled.
and ran headlong to the office. Darby
come rushing to the gate and ordered II
opened. Maralatt was not there. you
damn fools, Darby swore at them,
Don't you know we've been looking for
him for weeks?"
Finds Him Stricken by Death.
Beyond the walls, flinging himself
along, the warden went on the search.
He came back fifteen minutes later,
the half frozen Maralatt limping along
at his side. He found him down in
the snow e the river. Ira was burn
ing up with fever. His face was al
ready stricken with death.
Everywhere he went asking for work
he said, they had refused him. They
said he was too old.
The warden sent for Maralatt's
daughter.
an angel, ran crying into the room and
flung herself into the 'old mans arms.
Don't die. daddy! Why didn't you
tell me? See, I'm your girl, Mary,
just look at mel Oh, why didn't |
know? II you only knew how many
times ! longed for a father--any one,
any kind; Why didn't o tell me?
ish gladness. lie took the delicate
hands in his gigantic palm and turned
to her.
Il looked all over for you, Dora"
he said: I'm so glad you came
With a smile Of wondrous peace on
his lips. the prison demon sank back
on the pillows. The old hero hod won
his palm at last,
CHAPTER XXXvI.
The shadows of a thousand Dick
Prices and Ira Maralatts sl:ulked like
unhappy ghostn through the cell corri-
doris Of the Ohio penitentiary. The
ed to abide in the very air OF the
ranges. Men who allowed themselves
to come under the persistent gloom OF
these haunting presences went mad.
The rest OF us sought an outlet In
gayetq-Tin a hundred trivial little incl
dents that would bring o laugh out OF
all proportion to their funniness. In
self-defense, the convict becomes hard
| ened to the brutal suffering Of the life
about him.
II any one had heard Billy Raider,
Bill Porter and !, as we talked and guf-
fawed In the prison p~ostofffce, he would
have rated Us an ~unthinkable trio OF ir-
responsible scnmps.
We never aired orr melancholy, but
we would wrangle and Jest by the hour
ever the probable course a fly batting
| itself against the p~ostoffice window
might take II We let II out-over the
origin of the black race and the finish
If the Caucasian family.
7 or we would imagine that the prison
waa suddenIv crashed to piecps In an
| earthquake, and we would begin to
speculate on the menace Of our pres
! ence to q terrcr-stricken society No