The Washington times., 1920-08-22

At the sight new life was born
in Robert Baxenter's heart. This
poor flicker of daylight, this
glimpse that told of the green
earth, acted as nothing else could
on the spirits of the prisoner. Gone
was the fear Of darkness, OF the
silence; gone, too, the dread Of the
vermin.
This, he told himself, must be
Tuesday, and it passed at length.
Robert watched with regret while
the friendly grating faded into the
darkness. Apparently it faced the
west, for the rays of the late sun
shone almost horizontally into the
cellar and cut red devices on the
opposite wall.
Robert had purposely fought off
all inclination to sleep during the
hours Of light, and was rewarded
by falling into a dreamless sleep
shortly after night fell. 1t was still
dark, however, when he awOke, and,
as is often the case, his wits were
preternaturally sharpened in those
intense hours which precede the
dawn, for he thought he saw way
of escape.
Dartin had been clever indeed.
but Robert smiled as he thought
that there are none of us infallible
The man had moved the lantern
out of Roberts reach, thinking, no
doubt, that with the flame Of the
candle The prisoner could burn his
cords. But he had not taken into
account the carafe of water. What,
Robert asked himself, was to pre-
vent his breaking this, and, with a
piece of the glass between his
teeth, working at the cords which
bound his wrist
Impatiently he waited for day
break, and when at last his friend
the grating greeted him, he put his
plan into effect With the caution
for which the young solicitor was
noted, he drank off the remaining
drop of water so that 1t should not
be wasted; then, raising the carafe,
tapped it lightly on the stone floor.
BY this method he was able to
break it into fairly large pieces, and
to prevent them from scattering.
He put the largest between his
teeth and commenced operations.
1t was slow work, and difficult
to obtain a purchase strong enough
on the oddly shaped and brittle
glass; time and time again they
broke, but perseverance gained the
day. In a little while his hands
we're free and he could use the
glass upon the cords which bound
his legs. 1t was quicker work now,
and, by the time it was full day
Robert stood free to move about
He felt very weak, and he was
bleeding from some nasty cuts in
his lips, but his strength came
back to him with the hope that
was in his heart.
Escape, however, was not an &C.
complished fact. The door leading
out Of the. cellar was locked, and
the grating was barely large enough
to let a cat through. He stood upon
the chair which Dartin had
brought down for his own use and
was able to bring his eyes to the
level OF the bars.
There had again been rain in the
night, and the morning had broken
dull and cheerless and the leaden
sky seemed destitute of promise.
To his left he could make out the
lower bricks in a creeper-covered
wall, and before him a few tree
trunks, old and lichen patched. Re
tween them he could see kitchen
garden.
The garden was as deserted and
silent as the house evidently was,
and Robert commenced his attack
upon the door regardless of the
noise he made.
For over an hour he worked at
the lock, using as tool his pocket
knife, with which he whitfield away
the wood surrounding 1t until, strik.
ing on a hidden nail, the blade