Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-05-13
prisoners"
By CLARKE
(0. 1921. Western Newspaper Union.)

uASler peereu through the aperture III
the thick oaken door which served
also as a window. The room was a
tiny MI deep down in the bow of the
liner, and almost completely dark.
"Can you tell me where the ships
prison isl" she asked and, seeing the
expression of surprise upon the face
Of the man within, she added hastily:
"The captain told us that there's a
poor man in there who is being taken
back to America to be tried. And /
thought that as tomorrow is New
Years day he might like-Oh, l beg
your pardon"
There was no mistaking her cor
fusion. AS her eyes became accus-
toned to obscurity she could see that
the mans leg was fastened by a long
chain to a huge ball of iron.
II I'm the prisoner" he answered
quietly. And l thank you with all my
heart for the-money."
81 am so sorry" she answered, rec
ognizing hat the voice was that Of
a gentleman. Even the thanks had
been at once an acknowledgment and
a refusal. She slipped the purse back
into her bag again. Forgive me-"
she said in humiliation.
"On one condition." he answered.
'That you come again to say good-by
and wish me good fortune when the
ship docks. Sympathy of any kind is
so entirely foreign to my experience
that-well, somehow 1 like it."
YES, 1 will come" she answered
gently.
That night the girl cried herself to
sleep in her magnificent stateroom.
II wonder whether his prison is worse
than minel !" she sighed.
Nearly four hours later the Pata-
gonia collided with a French liner in
a dense fog. She was struck fairly
amidships and crumpled into a help
less wreck. The other vessel stood
by and, ten minutes later, the passen-
gers and crew were transferred aboard
her.
Down in the little prison under the
bow a man waited, forgotten by all
save one-a girl who had run to him,
still half asleep, her fellow prisoner
in the flesh, as she in the spirit.
Cant you climb through the win
dow?" she pleaded.
won't you go back and leave me?"
the prisoner answered.
"No," she replied. "They have
saved themselves and forgotten you,
the towards! l shall not go unless
you come with me-"
"Then," answered the prisoner, "you
will find an ak hanging beside the gal
ley door"
She found it and passed it to him
through the little window. She heard
the hammer of steel on iron. Present
ly he had hacked loose the chain, with
its shameful ball, and began hammer
ing upon the timbers. In a few min
utes the stout door swung off its
hinges. They ran up on the deck to-
gether, along slanting passages and
fitting stairs.
The ship was deserted. They looked
at each other and read their fate in
each others eyes.
"Why did you do this for me?"
asked the man.
Because 1, too, am a prisoner" she
answered. }iuBf
"You don't look like a prisoner" he
returned grimly. 7s1
81 will tell you then. I was going
back to America to be married to a
man l hate. 1t does not matter how
1 came to be pledged to him. If l had
broken my trOth friends would have
been ruined-friends to whom l owe
everything. 1t was my task to sacri.
flee myself. Do you want to know
more?"
He shook his head.
"Not ever my nameT
"No. But you know nothing Of me,
I. too. was returning to America, to
years of captivity for a crime COM
mitted. And I was guilty. You ought
to know the worst Of me because l dc
not want to die while you believe II
me-"
81 wish to know nothing" she an.
swered.
"If 1 had known you before, might
have played a different part" he said
The night wore IN only the gradual
fitting of the deck told them that the
end was inevitable.
Her hand stole into his and his fin
gers clasped it. A fierce longing tc
live surged into his soul. In that i'm
minent danger their hearts were re
vealed, each to each.
1.-THE ship may last till dawn" he
said. "If we are saved, will you conn
with me to some far off country and lei
us redeem our lives together?"
He felt her answering clasp and
turning toward her, he took her in his
arms and kissed her.
The east grew light. Night was
gone, and their love had dawned as
perfect as that day.
Out of the horizon a small tramp
h~.-