Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-02-23
The Fugitive"
From Justice
By CALVIN NDRIC
1921. Western Newspaper Union.

AatS LII may Va anu WV YIN ~
you"
The speaker was one of a group of
a dozen husky miners, rough, red
shirted, lacking all the fOrmality of
the average committee" but repre-
senting not only the Drawn but the
brains and enterprise of Lucky Gulch.
Ransome Jordan's eye glowed for a
moment, he threw back his head in his
characteristic bluff and Independent
way.
Boys" he said, and his full, clear
voice was broken from some intense
emotion. 81 thank you, butt cannot
accept"
That was the way that Ransome
Jordan turned down what his friends
called the chance of his life.
"Ransome, dear, why?" were the
words that greeted him as the wife
who had overheard all met him at the
doorway, and that was the hardest
part of it all.
Don't ask Nance! |" he pleaded.
"See here, it is you who made me what
1 am. The boys have helped, 1 don't
know why"
"Who could help It'll" gently muir
INJURED Nance, stroking his great
brown hand caressingly.
"Now they want me to be mayor.
A man of clear record, who will make
the district proud of him, deserves the
Office"
rs there a better n than you'll"
cried Nance, her eyes sparkling with
pride. as there a man who has. made
Lucky Gulch clean and respectable as
you have done? What is it, Ransome
what is troubling your
ut is-no, I can't tell even your de-
clared Jordan. "At least not now
not yet. Nance, do you trust me?"
"To the death-and after! !"
eff 1 go away-away toto pay a
debt, to clear the books, to take my
medicine Ikea man so that when 1
come back and can look every man
in the face and say honestly 1 owe
the world nothing, what will you say?"
"Ransome," she said ~resolutely,
show soon shall 1 help you pack up
for your Journey"
And thus began the pilgrimage of
Ransome Jordan. One evening the
train to Easton, a little New England
town, halted to let off the pilgrim.
Several times he passed under the
red lamp of a police station. Finally
he entered the place, asked for the Of
1cer in charge, and was shown into
the captains private office.
81 am from the West" stated Jor-
dan without ceremony. 81 have come
to give myself up as a fugitive from
justice. My name is Ransome Jordan.
Did you ever hear it before?"
A strange smile crossed the face of
the official.
"Why, yes" he began, but Jordan
went on with his story.
"One night in a drunken brawl a
friend Of mine named Prescott in
suited and attacked me. l resented
him with a knife thrust. 1 heard later
that he died. 1t was self-defense, but
1 have come back to clean the slate,
whatever the law may say"
II have heard Of you'll" cried the Of
fetal, arising and wringing the hand
Of Jordan with strange fervor. Come
this way"
He pointed at a large oil portrait.
civilian Prescott still lives. He Us
judge of this court, and after that
night you refer to became a reformed
man."
"Thank heaven !" murmured Jordan
In a great aspiration of joy and re-
lief.
"Do you recall nothing further of
that night?" asked the official, a queer
expression on his lips.
Little but flight, despair. I recall
a fire, and plunging into it's exciting
whirl, hoping fate would blot me out"
"Again-come with me-" invited the
official.
He led the way to the street and to
the outskirts Of the town where a
large building stood.
"The fire you speak Of" he said,
destroyed the old structure of the
Dorothea Sisterhood. That night a
brave man by means Of a plank span
ming two roofs saved every soul In
the building from death. You never
heard of 1t? Strange! See," and Jor-
dams guide pointed to a neat column
surrounded by an iron fence, and bear
ing a broad metal plate plainly visible
in the white moonlight.
IT will read the inscription" said the
official. In grateful memory Of Ran
some Jordan, Hero, who lost his life
after saving fourteen imperiled WON
en-. He was a true man !"
"And that was me?" gasped the pet
rifed Jordan.
'That was you" responded the Off
cial, reverently lifting his cap. HELD
In loving memory, because you disap-
peared amid the flames and it was sup
posed you had persisted"
SO the pilgrimage ended, but its
echoes, o made public, reached
Lucky Gulch ahead of Jordan's return.