Evening star., 1924-03-16

Crary% No. I said. Tn not They
didn't say anything to that I slept
all night. Next morning when 1 woke
said: You've got two hours yet. Try
to Sleep bit more But didn't
try One of the warders went out
and came back in a minute or two
with bundle. 1t was my clothes,
my dark gray suit. / was to be
hanged in my own clothes. I liked
that But they wouldn't let me put
on my collar and necktie. You see.
"How do you feel?' they asked me;
All rightr Yes I said. All right
Then they brought me my breakfast,
which I'd asked for, two poached
eggs, and the tea in a can. and the
mug. I ate it all. And cigarette.
is it raining?' said. No. they said.
but it has been I didn't feel as
If anything was real. I felt as il
it was a tale-fairy-tale, yes, fairy
/ had another hour yet. Then 1t was
the chaplain in his surplice came in
The warders went out Don't I re-
member the keys rafting.
When the chaplain had finished
the governor came in, and the chief
warder and the assistant executioner
and the doctor. Cell was full of
people. They gave me some brandy.
They were all very nice, and 1 told
em so. 1 didn't ask about Delphine
or anything. Then the assistant ex-
ecutioner fastened my arms. l be-
gan to feel queer. But that was
nothing to when the chaplain started
to say the burial service at me as
IL I was dead.
Another thing forgot to tell you.
There were two doors to my cell.
One of them had never been opened.
1t was opened now. We went out in
a procession and the chaplain went
on with the burial service, and there
was the execution shed or what
ever they call it, just outside!
And the undersheriff and one or
two others were waiting there, and
the executioner was waiting for me
on the scaffold-he had q red mus
tache, and I thought he looked ter
ribly i'll and queer. So I went up
on the scaffold-I tell you couldn't
believe it was true-and the exc
cutioner put a bag over my head
and 4 couldn't see, Of course. And
then there was a thud and I couldn't
make out what had happened.
heard the governors voice, very ex-
cited and nervous. He said: Never
must do it; you must do it, And the
assistant executioner said, No, sir.
Not after that I won't do it. Not IL 1t
. was fifteen hundred pounds instead
of fifteen. Not after that.
II only found out afterward what it
was had happened. The executioner
had had a fit. They took the bag of
my head again, and l went back to
the cell. And they were all as white
as a sheet, every one of them. My
sentence was commuted to penal serv-
itude for life. 1 needn't tell you
. there's no such thing really as a life
sentence. After about quarter OF a
century you're let out. A quarter OF
a century!
YOU, sir, must have been aged
about three when my executioner had
q fit. All the time you were growing
up, guverness, school, college, I suppose;
fighting. I suppose; falling in love,
1 suppose; I was in prison. thinking
about what mad jealousy leads to.
And I'm still thinking about 1t. and
after what I've seen and heard Of you
tonight I'm thinking about tt now
more than / have for years. I'm not
fifty" '
mot fifty" exclaimed Philip. in
amusement.
Not fftx. But I've lived through
whole centuries.
And / haven't told you all yet. ]
haven't told you the worst part At
the very, moment when my execu-
tionef had his fit my innocent Del
phine was executed in another prison.
yard in London. She hadn't been re-
prieved. They'd allowed me to deceive
myself, for, fear might go mad.
Some one actually proposed that the
other executioner who had dealt with
Delphine should come along and the
next morning deal with me. The
scheme fell through az they say. For
one thing the fellow refused. Execu-
t1ensss 40 voey supsnstitjouA
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