THE CONVICT’S PRAYER.
As the superintendent entered the office on his return he said to
Pearson: “I am back. I have been looking up some of your history in the
past.”
“I do not understand you, officer.”
“You will, however.”
“Why are you looking up my reputation?”
“I have every cause to do so. I see that you have the same name as the
convict, or he has the same name as you have. Of course that is nothing
unusual, for two men often have the same family name, and even Christian
name; but you are favoring this prisoner in many ways, which looks
suspicious. I have never noticed that you favored other prisoners, and I
do not believe that you would do so without some secret reason, in this
case.”
“I have only tried to treat him humanely.”
“I see the humane part of it, Pearson.”
“I think I will walk around and see how the fellow is looking after he
has spent this five-thousand-dollar bribe and got the poor convict to
deny his own name. I wonder what he will take for a name if he denies the
one he has got. For the love of Mike, I hope it won’t be Pat! Indade, I
don’t want to have a name like annyone of the prisoners in here, and,
thank God! the place has no Pats. An Irishman is too slick to come here
against his own free will.”
Pat was approaching the office.
“Well, officer, you back?”
“I am back, Pat.
“You may go, Pearson. I will send for you when I need you.”
“And if you knew all I know, you would need him now, before he went.”
“Well, Pat, have you done anything with Prisoner 78?”
“I? No, sirree; he is a ‘fellow’—a pet around here, he is.”
“What do you mean, Pat—a ‘fellow,’ ‘pet’?”
“Well, your honor, I never was a tell-tale, and I don’t want to begin
now.”
“Do you know anything, Pat, that I should know?”
“I think if you knew all I do, you would have another prisoner in here to
feed.”
“I have always trusted you, Pat. Can not you now trust me?”
“Sure I can trust you, but what about the other fellow. Can I trust him?”
“I will take care of that part of it if you will tell me what you know,
Pat.”
“I am going to think it over myself a while. I don’t like to report too
many times, for fear I don’t get it the same each time.”
“You may not have to repeat, Pat.”
“I hope not, for I feel sorry for the poor man, to think he has no
feeling.”
“You would just as well tell all you know. I am investigating, as it is,
and I think along those lines, and ‘murder will out,’ you know.”
“And some things will out themselves, as well as murder.”
“Pat, in justice to yourself, you will have to tell me what you know.
Here comes Pearson. I will hear what you have to say later. You may go.”
“I am going to remain on guard to-night, officer, and I shall not be in
the office. I speak of this so that you will not keep late hours for me.”
“Very well, Pearson.”
“I wonder what he is up to now,” thought the superintendent. “I must
be on guard myself to-night, and I must remain where I can watch cell
No. 78. It is now ten-thirty o’clock—a good hour to lock up the office.
I’ll walk quietly to cell 77—it is empty to-night—and I may know more in
the morning than I do to-night. Here comes Pat. I will tell him to keep
watch on the office to-night, for emergency calls. He can hear the bells
ringing, and if—well, by George! I’d rather Pat would not know where I
am. I’ll have to take the chances of the bells ringing. I may hear them
if they do. It is not a great distance to the office.”
“Your honor, I’m thinking of going to my bed. I am top-heavy, and would
like to lay me down for a while. I think it would do me good. Too much to
carry around, and too good to let it get away.”
“All right, Pat; you may go.”
To himself: “Now I shall learn something for myself. I’d better disguise
myself, for fear of meeting Pearson. I’ll put on this slouch hat. He
would not recognize me in that; a hat changes one’s looks sometimes so
that even close friends could not be recognized.
“Hark! I hear voices! I believe it is Pearson’s voice in cell 78. I must
be very quiet. Sure enough! Now I shall find out for myself.”
“I will try, Clarence, to favor you in having you placed in a position
where you can make your get-away, and I will give you money to go on.
Would you go if that opportunity presented itself?”
“Oliver, what do you mean? Are you trying to get me here for the rest of
my life? I would not be here at all if you would do for me what a brother
should do.”
“I am trying to help you, Clarence, and you won’t let me.”
“I don’t want your help, if I have to get it in that way. Why don’t you
do unto me as you would have me do to you?”
“I have a family and they are in society, and I am not so free to go as
you are, and if this comes out, I may have to remain here, but not by
choice.”
“Can’t you see the trouble I’m in?”
“I can see if you would get out of here and they could not find you, then
they would drop it all, and you would be a free man and so would I.”
“If I were to do as you want me to, where could I go and what could I do?
I have no money.”
“Did I not say that I would help you? You can leave the city and I will
send you money under an assumed name. I can take care of you.”
“You are looking out for yourself, I know, Oliver. If you had not stolen
all my part of the estate, you would not be here this hour of the
night, talking to me. You have no brotherly love for me, or you would
get me out and prove to the world that I am innocent, and take me to
your comfortable home as a long-lost brother. I would not disgrace your
society family. My mother was a good woman, and if I did fail to get the
education I should have received, I have a good, pure heart in me, and
am one that has always tried to do right and will do so as long as I
live. It is not always the one, Oliver, who had the advantages, who has
the best education, that is the purest. I am at fault for not having an
education, I know, for I ran away from home when I was a boy, but I have
never committed a crime, as you have done.”
“You are not looking at this as you should. I am going to say to you that
if you fail to do as you promised me you would—if you do not deny your
name—I will murder you.”
“Then you would murder me for wealth and society, would you, Oliver?”
“I would.”
“Then what would you do? You could not enjoy either.”
“I might say you were disobedient and that I had to kill you. You know
how much trouble you have caused since you were here, and it would be no
trouble for me to get out of it. So this is your warning. Now remember,
I am leaving you for the last time, to think this over, and I want your
answer to-day. It will soon be daylight. I must not be seen in your cell.
Think this over well.”
“And so my brother threatens to kill me if I do not commit a crime! And I
must think this over and let him know to-day! Well, I could let him know
now. I will not leave these prison walls without the proper orders, and
I am afraid to say as much to him,” said the prisoner aloud. “What shall
I do? To tell what he has done would mean a term for him in this very
prison, and not to tell means death to me. Oh! what shall I do? Pray?
Yes, pray that dear mother will come to me and help me; that she will
not allow her honored son to murder her dishonored son, as he threatened
to do. He said that mother mourned me as dead. Oh, if I had only died
before all this happened! I am going to pray for help from her now—not
for material help; I do not want any money or sympathy in poverty, I only
want help from Heaven to know what to do. I shall kneel on this cold,
hard floor and pray.
“Father above, I am not a murderer, as Thou knowest. I ask forgiveness
for the sins that I have committed, for we all sin, though often
unintentionally. O Father in Heaven, I ask that the spirit of my dear
mother may be allowed to return to earth and watch over me, that her
son Cain may not slay Abel. And, O dear Father, I am here for another’s
crime, as Thou, blessed Father, knowest. I pray that I may be helped—not
to be freed from here until it is proved to the world that I am innocent.
I feel my dear mother’s presence near me. Oh, how grateful I am! Now,
dear Father, give me help to show the one who has given me so short a
time to pray the right way. The time is near when I must decide between
life and death. Thou knowest best. I trust Thee to look after me in this
hour of need. And, O dear Father, help my brother, that he may know and
do the right. Forgive him, Father, and lead him. Go with each of us in
our humble way. May we ever feel Thy presence near us. May holy angels
hover around us and help and comfort us in this time of need. May we
feel their presence. I ask this from a heart filled with faith, hope, and
love. Amen.”
The trembling voice was silent. The heart of the superior officer went
out in sympathy to the poor, abused convict who had the strength to
resist temptation, and who could yet forgive his selfish, wicked brother.