OCR Text |
Show S enterit:s F.H.Su,eet Copyrlirht, 1922, Woatern Newspaper Union. HE Judge leaned forward a I little, his face, which had jjtCTy. been growing more severe ;Y jS, through tlie trial, now very M stern. "?f?Jr "Hnve you anything to say yll why I should not pronounce AS sentence the severest under un-der ihe law?" ho sliot out. The prisoner moistened his lips. "You and I went to school together, Judge," he reminded, weakly. The judge's face did not relax. He waited. "And we we " The man quailed under the eyes fixed upon him, and did not end the sentence. "You were about to say, loved the same girl," the judge finished. "You won her, and she died under your neglect and abuse. I think you started start-ed to say something without due thought. But we will let that pass, and the school. You are up for this crime now, and we will Judge you by it alone, unlnlluenced. Have you anything any-thing to say, beyond your lawyer's plea?" "No," sullenly. "You have defrauded women and children through the mail, changing Iff to ill "Have You Anything to Say?" your name and going from poslollice to postoffice. So It has been impossible to locate the victims. You could not do it yourself, I suppose." He took off his glasses, wiped them with his handkerchief, placed the handkerchief in his pocket and the glasses on his nose. Then he looked down again at the prisoner. But he was completely changed. The severity was gone from his face. There was a twinkle in his eyes. The Judicial Judi-cial voice was laid aside. There were those who criticized some of the judge's Judgments. They were not orthodox. or-thodox. They took no account of prec-edents. prec-edents. They Ignored Blackslone. "Jack," he said, "I believe I shall have to help you." "Wha what let me go, you mean, Tom?" stammered the prisoner, looking look-ing dazed. " "No, indeed," laughed the judge. "That wouldn't help you a bit, .Tack. I was Just thinking of the time at school, when you stole Billy Bob's marbles. Accused of It, you grew sullen sul-len and abusive, ready to fight the whole school. Then Billy Bobs remembered remem-bered It was near Christmas, and he told you it was all rlgh' about the marbles, as you would have won them from him anyway, and forced a whole handful more into your pocket and insisted on taking you over to his house for the Christmas dinner. Billy Bil-ly was a good sort. "Well, it is Christmas time now. Jack only throe days ahead. And I was Just thinking what a good chap you were for a whole year after the Billy Bobs episode till your father got angry and beat you up. "Pretty tough life you've had, Jack. I was thinking. Good-for-nothing father fa-ther and slattern mother and every kind of crooked teaching. Then you were a handsome boy, an exceedingly handsome young man, which Is the worst kind of handicap one can start out with. And then, to cap the whole thing, an uncle left you ?r00 of badly tainted money. That sort of fixed you into a rut, for it riveted your energies Into making more in the same way. Not many Billy Bobs have broken through the even tenor of your life, Jack." "What are you driving at, Tom?" growled the prisoner. "Are you acting like Billy Bobs, or just stringing me?" "Billy Bobs, but with a thought to the thirty years Intervening between Jack the boy and Jack the man. Let me see, you have gathered together, by devious ways, about $O.fM)0." "N-no, Tom, you're crazy !" ejaculated ejacu-lated the prisoner, in a startled voice. "I haven't a thing except maybe a thousand or two from this last Job." The judge looked at a slip of paper. "Fifty thousand, four hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars," he read, "and It's pretty close to the exact tig- ; ures, Jack. Maybe you've got some j small change in your pockets that was ; overlooked. And we know In just I what banks most of the money Is deposited de-posited and under what names, anil where the rest of it is hidden. We've had you under close surveillance for some time, Jack, and lucky for you, for it shows me how I can be of real service." "Huh ! I can guess how," snarled the prisoner. "The boodle is g"iug to be divided. What will be my share? I can't understand how you got track of it." "Now, the first thing Is to pronounce sentence," said the judge, rising slowly slow-ly and putting on his Judicial face. "After that we can talk." He stood, looking down at the prisoner pris-oner for some moments, and then said: "For the crimes of which you stand convicted, John Battey, I sentence you to twenty years In our state penitentiary." peni-tentiary." He paused, and the prisoner collapsed col-lapsed in a ludicrous heap, his eyes bulging. "Tw twenty years," he stuttered. "I T thought" "But. In view of certain things In my mind," Ihe Judge went on, calmly. "I will suspend this sentence indefinitely, indefi-nitely, Ihe length depending wholly on yourself. If you violate or fall to meet in any particular Ihe terms I am about tn prnpose, the sentence will immediately immedi-ately go into elYed. and there will be no later niitigalioii. Now, I pronounce, as a provisional sentence, that yon expend ex-pend $1,1X10 of the money In doing Christmas Work the coming week, commencing com-mencing tomorrow. There are hundreds hun-dreds of ways of doing this, but. as you are new to the business. 1 might suggest going through department and other stores and studying the Christmas Christ-mas shoppers. There will he many with anxious faces, counting the few dimes or dollars I hey have to spend. Get in touch with the clerks so that, by a nod or look, you can make them understand they are to cut prices In half, or put in extra goods, and you meet the difference. Let the children shuffling through the stores, with eager, hungry eyes, who appear to ; have no money, select something and i you pay for It. Do the same for those whose faces are pressed against the windows outside. Talk with market men and have them send turkeys to homes that can't afford one. It doesn't matter whether the father or mother may he unworthy. It is Christmas, and a taste of turkey and cranberry sauce would not hurt tWem. And. besides, there are the children! You can Hnd ways enough, and each one you meet will open others. "And after this week, Jack, you will expend $1,000 each month In such work, until the whole Is gone. It will take you nearly four years. We will allow you $20 from It eacli week for your personal needs no more. The very last $500 the dirty $500 left by your uncle and which may have start ed you Into that way of money getting, get-ting, you will give to some poor woman wom-an in memory of your wife. Because It Is bad money, it should expiate Itself It-self In good work." The prisoner had been straightening up. There was sullen defiance in his j eyes. "Suppose I don't do It to the letter, judge?" he queried. "Suppose I save out some? You never could know. It's too much to ask me to give up every cent. How could I live afterwards?" "There is the suspended twenty years' sentence, Jack," significantly. "If you deviate a hair's breadth from this work the sentence will be enforced. en-forced. It would take the rest of your life, and the money is not worth a thought in comparison. Besides, you must be purged of the money for your own good. As to not knowing, we shall keep close watch of all your money. If you draw more, or take more than the sum allowed each month, the original sentence will go Into effect. Led Him to the Door. I extend the clemency only a month at a time. At the end of each month you must bring me a report of your work, a record in detail, and I will extend the clemency another month. If you fail to appear or send a satisfactory reason why, an officer will be after you within twenty-four hours. It is the best way I can think of helping you, Jack, a Billy Bobs way, with the thirty years' hardening that must be broken through. I have faith that four years of such philanthropic work will not be without result. After the money Is all gone, every dollar, come to me and I will give you steady em- ployment at a living salary. You used j to be exceptionally good at figures In i school, and had a quick mind. All you ' need Is to get the mind to working ; along In a straight line. Jack. Now you may go and draw the first $1,000 to be ready to commence work." ' He nodded to an officer, who led the ' scowling, half-dazed prisoner to the door of the courtroom, and to another ; for the next case to be brought In. |