Show sa Sant I 1 11 ta aMik V I 1 ike cacari cA Chri hi ri s tm amas as co convict r IV ic t story aar jw 6 by br T c BRIDGES 1 Cs 1 S THE december night closed across the desolate moor tho the enow snow ceased falling the clouds broke and a bell bril kant moon abed shed its silver light across tho the wide stretches of rolling white ness i with the change ige it began to reeze freeze fiercely coating the sodden VAV i fil drifts with a crisp aim film of ice WW at every step b wl 9 hl mike I 1 k e dempsey a w tired fired feet broke through this coating and bank sank deep into soft beneath making the traveling so terribly hard that in of the bitter col perspiration stood la to beads on oa blo his tain thin brown face he was br eathin hard and ivl dently despe desperately weary yet be nev er stopped tor for a moment though now and then as an he plowed hie his way on wards be tie would turn bis his head and cast an apprehensive glance baci over bis his shoulder had anyone been near enough to atch timthey him they would easily have un der stood hie his baste haste the drab livery plentifully besprinkled with broad arrow arrows marked aim him as one of the state a unwilling guests As matter ot at tact blike mike demps had been tor for the last three years a prison inmate and it was with the intention of escaping an other seven yeara years of unappreciated hospitality that he bad had a few hour previously dod done a bunk under cover of the sudden et orm ive puzzled thim screws wan thing sure he muttered to him self elf and in spite of bis his fatigue a slight chuckle escaped his thin lips but faith ive puzzled too and I 1 dont know where I 1 am no more than adam if I 1 cud only git a landa landmark tark of some bortl sorti be went on banat 1 I cud find my road to the railway id win clear mike alike dempsey a for nothing he crunched bis ibis blow slow way across a flat valley jumped a attle brook and pushed up the steep elope beyond A gleam of light in to the next valley attracted his attention it came from a lighted window and there WAS something comforting to mhd tbd lonely fugitive in the red glow cast upon the glittering enow snow without boanta tion he started downhill toward it presently he waa was cautiously approaching pro aching a small bouse house which stood in a tiny garden surrounded by a low dry stone wall there was a gate in front but mike alike preferred tc te approach from the back and clambering gingerly over the wall crept up to the window from which the light come raisins himself till ula bead was on oil a level with the aill he peered through tho the window into a barely furnished living room light ed by a great tro of glowing turf A couch stoob in one corner on which lay a youngish man whose b n caged bead showed him to he the victim of some accident on a chair beside him sat a sweet faced worn wom at au and on 1 io 10 hire barn arthen floor played two children a curly haired boy of about sevan and a chubby girl a year oi 0 eo so younger but what arrested mikes attention was a little fir tree not more abin four feet high which stood planted I li ii i an old bucket on tho the table in the middle of the rood room for a moment it puzzled mike then be he gave a little rasp asp begeor Beg gor it it aint a christmas tree treel why tie christmas eve I 1 do molave though falth id lost ost thra at cc ct the date in the stone jug on the bill hill but where wheres the tie ris aa as bare as me own pocket be went en wonderingly 1 at that moment tha the m got up and going forward to 10 the woman pulled nt at her dress to attract hm bei atten tica mother alother lent santa clana clans comingo fl a awful late we shant tia r j a cismas tree if he ho come soon eoon its the enow snow dearie deade explained the mother such a bad storm that I 1 expect be he was late to 0 o starting her words were cheery but caught the anxious glance she gave her bar husband jo out and see if it williams in light might yet yell alice said the maa man he ought to have been here an hour ago I 1 only hope nothing baa has happened to the poor old fellow miko bilke drooped on bands and knees behind the engle of the wall as an the 4 loor cor orned and tre tte woman stood on the threshold looking out down the empty valley somehow the pathos of the bare ut lit tie christina christmas tree and the anxious family ot nilly appealed appeal ets to bis his old and when the doo closed again he rose a to hi hl feet and instead ot of lot 01 ol lowing out bis his first intention and en bering he the house to demand food and clothes climbed the wall again and made oft ott down the valley if william a coming tola this way therell be a road of sorts ho tie eald said to himself and sure enough there was though covered deep in enow snow he tie found that there was a vath down low the valley which ho hau bach little doubt would lead eventually to ta the main malt road to town ton ho tie bad had gone another mile when a dark patch in the snow straight ahead attracted his ut and he tie caught his breath sharply as bo be stopped beside it bor bar it was a man lying hut on his face and judging by the enow snow which almost covered hn body bo he bad been there in the same position for some almia time beside him lay a bait tilled eack rack also covered with snow mike gave a sharp glance around the moonlight horizon was still bare ho tie stooped aid turned the man over dead he muttered mutterer mut teree dead and cold as be he laid bis his hand against the chill cheek for a moment he stood staring at dead mans man a fale fa 0 le o which was that of a bittic old man wizened and beard od ed and very much of mikes alike a own type and build then like a flash it came to the convict that here at last was his file chance and a thrill shot her through his ate weary frame hell not nee thim duds any more he muttered and dropping on his knees is in the snow began with trembling fingers to trip strip the dead man of bis his clothes they were worn and old but to mike alike as precious as broadcloth for once he was rid of bis his convict garb 0 0 0 4 01 it was a man lying flat on his HI face he bad had multiplied his chances ol 01 es cape a hundredfold not till be bad had completed the whole change of costume down eown to boots and bat hat and bad had burled buried bis his broad ar rows deep in a neighboring drift did mike alike bethink himself of the sack he lie snatched it up eagerly bop nr it might contain food and turned the contents out upon tho the snow A small drum a bag of at lead sol got defers fers a cheap doll a box of wax tapers and one of crackers and a couple of packets of sweetie not an article of the lot which bad cost 26 25 cents and the tho value of tho whole not live dollars alike stood and stared a thero them the box of soldiers had fallen open he ile stooped am ani picked up the little paint ed figures and replaced them carefully so poor santy claue claus je as muttered and the children will be waiting on him bard luck again ho he bent down and quickly bundled everything back into the sark sack he laid this by the dead body and turning on bis his heel walked acidly away he ile could not be more than four or five ave miles from the town now and with his knowledge of mil rall way matters it would be easy eamy enough to stow away in a truck and lying under a be carried scon a of miles away from train the bated hated prison besides there was choney la in ills his trousers pockets only a lit tie but plenty to buy food and drink a clay pipe and a plug of tobacco bit M I 1 kers mouth watered as to thought of ft a square mol LOUR long bearss ago mike laid a tams cl his own a rite wife and a it baby wito wife and baby botti beta bad had died wept swept absy tn in a week by an epidemic ot of mph the in and that bad had been the begin ning ot of the irish aut be he bad had never forgotten theland the them mand and tonight they beamed ac mir acir ir htiu film A sound between n grunt and sk groan burst from bis we alps cei ue stopped and looked back behind was the arctic desolation of the moor 1 lang ing ridge upon ridge against the twinkling tare stars and bach back a 0 these hills ho be grim granite prison house houge in front were valley valleys and fields and the warm lights ol 01 the to town n the nope hope ot at liberty tie a ool oat yo ye are mike blike he the exclaimed aloud along 1 wid ye and don t be delaying tor for the screws to nab yet yel I 1 again be he started forward out more slowly than before and ne and not gone a hundred yards before once more be he came to a doad atop stop tie no use au a groaned ill luet just run back an lavo thim things at the dure therell bo be time to reach town by midnight the bitter wind was in tits tata as ne no turned back up the bill hill but now mike did not hesitate tor for a moment head down be he hurried onwards and presently was again beside tha corpse at 0 santa cinus claus fro frozen ze n messenger without a glanco at the body h he snatched enn thed up the sack flung it over tit tile shoulder and continued tits way up the valley the glow from the lighted window threw its red beam across the snow as he rounded d the curve and came within sight eight of the lonely cottage and a corresponding glow glou warmed mikes heart rb u he thought of the pleasure of the children when they auni their long delayed christmas gifts seeing no sign of life be he slipped in at the front gate and topping ng very quietly up the path gained the door dropped his tits sack and ancl givina one sharp tap turned the bolt but be he had bad not counted on ion the eager children and before he could get tot round the angle of the house curly locks lock came flying after him william where la is santy ciati clahar sr piped ba the childish treble it aint william sonny tell tau your yummy my ns ne williams got lost and I 1 brought rought the things instead now lye I 1 T got to go for im in a mighty hurry harry 1 I 1 expect you arel camo came a ing voice and a blue man carrying a carbie e out from the dr dark shadow round the corner 01 tot ol lowed instantly by a second mike alike gave one glance around but he was cornered tho wall cut off 02 escape all right he said sullenly IU como come quiet better retorted the varder whose temper long hours in the snow had not improved A mammy lammy the policemen hare have took danty claus cried the little lad mike alike glanced up the boye boys mother was standing by her face aco blank with amazement what does this mean meant she cried Is a it william not unless hes changed his name since morning missus replied the warden he wail wa All michael chael dempsey when be bunked from moorlands Moor lomie just after dinner out but I 1 dont understand hoj got william crokers Cro kere clothes on and bos hes brought the thine that william went to fetch the other warder a drizi I 1 elderly man w chook h ook t als Is bead youve got me missus I 1 dont know what bis his little game Is to no moro than you uloet like bo he has murdered wit ilam put in the tho younger warder our sour ly he tie said william was lost main mam my explained the boy so no be hes a brought tho things instead and here they la is all safe hest best make a clean breast of 14 it dempsey suggested the elder wardel and find out yourself flatbed bashed the old convict william a down the valley there you take the chap into the house ceorge said tho older warder IU go down ana an eee see halt half an hour later he ho returned 1 I 1 ve found william he said briefly hes froze to deuth dempsey took his clothes but he didn dian t have no band hand in hilling killing him then in lit the came of sense what did be he come back here for instead of skimming out inquired be me younger warder in blink 1 he tie came to bring our cismas presents explained cuny curly locks he ito told me 0 so 30 well of all the everlasting tools gasped the junior warder hia tits senior wheeled on bim him sharply A good thing if there were wera a few more fools tools of at that kloj in moorlands Moor lands aland outs de tol toi he lie turned to mike come along dempsey he eald said to aa a more kindly tco wo tc W o III 1 see ae as ke its governor knows known bow how it was we to take you yom and I 1 acko your ilay aar ing sauty claua claus wont do yoa you no aana bam it in baij bij eyes y more toa it taa ww te in |