Page 74 - 1921 VES Meteor

lOG
TnE 1hTEOl!
Then a strange thing happened, happened inside me. I suddenly realized that it was right for me to die, aml for the first time in my life I was sorry-sorry that I had lied, and begged the Governor to pardon me. I was sorry for the hor- rible crime I had done, and for the poor little white-haired mother, who was perhaps now kneeling in prayer for her boy. And then, like a flash, I was glad, anxious to die I I believed in llim with all my heart. As the hot sweat poured down my distorted face, 1·cpentanee, true and sincere, came.
Come on, man, throw in your lever and wrench me apart! Come I Come I But he delayed.
The one more minute of life, which half an hour ago was
so precious to me, was now disgnsting. How could time pass
so slowly! It seemed to have a weight and substance of its
OWJ,l this thing "time," oucc so trivial, 11ow so important. I 1
saw things iu a diffc1·ent 1ight then, straining in that chair,
every muscle tense. I saw a tiny bug on the cement floor.
One leg dangled helplessly from its body as it crawled pain-
fully along-so painfully and slowly. I loved it, and pitied
it. How like unto me it was, broken and about to die! I
wondered if it had a soul. I knew now that I h~d one for it .'
was clawing inside me, clamoring for release from my dis- eased body. The executioner looked at me with a half smile of mingled pity and contempt.
"Ready?" he asked. "Then good-bye-" As he reached for the switch, there was a hoarse shout outside, then a ter- rible thumping at the door. The doctor swore. The execu- tioner let his arm drop limply at his side, then turned and opened the door. A disheveled prison official fell in.
"llave you--~" he gasped. "Thank God, then. Tie's pal'doned !"
"MyGodI Christ! Wealmost--"
Things began to whirl then. The 1·oom revolved about me; strange lights played a11d soon all was clark.