Page:In defense of Harriet Shelley, and other essays.djvu/340

 MARK TWAIN

of the necessity of speaking. The preacher could speak, but I, who had such need of words

&quot;And may God have mercy upon your soul. Amen. J

The sheriff drew down the black cap, and laid his hand upon the lever. I got my voice.

&quot;Stop, for God s sake! The man is innocent. Come here and see Szczepanik face to face!&quot;

Hardly three minutes later the governor had my place at the window, and was saying:

&quot;Strike off his bonds and set him free!&quot;

Three minutes later all were in the parlor again. The reader will imagine the scene; I have no need to describe it. It was a sort of mad orgy of joy.

A messenger carried word to Szczepanik in the pavilion, and one could see the distressed amaze ment dawn in his face as he listened to the tale. Then he came to his end of the line, and talked with Clayton and the governor and the others; and the wife poured out her gratitude upon him for saving her husband s life, and in her deep thankfulness she kissed him at twelve thousand miles range.

The telelectrophonoscopes of the globe were put to service now, and for many hours the kings and queens of many realms (with here and there a re porter) talked with Szczepanik, and praised him; and the few scientific societies which had not already made him an honorary member conferred that grace upon him.

How had he come to disappear from among us? It was easily explained. He had not grown used to being a world-famous person, and had been forced to break away from the lionizing that was robbing

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