100%: the Story of a Patriot

Section 6

Section 6Peter had been in the “hole” perhaps three days,perhaps a week—he did not know, and no one ever told him. Thedoor was opened again, and for the first time he heard a voice,“Come out here.”

Peter had been longing to hear a voice; but now he shrunkterrified into a corner. The voice was the voice of Guffey, andPeter knew what it meant. His teeth began to rattle again, and hewailed, “I dunno anything! I can’t tellanything!”

A hand reached in and took him by the collar,and he foundhimself walking down the corridor in front of Guffey. “Shutup!” said the man, in answer to all his wailings, and tookhim into a room and threw him into a chair as if he had been abundle of bedding, and pulled up another chair and sat down infront of Peter.

“Now look here,” he said. “I want to have anunderstanding with you. Do you want to go back into that holeagain?”

“N-n-no,” moaned Peter.

“Well, I want you to know that you’ll spend the restof your life in that hole, except when you’retalking to me.And when you’re talking to me you’ll be having yourarms twisted off you, and splinters driven into your finger nails,and your skin burned with matches—until you tell me what Iwant to know. Nobody’s going to help you, nobody’sgoing to know about it. You’re going to stay here with meuntil you come across.”

Peter could only sob and moan.

“Now,” continued Guffey, “I been finding outall about you, I got your life story from the day you were born,and there’s no use your trying to hide anything. I know yourpart in this here bomb plot, and I can send you to the gallowswithout any trouble whatever. But there’s some things Ican’t prove on the other fellows. They’re the big ones,the real devils, and they’re the ones I want, so you’vegot a chance to save yourself, and you better be thankful forit.”

Peter went on moaning and sobbing.

“Shut up!” cried the man. And then, fixingPeter’s frightened gaze with his own, he continued,“Understand, you got a chance to save yourself. All you gotto do isto tell what you know. Then you can come out and youwon’t have any more trouble. We’ll take good care ofyou; everything’ll be easy for you.”

Peter continued to gaze like a fascinated rabbit. And such alonging as surged up in his soul—to be free, and out oftrouble, and taken care of! If only he had known anything to tell;if only there was some way he could find out something to tell!