Part 18 (2/2)

Berkman This is a democratic institution, you know By the hat is the matter with your eyes? They are infla in this shop”

”Oh, he is all right, Doctor,” the officer interposed ”He's only been here a week”

Mr Rankin cast a quizzical look at the guard

”You want him here?”

”Y-e-s: we're short of men”

”Well, _I_ a toon sick list”

III

The doctor's examination has resulted in e has filled enerally assigned the ”hard cases”--inement, or exceptionally unruly prisoners--the mat shop is the point of special supervision and severest discipline It is the best-guarded shop, from which escape is impossible But in the hosiery department, a recent addition to the local industries I ht opportunity It will require tireat object The working conditions, also, are ht and airy, the discipline not so stringent My near-sightedness has secured for me immunity from machine work The Deputy at first insisted that h” to see the numerous needles of the hosiery machine It is true, I could see them; but not with sufficient distinctness to insure the proper insertion of the initial threads To ad ordered to produce the task; and failure, or faulty work, would be severely punished

Necessity drove uish the needles Repeated threats of punishned the cos The occupation, though tedious, is not exacting It consists in gathering the hosierymachines, whence the product issues without soles I carry the pile to the table provided with an iron post, about eighteen inches high, topped with a ss are turned ”inside out” by slipping the article over the post, then quickly ”undressing” it The hosiery thus ”turned” is forwarded to the looping machines, by which the product is finished and sent back toand shi+pment

Monotonously the days and weeks pass by Practice lendswith heavy heel I seek to hasten ti s I turn, the motions required by each operation, and the aiven time But in spite of these efforts, my mind persistently reverts to unprofitable subjects: anda; the terrible injustice of hts are restless Oppressed with a naht, or torhted, to experience the er past But the next instant I as, and plunged into rage and despair, powerless, hopeless

Thus day succeeds night, and night succeeds day, in the ceaseless struggle of hope and discouragement, of life and death, ahtmare

CHAPTER VI

MY FIRST LETTER

I

Direct to Box A 7, Allegheny City, Pa, October 19th, 1892

Dear Sister:[19]

It is just a , can such a world of misery and torture be coed for this opportunity!

You will understand: a month's stay is required before we are per letters I have written to you--in in now? My space is very limited, and I have so much to say to you and to the Twin--I received your letters You need not wait till you hear fro I am allowed to receive all y of the rules And I shall write whenever I may

Dear Sonya, I sense bitterness and disappointment in your letter Why do you speak of failure? You, at least, you and Fedya, should not have your judgment obscured by the rieved me beyond words Not because you should write thus; but that you, even you, should _think_ thus Need I enlarge? True morality deals with motives, not consequences I cannot believe that we differ on this point