Part 40 (1/2)

”Go an' take a--thump to yourself, will you?”

The officer walks off, heavy-browed and thoughtful, but pauses a short distance fro discontentedly The Block Captain retraces his steps, and, facing the boy, storms at him:

”What did you say? 'damn the old skunk!' that's what you said, eh? You come on out of there!”

With much show of violence he inserts the key into the lock, pulls the door open with a bang, and hails a passing guard:

”Mr Kelly, quick, take this loafer out and give 'iive 'ie, when some one calls from an upper tier:

”Jimmy, Jimmy! Come on up here!”

”I'll jirily, ”Where th' hell are you?”

”Here, on B, 20 B Right over you”

The officer steps back to the wall, and looks up toward the second gallery

”What in th' name of Jesus Christ do you want, Slim?”

”Awful cramps in me stomach Get me some cramp ot, you big buet your craht car, eh?”

”I got booze then,” the prisoner retorts

”Like hell you did! You were daet a louzy hand-out at the back door, you ornery piood earth”

”Th' hell you say! The hand-out was a daet here I wouldn't have a belly-ache, if it wasn't for th'

hogwash they gave us to-day”

”Lay do! You talk like a horse's rosette”

It's the old man's favorite expression, in his rich vocabulary of picturesquein the brusque speech, no rancor in the scowling eyes On the way to the desk he pauses to whisper to the block trusty:

”John, you better run down to the dispensary, an' get that big stiff solance into a cell, Mitchell notices a new arrival, a bald-headed

”Hey you!” the Block Captain shouts at hireen prisoner off his chair, ”take that bald thing out of there, or I'll run you in for indecent exposure”

He chuckles at the hty prank, and ascends the upper tiers

Duster in hand, I walk along the range The guards are engaged on the galleries, exaraded in with the trusties The chairs at the officers' desk are vacant Keeping alert watch on the rotunda doors, I walk fro away the afternoon hours in conversation Johnny, the friendly runner, loiters at the desk, now and then glancing into the yard, and giving ers, to warn ently, while the Deputy and his assistants linger about, surrounded by the trusties i the day Gradually they disperse, called into a shop where a fight is in progress, or nosing about the kitchen and assiduously killing time The ”coast is clear,”