interestedly. "These rooms are
not as comfortable as they might be, are they?" The warden's even teeth
showed in a friendly, yet wolfish, way.

"They certainly are not, Mr. Desmas," replied Cowperwood, standing
very erect and soldier-like. "I didn't imagine I was coming to a hotel,
however." He smiled.

"There isn't anything special I can do for you, is there, Mr.
Cowperwood?" began Desmas curiously, for he was moved by a thought that
at some time or other a man such as this might be of service to him.
"I've been talking to your lawyer." Cowperwood was intensely gratified
by the Mr. So that was the way the wind was blowing. Well, then, within
reason, things might not prove so bad here. He would see. He would sound
this man out.

"I don't want to be asking anything, Warden, which you cannot reasonably
give," he now returned politely. "But there are a few things, of course,
that I would change if I could. I wish I might have sheets for my bed,
and I could afford better underwear if you would let me wear it. This
that I have on annoys me a great deal."

"They're not the best wool, that's true enough," replied Desmas,
solemnly. "They're made for the State out here in Pennsylvania
somewhere. I suppose there's no objection to your wearing your own
underwear if you want to. I'll see about that. And the sheets, too. We
might let you use them if you have them. We'll have to go a little slow
about this. There are a lot of people that take a special interest in
showing the warden how to tend to his business."

"I can readily understand that, Warden," went on Cowperwood briskly,
"and I'm certainly very much obliged to you. You may be sure that
anything you do for me here will be appreciated, and not misused, and
that I have friends on the outside who can reciprocate for me in the
course of time." He talked slowly and emphatically, looking Desmas
directly in the eye all of the time. Desmas was very much impressed.

"That's all right," he said, now that he had gone so far as to be
friendly. "I can't promise much. Prison rules are prison rules. But
there are some things that can be done, because it's the rule to do them
for other men when they behave themselves. You can have a better chair
than that, if you want it, and something to read too. If you're in
business yet, I wouldn't want to do anything to stop that. We can't have
people running in and out of here every fifteen minutes, and you can't
turn a cell into a business of