hat about that poor fellow they dragged down to the jail night before
last?" I ask.

"Oh, you're all wrong about that matter," the Warden answers. "He was
insolent and violent, flung his bucket at the keeper's head, and there was
nothing to do but punish him. I've inquired into it and the officers were
all right."

"You are being deceived," is my comment. "These men realize they are in
bad. They're afraid of the truth; and they're steering you wrong. Take my
word for it, Warden, there is more in that affair than they are permitting
you to know. And you are up against the System as well as the prisoners
themselves."

The Warden is troubled, no man has a heartier dislike of being made the
victim of dishonesty or hypocrisy than he. "Well, what had better be
done?" he asks. "I shall be very busy to-morrow before I go."

"Suppose we wait then," I suggest. "The man is probably not being abused
now, wherever he is; and after I get out of here you can have a thorough
examination made. I can guarantee plenty of material to enable you to get
to the bottom of it."

"I am more than ever sorry I have to go away," says the Warden. "Now how
about the jail? Are you still determined to go there? And, if so, how do
you propose to be sent?"

"Well, as you know, I don't wish to be a fool about this thing, nor do I
want to run any unnecessary risk. To-day I felt very sick; and, to be
quite frank, if I should feel to-morrow as I did to-day I couldn't be
hired to go to jail. But I feel so much better to-night that I think I
shall be in good condition to-morrow. So what I propose is this. Let Dan
come here to-morrow noon, and if I feel all right we can put through our
plan. I did intend to go down to the jail to-morrow morning, so as to have
the whole twenty-four hours there; but it would be better to wait until
after dinner. There is no use in taking too large a dose. I ought to get
all necessary information in--say, four hours.

"Some time in the afternoon, then, I will simply strike work. Grant can
tip off the Captain; and he will send me to the P. K. Of course, if a
fellow refuses to work, the only thing they can do is to send him to the
punishment cells. If you were to be here I had thought of putting in a
warden's call; and then of being so insolent to you that you would have no
recourse but to order me punished. I should quite enjoy telling you what I
think of your rotten old institution. But if you're going away that plan's
no