"
The visitors noticed that a section of the rail was removed in each
door near the floor.
"That's to put a dipper of water through, or anything," explained
the officer. "There!" he continued, showing them Lemuel's door; "see
how the rails are bent there? You wouldn't think a man could squeeze
through there, but we found a fellow half out o' that one night--
backwards. Captain came down with a rattan and made it hot for him."
The visitors laughed, and Lemuel, in his cell, shuddered.
"I never saw anything so astonishingly clean," said one of the
gentlemen. "And do you keep the gas burning here all night?"
"Yes; calculate to give 'em plenty of light," said the officer, with
comfortable satisfaction in the visitor's complimentary tone.
"And the sanitary arrangements seem to be perfect, doctor," said the
other visitor.
"Oh, perfect."
"Yes," said the officer, "we do the best we can for 'em."
The visitors made a murmur of approbation. Their steps moved away;
Lemuel heard the guide saying, "Dunno what that fellow's in for.
Find out in the captain's room."
"He didn't look like a very abandoned ruffian," said one of the
visitors, with both pity and amusement in his voice.
VI.
Lemuel stood and leaned his head against the wall of his cell. The
tears that had come to his relief in the morning when he found that
he was robbed would not come now.
Pages:
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81