The Washington times., 1911-01-08
CHAPTER w.
-HE history Of the next four years
of Davbd's life is contained in the
daily program that is posted

Qdlly program Ilihl POSNSN
about Croton prison. At o'clock
the rising bell rang: David rolled out
of his iron cell, washed himself at the
faucet of his cell. and got into his
striped trousers and striped jacket. AT
$50 he marched with a long line of
fellows to a breakfast of oatmeal por-
ridge bread and coffee. At o'clock
he marched to she factory or foundry,
where he labored till L, when the pro-
gram called him to dinner. At l he
marched back to work; at he marched
to supper; at $50 he marched to his cell,
where he might read; at 10 his lights
were put out, and he slipped into his
iron cot Multiply this day by 1,5OO and
the product is his prison life.
1t would be an untruth to say that
sense of the good he was doing sus-
tanned a passionate happiness in David
through all these years. Moments of
eXultation were rare; they were the
sun-blooming peaks in an expanse of
life that was otherwise hung with
gloom. There were dark times when
the vile talk of some of his prison mates
nauseated him, when the callousness
and stupidity of some of the regulations
filled him with rage, when the weight
of all the walls seemed to lie upon
his chest, when he frantically felt he
must have light and air, or die-and
when he cursed his own foolishness, and
would have traded the truth to the peo-
pie of st. Christophers for his freedom.
Prometheus must often have repented
his gift of fire. But the momentum of
David's resolve carried him through
these black stretches; and during his
normal prision mood. which was the
restless gloom of all Gagged animals, his
mind was in control and held him to his
bargain.
But always there was with him a
great fear. Was Nortons memory re-
tanning its potency ever the people Of
st. Christopher's7 Were they striving
to hold to their old ideals, or were they
gradually loosenirE their grip and slip
ping back into the old, easy WAYS Of
improvidence and dissipation? Perhaps
even now they had wholly relapsed, and
his four years had paid for nothing.
The long day Of carrying liquid iron to
the molds would have been easier, the
long night in the black cell would have
been calmer, had he had assurance that
his sacrifice was fulfilling its aim; but
never a word came from ST. Christie
piers through those heavy walls,
And always he thought of Helen
Chambers. He could never forget the
stare of her white face when he ac-
knowledged his guilt. how she first tried
ed away. The four walls of his mind
were hung with that picture; wherever
he turned he saw it. He had longed to
spring after her and whisper his tnno-
cence, but there had flashed up, with
his desire, a realization that his plan
was feasible only with perfect secrecy,
and that to admit one person to his
confidence might be to admit the world.
Besides, she might not believe him. So,
silent, he had let her walk from the
room with his guilt.
He often wondered If she ever thought
of him. If she did, it was doubtless
only to despise him. More probably he
had passed from her mind. Perhaps
him. He tried to still the heavy pain
by looking at the impossible gulf that
lay between them, and by telling him.
self that 1t was natural and fitting that
she should have married. He wondered
what her husband was like, and If she
were happy; but his prison walls were
mute.
Long before his release he had de-
cided to settle in New York. Life would
be easiest, he knew, If he were to lose
himself in a new part Of the world.
But St. Christophers, where four prison
years and the rest of his dtshonored life
were invested, was IN New YORK; MISS
Chambers was in New York. The rest
of the world had no like attractions; it
could hide him-that was all. But save
at the beginning, while he was gaining
foothold-and could he not then lose
himself among New York's millions?-
he did not desire to hide.
He did not care to hide himself, be-
cause the prison had given him mes
sage, and this message he intended
speaking publicly. Prison life had been
beneath his eyes for four years, and he
had of necessity studied it. He had pom
dered the reformation value of prisons,
and societys treatment of the man who
breaks its law. That treatment seemed
to him absurd, illogical. 1t would have
been Iaughably grotesque in its deform-
ing incompetence had 1t not been. direct
ed at human beings. 1t was treat
ment bounded on one side by negli-
gence, on the other by severity. 1t
manned minds, killed souls; 1t was Grim
inal. David's sense of justice and hu-
manity demanded that he should protest
against this great criminal-our prison
system. He knew 1t as prison reform
ers did not-from the inside. He could
speak from his heart. And as soon as