New Britain herald., 1929-12-14

Meek, ms dutltul "l1e, loul lltti' Meeks crying to see their papa, who has been absent two weeks.
 Scene: The Meek living room. Time: Present, or whereabouts.
 VJarden Meek enters his home. amid joyful cries from his olfsprings' Mrs. Meek, arms aliimbo, surveys him with fire in her eyes.
 Mrs. Meek: NOW John Meek, don't you try and pull that old gag about being held hostage on me again. You've worn it out Whcr" have you been" Whats the idea oI leaving your family and-'
 MT. Meek: Easy, dear, easy. Give me chance to explain. You see it vas this way. We did have a little riot in the prison and they had mo closed in the office safe for a while and then the state troopers rounded up the prisoners. killing a total Of 10, which I thought was pretty good average, seeing that the pris- oners only killed two guards, and then"
 Mrs. Meek: John Meek, if you keep this up I'll put you in solitary confinement in the attic. on bread and water. l want the truth and l went it now"
 Nr. Meek (sultly): "Wcll. later On we did have Il little poker game. but it didn't last long and later--'
 Mir. Meek (triumphanty): "l knew it. Those lifers have been getting you into one of their thrce- day poker games again! What do they care if the game does last six or eight days? They cant go home anyway. It isn't enough that you should be. over there every night. seeing all the latest talllies. even be- fore they get them in town hcrc, but you muct leave your wife and fam- fly 10 gamble with them. How you can expect 2ny reasonable person.
 Gir. Meek: But I had to keep playing dear, because the stakes were that if l lost S10 to each lifer, they were to be given their freedom, I lost that amount very soon ana had to argue with them that l ought to have a chance 10 win it back and they agrced-so we kept on playing. I only had to let four of them go, as it was. and I won three reVolvcrs and a couple of hlaciljacks from the others. l almost had their prison suits. to make you those striped awnings you have been wanting so long,"
 Mrs. Meek: "Yes. and I suppose you had some Of the guards serve meals to you right there, too, while your family got along the best it could."
 MT. Meek: That's exactly what we did, because there has been some complaint lately about the food. Some of the prisoners said the tur- key was tough and that the straw berry shortcake didn't have enough whipped cream on it, so l decided to see for myself exa ctly what the con- victs were getting. It was quite a respectable five course dinner thought, although some of the men srumbled d little about the fact that they only got mock turtle soup, in stead of real turtle.'
 Mrs. Meek (besinning to reltnt little, and returning to the prepara- ton of supper): After all. John I suppose you do have your prob lems."
 Mr. Meek: "You bet I do. dear"
 Little Jimmie Meek: "Pa-Pa. kin I play with your handcuffs, pa, kin F"
 Mir. Meek: Here you are, Jimmie. and here's the blackjack I won from the naughty criminal; you can play with that, too. Only don't hit your sister Susie over the head with it.
 Mrs. Meek: What else exciting happened while you were away, John? Seems to me I heard some thing about the National Guard being over at the prison again this week"
 Mr. Meek: "Yeh, we had 10 get help when somebody in the north tier of cells organized a howitzer company among the reformed mur- derers, and their friends smug8led the howitzer in 10 them, in sections. It was lucky we found out about 1t when we did, because they had blown down two sides of the north cell house when we finally got the thing away from them and persuad- ed them to go hack to their tlddle- winks game. Then again the fel- lows cut off one of the guards ears because the prison movies haven't had enough bathing beauty come dies recently, but it didn't make much difference, for the guard had caulifower ears anyway" Mrs. Meek: Dear, Dear! l don't know what this prison is coming to. A month ago it was a riot because | the prison didn't have violet ray l health lights and an electric reduc- | ing machine, and now they want more movies. Do you know. John, some times think that it would be ] DcIltI lOl tNti Sollt II 'llC Pi i'Oi' gave up educating the prisoners and went back to the old system Of years ago-plain food and none toe much of it, work on the rock pile no movies, no Book of-theMonth subscriptions, and Il the resi-
 Mir. Meek (sighing deeply): think you arc right, my dear. In the old days prisons were places ol punishment-but now, unless all the fellows have the latest model screer grid radios, they raise a fuss. Let's have supper"
 All the little Meeks, in chorus "Yeh. lets have supper or we'll re, volt, pal"
 Artist Likes New Britain
 So He Puts It In Drawings
 Several times lately road signs il