"How do you know my name?" I interrupt. "You have just arrived."
"They call me "Lightning Al"," he replies, with a tinge of pride. "I"m here only three days, but a fellow in my line can learn a great deal in that time. I had you pointed out to me."
"What do you call your line? What are you here for?"
For a moment he is silent. With surprise I watch his face blush darkly.
"You"re a dead give-away. Oh, excuse me, Mr. Berkman," he corrects himself, "I sometimes lapse into lingo, under provocation, you know. I meant to say, it"s easy to see that you are not next to the way--not familiar, I mean, with such things. You should never ask a man what he is in for."
"Why not?"
"Well, er--"
"You are ashamed."
"Not a bit of it. Ashamed to fall, perhaps,--I mean, to be caught at it--it"s no credit to a gun"s rep, his reputation, you understand. But I"m proud of the jobs I"ve done. I"m pretty slick, you know."
"But you don"t like to be asked why you were sent here."
"Well, it"s not good manners to ask such questions."
"Against the ethics of the trade, I suppose?"
"How sarcastic we can be, Mr. Berkman. But it"s true, it"s not the ethics. And it isn"t a trade, either; it"s a profession. Oh, you may smile, but I"d rather be a gun, a professional, I mean, than one of your stupid factory hands."
"They are honest, though. Honest producers, while you are a thief."
"Oh, there"s no sting in that word for _me_. I take pride in being a thief, and what"s more, I _am_ an A number one gun, you see the point?
The best dip in the States."
"A pickpocket? Stealing nickels off pa.s.sengers on the street cars, and--"
"Me? A h.e.l.l of a lot _you_ know about it. Take me for such small fry, do you? I work only on race tracks."
"You call it work?"
"Sure. d.a.m.ned hard work, too. Takes more brains than a whole shopful of your honest producers can show."
"And you prefer that to being honest?"
"Do I? I spend more on gloves than a bricklayer makes in a year. Think I"m so dumb I have to slave all week for a few dollars?"
"But you spend most of your life in prison."
"Not by a long shot. A real good gun"s always got his fall money planted,--I mean some ready coin in case of trouble,--and a smart lawyer will spring you most every time; beat the case, you know. I"ve never seen the fly-cop you couldn"t fix if you got enough dough; and most judges, too. Of course, now and then, the best of us may fall; but it don"t happen very often, and it"s all in the game. This whole life is a game, Mr. Berkman, and every one"s got his graft."
"Do you mean there are no honest men?" I ask, angrily.
"Pshaw! I"m just as honest as Rockefeller or Carnegie, only they got the law with them. And I work harder than they, I"ll bet you on that. I"ve got to eat, haven"t I? Of course," he adds, thoughtfully, "if I could be sure of my bread and b.u.t.ter, perhaps--"
The pa.s.sing overseer smiles at the noted pickpocket, inquiring pleasantly:
"How"re you doin", Al?"
"Tip-top, Mr. Cosson. Hope you are feeling good to-day."
"Never better, Al."
"A friend of mine often spoke to me about you, Mr. Cosson."
"Who was that?"
"Barney. Jack Barney."
"Jack Barney! Why, he worked for me in the broom shop."
"Yes, he did a three-spot. He often said to me, "Al, it you ever land in Riverside," he says, "be sure you don"t forget to give my best to Mr.
Cosson, Mr. Ed. Cosson," he says, "he"s a good fellow.""
The officer looks pleased. "Yes, I treated him white, all right," he remarks, continuing on his rounds.
"I knew he"d swallow it," the a.s.sistant sneers after him. "Always good to get on the right side of them," he adds, with a wink. "Barney told me about him all right. Said he"s the rottenest sneak in the dump, a swell-head yap. You see, Mr. Berkman,--may I call you Aleck? It"s shorter. Well, you see, Aleck, I make it a point to find things out.
It"s wise to know the ropes. I"m next to the whole bunch here. That Jimmy McPane, the Deputy, he"s a regular brute. Killed his man, all right. Barney told me all about it; he was doing his bit, then,--I mean serving his sentence. You see, Aleck," he lowers his voice, confidentially, "I don"t like to use slang; it grows on one, and every fly-cop can spot you as a crook. It"s necessary in my business to present a fine front and use good English, so I must not get the lingo habit. Well, I was speaking of Barney telling me about the Deputy. He killed a con in cold blood. The fellow was bughouse, D. T., you know; saw snakes. He ran out of his cell one morning, swinging a chair and hollering "Murder! Kill "em!" The Deputy was just pa.s.sing along, and he out with his gat--I mean his revolver, you know--and bangs away. He pumped the poor loony fellow full of holes; he did, the murderer. Killed him dead. Never was tried, either. Warden told the newspapers it was done in self-defence. A d.a.m.n lie. Sandy knew better; everybody in the dump knew it was a cold-blooded murder, with no provocation at all. It"s a regular ring, you see, and that old Warden is the biggest grafter of them all; and that sky-pilot, too, is an A 1 fakir. Did you hear about the kid born here? Before your time. A big scandal. Since then the holy man"s got to have a screw with him at Sunday service for the females, and I tell you he needs watching all right."
The whistle terminates the conversation.
CHAPTER XV
THE URGE OF s.e.x
Sunday night: my new cell on the upper gallery is hot and stuffy; I cannot sleep. Through the bars, I gaze upon the Ohio. The full moon hangs above the river, bathing the waters in mellow light. The strains of a sweet lullaby wander through the woods, and the banks are merry with laughter. A girlish cadence rings like a silvery bell, and voices call in the distance. Life is joyous and near, terribly, tantalizingly near,--but all is silent and dead around me.
For days the feminine voice keeps ringing in my ears. It sounded so youthful and buoyant, so fondly alluring. A beautiful girl, no doubt.
What joy to feast my eye on her! I have not beheld a woman for many months: I long to hear the soft accents, feel the tender touch. My mind persistently reverts to the voice on the river, the sweet strains in the woods; and fancy wreathes sad-toned fugues upon the merry carol, paints vision and image, as I pace the floor in agitation. They live, they breathe! I see the slender figure with the swelling bosom, the delicate white throat, the babyish face with large, wistful eyes. Why, it is Luba! My blood tingles violently, pa.s.sionately, as I live over again the rapturous wonder at the first touch of her maiden breast. How temptingly innocent sounded the immodest invitation on the velvety lips, how exquisite the suddenness of it all! We were in New Haven then. One by one we had gathered, till the little New York commune was complete. The Girl joined me first, for I felt lonely in the strange city, drudging as compositor on a country weekly, the evenings cold and cheerless in the midst of a conservative household. But the Girl brought light and sunshine, and then came the Twin and Manya. Luba remained in New York; but Manya, devoted little soul, yearned for her sister, and presently the three girls worked side by side in the corset factory. All seemed happy in the free atmosphere, and Luba was blooming into beautiful womanhood. There was a vague something about her that now and then roused in me a fond longing, a rapturous desire. Once--it was in New York, a year before--I had experienced a sudden impulse toward her. It seized me unheralded, unaccountably. I had called to try a game of chess with her father, when he informed me that Luba had been ill. She was recovering now, and would be pleased to see me. I sat at the bedside, conversing in low tones, when I noticed the pillows slipping from under the girl"s head. Bending over, I involuntarily touched her hair, loosely hanging down the side. The soft, dark chestnut thrilled me, and the next instant I stooped and stealthily pressed the silken waves to my lips.
The momentary sense of shame was lost in the feeling of reverence for the girl with the beautiful hair, that bewildered and fascinated me, and a deep yearning suddenly possessed me, as she lay in exquisite disarray, full of grace and beauty. And all the while we talked, my eyes feasted on her ravishing form, and I felt envious of her future lover, and hated the desecration. But when I left her bedside, all trace of desire disappeared, and the inspiration of the moment faded like a vision affrighted by the dawn. Only a transient, vague inquietude remained, as of something unattainable.
Then came that unforgettable moment of undreamed bliss. We had just returned from the performance of _Tosca_, with Sarah Bernhardt in her inimitable role. I had to pa.s.s through Luba"s room on my way to the attic, in the little house occupied by the commune. She had already retired, but was still awake. I sat down on the edge of the bed, and we talked of the play. She glowed with the inspiration of the great tragedienne; then, somehow, she alluded to the _decollete_ of the actresses.
"I don"t mind a fine bust exposed on the stage," I remarked. "But I had a powerful opera gla.s.s: their b.r.e.a.s.t.s looked fleshy and flabby. It was disgusting."
"Do you think--mine nice?" she asked, suddenly.