Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. A DAY IN THE OFFICERS PRISON. At an early Lour in the morning we are aroused from our slumbers by the cry of "milk! milk!" resounding through the warehouse, and a stampede of stewards to the door, armed with tin cups and five- cent pieces, where they receive from a piebald negro the necessary fluid. Thi
...s negro is one of the outside prison-associations. Who of us can ever forget the eagerness with which he seizes a half-dime, and the terseness of manner with which he refuses to barter hia commodity for a five-cent shin-plaster, which is now and then tendered to him ? In a few moments the milk-purchasers are joined by a more eager, yet thirsty crowd, who seek to cull from the morning papers balm for the past, hope for the future. A few heads may now be seen peering out from cotton comfortables and overcoats, and husky voices heard exclaiming, "I say, Wabash! any news about exchange ?" The magic word "exchange" operates like a morning bath, refreshing and reviving; for the dullard of sleep becomes at once an animate and expectant soul. Slowly the scene becomes imbued with life. Indiana robes herself; Wisconsin, half recumbent, gazes dreamily around; Ohio arises, drawing around her the only robe de chambre in the building; whilst California awakes from golden dreams, donning her shabby habiliments ofwoe. The scene is full of life and animation, as each representative appears upon the floor, wending his way, soap in hand, towel over shoulder, to the wash-closet. Our ablution ended, an early morning walk, as an appetizer, commences. Up and down, to and fro, at quick time, we march, avoiding tenderly the soil of a portion of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, who lie, as usual, in a dormant state. In a few moments the steward's cry of "bread!" warns us that oui breakfast ...
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