"I am going to ask you all, and I hope no one will be mean enough to lie
about it."
"I put it there," said O'Sullivan.
"Who did you put it away for?"
"For myself, because I don't like peas."
"Very well, O'Sullivan; but you were rather too generous to yourself.
Half of that would have been enough for your dinner, and to punish you
for being so selfish, you can't have any of it. I shall give it to the
others. Your hiding it away down there, gave it very much the appearance
of stealing. In future, when you wish to put anything away, show it to
me, and then, put it away like an honest woman. But you are never to put
anything away unless it is left over, after I have divided the meat. It
would be very mean to take a double portion for yourself, and make the
poor fellows on the other side go without."
I had been studying the Rules and Regulations of the Board, and
discovered that I was to admonish once, before reporting for punishment.
I did not propose to transcend that rule.
"Now, remember, there is nothing more to be hid away from me."
"There isn't much danger, as long as you let us tell you all about it."
"I shall always let you tell me, before I get you punished; but you must
always obey, and then there will be no punishment."
"I suppose it is only right that we should eat our share of peas with
the rest, for they can't get even bread and coffee as we can."
"It is certainly wrong for you to take another prisoner's meat; and very
mean, because, as you say, he has not the chance you have to get
anything else. Now, girls, will you promise not to hide things away, and
try to cheat me any more?"
"I will, I will," was responded by the six. I did not expect them to do
it without a great many more "admonishings."
"Now, girls, be on your guard, so that the temptation does not become
too strong for you."
When the Deputy came in, I asked him whether the order for me to stand
at the ration table in the kitchen, at meal time, had been approved by
the Board.
"Of course it has."
"Has the order for me to be on duty in the prison at meal time, been
approved by the Board?"
"Certainly!"
"You consider them a very intelligent body of men, do you not?"
"Of course,--they are my superior officers."
"How can they expect me to be in two different places at the same time?"
"I really don't know much about the arrangements on the women's side at
meal times. My station is in the men's prison at that time."
"Yes, sir; and it is the place of our head officer to be stationed on
this side, in the women's prison, at that time, and it is my place to be
in the kitchen at meal time, to see that the meals go out properly, and
that none of them are turned from the right channel."
The next day afforded him an illustration of what I said. The dinner
fell short. He entered the kitchen at one door as I went in at another.
He came hurrying up to me, and asked--"Why is this?"
"I don't know, sir! It was all right when I left the kitchen. Since
that, I have no means of knowing what has been going on. I have been
shut out in the prison, on duty."
He ordered in bread to supply the deficiency. In that case it was the
mismanagement of the hash, by a new hand, when "dished out," which would
have been prevented had I been there to oversee it.