went by without a verdict, that there would be a disagreement or,
worse than that, an acquittal, in which case he would have to face
the charge of bigamy that the district attorney had more than
intimated,--Smilk slouched dejectedly into the court room a few
minutes before eleven o'clock and went through the familiar process
of facing the jury while the jury faced him. He straightened up
eagerly when the verdict was read. He took a long, deep breath. His
eyes brightened,--they almost twinkled,--as they searched the room
in quest of Mr. Yollop. He was disappointed to find that the gentle
milliner was not there to hear the good news.
The judge sentenced him to twenty years imprisonment at hard labor,
and he went back to his cell in the Tombs, a triumphant, vindicated
champion of the laws of his State, a doughty warrior carrying the
banner of justice up to the very guns of sentiment.
Mr. Yollop received a friendly letter from him some two months after
his return to Sing Sing. He found it early one morning on his
library table, sealed but minus the stamp that the government exacts
for safe and conscientious delivery. Mr. Yollop's stenographer,
being more or less finicky about English as it should be written,
even by thieves, is responsible for the transcript in which it is
here presented:
DEAR FRIEND--
I hope this finds you in the best of health. I am back on the job
and very glad to be so. It is very gay up here and I am getting fat
also. Regular hours is doing it, and no worry I suppose. I wish to
inform you that the movies have improved considerable since I was
here before and our baseball team is much better. Also the concerts
and so on. Grub also up to standard. I never eat better grub at the
Ritz-Carlton. Which is no lie either. Well, Mr. Yollop, before
closing I want to say you done me a mighty good turn when you
thought of them two wives of mine. If it had not been for them two
women I guess it would have been all off with me. I wish you would
drop in here to see me if you are ever up this way so as I can thank
you in person. Which reminds me. There is some talk among the boys
that a movement is on foot to have a regular fancy dress ball up
here once a month. Some kind of a benevolent society is working on
it they say. Big orchestra, eats from Delmonico's and a crowd of
girls from the smart set to dance with us. So as we won't get out of
practice, I suppose. Soon as I hear when the first dance is to be I
will let you know and maybe you will come up to be present. I will
introduce you to a lot of swell dames and maybe you can drum up a
nice trade among them on account of their all being fashionable and
needing a good many hats. It must be great to be in a business like
yours, where nobody cares how many times you rob them just so you
leave them enough money to buy shoes with, because if you ask me
they ain't wearing much of anything but hats and shoes these days.
Well, I guess I will close, Mr. Yollop. With kind regards from yours
truly, I remain
Yours truly, C. SMILK.
P. S.--I forgot to mention that this letter was left in your library
by a pal of mine who dropped in last night while you was asleep,
unless he got nabbed like a darned fool before he got a chance to do
this friendly little errand for me. He dropped in to get that wad of
bills I left there some time ago. If you get this letter he got the
roll.