Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-20

university man. And the other spe-
Gals seem TO he poor lot, and mean
to give you 4 trial. But Wen drop that
name of yours, which I'm afraid may
be known in my house, and you shall
start fair In half an hour. then. Jones,
i shall call for you in my chaise'
And Tom actually found himself
quite q privileged member OF decent
household before he had time to realize
his good fortune The other servants
We're ordered TO treat him with respect
His pupil was put entirely i'll his
charge. He had his meals with the
family and had reveled for one night
in delicOuSly clean bed and bedroom.
when the master of the house came to
him in the morning with Il very wry
face.
Its oil up, Jones'" said that philOso-
pher, with the blunt intimacy which
had made Tom like him from the first.
My good wife has discovered who you
are, and she refuses to leave her bed
while you remain in the house She
has read of you in the English papers.
'Ollphlt l!lt'ill, bl'i 1lif N'biA'4N "''I
have YOU on the PROMISES, 1t seems aun-
reasonable when you consider that our
cook was Il bOolthiy:;tv baby farmer.
our coachman n professional burglar
and so on right through the StaT-ha-
/ bitual criminals every One-which |
don't think you are. still there's an
other side To it, There's the hoy To he
considered. and though think you're
| the very man for him, a mothers feel
| ings must be studied in such matters.
You see like you wei enough to be
| perfectly frank about the matter. but
| the fact is the chaise is waiting Tor us
outside"
SO ended that chapter. ami Tom was
! back at barracks in time to hear the
clank OF chain gangs shutting family
out to work and the swish and whistle
OF the morning lash. Those two inStru-
ments supplied the street music of the
convict city. There We're few days
and few hours when you might not
hear their melancholy duet. To Tom
the sound of it WAS still physical tor
| turc. the more unbearable after this
| cruel taste of better things. Nearly
all his ShipmateS had been assigned
and taken away in his absence. Only
one other special was left. Ii London
clerk transported for fraud. Toms
| late master, Il friend of the SUpcrin
| tendent. was allowed to carry him of
in Toms stead. and long afterward
the latter heard the curious sequel OF
his own misfortune. SO thoroughly
did his successor teach what he knew
that both tutor and pupil were pres
emily transported to Van Dieman'S
Land for life.
The incident was sufficiently dis
! hcartening at the time. and yet 1t haC
its hopeful side. 1t revealed the posi-
bilities of the assignment system. or
rather, its better possibilities. from tn,
cOnvict'S point of view. As Il punish
ment it must needs prove a farce in ;
community which preferred TO estimat,
convictS 10y their capacity as co.onist.
rather than by their crimes as felonS
Such was Toms comforting reelection
for not yet did he realize how entirely
the condition of the convict was de
pendent upon the character Of tn,
master; but. having had one good mas
ter, though for so brief Il period. h,
looked cheerfully for another.
The other, however, was slow f
come. His false start seemed to tel
against Tom with the authorities
They were in no hurry TO assign hin
again, and presently he found himsel
the last man Of his draft in the bal
racks. with his hammock the only on
a-Swing between the Stanchions of til
t great dOrmitOry upstairs. Then on
morning he heard a row in the YARD
and there was very overdreSSeC
thickset anG thick spoken young ma
abusing the officers because there wer
, no conyictS left
, Il tell you we applied for three. an
; I've come down expressly for them.
+ he spluttered out. over hundre
5 blessed miles I've come from Cast
, Sullivan, near the Hunter river, fo
? two farm laborcrs and a groom. a
: properly applied for in lots of time
v And Just because | get touch of til
:. sun and can't come on the right da
: I'm to go back empty handed. am |