Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-11-15


without focks of parrots would chat
ter mockingly. their vivid reds ana
yellows lighting up the somber hues
of those perennial leaves that wEls-
pered none the less enticingly or cool
siestas In the shade. Yet Sunday after
Sunday these tyrannical observances
were maintained and enforced, and
the evangelical doctor loved to boast
of the device whereby he had enforced
them In the beginning. On the frst
Sunday nine-tenths Of his men had
announced themselves Roman Cath
olics. So he had drawn up these gentry
in line outside the palisade and there
kept them standing out OF earshot, Dut
in the full glare Of the sun, during the
entire service. And on the Sunday fol-
lowing there was not Roman Cath
Ole among them.
What remained Of their ruined day
the convcts spent In, breaking as many
as possible of those commandments
which DR.. Sullivan had been DINING
I'm their ears. Larceny, however, was
the crime most in favor ut the farm,
whose boundaries were seldom exempt
from that foul parasite Of the convict,
the sQuatter Of the early days. lie
must not be COMPOUNDED with the
squatter Of subsequent civilization.
The former was usually q ticket-of-
leave man. who built himself hut In
an unoccupied spot. with a preference
for the near neighborhood Of a plenti-
full contingent of assigned convicts.
The squatter would supply the convicts
with rum. The convict would pay the
sauatter with the only currency with
in his reach-namely, that Of stolen
property. The squatter was sly pub
lican and sly pawnbroker In one, and
a pretty specimen of his class had his
wigwam and his black gin on a creek
not hundred miles from Castle Sulli-
van.
Hither was Tom taken by one OF his
fellows on an early Sunday evening.
Half a dozen others were there before
them. Not one of these were sober
when they arrived. And the strong
fumes tempted Tom. Smoldering mis-
ery was in flames at this chance OF
quenchlng 1t for the nonce. He might
have followed suit had not bis COM
panion produced q screw hammer In
payment for the liquor. Tom glanced
at the implement and then at his mate.
you're never going to pay with that,
Mac"
can what for noT"
''There's the farm brand staring you
in the face! 1t isn't yours"
"Whats ABBOTT it? If a man mayn't
blk the coves. wha may he blk? They
gle US nae wages for our work, so we
maun help oursels|
And as this was the principle OF all
present and indeed of the average con-
Wet throughout the colony, honest Tom
had no choice but to turn on his heel
and walk away amid the excavations
of his fellows. But not hand was
raised against him. He had still the
eye and the bearing that discourage a
blow. Even the elder Sullivan had
given up tapping and rapping him
with that bamboo wand which was
forever quckening felon fingers and
sowing black murder in felon hearts.
But the incident of the screw ham,
mer made an unpopular man of Tom
among his fellows, and worse was to
come of it. The theft was brought
home to the man Macbeth, and the
very next night Tom met him with q
white, pinched face and his coat Oh
back to front.
"Why, Macw cried Tom. "Wha1
nowY"
The fOulest maledictiOns were his
only answer, a white lip QuiVerine
with the words.
"What on earth have / done?'
"You ken weel. This, thenw =
He turned his back, and Tom started
back with horror. The shirt beneath
the open coat was sOpping red.
In vain Tom protested that he hat
never told a soul about the hammer
Nobody would believe him. His in
dignation and his sympathy were treat
ed with scorn as SO much hypocrisy
His name was execrated In the con
yict huts, and so much Of the convic
spirit survived in Ginger that he was
with the men in this and never spoke
to Tom now The overseer besides
shared Nat Sullivan's grievance agains
Tom. A furtive admiration for the CIR
O'Brlen was one of his softer traits
and she was the same to neither o.
them now.
At the end of month the groom:
truest friend was the terrific old doctor
himself. Peggy was his friend indeed
but, though her gray eyes watched hin
wistfully enough from the window, ht
seldom heard her full, rich brogue. MOI
was it consideration for the girl thai
made Tom deny himself that small
consolation. Young Sullivan had for
hidden him the house and was suffi
GENTLY his enemy as it was. Indeed
the groom discovered he was becoming
a bone Of contention between father
and son.
The son wanted to have him turned
out of the stables and put to Telling
timber. The father would not hear o.
II.
The father granted him the usua
good conduct indulgences Of tea, suga
and tobacco, in addition to the regula
ton rations. The son laid himself on
to catch Tom smoking at night and
once put a stop to the tobacco.
Then came the very hottest day O
the summer, for which the son hat
waited. He had brought from sydne!
IN tho nack horse a quantity of new