Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-27
He stared at them In logged def

him up"
Even pound between u.s. the ser !
geant had said. when the butcher be- |
gan to grumble and Toms lip to curl |
and this settled it.
"Up with him. cried the sergeant
well teach you to sheer at us, my
gamecock, Stop a bit, though. His
legs won't stretch in these here irons.
Who the blaZes put them on?" And
the jealous officer knelt himself to I'M
fasten n pair of anklets coupled by
short but massive chain and employed
! Illegally by DIR. Sullivan on his farm.
A pair of figure handouts had been
locked upon Toms wrists at the same
time but both his wrists and his hands
We're small. and during the night he
had found that he could slip out of
| these at any moment. He was out of
them now before q soul dreamed of it,
so slyly did he stand to have the
shackles off his feet.
The heavy handled scourge lay on the
ground. Its raw faced wielder was
halfway out of his coat. The other
constable was talking to Ginger in the
shade. The sergeant had urdOnc the
second anklet and was just rising from
his knees with the pair.
Next moment he was on his back IN
the dust and Tom was planted before
the triangles. with the scourge caught
up by the thongs in his two hands and
the heavy handle whirling round his
head.
The butcher rushed at him with one
sleeve still in his coat and received the
butt end of his pet instrument full
upon the forehead. where great green
wart sprang out as if by magic even
| as he rePled away. 1t was at this
there arose the cutlery which brought
DR. Sullivan to the justice room door.
and the sight that staggered even him
was the sight of his groom. the blood
all flown from his face to his eyes.
gnashing his white teeth and whirling
that thick oak handle round head of
wavy yellow hair Tom had not i'm
proved in looks since his arrival in
New South Wales. but at that moment
there was n fineness in his ferocity. a
sublimity IN his despair. which We're
not lost upon both the gentlemen now
watching from the door. Mr. StraChau.
for one beheld fellow man fighting
for a manhood that was more to him
than life against n degradation worse
than death. and he wished himself
back at his farm
Not so DR.. Sullivan, whose conSter-
nation lasted but n mOmens. The next
he was in the thick of ii. ralIving the
constables, t1ourishinG his cane and
leading Il rush which made the rebel
slip beneath the triangleS and take to
his heels. The pack followed. ali but
Dr. sullivan. who now fell back. with
the sun gliStcning on his white hair
and a Enarled hand shading his eyes.
Tom plunged between the lookup and
the store and ran round the fence to
the left. like rat in n ring. but II was
too high for him at every point. The
pack doubled and had hemmed him In
when he swervcd and was through
them, leaving Ginger on the ground
with redder whiSkers than before.
The Anclo-Indian. at the justice room
door, was irresistibly reminded of his
youth at Rugby and had an old cry in
his throat when he recOllected himself
and gulped it down i'm time. The con-
Wet was rushing straight for the out
let between stables and justice room.
The pack were at his heels. In front
of him the gaunt old doctor stood his
ground like n grenadier, with his bam-
boo cane. and the open gate and Il
tethered horse beyond.
Mr.. Strachan stood petrified by sheer
curiosity as to what would happen
next. 1t never occurred to him to in
terfere.
He thought the doctor must give
way. The doctor did no such thing.
He stood fast, with his cane as though
It had been n saber and Tom, whirlnG
his weapon still whirled 1t high into
the sky and bowed to the doctor be-
cause he could not strike him down.
As he bowed the bamboo Slashed his
shoulder and would have cloven him
to the ribs had it been steel. Next in.
slant he was oveTpowered, and they
dragged him back to the triangles al
DR.. Sullivan turned TO his brother mag.
istrate. with heightened color and
sparkling eyes.
"A hundred" cried the doctor in his
most dictatorial voice.
"A hundred what?" asked Mr.
Strachan.
'Lashes"' said the doctor, wiping his
forehead with red silk handkerchief
"Iou can't give him less after this. I'd
like to make it two! But we needn't
haul him in again to hear it. Just give
the order out here"
Il beg your pardon" said Strachan
nervously. II decline to give it at ALL
Decline TO order him another fifty
for bloodthirsty outrage like this?"
Yes, l do"
You must have taken leave of your
senses.' cried the domineering doctor
cor is it that you sympathize with the
man who felled my SOM"
Mr.. Strachan turned a deeper yellow.
You know me better than that, Dr.
Sullivan he cried holly. "Sympathize
with a convict! It's not that at all.
It's because it's irregular. l doubted
whether it was a case for summary