Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-11-22


than life against degradation worse
than death, and he wished himself
back at his farm.
Not so DIR. Sullivan, whose conster-
nation lasted but moment. The next
he was in the thick of 1t. rallying the
constables, hourishing his cane and
leading n rush which made the rebel
sin beneath the triangles and take to
his heels. The pack followed, all but
DR. Sullivan, who now fell back. with
the sun glistening on his white hair
and a gnarled hand shading his eyes.
Tom plunged between the lookup and
the store and ran round the fence to
the left, like rat In a ring. but 1t was
too high for him at every point. The
mack doubled and had hemmed him in
when he swerved and was through
them, leaving Ginger on the ground
with redder whiskers than before.
The Anglo 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 1t down in 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 grenadier, with bis bam'
boo cane, and the open gate and a
44t..,ol lorcn havon6
Mr. Strachan stood petrifed 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 us though
It had been saber. and Tom. whirling
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 siashed his
shoulder and would have cloven him
to the ribs had it been steel. Next In
slant he was overpowered, and they
dragged him back to the triangles as
DR.. Sullivan turned to his brother mag
istrate. with heightened color and
sparkling eyes.
"a hundredp' cried the doctor In his
most dictatorial voice.
"a hundred whatY asked Mr..
Strachan.
"Iashesr' said the doctor, wiping his
forehead with red silk handkerchief.
"You can't give him less after this. I'd
like to make it twoi But we needn't
haul him in again to hear it. Just give
the order out here"
Il beg your pardon" said Strachan
nervously. 81 decline to give 1t at all"
decline to order him another fifty
for bloodthirsty outrage like thisr
Eyes, I 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 son?"
Mr.. Strachan turned a deeper yellow.
"You know me better than that, DIR.
Sullivan he cried holly. "Sympathize
with u convict! It's not that at all.
It's because it's irregular. l doubted
whether 1t was case for summary
Jurisdiction in the beginning. | know
it isn't now, and I'll have no more to
do with it."
"You won't? Then / willw said DR..
Sullivan. "I'll take the responsibility
upon myself~
81 won't be party to any further IT.
regularity" said Strachan, "and it's a
clear case for quarter sessions If ever
there was one That's my only point.
The man deserves 1t, Of course"
Yet he retired into the justice room
and shut the door, but failed to shut
out the rasping sound Of DR.. Sullivan's
voice, exultantly doubling the sentence
and crying to the ex-butcher to lay on
the whip cord as he had never laid 1t
on before.
"Trust me!' came the reply through
the open window. "Look at my fore
head, sir. I'll cut his bowels out for
thatw
Mr.. Strachan sprang up and shut the
window with bang. He was strange
ly shaken. Many were the foggings
he had ordered or inspired and even
witnessed without qualm. There
was something in this mans face that
had appealed to him and troubled him
from the first. AS he shut the window
there was something else In the white
sheen of the doomed nude back over
Wonder that made him feel instructive
" there was the remnant of gentle
man, tied up for whipping like a cur.
And this conviction made the Anglo
Indian, who was the remnant of gen.
tleman himself, more uncomfortable
than he had felt for years.
He turned his back on the window
and sat down. listening against his
will, In the very chair from which he
had delivered prearranged judgment.
He heard it once and WINGED and
twitched his shoulders, as though the
stroke had fallen on them. He heard
it again. He began mumbllng the end
of q new cheroot and listening to the
flies on the window pane, whose buzz
zing had suddenly become very loud.
But louder yet were those horrible
sounds outside, and even more horrible
was the exultant croak Of the old doc
tor at regular intervals between
sounds.
"Comb your lashes. my good man!'
his rasping voice kept crying. Comb
those lashes! Comb those lashes!"
Strachan found himself counting
them, with that striking face still be-
fore him and those desperate eyes