Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-10-31

ground. Its raw faced wielder was
halfway out of his coat. The other
constable was talking to Ginger in the
shade. The sergeant had undone 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 a great green
wart sprang out as If by magic ever
as he reeled 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,
crashing his white teeth and whirling
that thick oak handle round a 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 a fineness in his ferocity, 6
sublimity in his despair. which were
not lost upon both the gentlemen now
watching from the door. Mr.. Strachan,
for one, beheld a fellow man fighting
for a manhood that was more to him
than life against a degradation worse
than death. and he wished himself
back at his farm.
Not so Dr.. Sullivan, whose conster-
nation lasted but a moment. The next
be was in the thick of 1t. rallying the
constables. tiourishing his cane and
leading a rush which made the rebel
slip beneath the triangles and take to
his heels. The pack followed, all but
DIR. Sullivan, who now fell back, with
the sun glistening on his white hair
and a gnarled hand shading his Y
Tom plunged between the lookup and
the store and ran round the fence to
the left, like a rat in a ring. but 1t was
too high for him at every point. The
pack 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 r%ecollected himself
and gulped it down in time. The con-
Wet was rushing straight for the out
let between stables and justice room.
The pack We're at his heels. In front
of him the gaunt old doctor stood his
ground like a grenadier, with his bam-
boo cane, and the open gate and a
tethered horse beyond.
Mr.. Strachan stood petrified by sheer
curiosity as to what would happen
next. 1T never occurred to him to in
t%erfere.
He thought the doctor must give
way. The doctor did no such thing.
He stood fast, with his cane as though
it had been a saber, and Tom, whirling
his weapon still, whirled it 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 ~overpowered. and they
dragged him back to the %triangles as
Dr.. Sullivan turned to his brother mag
i%strate, With a heightened color and
sparkling eyes.
GA hundred!' cried the doctor in his
most dictatorial voice.
ga hundred what?" asked Mr..
Strachan.
"Lashes!!" said the doctor, wiping his
forehead with a red silk handkerchief.
"You 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"
81 beg your PARDON" said Strachan
%nervously. II decline to give it at ALL
Decline to order him another fifty
for a bloodthirsty outrage like this"
Eyes, l do"
"You must nave 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, DR..
| SulllN LII lc SllSU lOllS. SS lIlDllllLG
with Il convict! It's not that at all.
It's because it's irregular. 1 doubted
whether it was a case for summary
jurisdiction in the beginning. l know
it isn't now, and I'll have no more to
do with it,"
"You won't? Then l will!' said Dr..
Sullivan. iii take the responsibility
upon myself"
81 won't be a party to any further ir-
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 it, of course"
Yet he retired into the justice room
and shut the door, but failed to shut
out the rasping sound of DR.. S%ullivan's
voice, exultantly doubling the sentence
and crying to the ex-butcher to lay on
the whip cord as he had never laid it
on before.
"Trust me" came the reply through
the open window. "Look at my fore
head. sir. I'll cut his bowels out for