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

UA6SSSu O1u lNOO&lI. lta2 rqt l |
II tell you they won't keep you ABOVE
a day." resumed the soldier. "And
you'll never see the place again unless
you plays the fool and gets turned into
gov'ment. Them as does that comes
back, Of course. and has a bad time of
It too. Hear that! Hear that!"
Over the wall a 8 the newcomers
marched down one side Of 1t there
came from the other a series Of shrill
screams, and ere they reached the gate
1t was flung open and out marched
four men carrying a fifth, screaming
still, shoulder high between them. The
white face was turned to the sky, the
naked trunk writhing in agony, and
the blood was running out Of the mans
boots as though he had been wading
ankle deep in it, while his leg irons
hung clanking from his legs.
"Aha!" said the soldier. "That's q
Tom fool who's got turned into gov
ment, you see! They're carrying i'm
across to the 'orspital, cause the cats
been scratching Of i'm"
"The cat?" cried Tom, who was
trembling all over.
GAY, my lad; the one with nine
tails. TITS the commonest breed out
here!!"
Tom never knew how his legs carried
him through the barrack gates, and
when the draft were drawn up within
and formally addressed there by the
deputy governor he caught but little
Of the harangue. He felt deadly sick;
his heart ached like a tooth, and for
hours to come those piercing rea
pursued his tingling ears. However,
he supposed the punishment must have
been timed expressly as a salutary
warning for the newcomers. Devoutly
he hoped so. but he soon knew better.
Next morning there were two fog
gings, and one again the morning aft
er. It was, in fact, q daily detail at
the Hyde Park barracks, which were,
on the other hand, the headquarters of
several hundreds of the most desper-
ate felons in New South Wales. Tom
and his draft were only to remain
there until assigned into private serv-
ice, but the rest had all been turned
into government" as unmanageable by
their masters and were in barracks for
repunishment. Their days We're spent
In road gangs or in other organized la
Dor about the town, and not a few of
their nights in d%epredations winked at
by the barrack officers.
For the corruption Of the place was
as fragrant as the discipline was harsh.
The very first night, when Tom was
driven from his hammock by the fetid
heat of the overcrowded dormitory, he
witnessed an instructive incident from
the window. 1t was the return of such
a depredator and the division Of his
spoil with the officer or duty. Tom
soon learned that burglaries and high.
way robberies were nightly occur
rences in Sydney, and as often the
work of convicts under nominal lock
and key as that of the assigned serv.
ants who infested the streets after
dark.
Meanwhile he was himself assigned
to a resident in urgent quest of a "spe
cial," or'"gentleman convict" as such
as Tom were termed. The applicant
was a genial graybeard, with a philo
sophie eye, which looked Tom we'll uI
and down at their interview.
"What 1 want" said he, sis a tutor
for my son. I hear you are a UNIVERSE
ty man. May I ask what makes you
stare"
Il a tutor"
"Well"
"You can't know what I was trans
ported for"
ooh, yes, 1 do. 1 could wish it ha6
been for something else, certainly; but
that doesn't make you any the less &
university man. And the other spe
Gals seem to be a poor lot, and l NEAR
to give you a trial. But We'll drop thai
name Of yours, which Pm afraid may
be known Iii my house, and you shall
start fair. III half an hour, then, Jones
I shall call for YOU in my chaise."
And Tom actually found himself
quite a privileged member of q deem
household before he had time to realize
Ills SOOu fortune Inc OIleF servant
were ordered to treat him with respect
His pupil was put entirely in hi
charge. He had his meals with the
family and had reveled for one nigh
in a deliciously clean bed and bedroom
when the master Of the house came tt
him in the morning with a very WY
face.
"It's all 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 20,
are, and she refuses to leave her bee
while you remain in the house. Sht
has read of you in the English papers
confound them, and she simply won
have you ON the premises! 1t seems I'm
reasonable when you consider that oul
cook was a bloodthirsty baby farmer
our coachman a professional burglar
and so on right through the staf-ha
hitual criminals every one-which
don't think you are. Still there's an
other side to it. There's the boy to b.
considered. and though l think you're
fho. uerv man for him q fool