Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-05


stale and sickly. Whether from that
cause or another, the fat major found
himself taking n more human interest
in this prisoner than in most $50
that's the most profane tongue in the
stockade"' lie would think whenever
he looked at Tom. 80 that's the foul
est MOUTH
1t was not, but Tom was educated
and had an educated mans sense of
emphasis and of selection. His bad
things stuck-that was all.
But if those superlatives were not
literally justified others We're, and be-
fore Tom had been six weeks in chains
lie had shown a temper as insubordi-
nate, an audacity as braZen and n cal
| lOusness as shocking as anything of
the sort which the major had yet en-
cOuntered in his present capacity. 1t
was the reaction from the suliy spirit
in which the convict had begun his
term. For two whole weeks lie broke
no rules, but in the next four he was
three times logged.
On the first occasion he knocked
down the scourger when 1t was all
over and so brought it all over again.
On the last the major addressed him
from his chair as the convict positively
staggered from the triangles, with
his letters clanking and his shoes
squelching at every step.
you want to try Norfolk island"
said the major, "but you shan't."
Tom shook his head, with an ugly
| sheer
THE Gallows, then" said the major,
"is your game. But you're not going
to get there either. l can show you as
good sport as you'll show me, and We'll
| see who wins the game"
1t was nothing else to the combata-
tive major. He was growing younger
| for the exercise. He began to get
about again on his legs. His only re-
| greet was for Il palpably fine young fell
| low gone so utterly to the bad. For the
rest, he found poor Tom as stimulating
for some weeks as Nat Sullivan had
| proved OH the occasion described. Nat,
| by the way, had returned to Castle
| Sullivan, ignobly creStfalieD. but not so
intoxicated as to ride by the stockade
again in daylight. The majors ST.
| perors had confirmed that officers
opinion, and Peggy O'Brien, examined
on her oath in Parramatta factory, had
| perjured herself for Tom in the most
Elusive and convincing manner. The
principal superintendent had made q
note of the affair, but there was no
case, az Nat was pretty plainly told,
and Major Honeybone heard no more
Of him for some time.
As matter of fact, the bones of the
! italian had also been discovered. but
as there We're 10 clothes upon them
and the native dogs had left little else
they We're never identified. So Tom
was safer for the moment than he
. supposed. Meanwhile he had become
q sort of hero among his degraded fel
lows. Not the most popular sort. how
ever, for enthusiasm is difficult In
heavy letters. Besides. he never tried
to be popular.
He might have been after knocking
down the scourger. The man was i
convict himself. who received l shilling
pence day for his unnatural serv
| ices. 1t was the butcher over again
only this Caitiff had eighty others al
ways there TO loathe him. and every
hand could have shaken Toms for thai
well aimed blow. but the very next dag
they discovered he would as soon turf
on them as on their common enemy.
The incident brought to light an in
teresting fact. and it happened or
Toms third Sunday in the stockade
About half the gang were incarceratet
in the common mess shed, idling, yarn
ing, cursing and proceeding as fast al
possible with that mutual corruption
which was the chief fruit of this par
ticular branch of secondary punish
ment. Tom was of the number, q con
spicuous unit 1t was the dawn of hi!
prominence. He was in one OF thos,
good tempers alluded to already
Everybody was listening. Those wht
could laugh still laughed now, and i
he had a guardian angel, surely. surel.
she must have been weeping then NOR
bitterly than when he fought for thu
, bushrangers at Castle Sullivan ant
put n bullet through troopers arm.
Suddenly something. an association
, q Renaissance, a forgotten picture
made him want to weep himself. HI
, was past that, however, and wen
back into the sulks instead. A new dl
version being required, one was pro
vided by the discovery of 4 young con
| vict, a mere lad, writing a letter in
dark corner on the floor. On bein.
detected the lad first blushed and thel
offered to read them what he had writ
: ten, whereupon he opened his lips ant
i, ribald stream poured forth. but me
J andered, slackened, faltered and wa
, soon cut short.
, Hes making it up as he goes along,
3 cried several. HE never wrote that a
: ALL"
: We'll see what he did write" sal
: one who was at hand. cutting the la
t and snatching the unfinished letter.
! With a cry and an uncouth chin
: from his irons, the young convict a
$ tempted to retain his property. 1t tor
g In his hand, and a dozen more he'll
{ him down while the possessor dragge
I his chains IN of ha ri