Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-07-26

/
sure future Offenders that they would
be punished without mercy in their
turn and would slash the desk with
bis cane to emphasize his words. So
religion and ferocIty ran hand in hand
at Castle Sullivan, nor was hypocrisy
very far behind. Mr.. Nat led the
4 hymns In devout, sustained, stem.
\ torian below. while a maiden sister,
the only lady OF the establishment,
whose voice the convicts never heard
and whose face they seldom saw but
on these occasions. supplied per-
functory accompaniment on the piano
forte
| Amid the branches of the red gums
without focks Of parrots would chat
ter mockingly. their vivid reds and
yellows lighting up the somber hues
OF those perennial leaves that whis-
pered none the less enticingly Of cool
slestas In the shade. Yet Sunday after
Sunday these tyrannical Eobservances
were maintained and enforced. and
the evangelical doctor loved to boast
OF the device whereby he had enforced
them in the beginning. On the first
Sunday nine-tenths of his men had
announced themselves Roman Cath
olics. So he had drawn up these gentry
In line outside the palisale and there
kept them standing out OF earshot, but
In the full glare of the sun, during the
/ entire service. And on the Sunday fol.
| lowing there was not a Roman Cath.
ole among them.
What remained of their ruined day
the convicts spent in breaking as MANY
ms possible of those commandments
which DR.. Sullivan had been dlnnins
In their ears. Larceny, however, was
the crime most in favor at the farm.
whose boundaries were seldom EXEMPT
from that foul parasite Of the convict.
the squatter Of the early days. He
must not be COMPOUNDED with the
sQuatter of subsequent civilization.
The former was usually a ticket-of-
leave man. who built himself hut in
an unoccupled spot, with a preference
for the near neighborhood of a plenti-
full contingent of assigned convicts.
The squatter would supply the conylcts
with rum. The convict would pay the
squatter with the only currency with
In his reach-namely. that of stolen
property. The squatter was sly pub
llcan and sly pawnbroker In one. and
pretty specimen of his class had his
wigwam and his black GIN on creek
not hundred miles from Castle SulH-
van.
Hither was Tom taken by one of his
fellows on IN early Sunday evening.
Half dozen others were there before
them. Not one Of these were sober
when they arrived. And the strong
fumes tempted Tom. Smoldering mis-
cry was In flames at this chance of
quenching 1t for the nonce. He might
have followed suit had not his COM
panion produced screw hammer in
payment for the liquor. Tom glanced
at the implement and then at his mate
You're never going to pay with that,
Mac"
"An' what for no?"
There's the farm brand staring you
In the face! 1t isn't yours"
:::What's atppooot II? IA man mayn't
DIX the coves. wha may he bilka They
gle US nae wages for our work, go we
maun help oursels."
And as this was the principle of all
present and indeed of the average con-
ylct throughout the cnlnnx honest Tom
and walk away amid the execrations
Of his fellows. But not hand was
raised against him. He had still the
eye aud the bearing that discourage a
| blow. Even the elder Sullivan had
given up tapping and rapping him
with that bamboo wand which was
| forever quickening felon fingers and
sowing black murder In felon hearts.
But the incident of the screw ham,
mer made an unpopular man Of Tom
among his fellows, and worse was to
rome of it. The theft was brought
home to the man Macbeth, and the
very next night Tom met him with
white, pinched face and his coat on
back to front.
why, Macw cried Tom. What
now?'
| The foulest maledictions were his
only answer, white lip qui!yerin! !;
with the words.
What on earth haze I done2"
"You ken weel This. Them.
He turned his back. and Tom started
back with horrp. The shirt beneath
the open coat was sopplng rod.
In vain Tom protested that he had
never told soul about the hammer
Nobody would believe him. His In
dignation and his sympathy were treat
ed with scorn as SO much hypocrisy
| His name was execrated In the con
Wet huts and SO much Of the convic
spirit survived In Ginger that he was
with the men In this and never spoke
| to Tom now. The oyerseer beside!
shared Nat Sulliyan's grievance agains
Tom. A furtive admiration for the cir
O'Brien was one of his softer traits
, and she was the same to neither o
them now.
at the end Of month the groom
, truest friend was the terrific old docto
himself. Peggy was his friend indeed
) but, though her gray eyes watched hir
, wistfully enough from the window, Ii
9 seldom heard her full, rich brogue. No
4 was 1t consideration for the girl tha
. made Tom deny himself that sma
a consolation. Young Sullivan had fol
Z hidden him the house and was sui
q GENTLY his enemy as it was. Indeed
i tho groom discovered he was becomin
= bone OF contention between fathe
|. and son.
a The son wanted to have him turne
.. out Of the stables and put to fellin