Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-22

what remained Of their ruined day
the convicts spent in breaking as man"
as possible of those commandments
which DR.. Sullivan had been Dining
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 sCuatter of the early days. He
must not be COMPOUNDED with the
squatter of subsequent civilization.
The former was usually n ticket-of-
leave man. who built himself Il hut in
an unOccupied spot, with a preference
for the near neighbOrhOOd of a plenti-
full contingent of assigned convicts
The sQuattcr would supply the cOnvicts
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
fcan 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 Sulli-
van.
Hithcr WAS Tom taken by one of his
| fellows on an early Sunday evening.
] Half 4 dozen others We're there before
I them. Not one of these We're sober
J when they arrived. And the strong
/ fumes tempted Tom. SmOldering mis-
cry was in flames ut this chance of
! qucnching it for the nOnce. lie might
| have followed suit had not his com
! panOn produced Il screw hammer in
| payment for the liquor. Tom glanced
ut the implement and then mt his mate
You're never going TO pay with that.
| Mac:'
IN what for nG:"
There's the farm brand staring you
in the face. 1t isn't yours
whats ABBOTT it? If Il man mayn't
blk the cOves. wha may he bill? They
gle lis nae wages for our work. so we
maun help oursels,"
And as this WAS the principle of ali
present and indeed of the average con-
vict throughout the colony. honest Tom
had no choice but To turn Oh his heel
and walk away amid the execratIons
of his fellows. But not Il hand was
raised against him. He had still the
eye ana the bearing that discourage a
| blow. Even the elder Sullivan had
given up tapping and rapping him
with that bamboo wand which was
forever quickcuiu@ 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. ami worse was tC
, come OF il. The theft was brought
home TO the man Macbeth. and The
very next night Tom Inat him with I
white. pinchel face ana his coat Oh
back 80 front.
Why, Mac" cried Tom. "Wha
: now"
, The foulcst maloiictious We're hi
, only answer, white lip quiverir.
! with the words.
= "NhIt IN earth have | doao?"
You ken wccl This. them
He turned his back. ana Tom starteC
back with horror. The shirt beneath
the open coat was sOpping red.
! In vain Tom protested that be ha'
: never told a soul about the hammer
;. Nobody would believe him. His in
= dignation and his sympathy We're treat
ed with scoTn as so much hypocrisy
9 His name was cNccratcd in the con
+ Wet hutS. and so much of the convic
4 spirit survived i'll Ginger that he wa
g with the men IN this ana never spok
: to Tom now. The overSeer beside
II shared Nat Sullivan's grievance agains
.r Tom. y furtive admiration for the Gil
- O'Rricu was enc of his softer traits
4 and she was the same to neither u
r them now.
d At the end Of a month the groom
t trucSt friend was the terrific old doctO
d himself Peggy was his friend indeed
J. but. though her gray eyes watched hill
v wiStfully enough from the window, b
e seldom heard her full. rich brOgue. No
It was it consideration for the girl tina
lie made Tom deny himself that sma
l. consolation. Young sullivan had fol
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