The gallows-tree on the virgin soil of Australia flourished and bore
fruit in abundance.
The trial of a convict charged with disobedience or insubordination
was of summary jurisdiction. Joe Kermode, a teamster, chanced to be
present at one of these trials. It was about ten o'clock in the
morning when he saw near a house on the roadside a little knot of men
at an open window. He halted his team to see what was the matter,
and found that a police magistrate, sitting inside a room, was
holding a Court of Petty Sessions at the window. It was an open
court, to which the public were admitted according to law; a very
open court, the roof of which was blue--the blue sky of a summer's
morning. A witness was giving evidence against an assigned servant,
charged with some offence against his master. His majesty, the
magistrate, yawned--this kind of thing was tiresome. Presently a
lady came into the room, walked to the open window, clasped her hands
together, and laid them affectionately on the shoulder of the court.
After listening for a few moments to the evidence she became
impatient, and said, "Oh, William, give him three dozen and come to
breakfast." So William gave the man three dozen and went to
breakfast--with a good conscience; having performed the ordinary
duty of the day extraordinarily well, he was on the high road to
perfection.
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