The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-30 00:00:00

PRIDAY EVENING, JULY 3O,

. .
li rrydr4ties."
" ',Volt—at-optics. Ycut want stimuluses," says I,
" and not uar—nE,,r—nis—'
" Narco,ios."

their 11.,t it goes for
.penny-worth of opia, as
" Weil—cotica. Bat
.the poor people ail take it.
they cal.l it Dr. Shackles." -
" I wond'or ho sells it," said my f.,thor.
" And asking your pardon, Doctor," said the wetnttr:,
"I wonder you don't. They say he makes a tidal 0'
money by
.
" Never !"said my father, with .unusual emphasis;
"never, it I want a shilling."
Tee assistant suddenly, checked the pestle with 'which
If 'ts
he W=l3 pounding, and looked inquisitively at his princi-
pal, who fixed his eyes on the idiot boy.
" Well, my lad and
name?" and
father; what',,,. your . who are yell?" inquired my
" M. or N." answered the boy; slowly dragging "
thu
wet forefinger, which lie.had withdrawn from his mouth,
with a lung ail-liko clang the "Fiddlestick," Exclaimed the woman, counter.
an, giving her
charge a good shaking by the shoulder; "you've got
another name beside that'?
" Yes," drawled the boy, " some call me Catechism
Jack."
gave it
All! tha"so an odd name!" said my father; who
, godfathers and godmothers, in my baptism,"
said Jack.
"No suchthing, Sir,". said the woman; "it was the
ing on it! idle boya of the vilLige, Joecaus© he was always ;:epeat-
thing else." and; indeed, poor fellow, he can repeat
no-
.- • •
" Then how did he get that?"
,c why, you.see, Sir," said the woman, "between our-
selves it was all along of his godmother."
" Ah,. indeed!" exclaimed
.my father. "His god-
mother, eh?"
"Yes; Mrs. Foyer, as was, for she's dead now, as well
as his own mother; and that's how ho came into my
care. His mother went first, while he was in petticoats,
and so Mrs. Foyer took charge of him,
the infant day school. She was a very strict woman in
her religious principles, and so Was the schoolmistress;
and both made it a great point for the children to be
taught accordingly, which they was. Well, one day
and sent him to
there they were all, in the schoolroom up one pair, and little Jack amongst the rest, the. last of the row, aeset-
.orm, 'close to the open
door. Well, by-and-bye the children were all called up
to say catechism; so up :they all
get- at once, except
ting on the very end of long 'r
Jack, who had been playing instead of getting his task
by rote, which made him backwarder to rise than the
rest; when,
lo • and behold! up 'tilts 'the form, like a
reardinugorir an de'and
pitches Jack, heels over head, through
the n the 'whole stone flight, where he was
picked up at the bottom, Oita unSensible."
Ah! with a concussion of the brain," said my
father.
" A contusion of the occiput," added Mr. Pestle;
" the spinal vertebim excoriated of course, and bruises
on both patel!m."
" I don't know about that," said the woman; but he
had a lump on the back of his head as big as an egg, the
twp nubtiles of.his back were rubbed quite raw, and his
two koeePans vivito as black as a coal. It was thourtht,
too, that his intellex was shook .up in a muddle."
" No doubt of it," said
my rather.
" Well, to go on with Jack. At long end at last he
came to, sore enough and smarting, as you may suppose,
for he had bet'n carried home to his godmother, and she
had rubbed his wounds with spirits of salts, which had
got into the cuts. And now Jack, says she, mark my
words, and let them. be a-warning. Ws a judgment of
God upon you, says siae, for not knowing your cate-
chim; for if so be you had got it by heart, you would
have ris with the rest, and this would never have hap-
pened. But its.a judgment upon. you, said she, and the
schoolmistress says it's the same thing; till between both
the poor thing,,, was so seared, he. set .to work, he did,
at his cheteehistn, and never rested day or night till he
got it by heart, as he has now, so thoroughly, you may
dodge him any how; backward and forward, and he
wont miss a. syllable. And that's how he came by it, sir,
us well as by his nicknanae;. for except. catechism, which
his head is too fell of, I suppose, to hold anything else,
he dont know a.," thing else. in the world."
" Poor. -ellow said my, father, opening one of the
surgery drawers. " Here Jack, will you have a lozenge?"
" Yes, verily, and by God's help, so I will. And I
heartily thank --."

" There, there, hush! co along with you," said the
woman, giving .her protege' a push towards the outer
door, and then .Mking up .the medicine, • with a nod of
acknowledgment to Mr. Postle, and a curtsey to my
father, she deprtcd, her forlorn charge clinging to her
garments, and muttering scraps of that formula which
had, procured for him the sobriquet of Catechism Jack.

I 4 was Cathechism Jack—who, after a preliminary
peep or two from behind the door post, at last crept with
a sidling gait and a sheepish air, into the surgery, where
by eccentric approaches, like those of a sly bird he
gradually placed himself at the counter. ,

" Well, Jack, said my father, " what do you want?"
Jack Made no. reply, but dropping • his head on his
right shoulder, with a look askance at my father. plucked
his sodden finger out of his mouth, and pointed with it
to one of the drawers.
c. You see," said my father, in au aside to Politic),
" the fellow is not quite a fool. He remembers where
the lozenge came from."
" Mere -animal instinct," answered Pestle, in the same
under tone, " a monkey would do as much, and remem-
ber the caunister where he got a lump of sugar."
"I will try him further."• said-my father, putting his
hand in the drawer for a lozange, which he held out ba-
tween hid finger and thumb. " Well, Jack, what will
you do if I giro you this?" Jack eyed the losenge,
grinned, looked at my father, and drawled out his
answer. .

"I'll say my catechism."
`` No, no, Jack!" cried my father, " we don't want that.
But will you be a good boy?"
" Yes," said Jack, his head suddenly drooping down,
again, while a cloud passedover his face. " Yes, will,
and not tumble down stairs."
"Poor fellow!" saicrray father;" they make a fault of
his misfortune. I have a great mind to take him. Should
you like, Jack, to get 'your own living?"
"Yes," answered Jack with alacrity, for my father
had unconiciously given him a familiar cue, " to learn
duty in that state of life to which it may please God to
and hbour truly. to get my- own living,
call me," t •
" Catechism again !" whispered Mr. Postie,
" Yea, but aptly quoted and applied," answered MY
father. ".Do you know, Jack, what physic is?"
and to do my
Jack nodded, and pantonaimically
quaintance with medicine by making a horrible grimace.
" Vv'ell,:bnt speak out, Jack," said my father, 6' use your tongue, etL us hear what you know about it.
What's physic?"
•
-
" Nasty; stuff," said Jack, in asp.oon."
yes,' isaid My father, " or in a wina-glass, Jack, Or
expressed his /m-
-in a cup. Very good. And do you remember my foe'',
boy, Jalac wholused to carry out the physic in a basket?'
Jack nodded
" medicine in hould
thyoue semo way r like to tako his place, and carry out the
Twicile he ogled the little oval confee-
drawled Jack, sympathetically
sucking
tion which my lather still retained in its old position.
dhoins'tfi--knock"
" 'Do ye'u thick you could do it?"
Jack was silent.
" Would you try to learn?"
" I bairn two things," mumbled Jack, "my datY to-
wards God, and lay duty towardamy neighbour."" Not very appropriate that," muttered Mr. Postle-
" Not much either way," answered my father, and he
resumed the exaaainaticn. . .
Well, Jack, suppose I was to take you into my
rg
viceser-
, and feed and clothe yon; should you like a sum
new livery?" • •
• •
yes.,,
" And anew hat?" • • -
a
" And if I were to give you a pair of new shoes, would
•
you take care of them?"
daY Yes,„
answered Jack, "and walk in the same nil the f my life."
• 4(
With
1 heror said my father, giving poetio a nudgo "j 8
elbow,'" what do you think of that?"
" A mere random shot," answered Mr. Postle. ,s
" Not atlall," said '
my father; -again turning, to his
Pr°l496. " Well, Jack, I have a great mind totvA a trial.
'EI take you into the house and find Tto s
ales,
gee' bed, and comfortabla meals, and a suit of
promise to
and provide for you altogether, would you Pr°—
ehave Yourself ?"
ame,
4..` They did pra n
miso and vow three things in °Y devil
answered Duck, " first, that I should renounce the
and all his works
Pottle Wag ':‘ Yes, yes," cried my father, hastily, for ou take
grnininga " weaknova all that. But would
_,T jos for
care of the' basket, Jack, and leave the* Ineule your
the •
attend to your
duty?:. at the right houses, and 110'
duty a,

in) duty towards my neighbour " . .
~ 1,...__
"isto 1 him to all men
ova him as well as m self rind to do
yst , Give us the
QS ageould
lo , they should "do unto me. u've z. ,
My lather eagerly
gave him the lozen e, which the ladagain
it out agai
13u0PIPoel into his Moran, eecasiongally taking
look edgeways at its thinness till all was gone'
answered Jack,

Much of t'
little looking aster do very . . • t
h r; "3. any
rate,44"rtehs' 322 Y rairlci is made up'," said my
a, e unfortunate creature shall have a chance;,
• er at first? he will
parish
turns on the
blande „; oo after interest of tale
paupers of the village became .14scatisfiekVith the
blunders ot jack:
career,a or to melee more than one othecLatetract.
follow his
But we have not spec© to
With.i..h e
• doctor, and he speedily becomes '
unpopular. Here is an
and nn
inststce :
Hopkins ' .
with foul
aer hobbled. into:the surgery,
well.
weather on her face. II,: lips were compressed, hero
as a red
saga; glimmered in her.dark black eye, like a spark
in a th•derbox. She
and abruptly.
Piz come . spoke harshly
~
,to rotorn the bottles. . . . „lii,/
"Very good," said my father, receiving t, after
angry spot in the middle of each sallow chetl,
phial fruity the catkered woman, with es Much courtesy
and
humility as. it he lald bleu honoured and obliged by
hero custom. Tl'
Hw is your loneness?" .
"As ball as Ever:'.'3 . ...
. " Butyour
i sorry to hear it " said my father..
eoreoteiiit - . . . , . . • for its
" .....ope the medicine hag done you good.
and43,-. ' and
, a we aiall see an amendment.
" We shall spe" said, the shrew; " I
aent going tr, t, ,_ no such thing,... ), '
By: is "r'mln requires time treatment.
" No?" - - "11 any more P4Pl9' •
" No. It's
away gratie." •
My father's faee flushed ,rightlyas wiles° would not?
with so much good for noteing, or you wouldn't give it
Physic thrown into it, though but meta-
supplied her with for the last six months?
Ph°ricallYt all the draughti and embrocations he had