The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-23
Jack sprouts Conversion.

Z
swear, even in the presence of his wife,
for he was sadly given to the habit of
using protane language. And yet
Jack was a good husband; an indul-
gent father; an honest, industrious
man; an accommodating neighbor;
and he possessed many other exseIlen-
I cies of character which might have
made him a valuable member of socie-
/ ty had it not been for certain loose
habits which had marked his course
/ from childhood. His parents had
been careless and profane before him;
his father had been tough, rough Gus
/ toner; so Jack naturally enough came
up in the same track. But he was
good looking, and kind hearted, and
genial and social, and so he had gain
ed for wife one of the very best maid
ems of our country town, as well as one
OF the handsSpest.
Master Freddy Sprout, aged five
/ years, stood by his mothers side, with
a sadly begrimed and tear-streaked
( face, and his story was that Solomon
Gordon had whipped him with stick,
and the boys legs sill bore a few slight
tokens of the castigarion. Two other
"
tdy,and their testimony coroborated that
which the sufferer had given. Freddy,
! with some OF his playmateS, had been
/ throwing stones at Mr.. Gordou's dog
and one of the,missiles hurled byEreddy
had nit the animal and caused him to
howl with pain OF course the stone
Z thrown by such a tiny hand, could not
have inflicted much injury on the ca
nine brute: but Solomon Gordon loved
his dog, and when he saw what had
i been done, he caught Master Freddy
and gave him thrashing; for, be il
4 known, Solomon Gordon was just such
another man as Jack Sprout-warm
! hearted. generous and neighborly {;
/ but rough, uneducated, strong-willed,
and impulsive.
[ Jack Sprout put on his hat and pre-
pared to sally forth. His lips were
7 pale and tightly compressed, and the
huSe muscles in his arms worked like
bundles of ropes.
Dear Jack !" pleaded his wife, ''don't
I go out now"
Let me alone, Abby. No man shall
I strike a child of mine without having a
I Sol. Gordon, and I'll give him such a
| licking he won't forget in a hurryI"
And Jack closed the sentence with a
/ terrible oath.
No, no, Jack; don't. go. What good
will it do? Wait until you are more
"Pshaw! Go away, Abby. There is
not power enough on earth to save Sol.
II Gordon from a drubbing; and I'll give
it to him before the sun goes DOWN.
And as Jack Sprout looked at that
/ moment, he gave awful evidence that
he was physically able to make good
his word; for more magnificent struc-
ture of framework and muscle was not
to be found in the town.
: Dear Jack" cried the wife, taking
/ her husband by the arm, "Oh, do listen
4 to me one moment. Freddy is not
much hurt, and he ought not to have
/ thrown stones at Gordon's dog. You
I know, both solomon and his wife set
] everything by the little animal, and he
! would not bark At the boys if they did
not plagGe him. If you go and find
Gordon as you are now, you viii only
make matters worse oh, 1 wish you
would drop it."
Jack only shook his head, and smiled
| one of those smiles which are terrible
I upon the :ace of an angry man.
''oh, Jack, if you would only try the
/ effect of kindness upon Solomon! He
is good man at hesrt-"
| Jack interrupted his wife with de-
| risive sneer.
Don't laugh at me, Jack. tell you
I 1t would be better to do so than to re-
| sort TO blows. If you were attacked,
/ should not blame you for fighting to
] RiOlSCl gOuISSlIS DuL THIS Is LlOL u case
I that calls for your strength of muscle.
There is a higher and nObler strength
that you can use now"
"Oho!" uttered Jack, .'you are
preaching You are giving me some of
/ your Sunday school lessons. But
I don't want 'em. You may experience
religion as much as you please, but you
mustn't preach the stuffs to me-
! Jack" spoke the wife, with stern
/ solemnity, "haye l been any worse
I since began to have an interest in re-
I ligious things?"
| NO, Abby-you were always good. J"
Then why will you not listen TO me7
/ IF you will stay with me now-if you
/ will wait until your anger IS cooled
! and then go and speak kindly to Solo
mon Gordon, L give you my solemn
Z pledge that You will feel thousand
( times better that you will If you"
/ But Jack would not hear his wife out.
I He had sworn that he would thrash
I Solomon Gordon, and he would keep
( MS word. His temper was at the boil
/ ing point, and he was fairly aching to
I get his hands upon the man who had
dared to strike his boy; for Freddy was
/ his pet, aud every blow that had been
| laid upon the chfld's body had made a
/ mark of fire upon his own heart. So
! he put his wife away from him and hur-
ried from the house. slamming the door
after him.
Away went Jack Sprout with rapid,
! heavy strides; and had Solomon Cor
don fallen in his way Just then, he
I would have most assuredly been severe
I ly beaten: for though solomon was a
stout, bold man, yet Jack was very
/ Hercules
/ But Jack was destined to get pretty
] thoroughly cooled off before he met the
/ object of his wrath. As he approached
I the bridge that spanned the river Just
/ below the falls he heard loud cries of
/ alarm, and upon hurrying forward he
| found that boy had fallen from one OF
I the projecting timbers into the water.
He looked over the railing and saw the
/ OF the foaming, boiling t1ood-a curly
headed boy, just about the age of
his own darling Freddy-stretching
forth his tiny hands in agony of des-
pair. It was a terrible place. that
seething, roaring pool, where the waters
OF the great river came pouring down
from over the high dam; but Jack did
not hesitate. He forgot his enemy
forgot everything but the danger of the
little one-and only stopping to kick
OF his boots, and throw aside his coat,
ne leaped down into the angry flood.
He caught the boy in his arms and then
struck for the shore. Il was q mighty
conflict, but the strong man perseyered.
More than once those who had gathered
upon the bridge and upon the rocks had
reason to fear that neither the man nor
the boy would come forth alive; but
Jack held his own against the mad tor
rent, and finally reached the shore,
I where many hands were ready to help
MN. As for himself, a few minutes
action assured him that he was able to
Walk; and he had sustained no injuries
save fsw trihing bruises- AS for the
boy, he had come forth in safety; for
JACK held hlm high above the water
H. =