Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-04-26
Jack Sprouts Conversion.

In fact, he swore quite number of
oaths, for he was very angry. 1t was
nothing for Jack Sprout to swear,
even in the presence of his wife, for
he was sadly given to habit of pro-
fame language. And yet Jack was a
good husband, an indulgent father, an
industrious man, an accommodating
neighbor, and he possessed many other
excellencies of character which might
have made him valuable member of
society, had it not been for certain
loose habits which had marked his
coarse from childhood. His parents
had been careless and profane before
him; and his father had been tough.
rough customer; 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 gained for a wife one of the
very best maidens of our town, as
well as one of the handsomest.
Master Freddy Sprout, aged five
years, stood by his mothers side, with
sadly begrimmed and tear streaked
face, and his story was that Solomon
Gordon had whipped him with stick,
and the boys legs still bore a few
slight tokens of the castigation. Two
other boys had come home with Mas
ter Freddy, and their testimony cor
roborated that which the sufferer had
given.
Freddy, with some of his playmates,
had been throwing stones at Mr., Cor
don's dog, and one of the missiles
hurled by Freddy had hit the animal
and caused him to howl with pain.
OF course the stone thrown by such
tiny hand could not have inflicted
much injury upon the canine brute );
but Solomon Gordon loved his dog,
and when he saw what had been done
he caught Master Freddy and gave
him a threshing; for, be it known,
Solomon Gordon was just such anoth-
er man as Jack Sprout-warm heart
ed, generous and neighborIy; but was
rough, uneducated, strong willed and
impulsive.
Jack Sprout put Oh his hat and pre-
pared to sally forth. His lips were
pale and tightly compressed, and the
| huge muscles in his arms worked like
bundles of ropes.
Dear jack" plead his wife, don't
90 out, now"
Let me alone, Abby. No man
shall strike child of mine without a
chance to strike me. | shall 90 and
see Sol. Gordon, and TIL give him such
a licking as he won't forget in hur-
Try" And Jack closed the sentence
with terrible oath.
"No, Jack-doh't go. What good
will it do? Wait until you are cool p
"Pshaw! Go away, Abby. There
is not power enough on earth to save
P Sol. Gordon from drubbing; and
will give it to him before the sun goes
down p
And as Jack Sprout looked at that
moment he gave awful evidence that
he was physically able to make good
his word; for a more magnificent
. structure of frame work and muscle
was not to be found in the town.
Dear Jack" cried his wife, taking
+ her husband by the arm. oh, do lis
d ten to me one moment. Freddy is no
g much hurt, and he ought not to hav'
d thrown stones at Gordon's dog. Yol
: know both Solomon and his wife Sc
p everything by the little animal, ans
he would not bark at the boys if the.
did not plague him. If you 60 ant
d find Gordon as you are now, you will
only make matters worse. Oh, how
wish you would drop it!'
Jack only shook his head and SIN
C. led one of those smiles which. are tel
ID rible upon the face of an angry man.
"Oh, Jack, if you would only tr
the effect of kindness upon Solomon
He is a good man at heart"
I'd Jack interrupted his wife with
is, sneer.
IS "Don't laugh at me, Jack. te
- you it would be better to do so tha
D to resort to blows. If you were a
tackled l would not blame you for figh
ing to protect yourself; but this is nj
of Of case that calls for your strength G
IF muscle. There is higher and noble
strength than you can use now."
"Oho" !" uttered Jack, "you'l
preaching. You are giving me son
I'm I'm of your Sunday School lessons. b
in | don't want 'em. You may expel
It'll ith ence religion as much as you pleas
his but you must not preach the stuff
. me-"
Jack" spoke the wife, with ste
solemnity, "have l been any wor
since l began to have an interest
I'M religious things ?"
. @No, no, Abby-you were -alwa
&c good"
'' "Then why will you not listen
in me? If you will stay with me no
lass if you will wait until your anger
- cooled-and then 60 and speak XII
lv to Solomon Gordon, | give you
solemn word that you will feel tn
Off sand times better than you will
you"
But Jack would not hear his W
= out He had sworn that he wo
thresh Solomon Gordon, and he wo
keep his word. His temper was
Sill the boiling point, and he was tai
ines mes aching to get his hand upon the u
who had dared to strike his boy;
have Freddy was his pet, and every bl
that had been laid upon the chi
;. body had made mark Of fire VI
I L