The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-09-19

4
Remember your mother vas a prayin'
woman
Those We're the last connected words
any one ever heard him speak. After that
the night came on-the double night of
darkness and of death. Once or twice the
woman who acted rs nurse, bending over
him. heard him mutter, The 'leycnth
hour, Jack - and afterward she Won
dercd whether IL was a presentiment. for IL
was Just nj eleven o'clock that he died.
Jack had been sent Ia bed Il little before,
and when he got up in the morning. he
knew that he was all alone in the world.
Aftcr the funeral Deacon Small took him
home. He wouldntbe ofmuch use for two
or three years To come. the deacon said
Maybe he could drive up the cows. and
ride the horses to pillow. and scare the
crows away from the corn. but he couldn't
earn his salt for "A number o. years TO come.
However, somebody must take him, and
he guessed he would. Ii would be "A good
spell before the 'creetur" would come OF
age, and the hast part ~ the time he might
be smart enough 10 pay off old scores"
But surely Jack Ramsdale must have
eaten more salt than ever boy of ten ate
before If he did not work for it. for il was
Jack here and Jack there. all day long.
Jack did eyerybody's errands Jack drew
Mrs. Small's baby-grandchid in its little
covered wagon Jack secured the knives !;
Jack brought the wood; Jack picked ber-
ries; Jack weeded flower-beds. From be-
ing an idle little chap. in everybody's way,
rs he had been in his fathers time, he was
pressed right into hard service for more
hours in the day than any man worked
about the place. Now work is good for
boys, but all work and no play-worse yet.
al l., I,
one. Jack grew bitter; and where he
dared to be- cruel, he was cruel; where he
dared TO be insolent, he was insolent. Not
toward Deacon Small. however. were these
qualities displayed. The deacon was
hard master, and the boy feared, and hated
and obeyed him. But as the years went
on. five of them. he grew TO be generally
considered a bad boy. At fifteen he was
strong OF his age, man. almost. in size.
His schooling had been confined to the
short winter terms. and he had always
been the terror of every successive school
master
When he was fifteen. new teacher
came-a handsome. graceful young man.
just out of college. He was slight rather
than stout. well-dressed. well-mannered. |
fit. you would have said. for lady's draw
ing-room rather than the country school |
house in winter, with its big boys. tough |
customers many of them, and Jack Rams |
dale the toughest customer of all. After |
Mr.. Garrison had passed his examination. |
one of the committee. impressed by what |
he thought certain fine-gentleman air i'm |
the young man, warned him of the rough |
times I'm store for him. and in especial of
the rough strength and INSTRUMENTATION of |
Jack Ramsdale. Ralph Garrison smiled a |
calm smile. but uttered no boasts.
He had been week i'm the school before |
he had any especial trouble. Jack was
taking his measure. The truth was, the
boy had certain amount of taste, and |
Garrison's gentlemanliness impressed him
more than he would have cared to own.
II Is possible that he might have gone on,
quietly and obediently. but that now his
bad name began TO weigh him down. The
boys who had looked up to him rs a leader
in evil grew impatient of his quiet submis-
sion to rules. Got your match, Jack 2"
said one. Coin to own beat without
giving il try?" said another. And Jack |
began To think that the evil laurels he had
won. "a the bravo and bully of the school.
would fall withered from his brow if he
iidn't make some effort to fasten them.
So one morning. midway between recess
and the close of school. he took out an APP
pie and began pairing it with a jack-kniie |
and eating 1t. For a moment Mr.. CARR /
son lookedat him; then he remarked. with |
ominous quietness. i'm tone lower and |
more gentle than usual
Jack. this is not the place or time for
eating"
MY place and time to eat are when | |
am hungry" Jack answered, with cool in
science. cutting off mouthful. and carry
ing il deliberately to his mouth.
F" Iou will pus up that apple instantly, |
II you please"
still the teacher spoke very gently. and |
turned "A little pale The persuasive words
and the slight paleness misled Jack. He
thought his victory was 10 be so easily |
won there would not even be any glory |
In it. He smiled and ate. quite at his ease |
Come here, sir. If you please" said the
teacher.
"well, don't please to-" said Jack de-
family.
"You will come here whether You please |
or not" was the next sentence from the |
teachers desk. Jack cut of another mouth |
ful and sat still.
Then he never knew how IL was, but |
suddenly. in the twinkling of an eye, he |
felt himself pulled from his seat ont into |
the middle of the floor. while knife and !
apple flew from his hand. lie kicked. he |
he tried to strike; but an iron |
grasp held his wrists. The strong mus
clcs of the stroke-oar nj Harvard did good |
service. The handsome face was pale, but |
the lips were set like steel. and the cool |
Eyes never wavered as they fixed and held |
those of the young bully. Then suddenly |
he whipped from his pocket a ball of strong
fish-line and bound the struggling wrists |
lightly, and. pushing a chair towards his
captive, said, coolly-
II want nothing more of you till after
school. You can sit or stand. as you
please. Now will hear the first class in
There was a strange hush in the school.
and every scholar knew who was master.
When all the rest had gone, the teacher
turned TO Jack Ramsdale.
II took you little by surprise" he