The Van Buren press., 1873-10-21

started out of it to say once more:
Never follow my example, Jack, boy,
Remember your mother was prayin'
woman
Those were the last connected words
any one ever heard him speak After
that the night came on the double u. ght
OF darkness and of death Once or
twice the woman who acted as nurse,
bending over him, heard him mutter,
" Tho 'levcnth hour, Jack ~ and after
ward she wonder cd whether it was a pro
sentiment, for it was just at eleven o clock
that he died
Jack had been sent to bed little be
fore, and when he got up in the morning,
lie knew that he was all alone ia the
world.
After the funeral Deacon Small took
him home He wouldn't be of much use
for two or three years to come, the dea-
con said Maybe he could drive up
the COWS, and ride the horses to plow,
and scare the crows away from the corn,
but he couldn't earn his salt for mum
Der O years to come. However, some
body must take him, and he guessed he
would 1t would be = good spell before
the 'creetur would come of age, and tho
last part of the time he might be smart
enough to pay Off old scores y
But surely Jack Ramsdale must have
eaten more salt than ever boy of ton ate
before if he did not work for it, for it was
Jack here and Jack there, ali day long.
Jack did everybody's errands; Jack
drew Mrs. Smallss baby grandchild in
its little covered wagon; Jack secured
the knives; Jack brought the wood /;
Jack picked berries; Jack wesded dow
er beds From being al idle little chap,
in everybody's way, as he had been in
his fathers time, he was pressed right in
to 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-sorse yet all
work and no love--is no good for any
one Jack grew bitter; aud 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 a 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 bad boy. At
fifteen be was strong of his age, man,
almost, in size.
His schooling had bocn confined to the
short winter terms. and he had always
been the terror ofevery successive school
master.
When he was fifteen, new tescher
camc--a handsome, graceful young man,
Just out of college lie was slight rather
than stout, we'll dressed, well hammered,
fit. you would have said, for n ladys
drawing room rather than the country
in winter, with its big boys,
tough customers many Of them, and Jack
Ramsdale the toughest customer of all
After Mr. Garrison had passed his ex-
animation, one of the committee, i'm
pressed by what he thought certain fine
air ia the young. man, warned
him of the rough times in store for him.
and in especial of the rough strength and
Of Jack Ramsdale. Ralph
Garrison smiled q calm smile, but utter
ed no boasts.
He had been week in the school be
fore he had any especial trouble. Jack
was taking his measure. The truth was,
the boy had certain amount Of taste,
and Garrison's gcntemanincss impress
ed him more than lie would have cared
to own. 1t is possible that he might have
gone on, quietly and obedently, but that
now his bad name began to weigh him
down. The boys who had looked up to
him as leader in evil grew impatient of
his quiet submission to rules. Got
your match, Jack? ~ said one. Coin
to own beat without giving it a try p
said another. And Jack began to think
that the evil laurels he had won, as the
bravo and bully of tho school. would fall
from his brow If he didn't make
some effort to fastcn them
SO one morning, midway between re-
cess and the close OF tho school, he took
ont an apple and began pairing it with a
lack knife and eating it. For moment
Mr. Garrison looked at him then he re
marked, with ominous quietncss, in tone
lower and more gentle than usual
"Jack, this is not the place or time for
eating F"
MY place and time to eat are when !
am hungry, Jack answered, with cool
in science, cutting off mouthfu and car.
rying it deliberately to his mouth.
"You will put up that apple instantly,
ir you please.
Still the teacher spoke very gently and
turned little pale. The persuasive
words and the slight palcness mislcd
Jack. He thought his victory was to be
so easily won there wsuld not even be
any glory in It, He smiled aud ate quite
a. his ease.
"Come here sir, if you please, said
The teacher.
"Well, don't please to-" said Jack
ieGantly.
"You will come here whether you
please or not, F" was the next sentence
from the teachers desk Jack cut OF an
other mouthful and sat still.
Then he never know how il was, but
suddenly, in the twinkling Of an eye, he
felt himself pulled from his seat out into
.hc middle Of the floor, while knife and
apple flew from his hand. Hokickcl, he
struggled, lie tried to strike; bu, th iron
grasp held his wrists The strong mus.
llcs OF the stroke oar at Harvard did
good service The handsome face was
pale, but the lips were set like steel, and
the cool eyes never wavercd as they fixed