The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-02-27

albeit the appointed day was abou
q week ahead. But it would take
deal Of fixing, he explained confden
j italy, to get ready, and he hadn'
much to fix with. Jake's norma
Condition was not that of a dandy
certainly. He could only, as a gen
eral thing, be lured by the prospec-
of a drive to cred himself up" al
Mrs. Squimps said. To be ragged
and let alone was his heaven. But
this time he arose to the greatnes;
Of the oeeasion--he brushed anG
secured, washed out his sole whitS
shirt, busted and Strengthened his
battered old hat, and mended his
trousers.
Deeply interested in Jake's for
tune, we watched the proceedings.
"But, jake" said Jennie Smith
on day, "What are you going to dc
for coatr'
Unhappy suggestionl Jake look.
ed aghast. He hadn't thought OF
that. Certainly he couldn't make
his appearance in that overgrown
eoachman's rig, in which he was
won't toillustrate the aeademical re-
speetability on the road. And he
had nothing else. No necessity had
ever before developed itself for any
thing save shirt sleeves and wooden
Jacket.
An awful pause came over our de
liberations for Jake. Miss Smith
Whistled, and finally suggested her
water -proof-We were ali ready to
fling ours at his feet-but Jake
couldn't go muff1ed like an italian
brigand. He shook his head.
Night closed without any solution
Of the difficulty; but we trusted that
somehow the lads quick wit would
find away out of it.
The next morning, however, a new
sensation turned us from the com
temptation of Jake's disasters. The
house had been robbed. We we're
all terribly scared, and Squimps was
In favor of defamation and wrath.
His coat-his best beloved blue-black
coat, in which he was wont to digni-
fy trustee meetings, ornament his
pew on a Sunday, and pay visits of
state to his patrOns--his coat had
been stolen. His coat, a man so de-
voted to the interest of education
that he scarcely had time to 90 to
the tailor's; to think that an migrate
full, inappresistiVe, idle world should
have permitted him to be robbed /!
He rayed, he stormed, he threat
ened vengeance, he lectured us on
the degeneracy of the times, and for
got our Latin.
Vague forebodings of lurking as
sassins, masked robbers, and fire.
quent skirmishes into the wardrobe
and dormitories about this time kept
us all in nervous furry, to the ex-
clusion of all thought of Jake. But
late one twilight afternoon, as we sat
huddled in the windows of the long
school-room, waiting the supper bell
we saw him issue from the outhouse.
Oh, horror! Oh, apparition of ter
ror! For with its tails nearly touch.
ing the ground his long sleeves over
lapping his hands, Jake wore with
out. a doubt the missing coat, boldly
marching in his stolen fnery down
towards the road in sight of us all.
In sight of sharper eyes, too, it
seemed, for not far from the house
himself pounced upon him.
Poor, kind, light-hearted Jake
We held our breath that day and the
next, for Jake had'been marched off
to prison, and Squimps' eloquence
and morality were in full flow. He
said longer grace than ever at din
ner, and we were all glad when,
hungrily eyeing the scanty board, we
heard the visitors bell summon him
TO the parlor. / think we were in
better appetite than usual that dav,
and Releft little behind as for our
Mentor as We filed up stairs toward
the schoolroom1 Passing the parlor
door, there rushed out upon us a lit
tie figure in a trailing silk dress and
bonnet full of nodding French flow
ers. 1t was Amanda Liza.
sob, girls !" she cried, hysterieally,
beWildered with an apparent desire
TO embrace the whole troop. aPoor
Jakew
Squimps, tall and solemn, rose
with dignity, and closed the parlor
door upon their further conference.
Welheard him make this consoling
81 always knew he'd come to no
good!p
1t seemed that Amanda had
learned Of Jake's mishsp through
some stray newspaper, where the
WeH-knoWn name of the virtuOus
and vengeful Squimps had met her
eye. She comprehended the situa-
ton, and came to the academy to
plead for her old friend.
We waited the news of Jake's fate
breathlesslY, nodding and whisper
ing among ourselves. For there
would be a trial or something terri |
BILE, of course we hardly knew what. !
Squimps was away all the afternoon
The classes were demoralized, and
ge stood idly gazing out of the win |
dow at four o'clock, when a carri- |
age came up the drive. To our
lmazement Jake sat on the box, |
elste and erect. He sprang down |
and opened the door with flourish, |
md out stepped Squimps.
"And I'm going to live with Miss
Amanda Liza for ever!" cried Jake, |
came among US, his face lit !
up with a glory as if he were depart
ng for heaven.
Would Amanda Liza dress him in |
4 blue coat and brass buttons, and |
make him her coachman at good wa
ges2 All, what a rise for poor Jake!
Amanda Liza was his saint, his an
gel, the hem Of whose garment he |
Iouched reTerently. There was no |
commonplace element about such |
owe as this, and Jake would be CON
sent to let down her carriage step
md look after ponies all the days Of |
lis life, we thought. And that was
ihe last we saw Of him at the
BHt years after. when I vas trav-