Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-03-12
WAS HE A HERO9
CHAPTER 1.

CHAPTER L.
Jack Hasbrouck was rather COM
mon sort of boy. His light brown hair
was generally very much tumbled up,
his face was plain and freckled, and his
honest hazel eyes did not sparkle or
glow, or do anything in particular but
enable their owner to see. He was
fourteen years old, strong, healthy
lad, very fond of play and not a bit
fond of study or work. So, take him
all in all, Jack was not such a boy as
one would naturally select for hero.
Jacks home was on an island
Winona Island, we will call it-lying in
the Shatemuc River about forty miles
from the sea. All around the island,
which stretched its rocky length mile
along the western side of the river,
rose grand highlands covered to the
summit with "the forest primeval."
Between the western shore and the
island lay broad salt marsh, and be-
yond the marsh, for miles and miles,
spread out an almost trackless forest.
On the eastern side flowed the river, at
this point half a mile wide and more
than hundred feet deep. 1t was rather
wild spot for a home, and rough
place in which to pass a winter. But
in summer it was rarely beautiful and
a fine place for every kind of boyish
sport.
There were, besides Jacks family,
two otheW living on the island, and in
each was a boy about Jacks age. Joe
Kiesler was a little older, and a good
deal smarter-so everybody thought
than Jack. Charley Grant was year
younger, and a sort of body-servant to
the two older boys, who liked him and
tyrannized over him to their hearts
content. The three lads generally got
on together very pleasantly. There
was plenty for them to do. They
played at work when required, and
worked at play with all their might
whenever they could get off from the
drIdgery of ''chores" and working in
the vineyards and nurseries on the ISL
and. They were all good boatmen,
and could pull as steady a stroke, and
Feather" their oars as neatly, as the
best man on the island. They each
had boat, stanch little craft, built
of cedar, light and easily handled, but
able to stand heavy sea; and many
were the races the boys had, up and
down the river, and across il, and in
among the coves and bights of the ISL
and shore. When the wind swept down
from the northwest, and the tide was
running out, it was tough work pulling
upstream. Sometimes the boats would
remain "stOck still" for half an hour
where the tide rushed around some
jutting point, and the boys would have
to pull with might and main to keep
from going back, instead OF forward.
But it was rare fun (seeing it wasn't
wOrkO, and it made their muscles
like bOwstrings for strength and sup
pleness.
There were other sports, too-fshing,
hunting, swimming, climbing the
mountains on the mainland, and splen-
did skating in winter. And in the fall,
after the early frosts had done their
duty as nut-burr openers, there was a
fine chance for chestnutting. On the
upper part of the island, which was so
rocky that it could not be cultivated,
was a thick wood; and among the prim
cedars and stalwart oaks were a few
grand old chestnut trees, from which
bushels of shiny NUS could be gathered
and of course 10ere gathered-in the
season.
1t was pleasant morning toward the
end of October. Jack and Joe had
been lounging about the dock for an
hour or so, watching the river craft as
they swept by in the fresh breeze, and
talking boy-talk about nothing in par
ticular. Presently Charley came run
ming down with bag.
''Hullo, fellers, let's go chestnut
ting"
"All right! come on" said Joe, tax
ing the leadership, as usual; and off
went the three, as happy as larks. In
few minutes they were up in the great
trees, and nuts were rafting down like
hailstones on the thick carpet of brown
and yellow leaves beneath them. After
giving each tree a thorough shaking,
the boys came down to gather up the
spoils and make division.
Now it was part of the unwritten
COnstitution-the Common Law-of the
Winona Republic, thai when the three
boys went nutting together they should
"share and share alike" This was
fair enough, because it could not be told
which one shook down the most, and
the gathering was always "thrown i'm
as too small matter to be considered.
So they would gather up all they could
find, put them in single heap, and di-
vide by handfuls. This made a pretty
even division, and nobody had any Just
cause for complaint.
But to-day, an ugly spirit of mischief
or perversity-seemed to have got
under Master Joe's jacket. When they
had poured their glossy treasures into
the common heap he began to make the
division, but every second time around
he put two handfuls instead of one into
his own pile.
"What are you doing thereP asked
Jack, with a slight touch of terceness
in his tone.
"Pm dividing" said Joe, briefly
"You amt doing it fair, anyway" ="
added Charley.
"You shut upi' was Joe's emphatic
reioinder; and Charley dared say no
more.
"Now look a-herer' said Jack, get