The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-09-05

BY Sy dney Dayre.


'.But what if nobody'll take him ?"
Then I'll bring him back
SO said the Superintendent of one of the
earliest companies Of children sent out by
the Fresh-air Fund, and so it came that
Jack joined the eager little crowd drawn
from alley and slum of the great city.
''He is a tough one, said the Superin-
tendent to himself, watching Jack as he
half carelessly, half wilfully, tripped up
one or two smaller boys in the rush which
came when they were leaving the steam
boat in order to take the cars.
''He don't look like the right Sort said
one or two farmers.
If they were the right sort, they
wouldn't need our help, said pleasant
faced woman who sat in spring wagon.
Put him i'll here, please. Come, my boy,
will You come home with me 2"
Jack climbed into the wagon, but made lit
tie answer to the kindly attempts to draw
him into conversation. His eyes We're
never raised toward her as he rode along in
silence, and Mrs. Lynn began to conclude
that she had taken hold of a very hard case
indeed
But it was quickly seen that there were
some things which Jack loved Before
night he had made friend with horses, cows,
chickens, ducks geese and cats, and lying
under tree in rapt admiration of pet jay
which chartered above him, had almost
succeeded in coaxing it to alight ON his
finger.
Come with with me, and I'll show you
something more, said Mrs Lynn, the next
morning after breakfast. She put pail of
salt into his hand, and they walked up
little glen, then up a steep hill, when she
called:
man, nan, nan, nan, nan, nan-come
nan, come nan; come my pretties; come,
come, my prettics.
A quiet little pattering was heard, and
down along the path which led higher up
Jack saw coming line of soft looking
white things.
ssWhat's their names ~ he cried, in
great interest
Sheep. There are great many more
up over the top of the hill, but they don't
know me very well, so they don't come.
We must go further.
Higher up they went to where a sunny
pasture sloped more gently down the other
side, and there were hundreds of the pretty
creatures npping the short grass or lying
under the trees. They looked at the stran-
gers, with shy, gentle eyes, but gathered
near Mrs Lynn as she repeated her call.
Jack laughed and whooped and rolled ON
the ground in the excess of his delight, at
first frightening them away. But he was
soon in among them, winning them by his
coaxing tones to taste the salt he held out
to them The boys face seemed trans
formed as Mrs. Lynn got her first glance at
his eyes, and wondered at them. They
hand lovingly ON the heads of some half
grown lambs, and presently tendcrly lifted
one which seemed a little lame.
''You may take that one to the house, if
up its poor foot"
He did so, and when he carried it back to
the flock he remained all day, only going
to the house when called to dinner by the
sound of the conch she'll And every day
afterward the most of his time was spent
on the breezy hill side, perhaps taking in
the beauties of valley and stream and wood
land which lay below, but finding his fill of
enjoyment in the sheep. He was little seen
at the house, seeming not to care for any
human society, but he took long walks at
his will, from which he once brought home
a bird with broken wing, and again
stray starved kitten, both of which he care
fully tended.
Hear him - said Mrs. Lynn, one day,
when she had gone out into meadow
where her husband was at work. II be-
lieve he knows every sheep there
Jack S voice came ringing down the hill.
''Hiho! hiho! hiho. hiho-o-o-o-o-o! my
beauties! Come, Daisy-face, come, Cloud
white, come, my Tripsy-toes and Hippety-
hop and Hobbedehoy. Hilla, hilla, no!
my Hop-and-skip and old Jump-the-fence.
Come with yer patter-patter and yer wig
gle-waggle, my beauties, oh! Where be
you, Flax and Flinders and Foam? Come
here, my jolly boys, and kick up yer heels
on the grass in the mo-o-O-o-rning.
''He gets off some such rigmarole when
ever he gets near them she said; land I'm
sure every sheep knows him,
Jack staid for month among his tleecy
darlings, and when the time came for say
ing good by to them, nobody was near to
hear him say it. He allowed Mrs. Lynn to
shake his hand as he stepped on board the
train which was to bear him back to his
home, or rather to his homelessness, but
with little response to her kind farewells.
She had tried faithfully to impress him
with the idea that there are plenty in this
wide world whose hearts the dear Lord has
filled with tenderest pity and love toward
those whose paths seem laid in Swallowed
places, that she felt keenly disappointed in
fearing she might have entirely failed.
However she remembered with comfort
that. lust as the last car was passing the