The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-05

recommended 70 us by my uncle. Sir Charles
Avon AIyn,''i bsd one hi. or wnoSe Errspanu IrbbS"p reason Of
our moving was thnt living was cheaper III the
country, and that IL was easier for my mother
when away from the circle Of thoss 10 whom
she could not ,%refuse Hospitality. They WEE
trying times those. to all save the FARMERS, VINO
made such profits that they could, az / hayc
heard. afford to let half OF their land lie TAT
low while living like gentlemen upon the rest.
Wheat was at Ito shilIings a quarter, md the
gnartern loaf Mt one and nlncpenee; Even ~
the quiet OF The cottage, ut Frinr.s qak we could
adinE, squadron In which my father was stn.
TONED there was the OCCASIONAL ciintcc Of q lit
Tie prize money. The line of battle .hips them,
selves. lacking ON and Oft outside IircSt, could
earn nothing save honor. but the trigatcs In at
tendance. made prizes of many coasters. and
these, rs is tho rule of the service, were counted
as belonging to the fleet, and their produce di-
In tbs manner my father was able to send
me TO the day school Of Mr.. Joshua Allen. where
u was at Aliens school that | first knew Jim
Harrison, BoyJinl, as he has always been called,
the nephew of Champion Harrison of the vii.
lage smlthy. ] can see him Us he was IN those
days, with great foundcrlrg, half formed limbs
Ike a Newfound!and p,,ippy. and q face that
her. 1t was In those days that we began our
lifelong friendship. a, friendship which still
IN our waning years. binds us closely as two
brothers. taught him his exercises, for he
never loved the sight Of n book, and he in turn
male me box aid wrcstlc. tickle trout on the
Adur. and snare rabbits on Eitchling Down.
Tor his hands we're as active ns his brain was
s SIC hs wai two >"8r. my elder. however,
ing he had gone to help his uncle at the smithy.
:-Friar's oak is in "A dip OF the Downs. and the
Brighton lies on the skirt of the village. 1t Is
but a small place. with an ivicl church. n fine
in It's own little garden. At one end was the
forge of Champion Harrison, with his house
behind i, nnd at the other was Mr.. Aliens
school. The yellow cottage. standing hack n
little from the road, with its upper story bulg'
ing forward and IL crisscross of black woodwork
lived. do not know II II is ,till standing.
but | should think it likely, for it was not a
place much given to change.
Just opposite To us, nj the other side of the
broad white road, was the Friar's Oak inn.
which was kcpt in my day by John Cummings,
n man of excellent reputc Mt home. but liable
To strange outbreaks when he travelled. rs
Will afterward become apparent. Though
coaches from Brighton were too fresh to stop,
and and those from London 100 eager to reach
for an occasional, broken trace, or loosened
wheel the landlord. would have had only the
THIRSTY, Threats of the village to trust to. Those
were the days when the Prince of Wales had
Just built his singular palace BY the sea, and so
from May t., september. which was the Brish,
ton season, there was never a day that from 100
TO 200 curricles. chaises: and phactons did not
rattle past our doors. Many a summer even
ing have B9y Jim and | l@in upon, the grass,
London coaches as they came roaring through
the dust clouds. leaders and wheelcrs stretched
w 49, u ~. tSiNI S'iNhihiiN oii' 'i"'
%coachmen with their low-Crowned curly
9rimmed hats and their faces az scarlet as
when Boy Jim shouted at them. but if they
could have read his big. half set limbs and h is
a little harder at him, perhaps, and given him
BOY Jim had never known, a father or a
mother, and his whole life had been spent
son was the Friar's Oak blacksmith. and he
John son when he held the English belt, and
would most certainly have beaten him had the
break bsator up the fi mht'S'f Far years mqs there fsis'T %as no 20
such %glutton to take punishment and no more
finishing hitter than Harrison. though he was
feet. At last, in a fight with Black Baruk.
the Jew, he finished the battle with such a
nent over the inner ropes. bur lie left him be
twixt life and death for n long three weeks.
mented. expecting every hour to feel the hand
OF a bow street runner Mpnn his collar. and TO
be BE- tried for his lie; This GxperienGe. with
the ring forever, and carry his great muscles
into the one trade in which they seeemd to
business to be done at Friar's Oak from the
passing traffic and the Sussex farmers. SO that
he soon became the richest Of the villagers,
wife and his nephew, looking AS respectable a
family man as one would wish to see.
He was not n tall man, not more than five
foot seven, and 1t was often said that If he had
had an extra inch Of reach he would have
bttl u IluttH - buthS'll Ut ifItlltT III llltlT
hest. His chest, was like n barrel, and, his
forearms were the most powerful that | Lave
s smaoti see sM;elI Mnth m @seR FeI! Rr IKE a niece eeew Sf Ma, .mt
worn rock. In spite Of his strength. however.
he was of a slow. orderly, and kindly disposi,,
ton. so that there was no man more beloved
over the whole country side. His heavy, pla-
cid. c lean -shaven face could set very sternly;
every childein the village there was ever a
smile upon his lips and a greeting in his eyes.
who did not know that his heart yyaS as soft
as his muscles were hard.
There was nothing that he liked to talk Of
he saw his little wife coming, for the one great
shadow In her life was the eyer.present fear
rasp and be off to tie ring once more. And
You must he reminded here once for all that
that time in the Iehased condition to which II
afterwErd fell, Public opinion has gradually
become opposed 70 i. for the reason that, 1t
cause 1t fostered, ringside rufianism. Even
the honest and brave pugilist was found TO
draw villainy round him, lust as the pure and
noble race horse does. For this reason the
ring is dying In England, and we may hope that
when Caunt and BendiGo have passed'away they
may have none to succeed them. But II was
different In the days of which | speak. Pub
lie opinion was, then largely in It's favor. and
1t was II time of war, when England. with an
army and navy, composed only Of those who
blood in them. had to encounter, AS they would
now have TO encounter, n power which could
by deSpotlC law turn every citizen INTO q sol
der. II the people had not been full OF this
lust for combat, IT is certain that England must
have been ovcrborne. Ana II was thought,
and is on the face of 1t reasonable. that n strug-
gle between two indomitablc men. with &C, 1000
to view ii, and 5000. 900 10 Il .sCuss il. did help
to set a standard of hardness and endurance.
brutal II was. no doubt, and its brutality is the
end of It,. but IL Is not so brutal as war, which
will survive It. Whether II Is logical now TO
teach the people TO be peaceful In an age when
their very existence may cone to depend upon
their being warlike Is n question for wiser
hRnla fInn min Itnf that tNna Ia Nn
thought of Il In the days Of your grandfathcrs.
and that is why YOU might lind statesmen and
philanthropistS like Windham, Fox, and Al
thorn NJ the side Of the ring.
The mere fact TINT solid men should patron
lie II was enough in itself to prevent the viii
lalny which aftcrward crept in. For over
twenty years In the days of jackson. Brain,
Cribh. the BclChers, learce, Gully, and the rest,
the leaders of the ring were men whose hon
esty was above suspicion, md those were Just