The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-01-13
dressing the housekeeper. I'VE may as


be- said the good woman, leading the
way, and talking over her shoulder as
she Wenta Yes, himself'u be very
wrothy when he hears how mean an
advantage Vagabond Jack is after
takin' on We. A stop must be put to 1t,
so it must. Just step around to the
front door, and I'll go in through the
kitchen and open it for We. Yell not
feel the time pass till the boy is back
again with the bicycle"
She turned in the direction of the
! back premises, while the lady and gen.
tlenran proceeded leisurely forward to
the front. The next moment they were
startled by a piercing scream, followed
! by the hurried temperance of the
housekeeper. exclaiming:
! "Oh, SIR if We have heart in your
| bosom, come into the house as quick
| as We CAM Father Barrett is lyin' dead
in the dining-roomr'
They hurried forward, to find the
priest on the floor, unconscious, with
! the blood trickling from a deep wound
in his forehead. The gentleman went
on his knees beside the priest. He is
not dead" he said, quietly, after a
moment. II am a doctor Fetch me a
basin of cold water and a couple of
| linen cloths" So saying he took off his
coat, rolled up his shirt-sleeves and
! clNluI GS5CU 1lIlllSGlL " TIE TASK OIL IGNlN -
ing the unconscious priest, While his
wife followed the distracted house
| keeper into the kitchen.
Meanwhile Jack had also come to
grief in his wild ride. He had not gone
| far when the chain of his wheel
snapped. and he found himself flying
down the hill at a great rate, unable
to check himself in his headlong course.
| The women came out from their cot
tages to look at him; the men left their
work, and a trim washerwoman, rinsing
her clothes in the brook on the road
side, cried out in her quaint Dutch
English:
Heavens and eart'l Dis time Vag'-
bond Jack goes dead"
And still he rushed on down, out of
sight, till he reached the foot of the
HILL when, with a terrible jolt against
the trunk of a fallen tree, the wheel
tOppled over, and Jack was flung head
long into the road. For a moment he
lay as one senseless, but soon recover
ing himself. he resumed his journey;
this time on foot, though not at a very
| rapid pace. Try as he would, he could
not go any faster, for he had wrenched
his angle severely in his fail. 1t was a
sJrry-loOking Jack, indeed, that halted
at last in front of Drift Nesmith's door,
on the outskirts of the village.
And what have you been doing now,
Jack?" asked the doctor. when he an
swered the boys loud ring. Stealing
| somebody's horse again, and been
| thrown, 1 suppose
NO. sir; it was bicycle this time"
replied the boy with great simplicity.
But 1 came as quick as [ could to tell
you that Father Barrett had a fit or
something. He is all cut, and I'm
afraid he's dead"
The doctor was in his buggy in mo-
ment, Jack by his side. A crowd of
boys had gathered around the broken
bicycle, and the doctor told them to
take it to the blacksmith, who would
probably be able to mend it. It had.
suffered but little injury and was soon
repaired 1t seemed a. long time to
Jack until they reached the top of the
hill again and were in sight of the
priests house, in front Of which some
persons were standing-one of them a
gentleman in a bicycle suit, who came
forward to greet the doctor.
Il am DR.. Jones of Pittsburg," he
said, and oD account of what | then
thought an unfortunate delay hap
peneG to be here when L was needed.
The priest has suffered a paralytic
stroke, but is now much better"
Jack had slipped out of the buggy.
The two doctors went into the house,
and Jack sat down on the kitchen step
without a word. Half an hour later
they came out again, smoking.
But how did you hear of it so soon?"
inquired the owner of the bicycle.
"Vagabond Jack came for me-" was
the reply. 1T appears he took a BIZ
cycle which he found ready waiting
by the way, it must have been yours.
He had a peculiar journey down hill,
for the chain broke soon after ne had
started. He was thrown at last, though
without suffering much injury. The BIZ
cycle will be all right this afternoon.
1 sent it to the blacksmith"
THANK you very much" said the
other MY wife and I have concluded
ITO stay all night at the hotel, or tav-
ern. ALI here is that bicycle fiend
now"
They paused in front of Jack, still
quietly seated on the kitchen step. He
looked UP at them with a white face.
is he going to get wel?" he asked
of DR.. Nesmith.
ooh, yes was the reply. "Well this
time, Jack, at least, nothing can be
said to you for taking a bicycle trip
without leave or license
How did you discover the priest?"
asked DR.. Jones.
Il went in for a broom and found
him." said the boy. Il didn't get the
broom; l just ran out as fast as a
could and took that there bicycle.
didn't care whose it was; 1 only
wanted to get to DR.. Nesmith's.
knew L could do it quicker'n anyone,
and I did make good time, better'n if
the chain hadn't broken. almost But
Pm awfully sorry for that, sir"
well, it's all right now, Jack" said
DR.. Jones. But what's the matter
with your arm?"
Il don't know" said Jack. ct pains
me awful I must have fell on it; and
my ankle-but I thought | wouldn't
say nothin' about it, when there's so
much trouble in the house already
The doctors leaned over him, felt his
shoulder and lifted the arm, which
hung limp and helpless by his side. The
next moment Jack had fainted-his
arm was broken in three places.
Everybody was very good to Jack
after that, so good that he put forth
every effort to show himself apDreci-
alive of the many kindnessss which
were heaped upon him. Soon he was
called Vagabond Jack no longer; under
the kind teaching Of Father Barrett.
who took him into his household. he
became a valued member of the com
munity. He is now a prosperous black
earned by cheerful and honest labor.
He is also the proud possessor of
first class wheel, which however. he
Sundays. But he always manages to
90 some excellent riding at tIh County
Fair. and his bicycle record is I'M
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