The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-01-20
Up From
The Slums
The Story of the Rise of Lad
Who Became Hero
On the Sea.

nationality or whence he sprang none
knew, not even Jack himself. His
earliest recollections were of being |
tossed about IN the stuffy hold of a
collier, slobbered over and beaten by a
man and woman-bOth of whom were
drunkards. AS times progressed Jack
developed into sturdy youngster and
having nothing else to do devoted him.
self to the requirement of such nautical
knowledge as was within his reach.
Frequently stimulated in his efforts by
the application of rope end or boot
from the denegerate savage who ruled
him he became as boy expert in the
performance of the nautical tasks which
fall to the lot of ordinaryseamen. But
the day came, as it invariably does,
when Jack revolted against the bru-
tality of his drunken, blasphemOus
guardian and resolved at the first op-
portunity to sever once and for all his
connection with the leaky, old collier
which he had every treason to believe
The opportunity came when the ves-
sci was obliged to "put up" at st. Cath
crimes dock, in the City of London, for
stores and repairs and from here Jack,
then at the age of fourteen, decamped.
Where to go or how to procure afuture
living he had not the least idea and to
tell the truth cared butfittle, convinced
in his own boyish heart that the worst
would be an improvement upon the
past. His knowledge of shore life was
limited, being derived principally from
few hours spent on different occasions
among the slums that form a cOnspic'
uous element of seaport towns. Beyond
this he was as ignorant as POIynesian
Of God, he had heard the name on sew
eral occasions in the form of an exple
tive and, as the name was generally in
voked when punishment was admins
tered, had learned to hate it. Thes,
were not the best kind of qualities TO
a lad to possess, nor was.Jack's s appear
ance likely to assist him in any way
Hard work and unmerited punishment
will Danish the bloom from the mos
youthful cheek and leave, as it did il
Jacks disfgured lines and sulleu ex
preston. But of all this Jack was ig
l,orant. That he was away from a ma
who beat and cursed him filled hir
with sense of freedom that va
Intoxicating. For the future he ha
neither care nor thought. His min
was dead to all the healthy aspiration
of the well-nurtured youngster. Fror
man he expected nothing. All he ha
ever met had been like the one frOl
whom he had f1e1. For women he ha
a particular aversion since most of h
difficulties had arisen through the bicl
erings of the only one with whom h
was ever acquainted. London is
large city, very ancient and like the M
jority of large and ancient cities col
tains an abundance of poverty an
squalor.
1t was hardly likely that Jack WI
was totally inexperienced and possesst
none of the qualities that are apt
win the appreciation of those in p
sition to assist, would escape the vici
situdes that harass the destitut
And he did not. For six years
struggled with adversely and succeed
in wringing living, such as it was, fro
the world about him and at the age
twenty was possessor of waterman
license and the owner of small wherI
These six years had not been pleasa
ones. Hard, unceasing grind, aIte
mattel and often rewarded by blows al
curses, had not softened his dispostie
Man was still to him the animal of
boybood days, cruel, greedy and selfi'
But the one thing Jack had discover
was that most men have q profound
spect for physical strength and in i
worlito which his education and tral