CHAPTER ONE.

TREATS OF OUR HERO'S EARLY LIFE, AND TOUCHES ON DOMESTIC MATTERS.

William Osten was a wanderer by nature. He was born with a thirst for adventure that nothing could quench, and with a desire to rove that nothing could subdue.

Even in babyhood, when his limbs were fat and feeble, and his visage was round and red, he displayed his tendency to wander in ways and under circumstances that other babies never dreamt of. He kept his poor mother in a chronic fever of alarm, and all but broke the heart of his nurse, long before he could walk, by making his escape from the nursery over and over again, on his hands and knees; which latter bore constant marks of being compelled to do the duty of feet in dirty places.

Baby Will never cried. To have heard him yell would have rejoiced the hearts of mother and nurse, for that would have assured them of his being near at hand and out of mischief--at least not engaged in more than ordinary mischief. But Baby Will was a natural philosopher from his birth. He displayed his wisdom by holding his peace at all times, except when very hard pressed by hunger or pain, and appeared to regard life in general in a grave, earnest, inquiring spirit. Nevertheless, we would not have it understood that Will was a slow, phlegmatic baby. By no means. His silence was deep, his gravity profound, and his earnestness intense, so that, as a rule, his existence was unobtrusive. But his energy was tremendous. What he undertook to do he usually did with all his might and main--whether it was the rending of his pinafore or the smashing of his drum!

What are the answers to this following set of questions:

1. where would he escape from as a baby?
2. did he do this just once?
3. what was he by nature?
4. was he skinny as a baby?
5. how was his body?
6. what about his limbs?
7. did he cry a lot?
8. would it make everyone happy if he did?
9. why?
10. did his mother worry about him?
11. what was he from the time he was born?
12. when would he not have peace?
13. did he have a lot of energy?
14. what would he do with his drum?
15. what was he thirsty for?
16. could he walk when escaping from the nursery?
17. how would he do it?
18. what is said about his silence?
19. what did he display by being peaceful?
20. what did he regard life in?

Numbered answers:
1. the nursery
2. no
3. wanderer
4. no
5. round and red
6. fat and feeble
7. no
8. yes
9. that would have assured them of his being near at hand
10. yes
11. philosopher
12. when very hard pressed by hunger or pain
13. yes
14. smash it
15. adventure
16. no
17. on his hands and knees
18. it was deep
19. his wisdom
20. a grave, earnest, inquiring spirit.