Year: 1864

AaA aAAQNA AA0 MIlAA W a. W - =
tance, and at which be stood distinguish
ed as the greatest Ounce and the best fgh-
ter of all the scholars. He was always
getting into some scrape, or trying to ges
Of from some penal task, which for the
life Of him he could never execute; SO he
would throw down his book, play the tru-
ant, and run up so awful a reckoning that
il had to be scored on his back There
used to de always somebody coming with
complaints to his widowed mother, about
what he had been doing to somebody's
lad; and she used always to say: III
give it to him, that 1 will; he shall have
such a talking to as he never had in the
whole course Of his life, the instant he
comes in-,;hat lie shall. Then when
Our Jack came in his mother did give it
to him, that she did. and he calmly
heard her to the end, hurrying charge
upon charge, aud running question into
question, until she was fairly outOf breath
enumerating The number OF punishnents
she had a good mind to infict upon
him; and then Our Jack began TO get a
word in 'edgeways, as he said. Didn't
/ that womau's boy fetch little lame Bill a
rap, and when 1 telled him he was a cow
.


ard to go and hit a littler boy nor him
self, and one that was a poor cripple, and
didn't he say as how he would do it again
If he likedg Aud when he went for to
hit little Bill again, and he ran crying
for me not to let him, then he catched
it; and Our Jack 5 dark hazel eyes would
fash again as he added and I'll give
him more the next time he meddles with
lame Bill, though he is bigger than
bes; and he may go home and tell his
mother again-the cOWardr


Though Our Jack understands moth
ing about protocols and ultimatums, yet
when he secs oppression and wrong he
fires up at once, and the time he gives to
answer his yes or no is white he throws
his head back and raises his clenched
lists; and if they do not at once run like
scalded cats from the principaIities he
protects he is down upon them with his
one, two, three. Our Jack, indeed, ma
kes short work Of it. Still he is natur-
ally good tempered, though. as his dear
old dotiug mother says, He takes after
/ his poor father, who was little hasty al
tiucs, but it was soon over.


His scboolmaster had a way Of giving
his head a kind of hopeless shake when
ever he alluded to Our Jack, though he
would some imes add, Hes a good hear
la noble-hearted lad, but sad, sac
Ounce He was the umpire in all boyisE
games, and in fcais of skill and strength
stood unriyalled; and woe be to those
who tried to cheat their lesser compan
ions at marbles, buttons, or pitch-and
toss, in the presence Of Our Jack, for hi,
Jacket sleeves we're furled up in mo
ment wheueyer there was a wrong TO re
DIRE 5,


Our jack greatest fault was a love o
water; as his mother used to say: II,
ought to have been born fish, for be'
always dabbling in it, making boats o
everything he can lay his hands on, tn,
Instant my backs turned He has swan


my boots, my bonnet, and my bread pan


tried hOw much sugar my basin woult
carry, and sunk it; served my ten an'
z coffee canisters the same. I've many an,
many time found my cups and saucer
aud dishes at the bottom of the waite


butt and my mustard pot aud peppe


box sunk in the pail; while, if there wa
a shower of rain, he would send ever,
morsel of fire wood, every cork in th
house, and indeed everything that woul,
swim, into the gutter, and down the street
and shout and clap his hands like on


demented, if bis little ships, as he use,
to call them, beat his big ones. As fo


his cap aud shoes, bless you! they wer
seldom either on his head or on his feet
if he came to a ditch, horse trough, O


a pond, off they would come and in the
would go; and the only wonder is tha
E he hasn't caught his death O. cold owe
and over again. He ought to have bee


born a fish, he's so fond Of water. An
like jacks schoolms;ter, his fond ol
mother would finish with a mournfr


shake of the head.


A good natured farmer took Our JAG


and employed him to fetch up the cattI
: to water, scare away the birds from th


corn, and be a little GideOnite on ii


farm; and for time he went on admi


ably, until one day he was sent to II


distant market town-a small sea port


with the WAGNER, and from that hour,


his dear old mother often said afterward


with tears in her eyes, he was a chang
=. ed lad All he had hitherto known