Year: 1864

morning to night he was making boats,


and swimming them wherever water was


to be found; be even cut off the skirts of.
his smock- -frock to make sails for his
little ships, and to give What remained


more, the appearance of sailors Jacket


while every piece of wood he could lay


hold of he converted into a boat; and it


was marvellous how he managed, with only.
his pen knife, to cut them into such beau
Itifui forms, Our Jack had his boyish


admirers, who were ever eager to accom-
pany him to swim his boats, and wade
into ponds to fetch them back when they


were becalmed in the middle, or did not


blow to shore; and amongst these we're


one or two of rather bad character. Ifa


stray hen laid in the field, they would


take me eggs, and now and fRen 60 to


the length Of robbing an orchard. One


ill-starred hour they persuaded Our Jack


to join the depreciation; and he consent


cd to keep watch within the orchard gate


while they made booty Of the owners


choicest piPpins. If the proprietor came,


Jack was to whistle, and keep him on


the run round the trees until his vaga-


bond companions escaped through a gap
in the hedge This ownor came, and Our


Jack was captured; he was promised both


pardon and reward if he would give the


names Of his accomplices, but Jack would


not; so with a smart box on the ear, and


a threat that he should be transported,


the culprit was dismissed. That threat


decided the fate of Our Jack; on the


following morning he was missing He
thad WrittensdoWn his crime on slate, ID


a large, ungainly school-boy had, and


left it on the table, praying his mothers


and the farmer $ forgiveness. and. prom
Using in future TO be a good lad, begging


of her to pray for him while away. Round


spots on the letters showed where the


tears had fallen while he wrote.


Another day came; and closing her


cottage shutter, aud leaving the key un-


der the door, the sad hearted mother set


out, in her weather-stained cloak, to


search for Our Jack She made her way


towards the little seaport, ihquiring at


almost every cottage and toll gate she


passed, and of nearly every traveller she


met; but no one had seen him. At


length She met the village carrier retur-


ming Jack had ridden part of the way


with him he had gone to sea. Tho car


rier knew the captain who had taken him
the ship sailed that very morning; he


had shaken hands with Jack as he went
, on board. The carrier made no mention
: Of the half crown he had given the boy,
nor how well he had treated him on the
road. So the dear old woman returned,
and sat down by her cottage hearth to
bemoan the loss of Our Jack. The far
mer whose orchard he had helped to rob
the first who called to comfort her
and he expressed his regret that had
Z used a threat which he never intended to
execute, as he feared it had driven him
away. But her constant comforter was
: the joiner's pretty little daughter, who


lived opposite, and who was always quar-.
f relling aud fighting with Our Jack, run
, ming in and squeaiing whenever he pur-
5 sued her, and running after him again
f the instant his back was tHrned on her
e She seemed as il she could not bear him
j and yet was never happy unless when
teasing HIM She had been the cause oil
/ his fighting both of her brothers, whom
/ he always thrashed lie had tumbled
] her among her fathers chips, rolled hel
$ in his saw dust spoiled her frocks with
T paint, emptied the glue pot on her hair
r haG been beaten by her father, scoldec
5 by her mother, and yet there the little
; maiden was; beside the window, shed
e ding tears Of fsympathy when she saw hel
d weeping for the loss of Our Jack.


t, Time wore away; the joiner,s daugh
c ter grew taller and prettier; the widow
d became resigned; but excepting few
r trifing presents and a short letter or two
e which had been left at the inn where thu
!; village carrier put up, his mother re
T cei5ed no further tidings of Our Jack
y nor had he been more than once to tn,
It little seaport from which he had embar
II ked.


n Three years elapseds and there came
d longer letter, with an order to draw a sun
d Of money every six months at the bank
Il nr's in the market town. He had got


berth on board H. NJ. S. something o
< other-the scboolmaster said Vulcan
lie the clergyman Vulture; and the littl
le tailor read Yaliant; but Our Jack wrot
lie such strange, 'scrawning hand, as hi
r mother called it, that it might mean a
lie manner Of things. On turning to tn
= purssr's order for the money, it was foun
rs to be the Valiant, bound for the Africa
S, coast to intercept slavers. Two MOI
2 years, and with an increase in the nor
Of ey she drew, there came a rich shaw