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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3fb5ca6 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53821 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53821) diff --git a/old/53821-0.txt b/old/53821-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 10c8e83..0000000 --- a/old/53821-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7670 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Julius, The Street Boy, by Horatio Alger Jr. - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Julius, The Street Boy - or Out West - -Author: Horatio Alger Jr. - -Release Date: December 28, 2016 [EBook #53821] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JULIUS, THE STREET BOY *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - - - JULIUS, THE STREET BOY - OR - OUT WEST - - BY - HORATIO ALGER, JR. - - Author of - - Brave and Bold, Bound to Rise, Risen from the Ranks, Erie Train - Boy, Paul, the Peddler, Phil, the Fiddler, - Young Acrobat, Etc. - - [Illustration: colophon] - - MADE IN U. S. A. - - M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY - CHICAGO :: NEW YORK - - - - -JULIUS, THE STREET BOY. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -RETIRED FROM BUSINESS. - - -“Where are you goin’, Julius? Where’s yer blackin’ box?” asked Patrick -Riley. - -“I’ve retired from business,” said Julius. - -“Did yer rich uncle die, and leave yer a fortune?” - -“No, but he’s goin’ up the river to Sing Sing, for the benefit of his -constitushun, and I’m goin’ West fer my health.” - -“Goin’ West? You’re gassin’.” - -“No, I ain’t, I’m goin’ in a few days, along of Mr. O’Connor, and a lot -of other chaps.” - -“Is it far out there?” asked Pat. - -“More’n a hundred miles,” said Julius, whose ideas of geography and -distances were rather vague. - -“Yer don’t mean ter live out there?” - -“Yes, I do, I’m goin’ on to a farm, or into a store, and grow up -respectable.” - -“Won’t yer miss the city, Julius?” - -“Likely I will.” - -“I don’t think I’d like the country,” said Pat, reflectively. “New -York’s a bully place. There’s always something goin’ on. I say, did you -hear of that murder in Center Street last night?” - -“No; what was it?” - -“A feller stabbed a cop that was trottin’ him round to the station house -for bein’ tight. There’s always something to make it lively here. In the -country there ain’t no murders, nor burglaries, nor nothin’,” concluded -Pat, rather contemptuously. - -“I hope there’s theayters,” said Julius, thoughtfully. “I like to go -when there’s a good lively piece.” - -“Have you been to our theayter yet, Julius?” - -“Your theayter?” - -“Yes, me and some of the boys have got up a theayter. We do the pieces -and actin’ ourselves.” - -“Where is it?” asked Julius, with lively curiosity. - -“It’s No. 17 Baxter Street, down in the basement. We call it ‘The Grand -Duke’s Oprea House.’ We don’t have to pay no rent. It’s Jim Campara’s -place, an’ he’s treasurer, so his father don’t charge nothin’.” - -“How long have you been goin’, Pat?” - -“Most a month. We play every night.” - -“Are you doin’ well? Do you make money?” - -“Tiptop. I say, Julius, yer must come to-night. It’s my benefit.” - -“Do you get all the money that’s took in?” - -“No, half goes for expenses. I get the rest.” - -“What do you do?” - -“Oh, I play nigger parts, and dance the jigs.” - -“What do you charge for a ticket?” - -“Five cents admission, and eight cents reserved seats.” - -“That’s cheaper’n Tony Pastor’s.” - -“Yes; we can’t expect to get so much as Tony, ’cause yer know we ain’t -purfessional. We’re amatoors.” - -“How much do you get for your valuable services, Pat?” asked Julius, -laughing. - -“I’ll tell yer the way we do. Jim Campara--he’s the treasurer--keeps all -the stamps till the end of the week, and then it is divided between us. -Last week I got three dollars.” - -“You did! Well, that’s pretty good pay.” - -“Well,” said Pat, “there’s some expenses. I have to pay for my -wardrobe.” - -“What’s that?” - -“My stage clo’es. Besides I have to practice dancin’ in the daytime. I -ain’t Pat Riley on the stage.” - -“What are you, then?” - -“My actin’ name is ‘Miles O’Reilly.’” - -“What made you change?” - -“Yer see it sounds grander than Pat Riley.” - -“Who acts besides you?” - -“Oh, there’s Dan Conroy, Pete Connors, Teddy Sullivan, Jim McGrath, Dick -Burke, Jim Gillispie and Campara.” - -“If I was goin’ to stay in the city I’d like to play too,” said Julius. - -“Maybe you ain’t got a genius for it,” responded the eminent negro -comedian. “Lots of boys wants to come in, but we don’t take none if they -can’t act. There was Billy Burke wanted to come; but we tried him, an’ -he couldn’t play no more’n a stick. We want fellers that’ll draw. You -come round to-night, an’ you’ll see what we can do.” - -“I guess I will. What number did you say?” - -“No. 17 Baxter Street. Curtain rises at eight o’clock, prompt.” - -“I’ll be there. What yer goin’ to play?” - -“‘Laughin’ Gas’ and ‘Dick Turpin’ is the principal pieces, but the -‘Mulligan Guards’ is the best. Yer better be on time, for it’s my -benefit, and my friends will be out in crowds.” - -Here’s Pat’s keen eyes detected a gentleman with soiled boots, and he -called out, “Shine yer boots, mister?” - -“Yes, if you’ll be quick about it.” - -“I’ll shine ’em up in half a second, sir.” - -“Go ahead!” - -The gentleman submitted his boots to the professional efforts of Pat, -unaware that the young bootblack was the celebrated Miles O’Reilly of -the “Grand Duke’s Oprea House.” Probably he had never visited that -famous and fashionable place of amusement, or he would have recognized -the face of one of the most brilliant stars in the galaxy of talent -which nightly appeared upon its humble stage. - -Julius went on his way, being for a few days a gentleman of leisure. For -the benefit of such readers as may not be familiar with the details of -his story as told in “Slow and Sure,” it is well to record the fact that -he had been brought up by Jack Morgan, a thief and burglar, who, for the -last four years, had spent half of his time on Blackwell’s Island. When -at liberty, Julius lived with him. When he was in seclusion, Julius -looked out for himself, and, being sharp and shrewd, and accustomed to -depend upon his own exertions, managed just as well without his guardian -as with him. He had no particular reason to like Jack, who merely gave -him the liberty of earning his own living, and frequently borrowed his -scanty earnings without thinking it necessary to repay them. - -Some weeks before, Jack, with a friend and confederate, Marlowe, formed -a plan for entering a house on Madison Avenue, which, they had reason to -believe, contained a considerable amount of plate. The owner was absent -in Europe and the house was left during his absence under the care of -Paul Hoffman and his mother. Paul, whose early history is recorded in -“Paul, the Peddler,” was the proprietor of a street necktie stand, near -the Astor House. He had on one occasion shown kindness to Julius, and -the latter was grateful. Learning that Jack and Marlowe proposed to -enter the house occupied by Paul, he showed his gratitude by giving the -young street merchant an intimation of their intentions. Thus, when the -attempt was made, Paul was prepared, and the two burglars walked into a -trap. Jack was caught on the spot, but Marlowe for the time escaped. Had -he left the city at once, he might have escaped wholly. But he was -inflamed with bitter anger against the boy Julius, who, as he rightly -judged, had betrayed them, and he was determined to be revenged. -Following the boy to Staten Island, he overtook him in a lonely place, -and but for timely interference might have murdered him, in which case -the present volume would never have been written. - -But Julius was reserved for better things. His dangerous enemy was -arrested, and being identified as having been concerned in the Madison -Avenue robbery, was tried in due form, and sentenced to ten years’ -imprisonment in Sing Sing. - -I have anticipated matters a little, as at the time the present story -opens both he and Jack Morgan were temporarily confined in the Tombs, -while awaiting trial. - -As for Julius, he was rewarded by a gift of fifty dollars, and, by the -advice of his new friends, determined to seek a home in the West, going -out under the auspices of the Children’s Aid Society. The company of -which he was to be one was to start in a few days. Meanwhile Julius -decided to enjoy a rest from his usual labors, having an ample supply of -money to meet his small expenses. On the whole, he was pleased with the -idea of going West. But, apart from this consideration, he felt that his -life would not be safe in the city should Jack Morgan or Marlowe succeed -in breaking jail, as they had done more than once before. The boy had -good reason to apprehend danger, for he well knew their brutal natures, -and their unscrupulousness, and that they would stop at no crime in -wreaking vengeance upon him. Once out West, however, he would be out of -their reach, and it was not likely that they would follow him out -there. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE “GRAND DUKE’S OPREA HOUSE.” - - -Some minutes before eight, Julius reached the “Grand Duke’s Oprea -House.” It is very eligibly located on Baxter Street not far from the -famous Five Points. Perhaps in consequence of the filthy condition of -the streets in the immediate neighborhood, visitors are not expected to -appear in full dress, and nothing is more common than for the young -gentlemen who patronize it to dispense with coat or vest, or both. As -for kid gloves, these are not tolerated at the _Oprea_ House, and a -fellow who indulged in them would be regarded as “puttin’ on airs,” and -probably be hustled out unceremoniously, as guilty of a gross insult to -the rest of the spectators. - -The entrance to the Grand Duke theatre is not imposing. In fact, the -visitor is obliged to descend a shaky staircase into a cellar about ten -feet below the level of the sidewalk. - -“It’s like goin’ down into a coal mine,” remarked Julius to Pat Riley, -who was acting as his guide. - -“That’s so,” said Pat; “but we have jolly fun when we get there.” - -Reaching the bottom of the flight of steps, Julius found himself -confronted by the ticket seller who was looking out of a square hole, -over which were marked the prices of admission. - -“That’s where yer pay,” said Pat. “I go in free, coz I’m one of the -actors.” - -“Five cents,” said the keeper of the box office. - -“There it is,” said Julius, who had come provided with the right change. - -The treasurer pulled a cord connecting with the door of entrance, and -Julius entered. - -The _Oprea_ House proved to consist of a room twenty feet by thirty, and -six and a half feet high. A portion of this was set apart as a stage, in -front of which hung a curtain of turkey-red calico, four breadths wide. -On one side was a lofty pillar with a scroll, on which was written the -ambitious name of this temple of the muses, “Grand Duke’s Oprea House.” -In place of the customary footlights was a kerosene lamp, which with the -aid of a concave reflector illuminated the room. - -“What do yer think of it, Julius?” asked Pat, with justifiable pride. - -“It’s bully.” - -“Ain’t it? Do yer see that?” - -Pat pointed to a large broadside of brown packing paper, on which was -rudely scrawled: - - “BENEFIT - OF - MILES O’REILLY, - The Great Nigger Komedian - AND - Jig Dancer.” - -“That’s me!” said Pat, with professional pride. “It looks big, don’t -it?” - -“Yes,” said Julius, admiringly. - -“There’s lots of chaps would give all they could make on shines in a -week, to hev their names put up there,” said Pat, confidentially. - -“I’d like it myself,” said Julius. - -“Ef you wos goin’ to stay in the city, I’d learn you some jigs,” said -Pat, “and see what you was made of. It isn’t every feller that can make -a good jig dancer.” - -“How are you, Miles?” said a large boy, slapping Pat on the shoulder. “I -guess you’ll have a good house.” - -“I hope I will. Dave, this is a friend of mine. He ain’t been to the -_Oprea_ House before.” - -“Glad to see yer,” said David Conroy, with dignified affability. “Hope -yer’ll get yer money’s worth.” - -To this Julius made a suitable reply. - -“Dave is stage manager,” said Pat. “He kin do anything, kin Dave. He -painted the sceneries; you’ll see ’em bimeby, and he’s the best actor -we’ve got. He’s captain of the Mulligans. There ain’t nothin’ that -feller can’t do,” concluded Pat, with unmistakable admiration expressed -in his tone. - -“Where do you get your plays from, Pat?” - -“Call me Miles while we are in the _Oprea_ House. That’s my name here.” - -“Miles, then.” - -“Dave fixes ’em up out of plays at the Theatre Comique, and some of the -songs we gits from Tony Pastor’s. If there was time I’d take you behind -the sceneries. But it’s most time to begin.” - -“Miles O’Reilly is wanted,” was heard from behind the curtain, and the -great comedian left our hero and hurried behind the scenes. - -By this time the cellar was nearly full of boys, varying in age from -five to twenty, who were crowded together in such near proximity as the -limited size of the auditorium rendered imperatively necessary. The -front row was close up to the curtain, and here Julius was fortunate -enough to secure a place. - -The stiffness and reserve which characterize the spectators at other -theatres was dispensed with at the free and easy “Grand Duke’s Oprea -House.” Cheerful and jocose remarks were interchanged, spiced with -genial humor, and occasionally tinged with sarcastic remarks of a -personal character. But all was taken in good part. At last, however, -the patrons became impatient, and calls were heard, such as, “What yer -waitin’ fur?” “Hurry up de overture!” “Have yer gone ter sleep behind -there?” - -At last the manager responded to the flattering impatience of his -patrons. The curtain arose and displayed the orchestra consisting of two -musicians, a performer on an accordeon and a bone-player. The overture -was made up of pieces skillfully selected by the manager to suit the -tastes of the audience. Choice gems from “Norma,” “Trovatore,” and -“Faust” would not have satisfied the fastidious tastes of the Grand -Duke’s patrons. Instead of these, such choice airs as “Squeeze me, Joe,” -and “Up in Avenue A,” afforded unmistakable pleasure, and the whole -closed with “The Campbells Are Coming,” which was rendered with spirit -and general acceptance. - -Next came the comedy, “Laughing Gas,” in which the gas is administered -to a variety of patients, who are differently affected, one laughing, -another dancing, another combative, and so on. The acting was rude, but -lively, and the piece was rapturously applauded. In this applause Julius -bore his full part. Though he is my hero I have no desire to represent -him as more refined or better educated than the majority of his -companions. The classic drama or the opera, as brought out at the -Academy, would have been far less attractive to him than this rude -performance. - -He was no less pleased with the next piece, in which two boys, -representing _Tom King_ and _Dick Turpin_, appear on the stage with dark -lanterns, and attempt the robbery of a house, but become panic-stricken, -and exhibit more alarm than the occupants of the house. This, of course, -amuses the spectators. - -“It ’minds me of Jack and Marlowe,” said Julius to his next neighbor, -“when they was robbin’ the house on Madison Avenue.” - -“Was you there?” asked the other. - -“No, but I knew all about it. I lived with Jack.” - -“You did!” repeated the other, with something like awe at finding his -neighbor to have been intimate with so illustrious a criminal. “How did -you like him?” - -“Jack wa’n’t a bad sort,” said Julius, “except when he was sprung. I -like him better than Marlowe.” - -“They was took by the cops, wasn’t they?” - -“Yes, they was took,” said Julius, shortly. - -His own agency in the affair he didn’t care to mention, chiefly because -in the class to which he belonged it was considered a point of honor to -make common cause against the cops, that is, against the conviction of -those who transgress the laws, and our hero felt that the revelation of -his agency in entrapping his associates would not increase his -popularity. Nor would he have taken the part he did but for the -gratitude he felt to Paul, and the fear that he would suffer harm. - -Later in the evening the beneficiary, the great Miles O’Reilly, -appeared in a jig, which was very creditably danced. His appearance was -the signal for a noisy ovation; due partly to his general popularity, -and partly to his position as the beneficiary of the evening. - -“Good for yer, Miles!” expressed the general appreciation of his -efforts. Space will not permit us to enlarge on the other features in -the programme of the evening. Evidently “The Mulligan Guards” was most -popular, being received with tremendous applause. To gratify the -curiosity of such of my readers as are not familiar with this celebrated -local song, the first verse is here introduced: - - “We crave your condescension, - We’ll tell you what we know - Of marching in the Mulligan Guard, - From Sligoward below. - Our captain’s name was Hussey, - A Tipperary man, - He carried his sword like a Russian duke, - Whenever he took command. - -CHORUS. - - “We shouldered guns, and marched and marched away, - From Baxter Street we marched to Avenue A; - With drums and fifes how sweetly they did play, - As we marched, marched, marched in the Mulligan Guard.” - -The effect of the song is heightened by the marching of the Guards, the -roll of the drum, and presenting arms, which the young actors went -through very creditably. - -At the close, Miles was summoned before the curtain, and a speech was -called for. As the recipient of the benefit the eminent actor could not -very well decline. He presented himself with a low bow, and said: - -“Boys, I’m glad to welcome yez here this evening. I don’t care so much -for the stamps.” (“Oh, no! course yer don’t!” came in ironical accents -from some one in the audience.) “That’s so, Jim Blin, and you know it. -I’m glad yez like my dancin’! I won’t say no more, ’cause I ain’t used -to makin’ speeches, but, with the kind permission of the manager, I’ll -give yez anuther jig, and wish you good-night!” - -Here the speaker bowed, the music struck up, and, to the satisfaction of -all, the beneficiary repeated his performance. Then there was a rush for -the door and in five minutes the “Grand Duke’s Oprea House” was silent -and deserted. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -ON THE RAILWAY. - - -As the time approached for his leaving New York, Julius could not help -feeling a little regret. The great city had been a harsh stepmother to -him. He had suffered often from cold and hunger, during the years that -he had been drifting about her streets, an unconsidered waif in the -great sea of life. He had received kindness from few, harshness from -many. From the age of five he had been forced to earn his own living, -with no one to look out for him except a professional thief. He had seen -more of the dark than the bright side of life, but he had not been -without his enjoyments. Youth is hopeful and can find enjoyment under -the most unpropitious circumstances. - -So Julius, as he took his last walk through the streets with which he -had for years been familiar, felt sorry that he was to leave them the -next day, perhaps, for many years. It is true he hoped to do better at -the West, but all his present associations were with Broadway, Chatham -Street, and the Bowery, and City Hall Park, and his new life would seem -strange at first. - -But when all preparations had been made and he found himself seated in -the cars, dressed in a new suit, with thirty other boys, under the -general charge of Mr. O’Connor, the superintendent of the Newsboys’ -Lodging House, he forgot the city, and was exhilarated by the rapid -motion of the cars, and the varied panorama through which he was swiftly -passing. - -“Ain’t it bully, Teddy?” said he to one of his city acquaintances who -occupied the adjoining seat. - -“That’s so, Julius. I never rid in the cars before.” - -“Didn’t you?” said Julius, with complacent superiority. “I have.” - -“Where’d you go?” - -“Well, I went to Newark, and one summer I went to Long Branch--that’s a -big watering place, you know. Both places are in New Jersey. I stayed a -week at Long Branch.” - -“Did you put up at one of the big hotels?” - -“Yes, I put up at the Continental Hotel.” - -“You’re gassin’!” - -“No, I ain’t.” - -“How much did you pay?” - -“I forgot to ask for the bill,” said Julius. - -“Where’d you sleep?” - -“Oh, I slept in a bathing house, on the beach. It belonged to the -hotel.” - -“How’d you like it?” - -“Pretty good, only the tide came up so high that it poured into the -bathing house, and gave me a wetting.” - -“Did you get anything to do?” - -“I made a few stamps by blackin’ boots, but the black-boots in the hotel -said he’d bounce me for interferin’ with his business. So I thought I’d -come back to the city. I didn’t mind much, for there wasn’t much goin’ -on in the daytime.” - -“Do you know how long we’ll be travelin’?” - -“Mr. O’Connor told me it would take us two days and nights, and perhaps -more. He says it’s more’n a thousand miles.” - -“Suppose’n we don’t like it, and want to come back?” - -“We can’t do it without money.” - -“I haven’t got but a dollar.” - -“I have got forty dollars,” said Julius, complacently. - -“Where’d you get such a pile?” asked Teddy, who regarded forty dollars -as quite a fortune. - -“Speculatin’ in real estate,” answered Julius, who did not care to -mention exactly how he came by the money. - -“I don’t believe you’ve got so much,” said Teddy, who was under the -impression that he was being sold. - -“I’ll show you part of it,” said Julius. - -He drew out a pocketbook, and displayed five one-dollar bills, and a -small amount of fractional currency. - -“That’s only five dollars.” - -“Mr. O’Connor’s got the rest. He’s goin’ to give it to the man that I’m -to live with to take care of for me. I’d rather he’d keep it. I might -lose it, or spend it foolish.” - -“Well, you’re in luck. I jist wish I had half as much.” - -“Do you remember Jim Driscoll, that used to sell papers on Nassau -Street?” - -“Yes, I knew him; where is he?” - -“He went West about two years ago. He’s doin’ well. Got fifty dollars in -the savings bank, and a good home besides.” - -“Who told you?” - -“Mr. O’Connor. He had a letter from him.” - -“Jim can’t write, nor read either. When he was sellin’ papers in Nassau -Street, he used to ask what was the news. Sometimes I told him wrong. -Once I told him the President was dead, and he didn’t know no better -than to believe it. He sold his papers fast, but the last chap got mad -and booted him.” - -“Well, Jim can write now. He’s been to school since he was out there.” - -“He can do more’n I can. I can read easy readin’, but I can’t write no -more’n a lamp-post.” - -“Nor I,” said Julius, “but I mean to learn. I can’t read much, either.” - -“I say, Julius; won’t it seem odd if we made money, and come to New York -and put up at a big hotel, and get our boots blacked, just like the -customers we used to have?” - -“That’s what I mean to do, Teddy. I’ve got tired of knockin’ round the -streets, as I have ever since I was knee high to a toad.” - -“So have I, Julius. But I expect we’ll have to work hard.” - -“I always did have to work. I’ll be willin’ to work when I’ve got a good -home, and feel that I’m gettin’ along.” - -The time had come to both of these homeless boys when they had become -tired of their vagrant life and Arab-like condition. They had a vague -idea of what is meant by respectability, and they began to appreciate -its value. They could see that the street life they had been leading -must soon terminate, and that it was time to form plans for the future. -In a few years they would be men, and lay aside the street employments -by which they had gained a scanty and miserable living. When that time -came, would they take a respectable place in the ranks of workingmen, or -become social outlaws like Jack Morgan and his confederate, Marlowe? -Such thoughts had come frequently to Julius of late, and his present -state of mind was one of the most encouraging signs of his future good -conduct. He was dissatisfied with his past life, and anxious to enter -upon a better. - -The thirty boys were not all in one car. Mr. O’Connor and the greater -part of them were in the car behind. Julius and the others could find -no room there, and had come into this car. - -After his conversation with Teddy, Julius began to look out of the -window. Inexperienced as a traveler, and knowing very little of the -country, he saw much that excited his interest, as they sped onward at -the rate of thirty miles an hour. He also, with his usual habit of -observation, regarded his fellow-passengers with interest. Directly in -front of him sat a stout man, plainly dressed, who had become sleepy, -and occasionally indulged in a nod, his newspaper having fallen from his -hands upon the floor. He was probably more used to traveling than our -hero and cared less for the scenery. Julius gave him a casual look, but -without much interest, till at a way station a flashily dressed young -man entered, and, looking carefully about him, selected the seat beside -the stout man though he had his choice of several. Julius started when -he saw him, and looked puzzled. He was sure he had seen him before, at -Jack Morgan’s room, but there was something unfamiliar in his -appearance. Jack’s friend had black hair. This man’s hair was red. A -closer look, however, explained this discrepancy. Underneath the edge of -the red he caught sight of a few black hairs, which were not entirely -concealed. It was clear that he wore a red wig. - -“It is Ned Sanders,” said Julius to himself, “and he’s got a red wig on. -What’s he up to, I wonder? I’ll watch him.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -JULIUS DETECTS A PICKPOCKET. - - -Ned Sanders settled himself into his seat, and looked about him. He did -not, however, recognize Julius, for, though he had seen him in calling -upon Jack Morgan, he had never taken particular notice of his features, -probably regarding him as of little importance. Finally Mr. Sanders -devoted special attention to the man at his side. As the latter was -sleeping, he was not conscious of the close watch of his companion. - -Julius noticed it, however, and, being familiar with the character of -Sanders, said to himself: “I know what he’s up to. He wants to pick his -pocket.” - -From the watch pocket of the stout stranger depended a gold watch chain -solid and valuable in appearance, and to it was attached a gold watch. - -Sanders took out a newspaper, and held it before him. He appeared to be -very much occupied with its contents, but Julius detected a stealthy -glance at his companion’s waistcoat. - -“This is gettin’ excitin’,” thought Julius. “He won’t wait long.” - -Julius was right. Ned Sanders felt that now was the favorable -opportunity to carry out his unlawful purpose, while his neighbor was -asleep, as when his nap was over he would more readily detect his -intentions. - -With his paper still before his face, his hand crept softly to the watch -chain, which he gently appropriated, dropping it into his coat pocket. -But he was not yet satisfied. He was preparing to relieve the other of -his pocketbook also, when Julius thought it was about time to interfere. -Rising in his seat, he struck the stout man forcibly on the back. The -latter started, and opening his eyes said, “What! Eh, what do you want? -Is it morning?” - -The pickpocket started also, and looked uneasy, but retained his seat, -not suspecting that he had been detected. His uneasiness arose from the -fear that his neighbor, on awakening, would immediately miss his watch, -which would be awkward and perhaps dangerous for him. He was vexed with -Julius, whom he did not yet recognize, for this interference with his -plans. - -“Can’t you let the gentleman alone?” he said angrily. “Why do you -disturb him?” - -“What’s the matter?” said his victim, in his turn, a little irritated. -“What do you mean by thumping my back, boy?” - -“I wanted to ask you what time it is,” said Julius, quietly. - -“Well, that’s cool,” grumbled the stout man. “You wake me up out of a -nap to ask me what time of day it is.” - -Sanders turned pale when Julius asked this question, for he saw that -discovery was imminent. He half arose from his seat, but it occurred to -him that that would only fasten suspicion upon him. Moreover the train -was going at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour, and, though he might -go into another car, he could not escape from the train. He closed his -lips tightly, and tried to look calm and indifferent. He had determined -to brazen it out. - -Notwithstanding his grumbling rejoinder, the stout man felt for his -watch. Now it was his turn to start and look dismayed. - -“By jove, it’s gone!” he ejaculated. - -“What’s the matter, sir?” asked Julius. - -“My watch and chain are gone. Do you know anything about them, boy?” - -“I think you had better put that question to the man you’re sittin’ -with.” - -“What do you mean by that, you young rascal?” demanded Ned Sanders, pale -with passion and dismay. “I think, sir, the boy behind you has taken -your watch.” - -“I don’t see how he could do that,” said the other, regarding him -suspiciously. “Can you tell me where my watch is sir?” - -“What should I know of your watch? Do you mean to insult me, sir?” -blustered the pickpocket. - -His manner increased the suspicions of his victim, who recognized, by -his appearance and flashy attire, the class to which he belonged. He -turned to Julius, and asked, “What made you refer to this gentleman?” - -“Because,” said Julius bluntly, “I saw him take it. He held up the paper -before him, while he loosened your chain. He’s got it in his pocket -now.” - -“That is sufficient. Now, sir,” he said sternly, “I command you -instantly to return my watch and chain.” - -“I haven’t got it. The boy lies,” said Sanders, furiously. - -By this time, most of the passengers in the car had gathered around the -two. Just at this moment, too, the conductor entered. - -“What’s the matter, gentlemen?” he asked. - -“This man has stolen my watch,” said the stout man. - -“It’s a ---- lie!” said Sanders. - -“Are you willing to show us what you have in your pockets?” said the -conductor. - -“No, I’m not. I am a New York merchant, and I won’t submit to an -impertinence.” - -“Where is your place of business?” - -“In Pearl Street,” answered Sanders, quite at random. - -“Have you one of your business cards with you?” - -“I believe so.” - -He felt in his pocket, and appeared surprised at finding none. - -“I believe I have none with me,” he admitted. “I generally have some.” - -“What’s your business?” - -“I’m in the clothing business?” said Sanders, with some hesitation. - -“What is your name?” - -“I won’t answer any more questions,” said the pickpocket, desperately. -“You have insulted me enough, all of you. Just make way, will you? I am -going to get out.” - -The cars had just stopped at a way station. - -Sanders attempted to arise, but his victim seized him by the arm. - -“You don’t leave this car till you have surrendered my watch,” he said. - -“Let go, or I’ll strike you,” said Sanders, losing his prudence in his -anger. - -“You can’t get out till you have been searched,” said the conductor. -“Who is the boy that saw him take the watch?” - -“I did,” said Julius. - -“Where did he put it? Did you notice?” - -“In his left breast pocket.” - -“Show us what you have in that pocket.” - -Sanders hesitated? and then drew out a handkerchief. - -“There, I hope you are satisfied,” he said. - -Meantime his neighbor, pressing his hand against the pocket on the -outside, exclaimed triumphantly: - -“He’s got the watch. I can feel it.” - -The thief uttered a profane ejaculation, and made a desperate effort to -arise, but three men threw themselves upon him, two holding him down, -while the other drew out the watch and chain, and handed them to their -owner. - -“Now will you let me go?” demanded Sanders, doggedly. He felt that it -would do no good to indulge in further protestations of innocence. - -“No,” said the conductor. “Gentlemen, will you guard him till we reach -the next station? Then I will place him in the hands of an officer.” - -“Boy,” said Sanders, turning around, and glaring fiercely at Julius, “I -shan’t forget you. Some time I’ll make you repent what you’ve done -to-day.” - -“Don’t mind him, my lad,” said the stout man, elated by the recovery of -his property. “You’ve done exactly right. But how came you to suspect -this man?” - -“Because I knew him,” said Julius. - -Here Sanders turned around, and scanned our hero’s face sharply. - -“That’s a lie!” he said. - -“It’s not a lie, Mr. Ned Sanders,” said Julius. “I’ve seen you more than -once.” - -Again Sanders scanned his features sharply. This time a light dawned -upon him. - -“I know you now,” he said; “you’re Jack Morgan’s boy.” - -“I was,” said Julius. - -“Have you left him?” - -“Yes.” - -“Where are you going?” - -“Out West.” - -“Where?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“You don’t want to tell me.” - -“No, I don’t. I don’t care about receiving a visit from you.” - -“I’ll hunt you up, and pay off old debts. I shouldn’t be in this scrape -but for you,” said Sanders, vindictively. - -He relapsed into a moody silence, and said nothing more while in the -car. At the next station, which was an important place, two officers -were summoned, who took him into custody. But he managed to elude their -vigilance some hours later and escaped to New York. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -JULIUS IS REWARDED. - - -After the pickpocket had been removed from the car, his intended victim -turned in his seat, and addressed Julius. - -“Come and sit by me,” he said; “I want to speak with you.” - -Julius readily accepted the invitation. - -“My boy,” said the stout gentleman, “you have done me a great service.” - -“I am glad of it,” said Julius. - -“You must know that this watch and chain, which but for you I should -have lost, were bought for me, in Switzerland, by a son who has since -died. They are valuable in themselves, but they are five times as -valuable to me because they were a last gift from him.” - -“I am glad Ned didn’t get off with ’em,” said Julius. - -“You seem to know this man,” said the other, with some curiosity. - -“Oh, yes, sir, I know him like a brick.” - -The common expression is “like a book”; but that would hardly have -implied any close knowledge on the part of Julius, for he knew next to -nothing of books. Probably the phrase he did use was suggested by the -other. - -“Is he a professional pickpocket?” - -“Oh, yes, that’s the way he makes a livin’.” - -“Then how do you come to know him?” - -“Oh, he used to come and see Jack.” - -“Who’s Jack?” - -“Jack Morgan--the man I used to live with.” - -“Jack didn’t have very respectable friends, then, I should judge.” - -“Ned and he was pretty thick. They used to do business together.” - -“Was Jack a pickpocket, also?” - -“He didn’t do much that way; he was too clumsy. He broke into houses.” - -“What! was he a burglar?” - -“Yes.” - -“Do you mean to say that you lived with a burglar?” asked the stout -gentleman, in surprise. - -“Yes,” said Julius, unconcerned. - -“And did you help him, too?” demanded the other, suspiciously. - -“No, I didn’t,” said Julius. “I didn’t like the business. Besides, I -didn’t want to be sent over to the island. I blacked boots, and such -things.” - -“That is a much better way of getting a living,” said his companion, -approvingly. - -“So I think,” said Julius; “but it ain’t quite so easy.” - -“I think you are mistaken. An honest life is the easiest in the end. -Where is Jack now?” - -“Oh, he’s in the Tombs. He was took up for burglary of a house in -Madison Avenue. I guess he’ll be sent up for five or ten years.” - -“That won’t be very easy, or pleasant.” - -“No,” said Julius. “I’m glad I ain’t in Jack’s shoes.” - -“I hope, my lad, you are in no danger of following the example of your -evil associates.” - -“No,” said Julius. “I’m goin’ to be respectable.” - -“An excellent determination. How do you happen to be traveling?” - -“Oh, I’m goin’ out West.” - -“What made you think of that?” - -“Mr. O’Connor--he’s the superintendent of the Newsboys’ Lodging -House--was goin’ to take some boys out, and get ’em places; and he -offered to take me.” - -“Are all these boys I see in the car going out too?” - -“Yes, sir, all of ’em, and there’s some more in the car behind.” - -“Where in the West do you expect to go?” - -“I don’t know,” said Julius. “Is the West a big place?” - -“I should say it was,” said the other, with a laugh. “It’s a very large -place.” - -“Were you ever there?” asked Julius, desiring to hear something about -his place of destination. - -“I live there--in Wisconsin. Did you ever hear of Wisconsin?” - -Julius shook his head. - -“I don’t know much about any places, except New York and Jersey,” he -added. - -“I live in the city of Milwaukee, in Wisconsin. It is quite a -flourishing city.” - -“Is it as big as New York?” - -“Oh, no; we can’t show any cities in the West as big as New York. I -doubt if we ever shall, though we’ve some large cities, that are growing -fast. Do you think you are likely to come to Milwaukee?” - -“I don’t know,” said Julius. “Mr. O’Connor could tell you.” - -“Where is he?” - -“In the other car. Will I speak to him?” - -“Not yet. I’ve got something more to say to you. I am under an -obligation to you.” - -“What’s that?” asked Julius, puzzled. - -“I mean that you have done me a favor.” - -“That’s all right,” said Julius. “I’m glad of it.” - -“And in doing so, you have probably made an enemy,” added the other. - -“You mean Ned Sanders?” - -“Yes; I am afraid, if he gets a chance, he will do you an injury.” - -“I’ll be out of his way.” - -“He might some time see you.” - -“If he does, and I’m grown up, I won’t be afraid of him.” - -“You seem to be a brave young man.” - -“I ain’t a coward,” said Julius, proudly. - -“And yet there are some things I hope you will be afraid of.” - -“What are them?” asked Julius, somewhat puzzled. - -“I hope you will be afraid to lie and steal, and do wrong generally.” - -“I shan’t steal,” said Julius; “I don’t know about lyin’, most boys lie -sometimes.” - -“I hope you will be one of the boys that do not lie at all.” - -“Maybe so,” said Julius, dubiously. “A feller can’t always be good.” - -“No, I suppose not. But there is no occasion for lying.” - -“I’ll try not to, but I ain’t an angel.” - -“Angels are scare, as far as my observation goes,” said his companion, -smiling, “and you appear to have too much human nature about you to be -altogether angelic. But there’s one thing you can do. You can try to do -right.” - -“I mean to,” said Julius, promptly. “I want to grow up respectable.” - -“If you want to, you probably will. You’ll have a better chance at the -West than you would in New York.” - -“If I stayed there, I’d be a bootblack all my life,” said Julius. “There -ain’t no chance for a boy like me to rise. I wouldn’t want to be a -bootblack,” he added reflectively, “when I got to be old and -gray-headed.” - -“No, it wouldn’t be an agreeable business for an old man to follow. But -I’ve got off the track.” - -“Off the track!” repeated Julius, looking out of the window. - -“Oh, I didn’t mean that. The cars are all right. But I meant to say, -that I had got away from what I meant to say. I think I owe you -something for your saving me from losing my watch.” - -“Oh, that’s nothing,” said Julius. - -“To me it is a great deal, and I want to show my sense of the favor. Is -there anything in particular you would like?” - -“I don’t know,” said Julius, thoughtfully. “I might like a jack-knife.” - -“That isn’t enough. As I said, I have particular reason to value my -watch and chain. Did you ever have a watch yourself?” - -“I never got so far along. I couldn’t save enough on shines for that.” - -“Well, it so happens that, in New York, I took a small silver watch and -chain in the way of business from a traveler who owed me money. Here it -is.” - -He drew from his pocket a neat, but inexpensive silver watch, with a -chain of the same metal. - -“What do you think of it?” he said. - -“It’s tiptop,” said Julius admiringly. - -“I am glad you like it, for I am going to give it to you.” - -“Goin’ to give me a watch and chain!” repeated Julius, in amazement. - -“Yes. Would you like it?” - -“It’ll make me feel like a swell,” said Julius, elated. “Ain’t it a -beauty, Teddy?” he continued, turning in his seat, and displaying it to -his comrade. - -“It ain’t yours, is it?” asked Teddy, not without a slight feeling of -envy. - -“Yes, it is. This gentleman says so.” - -And Julius proudly put the watch in his vest pocket, and attached the -chain to one of the button-holes. The donor looked on with a benevolent -smile, glad that he had been able to make so acceptable a gift to the -boy who had done him such a service. - -“Now,” he said, smiling, “it will be your turn to look out for -pickpockets. They may try to carry off your watch, as they did mine.” - -“I d like to see ’em do it,” said Julius, confidently. “It’ll take a -smart pickpocket to hook my watch.” - -“Well, my young friend,” said the other, “as the time may come when I -can do you a service, I will give you my card.” - -“I can’t read writin’,” admitted Julius, reluctantly, as he took the -card, which was printed in script. - -“My name is John Taylor, of Milwaukee. Keep the card, and you will soon -be able to read it.” - -Here the paper boy passed through the car, and Mr. Taylor, purchasing a -copy of _Harper’s Weekly_, was soon immersed in its contents. Finding -that the interview was ended, Julius returned to his former seat, and -Teddy and he spent some time in admiring it. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A NEWSBOY’S LETTER. - - -“I say, Julius, you’re in luck,” said Teddy. - -“I won’t be in luck if Marlowe or Ned Sanders gets hold of me.” - -“They won’t find you, away out West.” - -“Marlowe might. He’s a tough customer, Marlowe is. I mind how he looked -when he got hold of me at Staten Island. Jack ain’t so bad, but -Marlowe’d go a thousand miles to get hold of me.” - -“I wouldn’t think of it, Julius.” - -“I shan’t lose no sleep. If he don’t break out of jail, I’ll be a man -before he can get at me.” - -“Look out of the window, Julius. See them cows harnessed together. What -are they doin’?” - -“They’re ploughin’, I expect,” said Julius, who, like his companion, -took a yoke of oxen for cows. - -“They don’t go very fast.” - -“They look as if they was lazy. They’re the biggest cows I ever see.” - -Here Mr. O’Connor came into the car and passed down the aisle, looking -to see that none of the boys were missing. - -“Well, boys, how are you getting along?” he asked, pleasantly. - -“Bully!” “Tiptop!” were heard from the boys on either side. - -“What have you got there, Julius?” asked the superintendent, noticing -the watch chain. - -Julius drew out his watch. - -“Where did you get it?” asked Mr. O’Connor, a little suspiciously. “You -haven’t spent any of your money, have you?” - -“No; it was given me,” said Julius. - -“Given you?” - -“By that gentleman.” - -Mr. Taylor looked up, finding himself referred to. - -“Is this the gentleman who has charge of your party?” he asked, turning -to Julius. - -“Yes, sir. It is Mr. O’Connor.” - -“Mr. O’Connor, the boy’s story is correct. He detected a pickpocket in -the act of appropriating my gold watch and chain. As it was of great -value, I asked his acceptance of the watch and chain you see.” - -“I hope you did not ask any reward, Julius,” said the superintendent. - -“It was entirely my own thought,” said Mr. Taylor. “I presume the boy -never thought of any compensation.” - -“No, I didn’t,” said Julius. - -“I am glad you have behaved so well, Julius,” said superintendent, -approvingly. “I am sure you will value your present.” - -“It’s bully,” said Julius, enthusiastically. - -“Where do you intend to take the boys, Mr. O’Connor?” asked Mr. Taylor. - -“I have an invitation from the citizens of Brookville, in Wisconsin, to -make my headquarters there. I am told that boys and girls are in demand -in that town and vicinity, and that I shall probably be able to find -homes for all my party in that neighborhood.” - -“I think you can. I know Brookville very well. I have a nephew living -there. He is a prosperous farmer. By the way, I shouldn’t be surprised -if he would like a boy. Suppose I give you a note to my young friend -here to deliver to him.” - -“I should be glad to have you do so.” - -“If Ephraim takes him into his family, he will have an excellent home.” - -“That is what we desire for all our party.” - -“Do you generally succeed?” - -“Very generally. We seldom receive complaints from the children we have -placed. They are treated kindly almost without exception.” - -“How about the other parties? Do they often prefer complaints of the -children?” - -“Sometimes, but not often. Considering the training our children have -had in the city streets, they conduct themselves remarkably well in -their new homes. Removed from the temptations and privations of the -city, their better natures assert themselves, and they behave as well as -ordinary children. In fact, I may say that most of the complaints that -come to us are of a trivial nature. People forget that our boys are no -more perfect than their own, and if now and then they pelt the cows, or -leave the turkeys out in the rain, that hardly indicates a depraved -heart.” - -Mr. Taylor smiled. - -“I have heard of such things, myself,” he said. “I suspect boys are -about the same now that they were fifty years ago.” - -“And will be fifty years hence. Of course, they will always need -restraint, and, if they do mischief, they must pay the penalty. Still, -if a boy is simply mischievous, I don’t think he can be considered a -hopeless case.” - -“I should say not. I used to do some things myself that were not quite -exemplary. Of course I was punished and in time I steadied down.” - -“As you seem to take an interest in our mission,” said Mr. O’Connor, -“you may feel interested to read a letter[A] which I received not long -since from one of our boys in Indiana. It is characteristic, and will -give a good idea of the improvement which emigration makes in their -condition and circumstances.” - - [A] This letter is a genuine production. It is taken from an extremely - interesting work, by Charles L. Brace, on “The Dangerous Classes of - New York, and Twenty Years’ Work Among Them.” - -“I should like very much to read it,” said Mr. Taylor. - -This was the letter: - -“M----, IND., Nov. 24, 1859. - - “TO MY FRIEND AND BENEFACTOR: So I take my pen in hand to let you - know how I am, and how I am getting along. As far as I can see, I - am well satisfied with my place; but I took a general look around, - and, as far as I can see, all the boys left in M---- are doing - well, especially myself, and I think there is as much fun as in New - York, for nuts and apples are all free. I am much obliged to you, - Mr. O’Connor, for the paper you sent me. I received it last night, - read it last night--something about the Newsboys’ Lodging House. - - “All the newsboys in New York have a bad name; but we should show - ourselves, and show them, that we are no fools; that we can become - as respectable as any of their countrymen; for some of you poor - boys can do something for your country; for Franklin, Webster, - Clay, were poor boys once, and even Commodore V. C. Perry or Math. - C. Perry. But even George Law, and Vanderbilt, and Astor--some of - the richest men of New York--and Math. and V. C. Perry, were - nothing but printers, and in the navy on Lake Erie. And look at - Winfield Scott. So now, boys, stand up, and let them see that you - have got the real stuff in you. Come out here, and make respectable - and honorable men, so they can say, there, that boy was once a - newsboy. - - “Now, boys, you all know I have tried everything. I have been a - newsboy, and when that got slack, you know I have smashed baggage. - I have sold nuts, I have peddled. I have worked on the rolling - billows up the canal; I was a bootblack; and you know, when I sold - papers I was at the top of the profession. I had a good stand of my - own, but I found all would not do. I could not get along, but I am - now going ahead. I have a first-rate home, ten dollars a month, and - my board; and, I tell you, fellows, that is a great deal more than - I could scrape up my best times in New York. We are all on an - equality, my boys, out here, so long as we keep ourselves - respectable. - - “Mr. O’Connor, tell ‘Fatty,’ or F. John Pettibone, to send me a - Christmas number of _Frank Leslie’s_, and _Harper’s Weekly_, a - _Weekly News_ or some other pictorials to read, especially the - _Newsboys’ Pictorial_, if it comes out. No old papers, or else - none. If they would get some other boys to get me some books. I - want something to read. - - “I hope this letter will find you in good health, as it leaves me, - Mr. O’Connor. I expect an answer before two weeks--a letter and a - paper. Write to me all about the lodging house. With this I close - my letter. With much respect to all. - - “I remain your truly obedient friend, - -“J. K.” - - - -“The writer of this letter is evidently a smart boy,” said Mr. Taylor, -as he finished reading it. “I warrant he will make his way in the -world.” - -“I expected he would do well, when we sent him out,” said the -superintendent. “In New York he was a leader in his set, and very -successful in his street trades. But, as you see, he admits that he is -doing much better out West.” - -“His Western life will make a man of him. Do you often hear from those -you have sent out?” - -“We are in constant correspondence with them. We feel ourselves under an -obligation to look after them still, and to show them that we keep up an -interest in them.” - -“It must have a good effect upon them.” - -“We find that it does. They are ashamed to misconduct themselves, -knowing that it will come to our ears.” - -“Have you sent out many children, in this way?” - -“Thousands of our children are located in different parts of the great -West. With few exceptions, they are doing well, and bid fair to -become--some have already become--respected and useful members of -society.” - -“What would have been their fate, had they remained in the city?” - -“Many would be vagrants, many, doubtless, tenants of prison cells; very -few would have turned out well.” - -“It is a great work,” said Mr. Taylor warmly. “I hope you will be -encouraged to persevere. I feel like helping you. Accept this -contribution to the funds of your society,” and he drew two fifty-dollar -bills from his pocketbook and handed to the superintendent. - -“Thank you, sir,” said Mr. O’Connor, “I am sure you will not regret your -gift. Every addition to our means enables us to extend our operations. -This gift, for instance, will enable us to bring out six children to the -West and place them in good homes.” - -“Will it, indeed!” said Mr. Taylor, gratified. “That assurance alone -abundantly repays me. But I must write the note of introduction which I -promised to my young friend.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -BROOKVILLE. - - -Though there was plenty of excitement and novelty attending the journey, -Julius and his companions looked forward with eager interest to the hour -when they would reach their destination. Where were they to live, and -what sort of homes would they obtain? These were questions which -naturally arose in the minds of all. - -Hour after hour the train sped onward with its living freight. The boys -looked out upon the broad fields, smiling in the sunlight, and -bright-looking villages scattered along the route, and wondered if their -future homes would look anything like them. - -At last the moment approached when their curiosity was to be gratified. - -“Boys, the next town is Brookville,” said Mr. O’Connor, passing through -the cars. - -“Are we goin’ to stop there?” asked Teddy. - -“Yes; that is where we get out of the cars.” - -Soon a large village came in sight. It was quite thickly settled, and -the streets were broad and regular. The boys could see various public -buildings, besides a large number of dwelling houses. The place looked -quite attractive, and the boys’ faces lighted up with pleasure. - -“I say, Teddy,” said Julius, “Brookville’s a nice place.” - -“Don’t look much like New York,” said Teddy, dubiously. - -“Of course it don’t. The country ain’t like the city, stupid.” - -“I guess it’s a pretty good place,” said Teddy. “I hope we’ll live near -each other.” - -“I hope so, too; but maybe not. You may live somewhere else.” - -“Shan’t we all live here?” - -“No; I heard Mr. O’Connor say we’d be scattered around among the towns, -but I’m goin’ to live here.” - -“How do you know you are?” - -“‘Cause I’ve got a letter to Mr. Taylor’s nephew. He lives in -Brookville.” - -“P’rhaps he’ll want two boys.” - -“Maybe he will.” - -“What’s that?” asked Teddy, as the sound of music was heard. - -“It’s a band--don’t you see it?--on the platform. What a crowd of -people!” - -“Boys,” said Mr. O’Connor, “that music is for you. The citizens have -come out to welcome you. Now I will tell you what you must do. You will -follow me out of the cars as soon as the train stops, form two by two -on the platform, and then you may swing your hats, and shout, ‘Three -cheers for Brookville!’ Will you do it?” - -“All right, sir,” said the boys, eagerly. - -They were already within a few rods of the station. Speed was already -slackened, and in a moment the cars had stopped. - -“Now, boys, form in line after the other passengers have left the car,” -said the superintendent. “Then follow me.” - -His directions were carefully followed, and in five minutes the little -company were drawn up on the platform. Many curious eyes were fixed upon -them by those who had come to meet them, and some were already selecting -those whom they desired to adopt. - -“Now, boys,” said the superintendent, when order was obtained, “what -have you to say to the ladies and gentlemen who have been kind enough to -come here to meet you?” - -“Three cheers for Brookville!” shouted Tim Shanter, who, it had been -agreed, should act as leader. - -The cheers were given with a will, and with such emphasis that it was -clear none of the boys as yet was troubled with weak lungs. - -Then the band struck up again, and after they had concluded, one of the -citizens came forward and addressed Mr. O’Connor. - -“Mr. O’Connor, I presume?” he said. - -“That is my name, sir. You were expecting us?” - -“Yes; we received your telegram, and have made arrangements to receive -you. First, however, let me introduce myself. My name is Taylor.” - -“Ephraim Taylor?” - -“Yes,” said the other, in some surprise. - -“You wonder that I know your name,” said Mr. O’Connor. “I met an uncle -of yours while traveling in the State of New York, and he gave one of -our boys a letter to you.” - -“Indeed!” - -“It was a boy,” exclaimed the superintendent, “who had an opportunity of -being of service to him.” - -“In what way, may I ask?” - -“He detected a pickpocket in the act of taking your uncle’s gold watch, -and warned him of it. Julius, come here!” - -Julius stepped out of the ranks. Mr. Taylor looked at him earnestly. - -“I hear that you fell in with my uncle,” he said. - -“Yes, sir. He give me a letter for you.” - -“Let me see it.” - -Julius drew the letter from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Taylor. - -The letter read as follows: - - “MY DEAR NEPHEW: This will be handed to you by a boy who has done - me a service, the nature of which the superintendent will explain - to you. I do not know how you are situated, or whether you require - the services of a boy. If you do, I think you can’t do better than - to take this one. He is bright, sharp, and, as I have reason to - believe, honest. I shall be glad if he can secure a good home. - -Your uncle, - -“JOHN TAYLOR.” - - - -Julius had already examined critically the personal appearance of Mr. -Taylor, whom he regarded as his future employer and guardian. His past -life had made him a good and quick observer of character. Street boys, -obliged to fight their way, and struggle for a livelihood, are by their -circumstances made preternaturally sharp. They acquire a judgment and -self-reliance beyond their years, however defective they may be in the -knowledge to be gained from books. Engaged in reading his uncle’s -letter, Mr. Taylor did not notice the keen glance with which Julius -regarded him. But the result was favorable. - -“I guess I’ll like him,” said our hero to himself. “He looks like he -might be kind. I hope he’ll take me.” - -Mr. Taylor looked up with a smile. - -“My uncle wants me to take you, my lad,” he said. - -“Will you?” asked Julius. - -“What do you say, Mr. O’Connor?” said Mr. Taylor. “Will you intrust this -young man to me?” - -“I shall be glad to do so,” said the superintendent. “I will ask you to -leave him with us till to-morrow, however, as applications will not -generally be accepted till then.” - -“I have no objection to that. Now let me tell you what arrangements we -have made for your reception. How many children have you in your -company?” - -“Fifty-two.” - -“It is as I supposed. There are more than can be lodged at our hotel, -which is small. They could receive but twenty there, and the remainder -can be accommodated in a hall we have in the village.” - -“I should prefer that they would not be separated. I would rather have -them all under my own eye for to-night,” said the superintendent. - -“Very well; then perhaps it will be best for all to be accommodated in -the hall. There are two halls, in fact; and bedding can be placed on the -floor. It won’t be quite so comfortable as it would be at the hotel.” - -“Our boys are used to roughing it,” said Mr. O’Connor. “Many a night in -the city they have slept out in old wagons or alleyways. It won’t hurt -them to sleep on the floor.” - -“The hall is about half a mile distant. I will lead the way, and you may -get settled at once.” - -“Thank you, sir.” - -“Tim Shanter, see that the boys walk in line,” said the superintendent. -“I appoint you captain, Mr. Taylor, and I will go on ahead, and you will -follow us.” - -So the procession moved through the village, attracting curious glances -from the inhabitants as it passed along. The boys on their side used -their eyes to advantage. They were delighted with the fields of grass, -the trees now in full leaf, the flower-plots in front of some of the -houses, and the singing of the birds. There was not one of them who did -not hope that he would find a home in Brookville. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -JULIUS HAS AN ADVENTURE. - - -About midway in the principal street of Brookville is the town hall. It -is a neat building, of considerable size, and two stories in height. - -Here the procession halted, and after a pause filed in. - -The boys found themselves in a large hall, with a platform and desk at -one end, the body of the hall being filled with settees. - -“Looks like a schoolroom,” said Teddy. - -“Only there ain’t no desks,” said Julius. - -“We’re to stay here all night, boys,” said Tim Shanter. - -“It’s only three o’clock. What will we do till then?” said Tom Burke. - -“Boys,” said Mr. O’Connor, “would you like to see something of the -village?” - -“Yes!” “Yes!” was heard from all quarters. - -“Then for the next two hours you may go where you please, but you must -be back before six.” - -“All right, sir!” shouted half a dozen, and there was a rush for the -door. - -“Come back,” shouted the superintendent. “You haven’t heard all I have -to say.” - -The boys turned back reluctantly. - -“You must be careful to do no mischief, and commit no trespass upon any -person’s property. I want you to show our friends here that, if you have -been brought up in the streets of New York, you know how to behave -yourselves.” - -“We will!” “We will!” shouted the boys, and in less than a minute the -hall was emptied. - -They separated into groups, and walked off in different directions. -Julius, Teddy and Tom formed one of the parties. - -“Where will we go?” said Tom. - -“Come down here,” said Julius, pointing down a side street. “There’s -some nice fields off there.” - -“Ain’t it jolly?” said Teddy. “It’s a big sight better than New York.” - -“Ain’t that a nice field for baseball?” said Julius, pointing to a large -pasture some distance ahead. - -“There’s lots of fields, but no ball.” - -“Look there, fellers! Do you see that little pond down there?” - -“Let us go there.” - -“All right.” - -The boys jumped over the fence, and walked in the direction of the pond. -It was a small circular sheet of water, covering about two acres. On it -was a small, unpainted boat, which the boys no sooner saw than they -jumped into. There was but one paddle inside, which the boys used by -turns. They had never before been in a boat, and were not scientific -navigators; still they managed to paddle around the little pond, greatly -to their satisfaction. - -“I wonder if there’s any fish in this pond,” said Julius. - -“I don’t see none,” said Teddy. - -“If there was, it would be good fun to catch some,” said Tom. - -“We could use Teddy for bait,” suggested Julius. - -“I wouldn’t advise a small fish to swaller me,” said Teddy. “I’d dance a -double shuffle in his stomach, and he’d soon want ter let me go.” - -The boys enjoyed floating about, and time passed quickly. - -“What time is it?” asked Tom. - -Julius drew out his watch with an air. - -“It’s five o’clock,” he said. - -“We ought ter be goin’ back; Mr. O’Connor told us we must be back in -time.” - -They turned the boat toward shore, when all at once Tom, who was looking -toward the shore, exclaimed, “What’s that, boys?” - -Following the direction in which he pointed, the boys were startled by -seeing a large, clumsy animal walking deliberately down toward the place -where they were about to land. - -They paused in their progress, and Julius, after a careful examination -of the stranger, announced, “I’ll tell you what it is, boys; it’s a -bear!” - -“A bear!” exclaimed Tom and Teddy, simultaneously. - -“Yes; I’ve seed a picture of one in Frank Leslie’s. It’s a bear, sure.” - -“What will we do?” said Teddy, alarmed. “They’ll bite, won’t they?” - -“I guess they will,” said Julius. “They’d kill you just as easy as -winkin’.” - -“I didn’t know there was any wild animals around here,” said Teddy, -nervously. - -“Yes,” said Tom; “there’s bears, and wolves, and panthers. I’ve read -about ’em in a dime novel called ‘Pathfinder Pete; or, The Wild Hunter -of the West.’ You know we are in the West now.” - -“How will we get back?” asked Teddy, rather anxiously. “He’s squattin’ -down, waitin’ for us.” - -The bear had come to a pause, and, squatting on its hind quarters, was -steadily and seriously regarding the boys with an expression which, to -their excited imaginations, seemed particularly savage and bloodthirsty. - -“I wish’t I had a rifle like the one ‘Pathfinder Pete’ had,” ejaculated -Tom. - -“You wouldn’t dare to fire it if you had one,” said Julius. - -“Yes, I would. I’d fire a bullet into his right eye and then I’d fire -another right into his left eye, and then he couldn’t see to chase us.” - -“That would be good enough if we had a rifle,” said Julius; “but we -haven’t. S’pose we land on the other side of the pond, and run for the -fence.” - -“Don’t yer do it!” exclaimed Teddy, in terror. “He’d catch us before we -got halfway there.” - -“Do bears run fast, Tom?” asked Julius, deferring to the superior -knowledge of his comrade, who had had the great privilege of reading the -instructive story of “Pathfinder Pete.” - -“Don’t they? They can go twenty miles an hour without hurtin’ ’em.” - -“They don’t look like it,” said Julius, surveying the clumsy form of the -bear. “I’ll bet that bear can’t keep up with me.” - -“Maybe he don’t look it, but he can run like lightnin’. ‘Pathfinder -Pete’ was chased by a bear, when his rifle wasn’t loaded, an’ the only -way he got off was to hide behind a tree till he’d loaded his gun, an’ -then he blazed away, and keeled him over on his back.” - -“Then I wish ‘Pathfinder Pete’ would happen around this afternoon. -Teddy, jist sing a bit. Maybe that’ll frighten him.” - -“I don’t feel like singin’,” said Teddy. “Oh, boys, how will we get -home?” - -“I move,” said Julius, who was least disturbed of the three, “that we -pitch out Teddy. While the bear’s eatin’ him, we’ll run away.” - -“Don’t yer do it,” entreated Teddy, his teeth chattering with fright. - -“We won’t jest yet. Wait an’ see if he won’t go away himself.” - -“He’s goin’ to swim out to us,” screamed Teddy, in fright, as the bear -arose to his feet, and put one foot in the water. But he quickly -withdrew it, apparently not liking the feeling. - -“Do you think we’ll have to stay here all night?” asked Tom, soberly. - -“If the bear don’t get tired, and go away.” - -“I wish I was back at the Lodgin’ House,” said Teddy, gloomily. - -The bear arose to his feet, and walked slowly around the pond, looking -from time to time at the boat and the three young navigators. - -“What time is it now, Julius,” asked Tom, after a while. - -“Wants five minutes ter six,” said Julius. - -“What’ll Mr. O’Connor think?” - -“He can’t blame us for not comin’. I say, boys, I’m gettin’ hungry,” -said Tom. - -“So is the bear,” said Julius, significantly. - -At this suggestion, Teddy turned a shade paler. - -So the boys watched and waited in vain for their unwelcome visitor to -depart, keeping the little boat as near the middle of the pond as -possible. - -“I guess we’ll have to stay all night,” said Tom. - -Just at that moment the attention of the three boys was drawn to a boy -of about their own age, who was walking across the field toward the -pond. - -“Does he see the bear, I wonder?” said Teddy. - -“The bear sees him,” said Tom. “He’s goin’ for him.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE BEAR AND HIS MASTER. - - -“Hadn’t we better holler to him to look out for the bear?” suggested -Teddy. - -“He sees him, and is callin’ to him,” said Julius, directly afterward. - -The three boys looked on in eager excitement, to see what would come of -the meeting. Teddy fully expected that the bear would appropriate the -newcomer for his supper, and was very much surprised at seeing him -rubbing his head against the boy’s legs, as if they were fast friends. - -“Look at that,” he cried. “I don’t believe he’s a bear.” - -“Yes, he is,” said Tom, confidently. “Don’t you think I know a bear when -I see him?” - -“I’ll ask him,” said Julius. - -“Hello, there, Johnny!” he called out from the boat. - -The boy looked up, and for the first time noticed the three boys. - -“How did you know my name?” he asked, in surprise, for it so happened -that his name was really John. - -“I guessed at it,” said Julius. - -“Who are you?” - -“We’re New York aldermen,” said Julius, “travelin’ for our health.” - -“How came you in my boat?” - -“Is the boat yours?” - -“Yes.” - -“We thought we’d give it a little exercise, seein’ it had nothin’ to -do.” - -“I know who you are. You came with the agent of the Children’s Aid -Society.” - -“That’s so; I’m the president of the society, and these gentlemen are -directors.” - -“You look like it,” said the other boy, smiling. - -“Is that a bear?” asked Tom, who was anxious to have the question -settled. - -“Yes, it is.” - -“Won’t he bite?” - -“Oh, no; he’s a tame bear. Ain’t you, old Bruin?” - -The bear rubbed his head against his legs as before. - -“Won’t he do anything to us if we come on shore?” asked Teddy, -nervously. - -“Oh, no; he’s as good-natured as an old dog.” - -“Then we’ll land,” said Julius. “We’ve been stayin’ out here an hour, -’cause Teddy here was afraid of him.” - -“You were just as much afraid as I was,” said Teddy, indignantly. - -“That’s a lie. Me and Tom ain’t afraid of anything; but we wouldn’t -leave you here alone.” - -“Don’t you believe him,” said Teddy. - -“I don’t,” said the boy on shore, laughing. - -“You see,” said Julius, “that my life is valuable to my country, and I -couldn’t bear to lose it. Step out, Teddy. Now tie the boat. We’d better -make tracks, or Mr. O’Connor’ll scold us.” - -They joined the other boy and the bear, though Teddy took care to keep -as far away from the latter as he could. - -“Where did you get the bear?” asked Julius. “Do they live around here?” - -“No; this was taken when a cub by an uncle of mine, and when it was -half-grown he gave it to me.” - -“How long have you had him?” - -“About five years; ever since I was nine years old.” - -“Is he quite tame?” - -“Oh, yes; he’s as tame as a cat.” - -“Do you let him go around loose?” - -“Part of the time. In the night we tie him, and keep him in the barn.” - -The bear, with the desire probably of getting acquainted with different -members of the party, here walked around to the further side, where -Teddy was walking. - -“Oh, take him away!” said the frightened boy. “He’s goin’ for me.” - -“Shut up, you fool!” said Julius; “do you think he’d touch such skinny -meat as you, when he could have Tom or me? He ain’t fond of pigs.” - -“I wouldn’t care if he ate you or Tom,” said Teddy. - -“Pat him,” said the stranger. “You’ll see how he won’t hurt you.” - -Teddy did so in fear and trembling, and was at last convinced that there -was nothing to fear. - -“Are you going to live in Brookville?” asked the young owner of the -bear. - -“I am,” said Julius. - -“Who are you going to live with?” - -“With Mr. Taylor.” - -“Mr. Ephraim Taylor?” - -“Yes; what kind of a man is he?” - -“He’s a good man; he’s rich, too. Did he say he’d take you?” - -“Yes; I brought him a letter from his uncle. His uncle gave me this -watch and chain;” and Julius displayed, not without pride, his valued -treasure. - -“It’s a nice one,” said the other, after examining it. - -“Have you got one?” - -“Not yet; my father’s going to give me one on my next birthday.” - -“When will that be?” - -“On the Fourth of July.” - -“Was you born then?” - -“Yes,” said John smiling. “They celebrate my birthday around here.” - -“We do in New York, too.” - -“You see I am a great man.” - -“What’s your name--your whole name?” - -“John Sandford.” - -“Do you live near Mr. Taylor’s?” - -“About half a mile.” - -“Then we’ll see each other sometimes.” - -“Yes; you can tell me about New York.” - -“Wasn’t you ever there?” - -“No; but I should like to go. It’s a very big place, isn’t it?” - -“You bet it is.” - -“What is the population?” - -“What?” - -“How many people are there in the city?” - -“About ten million, I guess,” said Julius, pausing to think, and then -guessing. - -“There can’t be so many as that. Why, London has only a little over -three millions.” - -“London ain’t New York.” - -“No; but it’s a good deal bigger.” - -“Well, I don’t know exactly. I never counted,” said Julius. - -“Are those other boys going to live in Brookville?” - -“I hope I will,” said Teddy. - -“So do I,” said Tom. - -“Mr. O’Connor is goin’ to get places for us to-morrow,” said Julius. -“I’ll tell you what, Johnny, you’d better take Teddy yourself. You could -let him sleep with the bear. Only, if the bear got hungry in his sleep, -maybe he’d make hash out of him.” - -“That would be hash treatment,” said John, laughing. “What is your name? -I’ve told you mine.” - -“My name is Julius.” - -“What else?” - -“Nothing else.” - -“Haven’t you got but one name?” asked John, surprised. - -“No; what’s the use of two names?” - -“Everybody has two.” - -“Then, if I go to live with Mr. Taylor, I’ll call myself Julius Taylor.” - -“What’s your name?” turning to Teddy. - -“I’ll tell you,” said Julius. “That is the Hon. Teddy Bates, professor -of boot blackin’, and this other bummer is Tom Burke, Esq., one of the -most distinguished baggage-smashers in all New York.” - -“I don’t often get into such good company,” said John, laughing. “Are -all the rest of your company as celebrated?” - -“Oh, no; they’re common loafers. Me and Tom and Teddy are----” - -“Uncommon loafers, I suppose.” - -“You guessed right the first time,” said Julius. - -“Hello, fellers!” interrupted Tom; “there’s Pat Maloney comin’ up the -road; I guess he’s comin’ for us.” - -“Where’ve you fellers been?” said Pat, on meeting them. “Mr. O’Connor -sent me to find you.” - -“Was he mad?” - -“No; he thought you’d lost your way. What’s that?” he exclaimed, -suddenly, for the first time espying the bear. - -“It’s a bear,” said John Sandford. “But don’t be frightened. He is tame. -He won’t hurt you.” - -“You’d better come quick, or you’ll lose your grub,” said Pat. - -This was enough. The three boys were very hungry, and, quickening their -pace, soon rejoined their companions, whom they found partaking of a -substantial supper, which had been liberally supplied by the citizens of -Brookville, with characteristic Western hospitality. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -A BOOTBLACK’S SPEECH. - - -Julius and his companions were readily excused by the superintendent, on -explaining the cause of their delay. - -After supper was over, Mr. O’Connor said: “Boys, this is the last time -you will be all together. To-morrow probably many of you will set out -for new homes. Now, how shall we pass the time?” - -“A speech from Corny Donovan!” cried one boy. - -“Speech from Corny!” was heard from all parts of the hall. - -“Corny, have you anything to say to the boys?” asked the superintendent, -smiling. - -Corny was a short, wiry little fellow, apparently twelve, but in reality -two years older. He was noted among the boys for his drollery, and -frequently amused them with his oratory. He came forward with a twinkle -of merriment in his eye. - -“The Honorable Corny Donovan will speak to the meetin’,” said Julius, -acting as temporary chairman. - -Corny took his place on the platform, and with perfect gravity took out -a small, red handkerchief, and blew his nose explosively, in imitation -of a gentleman who once addressed the boys at the Lodging House. The -boys greeted this commencement with vociferous applause. - -“Go in, Corny!” “Spit it out!” were heard from different parts of the -hall. - -“Boys,” said Corny, extending his right arm horizontally, “I’ve come -here from my manshun in Fifth Avenoo to give you some good advice. -You’re poor miserable bummers, ivery mother’s son of you. You don’t know -much anyhow. Once’t I was as poor as you.” (“Hi; hi!” shouted his -auditors.) “You wouldn’t think to look at my good clo’es that I was once -a poor bummer like the rest of yez.” (“Yes we would. Where’s your gold -watch?”) “Where’s my gold watch? I left it at home on the planner. Maybe -you’d like to grow up gentlemen like me. But you can’t do it. It ain’t -in you.” (“Oh, dry up!”) “Boys, where’s your manners? Don’t you know no -more’n to interrupt me in my speech? Me and Mr. O’Connor have brought -you out here to make men of you. We want you to grow up ‘spectable. -Blackin’ boots won’t make men of you.” (“You’re only a bootblack -yourself!”) “I only blacked boots for amoosement, boys. I’d have you -know I used to leave my Fifth Avenoo manshun in disguise, and pass the -day round Printin’ House Square, blackin’ boots, ’cause my doctor told -me I must have exercise, or I’d die eatin’ too much rich food.” (“Rich -hash, you mean!”) “No, I don’t. I never allow my cook to put hash on -the table, ’cause you can’t tell what it’s made of, no more’n sassidges. -There’s lots of dogs and cats disappear in New York, and it’s pop’larly -supposed that they commits suicide; but the eatin’-house keepers know -what ’comes of ’em.” (“You bet! That’s so, Corny!”) - -“Now I want you boys to leave off bummin’, and try to be ’spectable -members of s’ciety. I don’t want yer to spend yer money for cigars, an’ -chew cheap tobaccer, just as ef you was men. Once’t I saw a -four-year-old bummer sittin’ on a doorstep, smokin’ a cigar that was -half as big as he was. All at once’t his rags took fire, and he went up -in a balloon.” (“Hi! hi!”) - -“I tell you, boys, the West is the place for you. Who knows but what -you’ll git to be Congressmen, or even President?” (“Hear the boy talk!”) -“I didn’t mean you, Jim Malone, so you needn’t say nothin’. They don’t -make Congressmen out’n sich crooked sticks as you be. Maybe you’ll keep -a corner grocery some time, or a whiskey shop, an’ lay on the floor -drunk half the time.” (“Pitch into him, Corny!”) “But that ain’t what I -was a goin’ to say. You’ll be great men, ef you don’t miss of it; and if -you’re good and honest and industrious like I am,” (“Dry up! Simmer -down!”), “you’ll come to live in fine houses, and have lots of servants -to wait on you, and black yer boots, instead of blackin’ ’em yourself.” -(“I’ll take you for my bootblack, Corny,” interrupted Julius.) “No, you -won’t. I expect to be governor before that time, and maybe you’ll be -swallered by the bear that scared you so this afternoon.” (Laughter from -the boys.) “But I’ve most got through.” (“Oh, drive ahead, Corny!”) “If -you want to be great men all you’ve got to do is to imertate me. Me and -Mr. O’Connor are goin’ to watch you, to see that you behave the way you -ought to. When you’re rich you can come back to New York, and go to the -Lodgin’ House and make a speech to the boys, and tell ’em you was once a -poor bummer like they be, and advise ’em to go West, if they want to be -somebody. - -“Now, boys, I won’t say no more. I’m afeared you won’t remember what -I’ve said already. I won’t charge you nothin’ for my advice.” - -Corny descended from the platform amid the laughter and applause of his -comrades. - -Mr. O’Connor said: “Boys, Corny’s advice is very good, and I advise you -to follow it, especially as to avoiding cigars and tobacco, which can -only do boys harm. I am not sure that any of you stand a chance of -becoming a Congressman or President, as he suggests, but there is one -thing pretty certain--you can, if you are honest, industrious, and -improve your opportunities at the schools which you will have a chance -to attend, obtain a respectable position in society. Some of the boys -who in former years have gone to the West have become prosperous, -having farms or shops of their own. I don’t see why you can’t be just as -successful as they. I hope you will be, and if, some years hence, you -come to New York, I hope you will visit the Lodging House. If I am still -there, I shall be glad to see you, and have you speak to the boys, and -encourage them, by the sight of your prosperity, to work as you have -done. Now I would suggest that you sing one or two of the songs we used -to sing on Sunday evenings at the Lodging House. After that you may go -out for an hour, but you must keep near this hall, as the evening is -coming on.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -NEW HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS. - - -The next day was to witness the dispersion of the little company which -had come out to try their fortunes in the great West. Notices had been -circulated in the neighboring villages that a company of boys had -arrived, and farmers and mechanics who needed a boy on the farm or in -the shop came to Brookville; and at eleven in the forenoon the hall -presented a busy and animated sight. While the newcomers scanned -attentively the faces of the boys, or opened conversations with them, to -guide them in the selections, the boys again were naturally anxious to -obtain desirable guardians and homes. Julius, being already provided -for, had no anxiety, but wandered about, surveying the scene with -comparative indifference. As he had a bright and intelligent look, he -was more than once addressed by visitors. - -“What is your name, my lad?” asked a middle-aged farmer from the next -town. - -“Julius.” - -“How old are you?” - -“Fifteen.” - -“How would you like to come with me, and help me on my farm?” - -“I’m engaged,” said Julius, with an air of importance; for as young -ladies are often emulous of getting married before their companions, so -the boy who first succeeds in obtaining a place plumes himself -accordingly. - -“Indeed!” said the farmer, somewhat disappointed. “Where are you going -to live?” - -“With Mr. Ephraim Taylor.” - -“In Brookville?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then I shall have to look somewhere else, I suppose.” - -“Maybe you’d like Corny Donovan?” suggested Julius. - -“Where is he? Point him out.” - -Our hero pointed out the speaker of the evening before. - -“He’s small,” said the farmer, after a critical survey. “How old is he?” - -“He’s fourteen.” - -“He doesn’t look more than twelve.” - -“He’s strong, Corny is, and he’s smart. He used to earn twice as much -money as some of the boys.” - -“What did he do?” - -“He blacked boots.” - -“Do you think he would like to work on a farm?” - -“I’ll axe him. Come here, Corny.” - -Corny Donovan came up. - -“Here’s a gentleman wants to talk to you,” said Julius. - -“I was asking if you would like to work on a farm.” - -“Yes,” said Corny, promptly, “if I was treated well, and could go to -school. I want to learn somethin’, so’s I can grow up to be somebody.” - -“You ain’t afraid of work, are you?” - -“No, nor nothin’ else. Julius here is afraid of bears.” - -“You won’t find any bears where I live,” said the farmer, smiling. “How -would you like to go home with me?” - -“I’d like it. You’ll have to speak to Mr. O’Connor.” - -“He is the man who brought you to the West?” - -“Yes. He stands there.” - -Mr. O’Connor was the center of a group of farmers and others, who were -making inquiries about particular boys. - -“Mr. O’Connor,” said the farmer just introduced, “I want to ask you -about a boy who calls himself Corny Donovan.” - -“He is a smart boy; there is no smarter in our company.” - -“Can you recommend him?” - -“My dear sir, it depends on what you mean by the word.” - -“Well, is he to be depended upon?” - -“I think so; but we cannot guarantee it. You know what has been the past -life of our boys; how they have been brought up in neglect and privation -in the city streets, subject to little restraint, and without careful -instruction. You can’t expect them to be models of all the virtues.” - -“No, I suppose not!” - -“But I can tell you this--that among the thousands whom we place in -Western homes, there are few who do us discredit by being guilty of -criminal offenses. They may at times be mischievous, as most boys in all -conditions are, and with whatever advantages. There are few who show -themselves really bad.” - -“That is all I want to know, Mr. O’Connor. I will take this boy, Corny, -and try him, with your consent.” - -“Have you spoken with him?” - -“Yes; he thinks he shall like being on a farm.” - -“Then, sir, you have only to give us good references, and the matter -shall be arranged. We always insist upon them, as we feel under -obligations to place our boys in good families, where they will be -likely to receive good treatment.” - -“That is quite fair, sir. I can satisfy you on that point.” - -The matter was soon arranged, and Corny Donovan’s suspense was at an -end. He had found a home. His new guardian was Mr. Darius Fogg, who -owned and cultivated a large farm in the adjoining township of -Claremont. - -“How far do you live from Brookville?” asked Julius. - -“About six miles.” - -“Can Corny come over some time? I should like to see him sometimes.” - -“Oh, yes; he will have occasion to come often. We send our farm produce -here, to go East by rail, and we do our shopping here. Mrs. Fogg will -want Cornelius to drive her over of an afternoon.” - -“Shall I drive the horses?” asked Corny, his eyes lighting up with eager -anticipation. - -“Certainly; you will have to do it every day.” - -“That’ll be stavin’. I say, Julius, won’t I put her over the road -two-forty?” - -This remark Mr. Fogg did not hear, or he might have been alarmed at the -prospect of either of his staid farm horses being put over the road at -racing speed. It is doubtful, however, whether Corny, or any other -driver, could have got any very surprising speed out of them. - -Teddy Bates was attached to Julius, and, though he was but a year -younger than our hero, looked up to him as a weak nature looks up to a -stronger. He was very anxious to find a home near our hero. Fortune -favored him at last, as a Mr. Johnson, a shoemaker, living only half a -mile distant from Mr. Taylor, agreed to take him into his shop, and -teach him the shoemaker’s trade. - -“So you’re goin’ to learn to make shoes, Teddy,” said Julius. “Do you -think you’ll like it?” - -“I don’t know,” said Teddy, “but I’m glad I’m goin’ to be near you.” - -“We’ll have bully times, but I’d rather be on a farm. I want to drive -horses.” - -“I never drove a horse,” said Teddy. - -“Nor I; but I can.” - -“S’pose he runs away.” - -“I won’t let him. You ain’t afraid of a horse as well as a bear, are -you, Teddy?” - -“I ain’t used to ’em, you see.” - -“Nor I; but I will be soon.” - -Teddy did not reply; but congratulated himself that he should have no -horse to take care of. In this, however, he was mistaken, as his new -guardian kept a horse also, though he did not have as much use for him -as if he had been a farmer. - -Teddy, I may here remark, was an exception to his class. Street boys are -rarely deficient in courage or enterprise, and most would be delighted -at the opportunity to control or drive a horse. But Teddy inherited a -timid temperament, and differed widely from such boys as Julius or Corny -Donovan. - -“Well, my boy, are you ready? I’ve got to be getting home,” said Mr. -Johnson, walking up to the place where Teddy stood talking with Julius. - -“Yes, sir, I’m ready. I’ll just bid good-by to Mr. O’Connor.” - -“Good-by, my boy,” said the superintendent. “I hope you will behave well -in your new home, and satisfy the gentleman who has agreed to take you. -Write home sometimes, and let me know how you are getting along.” - -“I can’t write, sir,” said Teddy, rather ashamed of his ignorance. - -“You will soon learn. Good-by!” - -Next Julius came up, as Mr. Taylor was also ready to start. - -“Good-by, Julius,” said Mr. O’Connor. “Now you’ve got a chance to make a -man of yourself, I hope you’ll do it.” - -“I will,” said Julius, confidently. “If Jack Morgan or Marlowe come -round to ask where I am, don’t tell them.” - -“I don’t think they’ll trouble me with any inquiries. They are probably -in Sing Sing by this time.” - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -JULIUS IN LUCK. - - -A light wagon was standing outside for Julius and his new guardian. - -“Jump in, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor. - -Our hero did not need a second command. He was quickly in his seat, and -looked wistfully at his companion, who held the reins. - -“May I drive?” he asked. - -“Are you accustomed to driving?” - -“No, sir.” - -“I suppose you never got a chance in the city?” - -“No, sir. Jack didn’t keep a horse,” said Julius, with a smile. - -“Who was Jack?” - -“He was the man I lived with.” - -“Was he in any business?” - -“Yes, sir; but it wasn’t a very good kind of business. Jack used to -break into houses, and take anything he could find. He tried pickin’ -pockets one while, but he was too clumsy, and got caught too often. -Marlowe could do that better.” - -“Were those the two men you spoke of to Mr. O’Connor, as you were coming -away?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“How did you happen to be in charge of such a man?” - -“That’s more than I knows of. When I was a little chap, four or five -years old, I lived with Jack; but he never told me where he got me -from.” - -“Do you think you are his son?” - -“No; I know I’m not. When Jack got drunk he used to tell me I wa’n’t no -child of his, and he’d send me out to shift for myself if I didn’t do -jest as he told me.” - -“Did he often get drunk?” - -“He used to drink when he got a chance, but he’d only get reg’lar drunk -about once a week.” - -“Did he ever offer you anything to drink?” - -“No,” answered Julius, laughing; “he wanted it all himself. But I -wouldn’t have took it.” - -“Why not?” - -“I didn’t like it. Besides, I didn’t want to lay round drunk like Jack. -I didn’t see that there was any fun in it.” - -“You are right there. There is very little fun, as you call it, in -getting drunk. It appears to me you were brought up under bad -influences.” - -“Yes, I was,” said Julius, in a matter-of-fact manner. - -“Many would be afraid to take into their houses a boy who had been -reared by a thief.” - -“Maybe they would,” said Julius. - -“They might be afraid that he had been trained to steal.” - -“Yes,” said Julius; “but what’s the good of stealin’ when you got a good -home?” - -“Quite right; but that isn’t the highest view to take of stealing. It is -wrong in the sight of God.” - -“That’s what they told us at the Lodgin’ House.” - -“I hope you believe it.” - -“Yes, sir, I believe it.” - -“And if ever you are tempted to take anything that doesn’t belong to -you, think first that it will be displeasing to God. After that, you may -consider that it is bad policy also.” - -“It was bad for Jack and Marlowe. They was in prison half the time. -They’re in Sing Sing now, hammerin’ stone, I expect.” - -“You may be thankful that you are out of their reach. But you said you -wanted to drive.” - -“Yes, sir,” said Julius, eagerly. - -“Take the reins, and I’ll show you how to do it. You will have to learn -to harness and unharness the horse also.” - -“That’ll be bully,” said our hero, in a tone of satisfaction. - -“I am glad you like the idea. I am going to make a Western farmer of -you.” - -“That’s what I want.” - -Mr. Taylor gave Julius some practical directions about driving, and had -an illustration of the boy’s quickness in his immediate comprehension -and acting upon them. They soon came in sight of a gate, on the other -side of which was a lane. - -“Jump out and open the gate,” said Mr. Taylor. “That lane leads to my -house.” - -They soon came in sight of a substantial farm-house of good appearance. -A man in overalls, and without a coat, came up to meet the carriage. - -“Abner,” said Mr. Taylor, “you may take out the horse, and put him in -the barn.” - -“Shall I go with him?” asked Julius. - -“Not now. I will take you into the house, and introduce you to Mrs. -Taylor, who will show you where you are to sleep.” - -He entered the house, followed by Julius. - -“Come in here,” said Mr. Taylor, throwing open the door of a comfortable -sitting-room. It was furnished in ordinary, yet tasteful, style; and to -Julius, bred in the street and never having known anything better than a -bare and cheerless apartment in a shabby tenement house, it seemed like -a palace. In front of a fire sat a pleasant and comely woman of -thirty-five, sewing. She looked up as Mr. Taylor entered, and her eyes -rested with interest on the boy who followed him. - -“Emma,” said her husband, “this is the boy I spoke to you about.” - -“I am glad to see you,” said Mrs. Taylor, with a cordial smile, -extending her hand, which Julius took bashfully. He was not diffident in -the presence of men, but he was not accustomed to ladies, and felt -awkward in their presence. “You have come a long journey,” said Mrs. -Taylor. - -“Yes, sir--I mean ma’am,” stammered Julius. - -“You come from New York?” - -“Yes, ma’am.” - -“I hope you will like Brookville. It isn’t much like the great city you -have left.” - -“I like it a great deal better.” - -“What is your name?” - -“Julius.” - -“You are the first Julius that I ever met. And your other name?” - -“I haven’t got none.” - -The lady looked surprised. - -“What was your father’s name. Surely he had one.” - -“Maybe he did, but I never had the pleasure of his acquaintance.” - -“This is really singular, Ephraim,” said his wife. “How can he get along -with but one name?” - -“He can take ours.” - -“How would you like to take the name of Taylor?” he asked. - -“Tiptop,” said Julius. - -“Then you can call yourself Julius Taylor. I suppose that will be all -the formality required. Emma, where are you going to put him?” - -“I will show him his room,” said Mrs. Taylor. “Is his trunk outside?” - -“I haven’t got no trunk,” said Julius. - -“Then where do you keep your clothes?” asked Mrs. Taylor, in some -surprise. - -“I suspect,” said her husband, “Julius carries his clothes on his back.” - -“I’ve got some in this bundle,” said our hero, displaying a paper -parcel. - -“You will have to buy him some, Ephraim,” said his wife. “He will need a -supply of underclothes.” - -“I leave that matter in your hands, my dear. You will know more about -his needs than I.” - -Julius followed Mrs. Taylor upstairs to a small back chamber on the -second floor, which was neatly furnished, with a bedstead, table, -bureau, washstand, two chairs, and adorned, moreover, by three prints -cheaply framed, and hung upon the walls. - -“This will be your room Julius,” said Mrs. Taylor. - -To the boy, with the recollections of his street life fresh in his -memory, it seemed hardly credible that this sumptuous chamber, as it -seemed to him, could really be his. - -“Do you like it?” asked Mrs. Taylor, noticing that he remained silent. - -“Don’t I?” he answered, drawing a long breath. “Is this goin’ to be my -room?” - -“Yes, you are to sleep here regularly. That bureau is for your clothes. -You can put your bundle inside now, and in a few days you shall have -some more to put in.” - -“It’s stavin’,” ejaculated Julius, rapturously. - -“I am not familiar with that word,” Mrs. Taylor said, “but I suppose it -means that the room suits you. You will find some water in the pitcher, -if you want to wash. When you have got through, you may come downstairs. -We shall have dinner directly.” - -Left to himself, Julius sat down on the bed, and tried to realize the -situation. - -“What would Jack say if he should see me now?” he said to himself. “I -didn’t expect I was goin’ to set up as a gentleman so quick. Ain’t this -a jolly bed? I’ll sleep like a top on it. It’s a blamed sight better -than lyin’ on the floor in Jack’s room, or sleepin’ in old wagons, or on -the piers. I feel as if one of them magician chaps had shaken his stick -at me and changed me from a bootblack into a prince, like he did in that -play at the Old Bowery. So I’m Julius Taylor now.” - -Julius arose from the bed, and proceeded to wash his face and hands, -though, under ordinary circumstances, he would scarcely have thought it -necessary. But he reflected that he had ascended in the social scale, -and it was only proper to adapt himself to his new position. When he had -completed his ablutions, to use an expression which he would not yet -have understood, he heard a bell ring below. - -“That’s for grub!” he said to himself. “I guess I can do my share.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -THE NEW DOLL. - - -Julius had been unusually fortunate in obtaining a home in Mr. Taylor’s -family. His new guardian was a man of wealth; indeed, he was the -wealthiest man in Brookville. He owned shares in banks and mining -companies, and could have lived handsomely had his farm yielded no -income. He had a taste for agriculture, however, though he personally -carried on but a small part of his extensive farm. His wife had been -born and brought up in an Eastern city, was well educated, and, though -she superintended the affairs of her household, did comparatively little -work herself, having the aid of two stout, capable girls in the kitchen, -who relieved her of all the drudgery, and, being competent for their -positions, required very little looking after. It will be seen, -therefore, that Mr. Taylor’s household is not presented as that of an -average Western farmer. Though, as a class, our Western farmers are -intelligent, they lack the refinement and cultivation which Mr. and Mrs. -Taylor derived from their early advantages. - -I must now explain how they came to take Julius into their family. -Though they had been married twelve years, they had but one child, a -little girl of five, a pretty and attractive child. Having no son, it -occurred to them to receive into their household a boy, who would be -company for little Carrie, and whom, if found worthy, they might -hereafter adopt and provide for. A boy of the age of Julius can always -make himself useful on a Western farm, but it was only partially with a -view to this consideration that he was received. - -Mr. Taylor resolved to give him a good education, and increase his -advantages, if he showed himself to possess capability and willingness -to learn. - -Comparatively few of the boys who are sent to the West can hope to -obtain such homes; but though their privileges and opportunities may be -less, they will in most cases obtain a decent education, good treatment, -and a chance to rise. - -While Julius was upstairs, Mr. Taylor asked his wife: - -“Well, Emma, what do you think of the boy I have brought home?” - -“He looks bright, but I judge that he has not had much education.” - -“Quite right; it will be for us to remedy that. He has been brought up -in the streets of New York, but I don’t think he has any bad faults.” - -“He described his room as ‘stavin’,” said Mrs. Taylor, smiling. “I never -heard the word before.” - -“It is an emphatic word of approval among boys. I have heard it among -those who are not street boys. They use it where girls would say a -thing was ‘perfectly lovely’.” - -“I never had much to do with boys, Ephraim. You know I had no brothers, -so I am ignorant of their dialect.” - -“I presume Julius will enlighten your ignorance before long.” - -“I hardly think I shall adopt it. Suppose I should tell Mrs. Green that -her dress was ‘stavin’?” - -“Probably she would stare. Seriously, I hope our young waif may do -credit to our training. He will have a great deal to learn, and much to -unlearn; but he looks bright, and I have good hopes of success.” - -Here little Carrie entered, and at once monopolized attention. - -“What do you think I have brought home for you, Carrie?” asked her -father, taking her in his arms and kissing her. - -“I don’t know, papa. What is it?” - -“It’s a doll--a big doll.” - -“How big?” asked Carrie, seriously. - -“Bigger than Carrie.” - -“Oh, how nice!” said the child. “Where is it?” and she looked around. - -“It will soon come in.” - -“Where did you get it, papa?” - -“It came all the way from New York.” - -“How nice of you, papa!” - -“And what do you think, Carrie? It can walk all by itself.” - -“Really, papa?” - -“Yes, and it can talk.” - -“Can it talk like me?” asked the unsuspecting child. - -“Yes; and a great deal louder.” - -“It must be a funny doll,” said the child, reflectively? “What does it -look like?” - -“Like a boy.” - -“Is it a boy doll?” - -“Yes.” - -“I am glad of that. All my dolls are girls.” - -“Well, this is a boy.” - -“Did you pay a great deal for it, papa?” - -Mr. Taylor laughed. - -“I expect it will cost me a great deal before I get through with it; for -I forgot to tell you one thing, Carrie--this doll I am speaking to you -about, eats.” - -“Does it eat dinner?” - -“Yes.” - -“Shall I have to feed it?” - -“I think it will prefer to feed itself, Carrie,” said her father, -compelled to laugh by the serious, wondering face of the little girl. - -At that moment Julius entered the room. - -“There it is now,” said Mr. Taylor. - -“That is a boy,” said Carrie, looking somewhat disappointed. - -“I told you it was.” - -“But you said it was a doll. Are you a doll?” she asked, sliding from -her father’s knee, and running up to Julius. - -“I’m a pretty big one,” said Julius, amused. - -“There, papa, you were only funning,” said the little girl, -reproachfully. - -“Didn’t I tell you the truth? Can’t he eat, and talk, and walk?” - -“Yes, but he isn’t a doll.” - -“Isn’t he better than a doll? A doll couldn’t play with you; Julius -can.” - -“Is your name Julius?” asked the little girl, looking up to our hero. - -“Yes.” - -“What’s your other name?” - -“Taylor,” answered Julius, with a glance at her father. - -“Why, that’s our name.” - -“Then he must be of our family,” said her father. “Do you want him to -stay, and live with us? He can play with you, and tell you stories, and -you can have plenty of good times together.” - -“Yes, I should like to have him stay. Will you, Julius?” - -“Yes, if you want me to,” answered our hero; and he felt strongly -attracted to the sweet little girl, who had mistaken him for a doll. - -“Then you may lead him out to dinner, Carrie,” said Mr. Taylor, as Jane, -one of the servants, opened the door and announced that dinner was -ready. “Perhaps you will have to feed him, as he is a doll, you know.” - -“Now you are funning again, papa,” said Carrie, shaking her curls. “Will -you sit by me, Julius?” - -“I should like to, Carrie,” said our hero; and hand in hand with the -little girl he walked into the next room, where a table was neatly -spread for dinner. - -It was a new experience to Julius. He had never had a sister. Those -girls with whom he had been brought in contact had been brought up as he -had been, and, even where their manners were not rough, possessed little -of the grace and beauty of this little child of fortune. She seemed to -the eyes of our young plebeian a being of a higher type and superior -clay, and, untutored as he was, he could appreciate in a degree, her -childish beauty and grace. - -Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were pleased to find that the little girl’s -happiness was likely to be increased by this accession to their -household. - -“I think, Carrie,” said her mother, “you like Julius better than if he -were a doll.” - -“Yes, mamma, I do.” - -“If you don’t,” said Julius, “I’ll turn myself into a big doll with pink -eyes.” - -“You can’t,” said Carrie, seriously. - -“Maybe I can’t myself, but I might get a big magician to do it.” - -“Is that a fairy,” asked the little girl. - -“I guess so.” - -“The difference is,” said her father, “that magicians are men, but -fairies are women.” - -“I don’t want you to,” said Carrie, “for then you couldn’t talk to me, -and play with me. Please stay a boy.” - -“I will as long as you want me to,” said Julius, gravely. - -Our hero did not feel wholly at his ease, for he was not used to dining -in company. In the cheap eating houses which he had been accustomed to -patronize, when he was in luck, very little ceremony prevailed. The -etiquette in vogue was of the loosest character. If a patron chose to -sit with his hat on, or lean his elbows on the table, there was nothing -to prevent. But Julius was observing, and carefully observed how Mr. and -Mrs. Taylor ate, being resolved to imitate them, and so make no -mistakes. He found it difficult, however, to eat with his fork, instead -of his knife, as he had always done hitherto, and privately thought it a -very singular and foolish custom. His attempts were awkward, and -attracted the attention of his new guardians; but they were encouraged -by it to believe that he would lay aside other habits springing from his -street life, and, after a while, shape his manners wholly to his new -position. - -When dinner was over, Mr. Taylor said: “Julius, would you like to go out -with me and see the farm?” - -“Yes, sir,” said our hero, eagerly. - -“I thought you were going to play with me,” said little Carrie, -disappointed. - -“Julius can’t play with you all the time, my dear,” said her mother. -“After supper perhaps he will.” - -“Shall I change him into a doll?” asked her father. “Then he’ll have to -stay in.” - -“No,” said Carrie; “I like a boy better.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -FIRST LESSONS. - - -“I suppose you don’t know much about farming, Julius?” said Mr. Taylor, -after supper. - -“No more’n a horse,” said Julius. - -“Some horses know considerable about farming, or at least have a chance -to,” said his new guardian, with a smile. - -“I guess they know more’n me.” - -“Very likely; but you can learn.” - -“Oh, yes,” said Julius, confidently. “It won’t take me long.” - -“I shall put you in charge of Abner, who will give you some instruction. -You will begin to-morrow morning with helping him to milk.” - -“All right, sir.” - -“He gets up at five o’clock. He will knock at your door, as he comes -downstairs. He sleeps on the floor above. Now I want to ask a few -questions about other matters. I suppose your education has been -neglected.” - -“I was to college once,” said our hero. - -“How was that?” - -“I carried a bundle of books from a bookseller in Nassau Street to one -of the purfessors of Columbia College.” - -“If that is the extent of your educational advantages, you probably -still have something to learn. Have you been to school?” - -“Not much. I went to evenin’ school a few times.” - -“Can you read and write?” - -“I can read a little, but I have to skip the hard words. I ain’t much on -writin’.” - -“Here is a little book of fairy stories. You can read one aloud to -Carrie.” - -“I can’t read well enough,” said Julius, drawing back reluctantly. - -“That is just what I want to find out,” said Mr. Taylor. “Don’t be -bashful. If you can’t read well, you shall have a chance to improve.” - -“Are you going to read me a story, Julius?” asked little Carrie, -delighted. - -“I’ll try,” said Julius, embarrassed. - -He began to read, but it soon became evident that he had not exaggerated -his ignorance. He hesitated and stumbled, miscalled easy words, and made -very slow progress, so that Carrie, who had been listening attentively, -without getting much idea of the story, said, discontentedly, “Why, how -funny you read, Julius! I like better to hear papa read.” - -“I knew I couldn’t do it,” said Julius, disconcerted, as he laid down -the book. - -“You will soon be able to,” said Mr. Taylor, encouragingly. “Now I will -tell you what I propose to do. In the forenoon, up to dinner time, you -shall work on the farm, and in the afternoon I will assign you lessons -to be recited in the evening. Would you like that?” - -“Yes,” said Julius. “I don’t want to be a know-nothin’ when I get to be -a man.” - -It is hardly necessary to explain that in using the term “know-nothing” -Julius had no thought of its political meaning. - -“But I’m afraid I won’t learn very fast,” he said hesitatingly. - -“Perhaps not just at first, but you will soon get used to studying. I -will be your teacher; and when I am too busy to hear your lessons, Mrs. -Taylor will supply my place. Are you willing, Emma?” - -“Certainly, Ephraim; it will remind me of the years that I was teaching -school.” - -“Next winter I will send you to the public school,” said Mr. Taylor. “By -that time you will, I hope, have learned so much that you will be able -to get into a class of boys somewhere near your own age.” - -“I shouldn’t like to be in a class with four-year-old babies,” said -Julius. “They’d take me for a big baby myself.” - -“Your pride is natural and proper. Your grade in school will depend on -how well you work between now and winter.” - -“I’ll study some to-night,” said Julius, eagerly. - -“Very well. The sooner you begin the better. You may take the same story -you have been trying to read, and read it over three times carefully by -yourself. When you come to any words you don’t know, you can ask Mrs. -Taylor or myself. To-morrow evening you may read it aloud to Carrie, and -we can see how much benefit you have derived from your study.” - -Julius at once set to work in earnest. He had considerable perseverance, -and really desired to learn. He was heartily ashamed of his ignorance, -and this feeling stimulated him to make greater exertions. - -The next morning he was awakened by a loud knock at his door. - -“What’s up?” he muttered, drowsily. - -“Get up, Julius,” Abner called, loudly. - -Julius opened his eyes, and stared about him in momentary bewilderment. - -“Blest if I didn’t forget where I was,” he said to himself. “I thought I -was at the Lodgin’ House, and Mr. O’Connor was callin’ me. I’m comin’,” -he said, aloud. - -“You’ll find me at the barn,” said Abner. - -“All right.” - -Julius hurried on his clothes, and proceeded to the barn, where he soon -found Abner in the act of milking. - -“Is it easy to milk?” he asked. - -“It’s easy when you know how,” said Abner. - -“It don’t look hard.” - -“Come and try it,” said Abner. - -He got off his stool, and Julius took his place. He began to pull, but -not a drop of milk rewarded his efforts. - -“There ain’t no milk left,” he said. “You’re foolin’ me.” - -In reply Abner drew a full stream into the pail. - -“I did just like you,” said Julius, puzzled. - -“No, you didn’t. Let me show you.” - -Here followed a practical lesson, which cannot very well be transferred -to paper, even if the writer felt competent to give instructions in an -art of which he has little knowledge. - -Julius, though he had everything to learn, was quick in acquiring -knowledge, whether practical or that drawn from books, and soon got the -knack of milking, though it was some days before he could emulate Abner -with his years of experience. - -The next day Julius undertook to milk a cow alone. So well had he -profited by Abner’s instructions, that he succeeded very well. But he -was not yet experienced in the perverse ways of cows. When the pail was -nearly full, and he was congratulating himself on his success, the cow -suddenly lifted her foot, and in an instant the pail was overturned, and -all the milk was spilled, a portion of it on the milker. - -Julius uttered an exclamation of mingled dismay and anger. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Abner, rather amused at the expression on the -face of Julius, notwithstanding the loss of the milk. - -“Matter! The darned brute has knocked over the pail, and spilled all the -milk.” - -“Cows is curis critters,” said Abner, philosophically. “They like to -make mischief sometimes.” - -“Just let me get a stick. I’ll give her a dose,” said Julius, excited. - -“No,” said Abner, “we’ll tie her legs if she does it again. It doesn’t -do much good beating an animal. Besides,” he added, smiling, “I s’pose -she thought she had a right to spill the milk, considerin’ it was hers.” - -“I don’t know about that,” said Julius. “That’s the way she pays her -board.” - -“I s’pose she didn’t see it in that light. Better luck next time, -Julius. It wa’n’t your fault anyway.” - -The cow stood placidly during this conversation, evidently well pleased -with her exploit. Julius would like to have given her a beating; but -Abner, who was a kind-hearted man, would not allow it. - -“It would be a bully idea to make her go without her breakfast,” said -Julius, whose anger was kept fresh by the sight of the spilled milk. - -“Wal,” said Abner, “you see there’s this objection. If she don’t have no -breakfast, she won’t give as much milk next time.” - -“I didn’t think of that.” - -“She can’t make milk out of nothin’. Don’t you have no cows in New -York?” - -“Oh, yes,” said Julius, laughing; “the mayor has a whole drove of ’em, -that he pastures in Central Park.” - -“Does he get pasturin’ for nothin’?” asked Abner, in good faith. - -“In course he does. Then there’s a lot of bulls in Wall Street.” - -“Do they let ’em go round loose?” - -“Yes.” - -“Don’t they ever get rampagious?” - -“What’s that?” - -“Don’t they do mischief?” - -“I guess they do. They’re always fightin’ with the bears.” - -“Sho! you don’t mean to say you’ve got bears in New York.” - -“Yes, I do. They’re in Wall Street, too.” - -“I shouldn’t think they’d allow it,” said Abner, whose knowledge of -finance and the operators who make Wall Street the theatre of their -operations was very rudimentary. - -“Oh, ain’t you jolly green!” said Julius, exploding with laughter. - -“What do you mean?” demanded Abner, inclined to feel offended. - -“The bulls and bears I am talkin’ of are men. They’re the brokers that -do business in Wall Street.” - -“How should I know that? What do they give ’em such curis names for?” - -“I don’t know,” said Julius. “I never heard. Didn’t you ever go to New -York?” - -“No; but I should like to go. It costs a pile of money to go there, I -expect. I wish you’d tell me something about it.” - -“All right.” - -Then and at other times Julius gave Abner a variety of information, not -always wholly reliable, about New York and his former life there, to -which Abner listened with greedy attention. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -TEMPTATION. - - -Though Mr. Taylor owned several hundred acres, he retained but forty -under his personal charge. The remainder was rented to various parties, -who paid him either in money or grain, according to the agreement made. -Being fond of agriculture, he would have kept the whole in his own -hands, but that it would have increased so largely the cares of his -wife. A large number of farm laborers would have been required, whom he -would probably have been compelled to receive under his own roof, and -his wife would have become in effect the mistress of a large boarding -house. This he was too considerate to require, or allow. - -Even of the forty acres he reserved, but a small portion was cultivated, -the remainder being used for pasturage or mowing. During the greater -part of the year, therefore, he found Abner’s services sufficient. Only -during haying and harvest he found it necessary to engage extra -assistance. Mr. Taylor was, however, an exception to the general rule. -Ordinarily, Western farmers, owning a large number of acres, carry on -the whole themselves; though it is doubtful whether their profits are -any greater than if they should let out the greater part. - -It will be seen, therefore, that Julius was fortunate in his position. -He had to work but half the day, while the remaining half he was at -liberty to devote to making up the many deficiencies in his early -education. He was sensible enough to appreciate this advantage, and -showed it by the rapid improvement he made. After he had begun to -improve in his reading, he had lessons assigned him in writing and -arithmetic. For the latter he showed a decided taste; and even mastered -with ease the difficulties of fractions, which, perhaps more than any -other part of the arithmetic, are liable to perplex the learner. - -“You are really making excellent progress, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor to -him one evening. “I find you are a very satisfactory pupil.” - -“Do you, sir?” said Julius, his eyes brightening. - -“You appear not only to take pains, but to have very good natural -abilities.” - -“I’m glad I’m not goin’ to grow up a know-nothin’.” - -“You certainly won’t if you keep on in this way. But there is one other -thing in which you can improve?” - -“What is that?” - -“In your pronunciation. Just now you said ‘goin’’ and ‘know-nothin’.’ -You should pronounce the final letter, saying ‘going’ and ‘nothing.’ -Don’t you notice that I do it?” - -“Yes, sir; but I’m used to the other.” - -“You can correct it, notwithstanding. By way of helping you I will -remind you whenever you go wrong in this particular way; indeed, -whenever you make any mistake in pronunciation.” - -“I wish you would,” said Julius, earnestly. “Do you think they’ll put me -in a very low class at school?” - -“Not if you work hard from now to Thanksgiving.” - -“I’d like to know as much as other boys of my age. I don’t want to be in -a class with four-year-olds.” - -“You have got safely by that, at least,” said Mr. Taylor, smiling. “I -like your ambition, and shall be glad myself, when you enter school, to -have you do credit to my teaching.” - -There was nothing connected with the farm work that Julius liked better -than driving a horse, particularly when he had sole charge of it; and he -felt proud indeed the first time he was sent with a load of hay to a -neighboring town. He acquitted himself well; and from that time he was -often sent in this way. Sometimes, when Mr. Taylor was too busy to -accompany her, Mrs. Taylor employed him to drive her to the village -stores, or to a neighbor’s, to make a call; and as Julius showed himself -fearless, and appeared to have perfect control even of Mr. Taylor’s most -spirited horse, she felt as safe with him as with her husband. - -Julius had been in his new place about six weeks, when his integrity -was subjected to a sudden and severe test. He was sent to a neighbor’s, -living about a mile and a half away, and, on account of the distance, -was told to harness up the horse and ride. This he did with alacrity. He -took his seat in the buggy, gathered the reins into his hands, and set -out. He had got a quarter of a mile on his way when he suddenly espied -on the floor of the carriage, in the corner, a pocketbook. He took it -up, and, opening it, discovered two facts: first, that it belonged to -Mr. Taylor, as it contained his card; next, that its contents were -valuable, judging from the thick roll of bills. - -“How much is there here?” - -This was the first question that Julius asked himself. - -Counting the bills hurriedly, he ascertained that they amounted to two -hundred and sixty-seven dollars. - -“Whew! what a pile!” he said to himself. “Ain’t I in luck? I could go to -California for this, and make a fortune. Why shouldn’t I keep it? Mr. -Taylor will never know. Besides, he’s so rich he won’t need it.” - -To one who had been brought up, or rather who had brought himself up, as -a bootblack in the streets of New York, the temptation was a strong one. -Notwithstanding the comfort which he now enjoyed there were moments when -a longing for his old, independent, vagrant life swept over him. He -thought of Broadway, and City Hall Park, of Tony Pastor’s, and the old -Bowery, of the busy hum and excitement of the streets of the great -city; and a feeling something like homesickness was aroused within him. -Brookville seemed dull, and he pined to be in the midst of crowds. This -longing he was now able to gratify. He was not apprenticed to Mr. -Taylor. It is not the custom of the Children’s Aid Society to bind out -the children they send West for any definite term. There was nothing to -hinder his leaving Brookville, and either going back to New York, or -going to California, as he had often thought he would like to do. Before -the contents of the pocketbook were exhausted, which, according to his -reckoning, would be a very long time, he would get something to do. -There was something exhilarating in the prospect of starting on a long -journey alone, with plenty of money in his pocket. Besides, the money -wouldn’t be stolen. He had found it, and why shouldn’t he keep it? - -These thoughts passed through the mind of Julius in considerably less -time than I have taken in writing them down. But other and better -thoughts succeeded. After all, it would be no better than stealing to -retain money when he knew the owner. Besides, it would be a very poor -return to Mr. Taylor for the kindness with which he had treated him ever -since he became a member of his household. Again, it would cut short his -studies, and he would grow up a know-nothing--to use his own word--- -after all. It would be pleasant traveling, to be sure; it would be -pleasant to see California, or to find himself again in the streets of -New York; but that pleasure would be dearly bought. - -“I won’t keep it,” said Julius, resolutely. “It would be mean, and I -should feel like a thief.” - -He put the pocketbook carefully in the side pocket of his coat, and -buttoned it up. As he whipped up the horse, who had taken advantage of -his preoccupation of mind to walk at a snail’s pace, it occurred to him -that if he should leave Brookville he would no longer be able to drive a -horse; and this thought contributed to strengthen his resolution. - -“What a fool I was to think of keeping it!” he thought. “I’ll give it to -Mr. Taylor just as soon as I get back.” - -He kept his word. - -“Haven’t you lost your pocketbook, Mr. Taylor?” he asked, when, having -unharnessed the horse, he entered the room where his guardian was -sitting. - -Mr. Taylor felt in his pocket. - -“Yes,” said he, anxiously. “It contained a considerable sum of money. -Have you found it?” - -“Yes, sir; here it is.” And our hero drew it from his pocket, and -restored it to the owner. - -“Where did you find it?” - -“In the bottom of the wagon,” answered Julius. - -“Do you know how much money there is in the wallet?” asked Mr. Taylor. - -“Yes, sir; I counted the bills. There is nearly three hundred dollars.” - -“Didn’t it occur to you,” asked Mr. Taylor, looking at him in some -curiosity, knowing what he did of his past life and associations, -“didn’t it occur to you that you could have kept it without my -suspecting it?” - -“Yes,” said Julius, frankly. “It did.” - -“Did you think how much you might do with it?” - -“Yes; I thought how I could go back to New York and cut a swell, or go -to California and maybe make a fortune at the mines.” - -“But you didn’t keep it.” - -“No; it would be mean. It wouldn’t be treating you right, after all -you’ve done for me; so I just pushed it into my pocket, and there it -is.” - -“You have resisted temptation nobly, my boy,” said Mr. Taylor, warmly; -“and I thank you for it. I won’t offer to reward you, for I know you -didn’t do it for that; but I shall hereafter give you my full -confidence, and trust you as I would myself.” - -Nothing could have made a better or deeper impression on the mind of -Julius than these words. Nothing could have made him more ashamed of his -momentary yielding to the temptation of dishonesty. He was proud of -having won the confidence of Mr. Taylor. It elevated him in his own -eyes. - -“Thank you, sir,” he said, taking his guardian’s proffered hand. “I’ll -try to deserve what you say. I’d rather hear them words than have you -pay me money.” - -Mr. Taylor was a wise man, and knew the way to a boy’s heart. Julius -never forgot the lesson of that day. In moments of after temptation it -came back to him, and strengthened him to do right. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE NEW TEACHER. - - -On the first Monday after Thanksgiving the winter school commenced. -Julius looked forward to the day with eager interest. He had studied at -home faithfully in the afternoon, according to Mr. Taylor’s proposal, -and had really made remarkable progress. His ambition was aroused, and -he had labored to reach an equality with other boys of his age. He was -encouraged to believe he had done so, and therefore was not afraid of -being mortified by his standing in the assignment of scholars to -classes. - -“Who is to be the teacher this winter?” asked Mrs. Taylor, at the -breakfast table, turning to her husband. - -“It is a nephew of Deacon Slocum. I believe his name is Slocum.” - -“Do you know anything of him?” - -“No; I only know that the Deacon actively interested himself to get him -the appointment. Most of the parents would have preferred Dexter -Fairbanks. He has experience, and is known to be an excellent teacher.” - -“How came the deacon to carry his point?” - -“By asking his nephew’s appointment as a special favor. I only hope he -will prove a good teacher.” - -Julius listened to this conversation with attention. He felt that he was -personally interested in the matter. He hoped the new teacher would be a -good one, for he really wished to learn. If I should say, however, that -this was all that our hero had in view, I should convey a false idea. He -expected to have a good time, and meant to get what enjoyment he could -as well as profit. By this time he was pretty well acquainted with the -boys who, like himself, were to attend the school, and no longer felt -like a stranger. - -One thing I must add. When we first made acquaintance with Julius, in -the streets of New York, he was meager and rather undersized. Want and -privation had checked his growth, as was natural. But since he had found -a home in the West, he had lived generously, enjoyed pure air, and a -sufficiency of out-of-door exercise, and these combined had wrought a -surprising change in his appearance. He had grown three inches in -height; his form had expanded; the pale, unhealthy hue of his cheek had -given place to a healthy bloom, and his strength had considerably -increased. This change was very gratifying to Julius. Like most boys of -his age he wanted to be tall and strong; in the city he had been rather -ashamed of his puny appearance; but this had disappeared, and he now -felt able to cope with most boys of his age. - -Some minutes before nine a group of boys assembled in front of the -schoolhouse. - -“Have you seen the new teacher?” asked Julius, addressing John Sandford. - -“No; they say he only came to Brookville late last evening.” - -“Where is he going to board?” - -“At Deacon Slocum’s, so father says. The deacon is his uncle.” - -“I hope he isn’t like his uncle, then,” said Henry Frye. “The deacon -always looks as stiff as a fence rail.” - -“I wish we were going to have Mr. Fairbanks here again this winter. He’s -a regular, tiptop teacher.” - -“So he is,” said Henry. - -“Mr. Taylor says it’s the deacon’s doing, getting his nephew appointed.” - -“Of course it was. Mr. Fairbanks was willing to teach. I wish we could -have had him. He used to go out at recess, and play ball with us -sometimes.” - -“Could he play well?” asked Julius. - -“I bet he could. Do you see that tree over there?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, he knocked a ball as far as that one day.” - -“He must have been pretty strong in the arms,” said Julius, measuring -the distance with his eye. - -“He was that.” - -“Did he ever lick the boys?” - -“No; he didn’t need to. We all liked him, and didn’t give him any -cause.” - -“Maybe this teacher will be a good one.” - -“I hope so; but I know he isn’t as good as Mr. Fairbanks.” - -“Isn’t that he, coming up the hill?” asked Teddy Bates. - -“It must be,” said John Sandford. “He bends backward just like the -deacon. Tall, too; looks like a May pole.” - -Forty pairs of eyes scanned with interest the advancing figure of the -schoolmaster. He was very tall, very thin, with a pimply face, and -bright red hair, and a cast in his right eye. He would hardly have been -selected, either by a sculptor or an artist, as a model of manly beauty; -and this was the impression made upon the youthful observers. - -“Ain’t he a beauty?” said Henry Frye, in a low voice. - -“Beats the deacon all hollow,” said John Sandford; “and that’s saying a -good deal.” - -“He’s got the family backbone,” said Julius, who had been long enough in -the town to become well acquainted with the appearance of most of the -inhabitants. - -“That’s so, Julius.” - -By this time the teacher had come within a few feet of his future -scholars. - -“Boys,” said he, majestically, “I am Mr. Slocum, your teacher.” - -The boys looked at him, and two of the younger ones said, -“Good-morning.” - -“You will at once enter the schoolhouse,” said the new teacher, with -dignity. - -“Isn’t the bell going to ring?” asked Henry Frye. - -“Yes. On the whole, you may wait for the bell.” - -He entered the schoolhouse, and a minute later reappeared at the door -ringing the bell violently. - -Probably few persons are the objects of more critical attention than a -new teacher, for the pupils who are to be under his charge. It is to -many an embarrassment to be subjected to such close scrutiny, but Mr. -Theophilus Slocum rather liked it. He had an exceedingly high opinion of -himself, and fancied that others admired him as much as he admired -himself. Of his superior qualifications as a teacher he entertained not -the slightest doubt, and expected to “come, see and conquer.” He had -taught small schools twice before, and, although his success was far -from remarkable, he managed to keep the schools through to the end of -the term. - -Such was the teacher who had undertaken to keep the winter term of the -principal school in Brookville. - -Mr. Slocum took his place at the teacher’s desk, solemnly drew out a -large red handkerchief, and blew a sonorous blast upon his nose, and -then began to speak. - -“Boys and girls,” he commenced, in a nasal voice, “I have agreed to -teach this school through the winter. They wanted me in two or three -other places, but I preferred to come here, in order to be near my -venerable relative, Deacon Slocum. I expect you to make great -improvement, considering how great will be your advantages. When I was a -boy I used to take right holt of my studies, and that’s the way I have -rose to be a teacher.” (Significant looks were exchanged between -different scholars, who were quick to detect the weakness of the -speaker.) “I was not raised in this State. I come from Maine, where I -graduated from one of the best academies in the State. I come out here, -hoping to advance the cause of education in the West. I don’t think all -the best teachers ought to stay in the East. They ought to come to the -great West, like I have, to teach the young idea how to shoot. Now, boys -and girls, that’s all I’ve got to say, except that I mean to be master. -You needn’t try to cut up any of your pranks here, for I won’t allow it. -I will form the classes, and we will begin.” - -For an hour and a half the new teacher was engaged in classifying the -scholars. Then came recess, and on the play ground, as may well be -supposed, not a few remarks were made upon the new teacher, and his -speech. - -“He’s a conceited jackass,” said John Sandford. “You’d think, to hear -him talk, that we had no good teachers in the West till he came.” - -“He’d better have stayed where he came from,” said Henry Frye. “I don’t -believe they wanted him in two or three other places.” - -“I wish he had gone to one of them, for my part. I wouldn’t cry much. -How much better Mr. Fairbanks was!” - -“I should say he was,” said Tom Allen. “You wouldn’t catch him making a -jackass of himself by making such a speech.” - -“I hope he knows something,” said Julius, “for I want to learn.” - -“I don’t believe he does,” said John. “When a man talks so much about -what he knows, I think he’s a humbug. Did you hear what he said about -taking right ‘holt’? It seems to me a teacher from one of the best -academies in Maine ought to know better.” - -“He puts on airs enough,” said Tom Allen. “If he expects he’s going to -tread us under foot, he’ll find himself mistaken.” - -Tom Allen was the largest boy in school--large-framed and muscular, -through working on a farm. He was tractable if treated justly, but apt -to resist if he felt that any attempt was being made to impose upon him. -He was a little dull, but tried to improve. He was a scholar whom it was -the interest of the teacher to secure as a friend, for he could render -very efficient assistance in case of trouble. He was not particularly -pleased with the tone of the new teacher’s opening speech, regarding it -as unnecessarily aggressive, as well as betraying not a little -self-conceit. He had been a trusted supporter of Mr. Fairbanks, who had -patiently endeavored to clear up difficulties in his lessons, and, not -being naturally quick, he encountered them often. It would have been -well if Mr. Slocum had understood the wisdom of conciliating him; but -the new teacher was very deficient in good judgment and practical -wisdom, and was by no means as well versed as he pretended to be in the -studies which he had undertaken to teach. It was a proof of his want of -tact that he had begun his career by threatening the school, and -parading his authority very unnecessarily. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -A FIRST-CLASS HUMBUG. - - -Julius found, to his great satisfaction, that he was placed in a class -of boys of his own age and size, and that the lessons assigned were not -beyond his ability to learn. Teddy Bates, on the other hand, who had had -no opportunity of increasing his knowledge since his departure from New -York, was placed in the lowest class. He was astonished to find his old -companion so far above him. - -“How did you do it, Julius?” he asked at recess. - -“I have been studying at home ever since I came here. Mr. Taylor helped -me.” - -“You didn’t know no more’n I do when you came out here.” - -“That’s so, Teddy.” - -“You must have studied awful hard.” - -“That’s because I wanted to make up for all the time I’d lost. I was a -reg’lar know-nothing when I began.” - -“Like me,” said Teddy. - -“You haven’t had the same chance I have,” said Julius, wishing to save -the feelings of his friend. - -“I’ve had to peg shoes all day. I didn’t get no time to study.” - -“Never mind, Teddy. You’ve got a chance now. Do the best you can, and if -you get stuck, I’ll help you.” - -“What a lot you must know, Julius! You’re in the highest class. Do you -think you can get along?” asked Teddy, with newborn respect for his -friend on account of his superior knowledge. - -“I ain’t afraid,” said Julius, confidently. “You can work your way up, -too, if you try.” - -“I ain’t as smart as you are, Julius.” - -“Oh, yes, you are,” said our hero, though he secretly doubted it, and -with good reason. There was no doubt that Julius surpassed his friend, -not only in energy, but in natural talent. - -The boys soon discovered that their new teacher was by no means equal in -scholarship to the favorite whom he had superseded. Notwithstanding he -had graduated, as he asserted, at one of the most celebrated academies -in Maine, he proved to be slow at figures, and very confused in his -explanations of mathematical principles. It may be well to let the -reader into a little secret. Mr. Slocum had passed a few months at an -academy in Maine, without profiting much by his advantages; and, having -had very indifferent success in teaching schools of a low grade at home, -had come out West by invitation of his uncle, under the mistaken -impression that his acquirements, though not appreciated in the East, -would give him a commanding position at the West. He was destined to -find that the West is as exacting as the East in the matter of -scholarship. - -Mr. Slocum betrayed his weakness first on the second day. Frank Bent, a -member of the first class, went up to him at recess with a sum in -complex fractions. - -“I don’t quite understand this sum, Mr. Slocum,” he said. “Will you -explain it to me?” - -“Certainly,” said the teacher, pompously. “I dare say it seems hard to -you, but to one who has studied the higher branches of mathematics like -I have, it is, I may say, as easy as the multiplication table.” - -“You must be very learned, Mr. Slocum,” said Frank, with a grave face, -but a humorous twinkle in his eye. - -“That isn’t for me to say,” said Mr. Slocum, complacently. “You know the -truth shouldn’t be spoken at all times. Ahem! what sum is it that -troubles you?” - -“This, sir.” - -“Yes, I see.” - -Mr. Slocum took up the arithmetic, and looked fixedly at the sum with an -air of profound wisdom, then turned back to the rule, looked carefully -through the specimen example done in the book, and after five minutes -remarked: “It is quite easy, that is, for me. Give me your slate.” - -He worked on the sum for the remainder of the recess, referring -frequently to the book, but apparently arrived at no satisfactory -result. - -“Do you find it difficult, sir?” asked Frank, mischievously. - -“Certainly not,” said the teacher; “but I think I see why it is that you -didn’t get it.” - -“Why, sir?” - -“Because the answer in the book is wrong,” replied Mr. Slocum. “Ahem! I -have discovered other errors before. I believe I will write to the -publishers about it, Really, it ought to be corrected in the next -edition.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said Frank, amused; for he didn’t credit the statement -about the error. - -“What do you think Slocum says?” he said in a whisper to Julius, who sat -at the same desk with him. - -“What is it?” - -“He says the answer to the fifth sum is wrong in the book, and he is -going to write to the publishers about it.” - -“The fifth sum! Why, I’ve done it, and got the same answer as is in the -book.” - -“How did you do it?” - -“Just like the rest. It’s easy enough. I’ll show you.” - -“I see,” said Frank. “The teacher worked on it for ten minutes, and then -couldn’t get it. I guess he don’t know much.” - -“I don’t see anything hard about it,” said Julius. “All you’ve got to do -is to follow the rule.” - -“I’ll tell him you did it when we recite. See what he’ll say.” - -“First class in arithmetic,” called Mr. Slocum. - -The boys took their places. - -“Our lesson to-day treats of complex fractions,” said Mr. Slocum, -pompously. “Does any boy know what complex means?” - -“Difficult,” suggested one boy. - -“Not exactly. It means complicated. That is, they are puzzling to -ordinary intellects, but very simple to those who have studied the -higher branches of mathematics, such as algebra, geometry, -triggernometry”--this was the way the teacher pronounced it--“and so -forth. I have studied them all,” he added, impressively, “because I have -a taste for mathematics. Many of you wouldn’t be able to understand such -recondite studies. I will now ask each of you to give the rule. Julius, -you may give it first.” - -The rule was correctly recited by each member of the class. - -“That is very well,” said Mr. Slocum, blandly. “I will now explain the -way in which the sums are done.” - -Mr. Slocum went to the blackboard, and, keeping the book open, did the -sum already done in the book, giving the explanation from the page -before him. - -“You see that there seems to be no difficulty,” he said, with an air of -superior knowledge. “I have, however, detected an error in the fifth -sum, about which one of the class consulted me during recess. The book -is evidently wrong, and I propose to write to the publishers, and -acquaint them with the fact.” - -Here Frank Bent raised his hand. - -“What is wanted?” asked the teacher. - -“Julius Taylor has done the sum, and gets the same answer as the book.” - -“Julius, do I understand you to say that you got the same answer as the -book?” demanded Mr. Slocum, rather discomposed. “I am afraid,” he added, -severely, “you copied the answer out of the book.” - -“No, I didn’t,” said Julius, bluntly. - -“You may go to the board, and perform the problem, and explain it after -you get through,” said the teacher. - -Julius went to the board, and did what was required; writing down at the -close the same answer given in the book. - -“Now elucidate it,” said Mr. Slocum, who, like many superficial persons, -thought that the use of long and uncommon words would impress others -with an idea of his learning. - -Julius had never heard the word before, but he supposed it must mean -“explain,” and accordingly explained it--so well, that even Mr. Slocum -understood the operation, and perceived that it was correct. It was -rather an awkward situation, to admit that a pupil had succeeded where -he had failed; but Mr. Slocum was equal to the emergency. - -“Ahem!” he admitted, “you are correct. I did the sum by a recondite -process which is in use in the higher branches of mathematics, and I -probably made a mistake in one of the figures, which led to a different -result. The method in the book is a much more simple one, as I explained -to you a short time ago. Frank Bent, you may take the next sum and do it -on the board.” - -It so happened that Frank, who was not very strong in arithmetic, made a -mistake, and got a wrong answer. - -“My answer doesn’t agree with the book,” he said. - -Mr. Slocum looked at the operation; but, though his face wore an -expression of profound wisdom, it was too complex for him. He was, -however, thoroughly up in the science of sham. - -“You have made a mistake,” he said, sagely. “Can any boy point it out?” - -Julius raised his hand, greatly to the relief of the teacher. - -“Julius, you may come up to the board, and point out the right method of -performing the sum.” - -Our hero did so; thereby affording information to the teacher, as well -as to his classmates. - -“Very well,” said Mr. Slocum, patronizingly. “Julius, you do me credit. -Bent, do you understand the sum now?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“You must pay more attention next time. You can’t do anything without -attention and talent. When I was a student at one of the most celebrated -educational institutions in Maine, I was noted for my attention. When -the principal handed me the first prize at the end of the term, he said -to me: ‘Theophilus, you have gained this testimonial by your attention -and natural talent.’ I am sorry that I left the prize at my home in -Maine. It would give me pleasure to show it to you, as it might -encourage you to go and do likewise. We will now go through the -remaining sums. John Sandford, you may try the sixth sum.” - -So the recitation proceeded. In spite of his pompous words, the scholars -began to suspect that the new teacher was a first-class humbug. There is -reason to believe that they were not very far from the truth. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -MR. SLOCUM’S STRATEGY. - - -“I don’t believe Mr. Slocum knew how to do that sum,” said Frank Bent, -at noon. “He got off by saying that he did it in another way; but I saw -him looking at the rule about forty times when he was trying to do it. -If you hadn’t done it on the board, he would have been caught.” - -“Listen, boys,” said John Sandford, “I’ll put you up to a good joke. We -shall have the rest of those sums to-morrow. We’ll all pretend we can’t -do them, and ask him to explain them to us. Do you agree?” - -The boys unanimously agreed. - -“As he will be most likely to call on you, Julius, you must be the -individual to ask him for an explanation.” - -“All right,” said Julius, who enjoyed the prospect of cornering the -teacher. - -Accordingly at recess Julius went up to the teacher gravely, and said, -“Mr. Slocum, will you tell me how to do this sum?” - -“Ahem! let me see it,” said the teacher. - -He took the book and read the following example: - -“If seven is the denominator of the following fraction, nine and -one-quarter over twelve and seven-eighths, what is its value when -reduced to a simple fraction?” - -Now this ought not to present any difficulty to a teacher; but Mr. -Slocum had tried it at home, and knew he could not do it. He relied upon -some one of the scholars to do it on the board, and as he decided in his -own mind, from his experience of the day before, that Julius was most to -be relied upon, he was dismayed by receiving such an application from -our hero. - -“It is rather a difficult example,” he said, slowly. “Have you tried -it?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -Julius had tried it, and obtained the correct answer; but this he did -not think it necessary to mention. - -“Then you had better go to your desk and try again.” - -“Won’t you explain it to me, sir?” - -“I have not time,” said Mr. Slocum. “Besides, I think it much better -that you should find out for yourself.” - -“It isn’t easy to get ahead of him,” thought Julius; “but when the class -comes up, we’ll see how he’ll get off.” - -To tell the truth, though he had got off for the time being, Mr. Slocum -was rather disturbed in mind. He could not do the sum, and it was -possible he would be called upon to explain it to the class. How should -he conceal his ignorance? That was an important question. He did not -suspect that a trap had been laid for him, but supposed the question had -been asked in good faith. - -At length the time came, and the class were called upon to recite. - -“Julius Taylor,” said the teacher, “you may go to the board and do the -eleventh example.” - -“I’ll try, sir,” said Julius. - -He went up to the board and covered it with a confused mass of figures; -finally bringing out the answer one hundred and eleven over eight -hundred and forty-six. - -“I haven’t got the same answer as the book, Mr. Slocum,” he said. - -“You have probably made some mistake in the figures,” said the teacher. - -“I am not sure that I have done it the right way, sir.” - -Mr. Slocum scanned with a look of impressive wisdom the confused figures -on the board, and said: “You are right in principle, but there is an -error somewhere.” - -“Would you be kind enough to point it out, sir?” asked Julius, demurely. - -“Is there any one in the class who has obtained the correct answer to -this sum?” asked the teacher, hoping to see a hand raised. - -Not one of the class responded. - -“You may all bring up your slates and do it at the same time, while -Julius does it again on the board,” he said. - -Five minutes passed, and by agreement every one announced a wrong -answer. The boys thought Mr. Slocum would now be forced to explain. But -the pedagogue was too wise to attempt what he knew was impossible. - -“I see,” said the teacher, “that these sums are too difficult for the -class. I shall put you back at the beginning of fractions.” - -This announcement was heard by most of the boys with dismay. Many of -them could only attend school in the winter, and wanted to make as much -progress as they could in the three months to which they were limited. -Among the most disappointed was Julius. He saw that his practical joke -on the teacher was likely to cost him dear, and he resolved to sacrifice -it. - -“I think I can do it now, sir,” he said. “I have just thought of the -way.” - -“Very well,” said Mr. Slocum, much relieved; “you may do it.” - -Our hero at once performed the sum correctly, obtaining the same answer -as the book. - -“I’ve got it,” he said. - -“You may explain it to the class,” said the teacher. - -Julius did so. - -“That is the result of perseverance,” said Mr. Slocum, “I was always -persevering. When I was connected with a celebrated institution of -learning in the State of Maine, the principal one day said to me: -‘Theophilus, I never knew a more persevering boy than you are. You never -allow any difficulties to stand in your way. You persevere till you have -conquered them.’ Once, at the end of the arithmetic--a more difficult -one than this--there was a very hard example, which none of the other -boys could do; but I sat up till one o’clock at night and did it. Such -are the results of perseverance.” - -“May we go on where we are?” asked Julius, “and not go back to the -beginning of fractions?” - -“Yes,” said Mr. Slocum, “since you have shown that you can persevere. I -could easily have explained the sum to you at once; but what good would -it have done you? You could not have done the next. Now that you have -got it out yourself, I think I am justified in letting you advance.” - -So Mr. Slocum triumphed; but not one of the class credited his -statement. It was clear to all that he had been “stuck,” and did not -dare attempt the sum for fear of failing. - -“You had to back down, and do the sum after all, Julius,” said Frank -Bent. - -“Yes; I didn’t want the class put back to the beginning of fractions.” - -“The master was pretty well cornered, I wondered how he would get out.” - -“I hope he knows more about other things than arithmetic.” - -“I wish we had Mr. Fairbanks back again. He had the whole arithmetic by -heart. There wasn’t a sum he couldn’t do; though he didn’t brag about -it, like Mr. Slocum. He knew how to explain so a feller couldn’t help -understand him.” - -In the afternoon Mr. Slocum had another chance to boast. This time it -was about his travels, which, by the way, were limited to his journey -from Maine, by way of New York. But the city of New York, in which he -spent two days, had impressed him very much, and he was proud of having -visited it. - -“What is the largest city in the United States, Julius?” asked the -teacher; though this question was not included in the lesson. - -“New York.” - -“Quite correct. New York is indeed a vast city. I am quite familiar with -it, having spent some time there not long since. I expect you have not -any of you had the privilege of visiting this great city.” Here Julius -and Teddy Bates exchanged glances of amusement. - -“New York contains a great variety of beautiful edifices,” continued Mr. -Slocum, complacently. “I used often to walk up Broadway, and survey the -beautiful stores. I made some purchases at the store of the celebrated -A. T. Stewart, whom you have heard of frequently.” - -Mr. Slocum’s extensive purchases to which he alluded consisted of a -handkerchief, for which he paid fifty cents. - -“It is very beneficial to travel,” continued Mr. Slocum. “It enlarges -the mind, and stores it with useful information. We cannot all travel, -for travel is expensive; but I think teachers ought to travel, as it -enables them to illustrate lessons in geography by their own -observations in distant cities and remote lands.” - -Here Frank Bent raised his hand. - -“Will you tell us some more about New York, sir?” - -Mr. Slocum was flattered; and with a preliminary flourish proceeded: “I -am glad you desire to acquire information; it is a very laudable -ambition. I stopped at one of the finest hotels in New York, located on -Chatham Avenue, a broad and fashionable thoroughfare, lined with stately -stores.” - -Here Julius and Teddy found it difficult to repress their laughter, but -by an effort succeeded. - -“Did you go to the Grand Duke’s Oprea House?” Julius asked, raising his -hand. - -“To be sure,” said Mr. Slocum, supposing it to be a fashionable place of -amusement. “It is an elegant structure, worthy of the great city in -which it is erected. I never visited Europe, but I am told that none of -the capital cities of the Old World can surpass it in grandeur.” - -This was intensely amusing to Julius, who remembered the humble basement -in Baxter Street, described in our early chapters, as the “Grand Duke’s -Oprea House.” He concluded that Mr. Slocum’s knowledge of New York was -about on a par with his knowledge of complex fractions. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -MR. SLOCUM AS AN ORATOR. - - -“Next Wednesday afternoon the boys will all speak pieces,” Mr. Slocum -announced. “You may select any pieces you please. At the celebrated -institution in Maine, from which I graduated, we used to speak pieces -every week. You may be interested to know that your teacher gained a -great reputation by his speaking. ‘Theophilus,’ said the principal to me -one day, I never had a student under my instruction who could equal you -in speaking. There is no one who can do such justice to Daniel Webster, -and other great orators of antiquity. You are a natural orator, and -eloquence comes natural to you.’ This was a high compliment, as you will -agree; but it was deserved. The principal put it to vote whether a prize -should be offered for speaking, but the students voted against it; -‘for,’ they said, ‘Slocum will be sure to get it, and it will do us no -good.’ I hope, boys, you will do your best, so that I may be able to -compliment you.” - -The scholars were not a little amused at this illustration of their -teacher’s self-conceit, which was quite in keeping with previous -exhibitions of the same weakness. - -“I wish Mr. Slocum would favor us with a specimen of his declamation,” -said John Sandford, at recess. - -“He must be a regular steam engine,” said Walter Pratt; “that is, -according to his own account.” - -“The principal of the celebrated institution in Maine thought a good -deal of Theophilus,” said Julius. - -“What a phenomenon he must have been!” said Tom Allen. “He appears to -have stood first in everything.” - -“But he seems to forget easy,” said Frank Bent. “Complex fractions are -too much for him.” - -“Well, how about asking him to speak?” resumed John Sandford. “Who goes -in for it?” - -“I,” said Julius. - -“And I.” - -“And I.” - -“Who shall go up and ask him?” - -“Go yourself, John.” - -“All right, boys. I’ll do it, if you say so. But I am afraid I can’t -keep a straight face.” - -So John went back into school just before the bell rang, and approached -the teacher’s desk. - -“What’s wanted, Sandford?” said Mr. Slocum. - -“The boys want to know, Mr. Slocum, if you will be willing to speak a -piece for us on Wednesday. You see, sir, we never heard any good -speaking, and we think it would improve us if we could hear a good -speaker now and then.” - -As may be inferred from his habit of boasting, Mr. Slocum was very -accessible to flattery, and listened graciously to this request. John -was perfectly sober, though he was laughing inside, as he afterward -said; and the teacher never dreamed of a plot to expose and ridicule -him. - -“You are quite right, Sandford,” said he, graciously; “it would -undoubtedly be very beneficial to you, and I will look over one of my -old pieces, and see if I can remember it. I am glad to see that the boys -are anxious to improve in the important branch of declamation.” - -John carried to the boys the news of his success, which was received -with a great deal of interest. Though most of the boys thought it -irksome to commit a piece to memory, and had no ambition to become -orators, all went to work willingly, feeling that they should be repaid -by hearing the “master” speak. - -“Speaking” was new business to Julius. During his very brief school -attendance in New York he had not been sufficiently advanced to declaim, -and he felt a little apprehensive about his success. He chose an extract -from one of Webster’s speeches, and carefully committed it, reciting it -at home to Mr. Taylor, from whom he received several suggestions, which -he found of value. The result was that he acquitted himself quite -creditably. - -“I wonder whether the master’ll speak first,” said John Sandford, and -there were others who wondered also; but Mr. Slocum had not announced -his intentions on this point. But when the scholars were assembled on -Wednesday afternoon, he said: “I have promised you that I will give you -this afternoon a specimen of my speaking, and I have selected one of the -pieces that I was distinguished for, when I was connected with one of -the most celebrated institutions in the State of Maine. I will wait, -however, until you are all through, as I do not like to discourage you -in your inexperienced efforts. I will wind up the speaking by ascending -the rostrum after your declamation is finished.” - -One after another the boys spoke. One boy, of thirteen, rather -inappropriately had selected the well-known little poem, commencing - - “You’d scarce expect one of my age - To speak in public on the stage.” - -“That piece is rather too young for you,” said Mr. Slocum, when he had -taken his seat. “I remember speaking that piece when I was two years -old. I was considered a very forward baby, and my parents were very -proud of me; so they invited some company, and in the course of the -evening they stood me up on a table, and I spoke the piece you have just -listened to. Even now I can remember, though it is so long ago, how the -company applauded, and how the minister came up to me, and, putting his -hand on my head, said: ‘Theophilus, the day will come when your father -will be proud of you. You will live to be a credit to the whole Slocum -family.’ Then he turned to my father, and said: ‘Mr. Slocum, I -congratulate you on the brilliant success of your promising son. He is -indeed a juvenile “progedy”’”--this was Mr. Slocum’s word--“‘and the -world will yet hear of him.’ Such was my first introduction to the world -as an orator, and I have always enjoyed speaking from that time. I hope -that some of my pupils will also become distinguished in the same way.” - -“I wish he’d speak that piece now,” whispered Julius to his next -neighbor. - -“Isn’t he a conceited jackass?” was the reply. - -“He must have been a beautiful baby,” said Julius, comically. - -“A regular phenomenon in petticoats.” - -“What are you laughing at?” demanded Mr. Slocum, sternly. - -“Julius said he wished you would speak that piece you spoke when you -were two years old.” - -“It wouldn’t be appropriate,” said the teacher, seriously. “I like best -now to declaim the sonorous sentences of Daniel Webster and Patrick -Henry. If I should ever enter public life, as my friends have tried at -times to persuade me, I think I should adopt their style. Frank Bent, it -is your turn to speak.” - -At last the scholars had all spoken, and in expectant silence Mr. -Slocum’s “piece” was awaited by the boys. - -“Boys,” he said, arising with dignity, and advancing to the platform, “I -should like to speak a piece from Webster; but I have forgotten those I -once knew, and I will favor you with one of a lighter character, called -‘The Seminole’s Reply.’” - -Mr. Slocum took his place on the rostrum, as he liked to call it, made a -low bow to the boys, struck an attitude, and began to declaim at the top -of his voice. The first two stanzas are quoted here, in order to show -more clearly the character of Mr. Slocum’s declamation: - - “Blaze, with your serried columns! - I will not bend the knee! - The shackles ne’er again shall bind - The arm which now is free. - I’ve mailed it with the thunder, - When the tempest muttered low, - And when it falls, ye well may dread - The lightning of its blow! - - “I’ve seared ye in the city, - I’ve scalped ye on the plain; - Go, count your chosen, where they fell - Beneath my leaden rain! - I scorn your proffered treaty! - The paleface I defy! - Revenge is stamped upon my spear, - And blood my battle cry!” - -No fault could be found with Mr. Slocum on the score of animation. He -exerted his voice to the utmost, stamped with his foot, and when he -came to “the arm which now is free,” he shook his first at the boys in a -most savage way. But his most effective gesture occurred in the second -line of the second verse, where, in illustrating the act of scalping, he -gathered with one hand his luxuriant red hair, and with the other made a -pass at it with an imaginary tomahawk. - -The boys cheered vociferously, which encouraged Mr. Slocum to further -exertions. Nothing could exceed the impressive dignity with which he -delivered the concluding half of the fourth stanza: - - “But I stand as should the warrior, - With his rifle and his spear; - The scalp of vengeance still is red - And warns ye, Come not here!” - -The gravity of the boys, however, was endangered by a too appropriate -gesture. When Mr. Slocum wished to designate the scalp of vengeance as -still red, he pointed to his own hair, which, as has been said, was of a -decided red tint. - -The two concluding lines of the poem, as many of my readers, to whom it -is familiar, will doubtless remember, are these: - - “But I’ll swim the sea of slaughter, - Till I sink beneath its wave.” - -This Mr. Slocum illustrated by going through the motions of swimming -with his hands, much to the delight of the boys. - -When the orator had concluded his effort, and with a low bow resumed his -seat, the boys applauded uproariously. Mr. Slocum’s vanity was -flattered, and he arose to acknowledge the compliment. - -“Boys,” he said, “I am glad to find that you appreciate my efforts to -instruct you. Don’t be discouraged because you cannot yet speak as well -as I do. Keep on in your efforts. Let your motto ever be Excelsior! and -the time will perhaps come when you will receive the applause of -listening multitudes. The school is now dismissed.” - -“Wasn’t it rich, Julius?” asked John Sandford, when they were walking -home. “I never wanted to laugh so much in all my life. But the best of -it was about the red scalp.” - -“You’re envious, John. That’s the reason you ridicule Mr. Slocum’s -speaking. I’m afraid you’ll never be as great an orator as he is.” - -“I hope not,” said John. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -MR. SLOCUM’S PANIC. - - -Had Mr. Slocum become in after years a distinguished man, and in due -time a biography had been called for, some one of the scholars who had -the great privilege of receiving his instructions would have been -admirably qualified, so far as information went, to perform the task of -writing it; for, as we have seen, the teacher took frequent occasion to -illustrate points that came up in the day’s lessons by narratives drawn -from his own personal experience. One day, for instance, when in the -class in geography a certain locality was spoken of as abounding in -bears, Mr. Slocum indulged in a reminiscence. - -Laying down the book on his desk, he said: “I myself once had an -adventure with a bear, which I will narrate for your entertainment.” - -Mr. Slocum’s stories were always listened to with close attention, in -the confident expectation that they would be found to redound greatly to -his credit. So the boys looked up, and exhibited a gratifying interest -on the part of the class. - -“You must know,” said the teacher, “that we have extensive forests in -Maine, in some of which wild animals are to be found. One day, when a -mere boy, I wandered into the woods with some of my school companions. -We were hunting for squirrels. All at once an immense bear walked around -from behind a tree, and faced us, not more than fifty feet away. Most of -the boys were frightened, for we had no guns with us. We knew that if we -climbed the trees the bear could climb after us. So, as they looked upon -me as a leader, they turned to me, and said, ‘Theophilus, what shall we -do? The bear will kill us,’ and one of the smallest boys began to cry. -But I was not frightened,” continued Mr. Slocum, impressively. “I was -always noted for my presence of mind even as a boy. - -“‘Don’t be frightened, boys,’ I said, ‘I will save you.’ - -“I had heard that nearly all beasts are afraid of the human eye. So I -advanced slowly toward the savage beast, fixing my eye sternly upon him -all the while.” - -Here Mr. Slocum glared upon the boys, by way of illustrating the manner -in which he regarded the bear. - -“The result was what I expected. The bear tried to sustain my steady -gaze, but in vain. Slowly he turned, and sought the solitudes of the -forest, leaving us in safety. When my companions found that they were -saved, they crowded around me, and said, with tears in their eyes, -‘Theophilus, you have saved our lives!’ When we returned home,” Mr. -Slocum added, complacently, “the fame of my bravery got about, and the -parents of the boys clubbed together, and bought a gold medal, which -they presented to me out of gratitude for what I had done.” - -“Have you got it with you, sir?” asked one of the class. - -“I am sorry to say that I have not,” answered the teacher. “I was afraid -I might lose it, and so I left it on deposit in a bank, before I left -Maine for the West.” - -“Do you believe that bear story, John?” asked Julius, of John Sandford, -when they were walking home from school together. - -“No, I don’t.” - -“Nor do I.” - -“The fact is, Mr. Slocum is the biggest blower I ever met with. I don’t -believe half the stories that he tells about himself. If they were true, -he would be, I think, one of the most remarkable men that ever lived. I -don’t believe he’s as brave as he pretends.” - -“Suppose we find out.” - -“How can we?” - -“Has he ever seen your bear?” - -“I don’t think he has. We never let it out into the road.” - -“Can’t we manage to have him fall in with the bear some evening, John?” -asked Julius. “It would be fun to see him try to stare the old fellow -out of countenance.” - -“That’s a splendid idea, Julius. I’m in for it, but I don’t see exactly -how we can manage it.” - -“I’ll tell you. He goes by your house sometimes in the evening, doesn’t -he?” - -“Yes. He told me once he walked in order to commune with Nature.” - -“Well, I propose that he shall commune with the bear once, by way of -variety.” - -“Tell me what to do, and I will do it.” - -“Have the bear close by, and just after he has passed let him out--the -bear, I mean. Then run by Mr. Slocum, appearing to be in a great fright, -and tell him there’s a bear after him.” - -“Good!” said John, shaking with laughter. “But you must help me.” - -“So I will.” - -“It will be easier for one reason,” said John. “I have taught the bear -to run after me, and as soon as he sees me ahead he will begin to run -too.” - -“Let it be to-morrow evening. What time does Mr. Slocum go by?” - -“About seven o’clock.” - -“I’ll be around at your house then at half-past six.” - -“Would you tell the rest of the boys?” - -“Not till afterward. If they come around, and there is a crowd, we may -not be able to carry out our plan.” - -“He’ll be mad with us when he finds out our game.” - -“Let him be mad. We’ll look him in the eye, and he’ll turn tail and -flee.” - - * * * * * - -The next evening two boys might have been seen crouching behind the wall -bordering a large field belonging to Mr. Sandford. The bear was -peacefully reclining beside them. From time to time the boys took -observations, with a view to discover whether the enemy was in sight. - -“I am afraid he isn’t coming,” said Julius. “That would be a joke on -us.” - -“He can’t be so mean, when we have made such preparations to receive -him.” - -“I think he would if he only knew what they are.” - -“Hush! there he is.” - -In the distance the stately figure of the teacher was seen, walking with -dignified composure. Mr. Theophilus Slocum always walked as if he felt -that the eyes of the world were upon him. He realized that he was a -personage of no little importance, and that it behooved him to shape his -walk and conversation accordingly. - -The hearts of the boys beat high with anticipation. At length they heard -the teacher go by. - -“Now for it!” said Julius. - -“Now is the time to try men’s soles!” said John. “Can you run?” - -“You’ll see.” - -Through an opening they emerged into the road, followed by the bear. Mr. -Slocum was now about fifty feet in advance. - -“Now scream!” said Julius. - -The boys uttered a shriek, and began to run at the top of their speed. -The bear, as he had been trained, tried to keep up with them. Mr. Slocum -turned around, and saw the fleeing boys, and behind them the huge, -unwieldy bear getting rapidly over the ground. He knew it was a bear, -for he had once seen one at a menagerie. - -“Oh, Mr. Slocum, save us!” implored Julius, appearing greatly -frightened. - -“There’s a bear after us,” chimed in John. “Don’t let him kill us.” - -Now the teacher had never heard of Mr. Sandford’s bear. He was not aware -that one was kept in the village. He supposed that this one had strayed -from the forest, and was dangerous. Alas! that I should record -it--instead of bravely turning, and facing the animal, Theophilus turned -pale with terror, and exerting his long limbs to the utmost, fled -incontinently, shooting ahead of the boys, whom he didn’t pause to -rescue, coattails flying, and, having lost his hat in his flight, with -his red hair waving in the wind. - -When John and Julius saw the tall figure speeding before them, and saw -the panic into which their eminent instructor had been thrown through -their mischievous means, a sense of the ridiculous so overcame them that -they sank down in the path, convulsed with laughter. But Mr. Slocum -didn’t see this, for he never stopped till he had run half a mile, when -he bolted into the village store, panting and out of breath, and -answered the eager inquiries of the men who were congregated there, by -giving an alarming account of a ferocious bear which had closely pursued -him for two miles. - -“Is it Sandford’s bear?” asked one of his auditors. - -“Does Mr. Sandford keep a bear?” asked Theophilus. - -“Yes; he has a large one. But it is quite tame. It wouldn’t hurt a -child.” - -“Why,” said the teacher, bewildered, “Mr. Sandford’s son, John, was -running away from him. Julius Taylor was with him. They told me that a -bear was after them, and asked me to save them.” - -Mr. Slocum was hardly prepared for the laugh which followed. The joke -was understood at once. - -“I think, Mr. Slocum,” said the storekeeper, “that the boys were playing -a trick upon you. They probably let out the bear just after you passed -by. You didn’t stop to save them, did you?” - -“No,” stammered Theophilus, beginning to look foolish, for he, too, -understood the joke now, and saw that it would be hard to reconcile his -conduct this evening with his bravery as a boy. - -For almost the first time in his life he had absolutely nothing to say. -He left the store, and retraced his steps in the hope of finding his -hat. In this he was successful, but neither John, Julius, nor the bear -was visible. The boys were in Mr. Sandford’s barn, laughing over the -joke, and beginning to wonder whether Mr. Slocum would say anything -about it in school the next day. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -A REVOLUTION IN SCHOOL. - - -Mr. Slocum was terribly annoyed by what had happened. It seemed -impossible to explain his flight in any way that would reflect credit -upon himself. He could not pretend that it was all a joke, for he had -shown himself too much in earnest in the village store, where he had -taken refuge, for this to be believed. Though not remarkable for sense, -Mr. Slocum knew that if he should undertake to punish Julius and John -for their agency in the affair, he would only give it greater publicity. -He felt a strong desire to do this, however, and would have derived -great comfort from flogging them both. Finally he decided not to refer -to the matter in school, and in this decision he was unusually discreet. - -Of course Julius and John did not keep the matter secret. When Mr. -Slocum came up the school-house hill, the next morning, there was not a -scholar in the school who had not heard of his adventure, and the -teacher, in his hurried glance at his pupils, detected a look of sly -meaning, which revealed to him the fact that all was known. Julius and -John were among the rest, looking very demure and innocent. Mr. Slocum -saw them, too, out of the corner of his eye, and he determined to seize -the first chance that presented itself of flogging each. - -The school opened. Julius was doubtful whether any reference would be -made to the bear. He rather expected a speech, but Mr. Slocum -disappointed him. He heard the classes as usual, but refrained from -making any remarks of a biographical character. His self-complacency had -been severely disturbed, and he looked severe and gloomy. - -He watched Julius and John, hoping to detect something in their conduct -which would justify him in punishing them; but they, too, were unusually -quiet, as rogues are apt to be just after a successful trick. - -At length, however, something happened which led to an explosion. - -Tom Allen, who has been described as the oldest and largest boy in -school, sat directly behind Julius. He was not a brilliant scholar, but -he had a keen sense of the ludicrous, and had been very much amused by -the account of the teacher’s narrow escape from Mr. Sandford’s bear. He -had a little taste for drawing, of which he occasionally made use. After -finishing his sums, having a few idle moments, he occupied himself with -drawing on his slate a caricature of Mr. Slocum pursued by the bear. -There was enough resemblance in the portraits, both of the man and the -animal, to make the subject of the picture unmistakable. It was, as was -natural, slightly caricatured, so that the effect was ludicrous. - -Desiring his effort to be appreciated, he passed the slate to Julius, -who sat in front of him. Our hero was easy to make laugh, and he no -sooner cast his eyes over the picture than he burst into audible -laughter. This was the occasion that Mr. Slocum had been waiting for. -Laughter was against the rules of the school--it was disorderly--and -would give him an excuse for the punishment he was so strongly desirous -of inflicting. He strode to the desk of Julius while the latter was -still looking at the slate. Mr. Slocum, too, saw it, and his fury was -increased, for he recognized the subject only too well. - -Seizing Julius by the collar, he jerked him out upon the floor, saying, -in a voice of concentrated passion: “So, sir, you are drawing pictures -instead of studying. I’ll give you a lesson.” - -“I didn’t draw it,” said Julius. - -“I’ll flog you for telling a lie,” exclaimed the excited teacher. - -Julius was about to repeat his disclaimer, but it was made unnecessary. -Tom Allen arose quietly in his seat, and said: “Julius is perfectly -right, Mr. Slocum; he didn’t draw the picture.” - -“Who did, then?” asked the teacher, pausing in his contemplated -punishment. - -“I did,” said Tom, coolly. “If you want to punish anybody for doing it, -you’ll have to punish me.” - -This was very disagreeable intelligence for Mr. Slocum. Tom Allen was a -stout, broad-shouldered, immensely powerful young fellow, standing five -feet ten inches in his stockings. There are few teachers who would not -have fought shy of punishing, or attempting to punish, such a formidable -scholar. Mr. Slocum was disconcerted at the interruption, and did not -care about undertaking such a doubtful job. Neither did he want to -release Julius from his clutches. He knew that he could punish him, and -he meant to do it. A lucky thought came to him. - -“I do not punish him for drawing the picture,” he said, “but for -disturbing the order of the school by laughing at it.” - -“I couldn’t help laughing at it,” exclaimed our hero. - -“Nor could any of the other scholars,” said Tom Allen; and taking the -slate from the desk before him, he held it up, and exhibited it to the -other scholars. It was recognized at once, and there was a general shout -of laughter. - -Mr. Slocum looked about him with an angry scowl, and his temper was -fairly aroused, so that he became, to a certain extent, regardless of -consequences. - -“I won’t let you off,” he said to Julius, tightening his grasp on the -boy’s collar. - -“What are you punishing him for?” asked Tom Allen, quietly. - -“For laughing out in school.” - -“The rest of the scholars have done the same. Are you going to punish -them, too?” - -“I shall punish some of them,” said the teacher, with a smile of -complacent malice. “John Sandford laughed loudest. His turn will come -next.” - -By this time it was very clear to all present what the two boys were to -be punished for. The laughing was only a pretext. They were to be -flogged for their participation in the practical joke of the day before. - -“Mr. Slocum,” said Tom Allen, “I am the greatest offender. The boys only -laughed, but I drew the picture.” - -“You did not laugh,” said Mr. Slocum, uneasily. - -“Still, if anybody is to be punished, I am the one. Here is my hand. You -may ferule me, if you like.” - -Tom Allen’s hand was hardened by labor, and he would not have minded the -feruling in the least. But Mr. Slocum had no desire to ferule Tom. His -animosity was not excited against him, but against Julius and John. He -wanted to punish them, and so wipe out the grudge he had against them. - -“I don’t choose to punish you,” said Theophilus, “though you have been -guilty of inciting disorder.” - -“Why not?” asked Tom. “I shall not resist; that is, if you only ferule -me.” - -“There is no need of giving my reasons,” said Mr. Slocum, stubbornly. “I -have on more than one occasion noticed the insubordinate spirit of -Julius Taylor and John Sandford; and it is due to myself that I should -punish them, and I intend to do it now.” - -He was preparing to punish Julius, and evidently would not have spared -the rod to spoil the child, when Tom Allen interfered again. - -“Mr. Slocum,” said he, stepping out from behind the desk, “I’ve got a -word to say in this matter. You shall not punish Julius!” - -“What!” roared Theophilus, almost foaming at the mouth. “Do you know -whom you are talking to?” - -“I know that I am talking to a man in a passion, who wants to do an -injustice,” said Tom. “I am willing to do what’s right, and I have -offered to let you ferule me; but I won’t stand by and see an innocent -boy suffer for what he couldn’t help.” - -“You are a rebel! I will expel you from school!” exclaimed Mr. Slocum. - -“I won’t go,” said Tom, “as long as there are boys here who need my -protection. I have got Julius into a scrape, and I won’t let him be -punished for my fault. That’s all I’ve got to say.” - -“And this is what I’ve got to say,” retorted the furious teacher, -bringing down the rod on the shoulders of Julius, who was struggling in -his grasp. - -Then Tom Allen thought it was time to act. He tore the rod from Mr. -Slocum’s grasp, and flung it to the other side of the room. The -astonished teacher loosened his grasp, and Tom, forcibly drawing him -away, told him to take his seat. Then Mr. Slocum lost all prudence. His -face fiery with rage, he pitched into Tom Allen, and there was a -rough-and-tumble fight, in which Tom had the best of it. At this most -unlucky time one of the trustees, the Rev. Mr. Brandon, entered the -schoolroom on a visit of inspection, and stood appalled at the spectacle -before him. - -“Good heavens! Mr. Slocum, what does this mean?” he ejaculated. - -Mr. Slocum started as if he had been shot, and turned his perturbed -countenance toward the trustee. - -“It means that there is a rebellion in school,” he said. - -An immediate inquiry was instituted, and Mr. Brandon was at last made -acquainted with the circumstances. - -“I think, Mr. Slocum,” he said, “you had better dismiss the school, and -I will call a meeting of the trustees for this evening at my house. I -will ask you to be present; also four of your scholars, including Thomas -Allen, Julius Taylor, and any two others whom you may select.” - -It needs only to be said that, it being made clear to the trustees that -Mr. Slocum was incompetent to teach the school, taking into -consideration his literary qualifications alone, he was recommended to -resign; and next week, to the joy of the scholars, Dexter Fairbanks, the -former popular teacher, was installed in his place. - -Mr. Slocum did not remain long in Brookville. Whether he went farther -West, or returned to Maine, was not ascertained, and few of his pupils -cared to inquire. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -AN INDIAN’S REVENGE. - - -After Mr. Fairbanks assumed charge of the school there was no further -trouble. He was a teacher of large experience, good judgment, and a -happy faculty of imparting what he knew. He was not a man of extensive -acquirements, but he was thoroughly versed in all the branches he was -required to teach. Though he never boasted of his remarkable -achievements, like his predecessor, his pupils had far greater -confidence in his knowledge. - -Julius learned rapidly under his care. After the winter term was over -Mr. Fairbanks was induced to open a private school by those who thought -the more of him from comparing him with his predecessor; and to this -school Julius also was sent. But, though his progress was steady, no -events of interest call for mention here. He became popular with his -schoolfellows, distinguishing himself in the playground as well as the -classroom. Nearly all the street phrases which he carried to the West -with him dropped away, and only now and then did he betray the manner of -his former life. - -Having written so much to let my readers know how Julius was advancing, -I pass to describe a character who has something to do with my story. -Though no tribe of Indians was settled near Brookville, single -representatives of the race, from time to time, visited the -village--occasionally with baskets of beadwork to sell, occasionally in -the less honorable character of mendicant. Most were subject to the -curse which civilization brought with it to these children of the -forest, namely, the love of strong drink; and a large portion of -whatever money they received was spent for what the Indian appropriately -calls fire water. - -It was on a day in the following summer that a tall Indian, wrapped in a -dirty blanket, presented himself at the back door of Mr. Taylor’s house. -His features were bloated, and clearly indicated his habits. His -expression otherwise was far from prepossessing, and the servant, who -answered his call, looked at him rather uneasily, knowing that her -mistress, herself and little Carrie were alone in the house. Mr. Taylor -had gone to a neighboring town and taken Julius with him, while Abner -was in the fields. - -“What do you want?” she asked. - -“Money,” said the Indian, laconically. - -“I have no money,” she answered. “I will give you something to eat.” - -“Want money,” repeated the Indian. - -“I’ll go and ask my mistress,” said Jane. - -Mrs. Taylor, on being informed of the matter, went herself to the door. -Little Carrie’s curiosity had been aroused, and she asked if she might -go too. As there seemed to be no objection, Mrs. Taylor took the little -girl by the hand, and presented herself at the door. - -“Are you hungry?” she asked, of her dusky visitor. - -“No; want money,” was the reply. - -“I am not in the habit of giving money at the door. My husband does not -approve of it,” she answered. - -“Go ask him,” said the Indian. - -“He is not at home,” she answered, incautiously; “but I am sure he would -not be willing to have me give you any money.” - -As soon as she had admitted the absence of her husband she realized her -imprudence. There was a scarcely perceptible gleam of exultation in the -eye of the Indian as he heard what was so favorable to his purpose. A -man would be in his way, but a woman he could frighten. - -“Must have money; must have two dollar,” he reiterated. - -“What do you want money for?” asked Mrs. Taylor. - -“Buy rum--good!” - -“Then I am sure I shall give you none. Rum is bad,” said Mrs. Taylor. - -“It makes Indian feel good.” - -“It may for the time, but it will hurt you afterward. I will give you -some meat and some coffee. That is better than rum.” - -“Don’t want it,” said the Indian, obstinately. “Want money.” - -“You’d better give it to him, ma’am, and let him go,” said Jane, in a -low voice. - -“No,” said Mrs. Taylor; “Mr. Taylor is very much opposed to it. The last -time I gave money he blamed me very much. If he is not satisfied with -coffee and meat I shall give him nothing.” - -“Ugh! Ugh!” grunted the Indian, evidently angry. - -“I’m afraid of him, mamma. He’s so ugly,” said Carrie, timidly, clinging -to her mother’s hand. - -“He won’t hurt you, my darling,” said Mrs. Taylor. - -But the Indian had caught the little girl’s words, and probably -understood them. He scowled at her, and this terrified the child still -more. - -“Will you have some coffee?” Mrs. Taylor asked once more. - -“No; rum.” - -“I have no rum to give you.” - -“Money.” - -“Neither shall I give you money.” - -The Indian emitted a guttural sound, probably indicating -dissatisfaction, and turned slowly away. - -“I am glad he is gone,” said Mrs. Taylor. “I don’t like his looks.” - -“Is he a bad man?” asked Carrie. - -“I don’t know, my dear, but he likes to drink rum.” - -“Then he must be bad.” - -“He’s the worst lookin’ Indian I ever see,” said Jane. “I don’t want to -set my eyes upon him again. He ought to be ashamed, goin’ round askin’ -for money, a great, strong man like him. Why don’t he work?” - -“Indians are not very fond of working, I believe, Jane.” - -“If he wants money, he might make baskets.” - -“Why didn’t you tell him so?” - -“I was afraid to. He looked so wicked.” - -So the subject was dismissed. They supposed that the Indian was gone, -and that they would not hear from him again. But they had forgotten that -the red man is quick to take offense, and is revengeful by nature. They -did not suspect that he was even then planning a revenge which would -strike anguish into the heart of all in the household. - -The Indian had not gone away, as they supposed. He was still hovering -about the house, though he carefully avoided observation. He had been -greatly incensed at the persistent refusal of Mrs. Taylor to supply him -with rum, or the means of purchasing it. Years before he had become a -slave to the accursed fire water, and it had become a passion with him -to gratify his thirst. But it could not be obtained without money, and -money was not to be had except by working for it, or by begging. Of -these two methods the Indian preferred the last. - -“Work is for squaws!” he said, in a spiteful and contemptuous manner. -“It is not for warriors.” - -But John, as he was sometimes called, did not look like the noble -warriors whom Cooper describes. He was a shaggy vagabond, content to -live on the alms he could obtain from the whites in the towns which he -visited. As for lodgings, he was forced to lie down in his blanket -wherever he could find the shelter of a tree or a forest. - -The sight of the child had suggested to John a notable revenge. He could -steal the little child, who had called him an ugly man--an expression -which he understood. Thus he could wring the mother’s heart, and obtain -revenge. There would be little danger of interference, for he knew that -Mr. Taylor was away. - -Mrs. Taylor and Carrie went back to the sitting-room where the mother -resumed her sewing, and Carrie began to play with her blocks on the -floor. Neither of them suspected that, just outside, the Indian was -crouching, and that from time to time he glanced into the room to watch -his chances of carrying out his plan. - -By and by Carrie grew sleepy, as children are apt to do in the hot -summer afternoons, and when they are tired. - -“Lie down on the sofa, my darling,” said her mother. - -“So I will, mother,” said Carrie. “I am very hot and sleepy.” - -She lay down, and her mother tenderly placed a cushion under the little, -weary head. - -Soon Carrie was wrapped in the deep, unconscious sleep of childhood. The -Indian, with a look of satisfaction, beheld her repose, as he stole a -glance through the window. - -Soon Mrs. Taylor thought of a direction she wished to give Jane. -Glancing at little Carrie, she left the room, knowing that the child -would not miss her. - -No sooner had she left the room than the Indian, who had been waiting -for this, sprang in through the open window, clasped the unconscious -child in his arms, whose slumber was too profound to be disturbed even -by this action, and in a moment was out on the lawn, speeding rapidly -away with the little girl in his arms. - -Suspecting no harm, Mrs. Taylor remained absent for fifteen minutes, -then returning, her first glance was at the sofa, where she had left -Carrie. Her heart gave a sudden bound when she discovered her absence. -But even then she did not suspect the truth. She thought the child might -have waked up, and gone upstairs. - -“Carrie! Carrie!” she called out, in the greatest uncertainty and alarm. - -But there was no answer. - -She summoned Jane, and together they hunted high and low for the little -girl, but in vain. - -Then first a suspicion of the truth came to her. - -“The Indian has carried her off!” she exclaimed in anguish, and sank -fainting to the floor. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -KIDNAPPED. - - -The Indian was fleet-footed, like most of his race. After obtaining -possession of the child, he struck across the fields, for on the public -road he would have been liable to be seen and stopped. Little Carrie was -in the deep sleep of childhood, and did not awake for some time. This of -course was favorable to his design, for he had over a mile to go before -he reached the woods, in which the instinct of his race led him to take -refuge. It was not till a stray twig touched her cheek that the little -girl awoke. - -Opening her eyes, her glance rested on the dark face of the Indian, and, -as might have been expected, she uttered a shriek of terror. At the same -time she tried to get away. - -“Put me down,” she cried in her fright. - -“Not yet,” said the Indian. - -“Where are you taking me, you ugly Indian? I want to go to my mamma.” - -“No go,” said the Indian. - -“I want to go home,” said Carrie; and she renewed her efforts to get -away. - -“No go home. Stay with John,” said the Indian. - -“I don’t want to stay with you. Take me home.” - -“No take home,” said the Indian; but he put her down, tired perhaps with -carrying her. - -Carrie looked about her bewildered. All about her were thick woods, and -she could not see her way out. She did not know in what direction lay -the home to which she was so anxious to return, but she thought it might -be in the direction from which they had come. She started to run, but in -an instant the Indian was at her side. He seized her hand in his firm -grasp, and frowned upon her. - -“Where go?” he asked. - -“Home to my mamma.” - -“No go,” said he, shaking his head. - -“Why did you take me away from my mamma?” asked the poor child. - -“Bad woman! No give poor Indian money,” responded the savage. - -“Take me home, and she will give you money,” urged the child. - -“Not now. Did not give before. Too late,” responded John. - -“Are you going to keep me here? Will you never take me home?” asked -Carrie, overwhelmed with alarm. - -“Little girl stay with Indian; be Indian’s pickaninny.” - -“I don’t want to be a pickaninny,” said Carrie. “Poor mamma will be so -frightened. Did she see you take me away?” - -“No. She go out. Leave child asleep. Indian jump through window. Take -little girl.” - -When Carrie understood how it was that she had been kidnapped, she felt -very much frightened; but even in her terror she felt some curiosity -about the Indian, and his mode of life. - -“Where is your house?” she asked. “Is it here in the woods?” - -“All places, under trees.” - -“What! do you sleep under trees, without any roof?” - -“Yes.” - -“Why don’t you build a house?” - -“Indian live in wigwam.” - -“Then why don’t you live in a wigwam?” - -“My wigwam far away--over there,” and he pointed to the north. - -“Where will you sleep to-night?” - -“Under tree.” - -“Then you must take me home, I can’t sleep under a tree. I would catch -my death of cold. So mamma says.” - -“Must stay. Get used to it. Indian make bed of leaves for pickaninny.” - -“I don’t want to sleep on leaves. I want to sleep in my little bed at -home.” - -“Come,” said John; and he dragged the child forward. - -“Where are you taking me? Oh, carry me home!” pleaded Carrie. - -“Stop!” said the Indian, sternly. “No cry, or I kill you.” - -Carrie stopped, in greater fear than ever. The stern face of her -companion made it not improbable that he might carry out the fearful -threat he had uttered. So she checked her audible manifestations of -grief, but the tears still coursed silently down her cheeks. - -“What will mamma say, and papa--and Julius?” This was the thought that -continually occupied her mind. Would she never see these dear ones -again? Must she spend all her life with the wicked Indian? At any rate, -when she got to be a woman--a great, strong woman, and knew her way -about, she would run away, and go home. But there would be a good many -years first. She wondered whether her skin would turn red, and she would -look like the Indians. Then her father and mother would not know her, -and would send her back again to live with the Indians. Altogether, -however groundless some of her fears might be, little Carrie was very -miserable and unhappy. - -Meanwhile the Indian strode along. The little girl was forced at times -to run, in order to keep up with her companion. She began to feel -tired, but did not dare to complain. - -At length they stopped. It was at a place where the Indian had spent the -previous night. A few leaves had been piled up, and the pile was arched -over by some branches which he had broken off from the surrounding -trees. It was a rude shelter, but was a little better than lying on the -bare ground. - -He turned to the little girl, and said, “This Indian’s house.” - -“Where?” asked the child, bewildered. - -“There,” he said, pointing to the pile of leaves. “Suppose pickaninny -tired; lie down.” - -Carrie sat down on the leaves, for she did feel tired, and it was a -relief to sit. Had Julius been with her, or her father, she would have -enjoyed the novel sensation of being in the heart of the woods, knowing -that she would be carried home again. But with the Indian it was -different. Her situation seemed to her very dreadful, and she would have -cried, but that she had already cried till she could cry no more. - -The Indian gathered some more leaves, and threw himself down by her -side. He looked grave and impassive, and did not speak. Carrie stole -glances at him from time to time, but also kept silence. She felt too -miserable even to repeat her entreaties that he would take her home. - -But a child cannot always keep silence. After an hour she mustered -courage to accost her fearful companion. - -“Are you married?” she asked. - -The Indian looked at her, and grunted, but did not reply. - -“Have you got a wife?” - -“Had squaw once--she dead,” answered John. - -“Have you got any little girls like me?” - -“No.” - -“I wish you had,” sighed Carrie. - -“What for you wish?” - -“Because, then you would let me go to my papa. If you had a little girl, -you would not like to have any one carry her off, would you?” and the -little girl fixed her eyes on his face. - -He grunted once more, but did not reply. - -“Think how sorry your little girl would be,” said Carrie. - -But the Indian was not strong in the way of sentiment. His feelings were -not easily touched. Besides, he felt sleepy. So he answered thus: -“Little girl no talk. Indian tired. He go sleep.” - -So saying, he stretched himself out at length on the leaves. But first -he thought it necessary to give the child a caution. - -“Little girl stay here,” he said. “Sleep, too.” - -“I am not sleepy any more,” said Carrie. - -“No go way. Suppose go, then Indian kill her,” he concluded, with a -fierce expression. - -“You wouldn’t be so wicked as to kill me, would you?” said Carrie, -turning pale. - -“Me kill you, if go away.” - -Carrie implicitly believed him; and, as she did not know her way about, -she would not have dared to disobey his commands. Then all at once there -came another fear. The evening before Julius had read her a story of a -traveler meeting a lion in the forest, and narrowly escaping with his -life. It is true the forest was in Africa, but Carrie did not remember -that. She did not know but that lions were in the habit of prowling -about in the very forest where she was. Suppose one should come along -while the Indian was asleep. She shuddered at the thought, and the fear -made her speak. - -“Are there any lions in this wood?” she asked. - -“Why ask?” said the Indian. - -“If one came while you were asleep, he might eat me up.” - -The Indian was quick-witted enough to avail himself of this fear to -prevent the child’s leaving him. - -“Suppose one come; you wake me. Me kill him.” - -“Then there are lions here?” she repeated, terror-stricken. - -“Yes. Suppose you go away. Maybe meet him; he kill you.” - -“I won’t go away,” said Carrie, quickly. “Are you sure you could kill -one, if he came?” - -“Yes; me kill many,” answered the Indian, with a disregard of truth more -often to be found among civilized than barbarous nations. - -Poor Carrie!--her sensations were by no means to be envied, as she sat -by the side of the sleeping Indian, agitated by fears which, to her, -were very real. On the one side was the Indian, on the other the lion -who might spring upon her at any minute. From time to time she cast a -terrified glance about her in search of the possible lion. She did not -see him; but what was her delight when, as a result of one of these -glances, she caught sight of a boy’s face--the face of Julius--peeping -from behind a tree! - -She would have uttered a cry of joy, but he put his hand to his lips, -and shook his head earnestly. She understood the sign, and instantly -checked herself. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -FOUND. - - -Mr. Taylor and Julius had reached home about twenty minutes after Mrs. -Taylor’s discovery of the disappearance of her little girl. The former -was not a little startled, when his wife, pale and with disheveled hair, -ran out to meet them. - -“What is the matter, Emma?” he asked hastily. - -“Oh, Ephraim, our poor child!”--and the poor mother burst into tears. - -“What has happened to her? Is she sick?” he asked, anxiously. - -“She’s gone.” - -“Gone! What do you mean?” he asked, utterly at a loss to understand his -wife’s meaning. - -“An Indian has carried her off. I shall never see her again;” and Mrs. -Taylor burst into a fresh flood of tears. - -“Tell me how it all happened, as quickly as possible,” said the father. -“I don’t understand.” - -After a time he succeeded in obtaining from his wife an account of the -Indian’s application, and the revenge which followed her refusal to -supply him with money. - -“Oh, I wish I had given him what he asked! I would rather give all I -had, than lose my little darling. But I knew you did not want me to give -money to strangers,” sobbed Mrs. Taylor. - -“You did right, Emma. Whatever the consequences, you did right. But that -is not the question now. We must immediately go in search of our lost -child. Julius, call Abner.” - -Abner was at the barn, having just returned from the fields. He came -back with Julius. - -“Abner,” said Mr. Taylor, after briefly explaining the case, “we will -divide. You go in one direction, and I in another. Have you got a gun?” - -“Yes, Mr. Taylor.” - -“Take it; you may need it. I have another.” - -“Have you got one for me?” asked Julius. - -“Do you know how to fire a gun?” - -“Yes, sir; Abner showed me last week.” - -“I am afraid even with one you would be no match for an Indian. I cannot -give you a gun, but I have a pistol in the house. You shall have that.” - -“I’ll take it,” said Julius. “Perhaps I shall be the one to find -Carrie.” - -“Take it, and God bless you!” said the father, as he brought out a small -pistol, and placed it in the hands of Julius. “Be prudent, and run no -unnecessary risk.” - -The three started in different directions, but it chanced that Julius -had selected the right path, and, though he knew it not, was on the -track of the Indian and the lost child, while Abner and Mr. Taylor -started wrong. - -There had been some delay in getting ready, and altogether the Indian -had a start of nearly an hour. On the other hand, he was incumbered with -the weight of the child, which had a tendency to diminish his speed. -Again, Julius ran a part of the way. He knew little of the Indians from -personal observation, but he had read stories of Indian adventure, and -he concluded that the captor of little Carrie would take to the woods. -He therefore struck across the fields for the very woods in which the -little girl was concealed. - -He wandered about at random till chance brought him to the very tree -from behind which he caught sight of the object of his search, under the -guardianship of the sleeping Indian. His heart gave a bound of -exultation, for he saw that circumstances were favorable to her rescue. -His great fear was that when she saw him she would utter a cry of joy, -which would arouse the sleeping savage. Just at this moment, as -described in the last chapter, Carrie espied him. Fortunately she caught -his signal, and checked the rising cry of joy. She looked eagerly toward -Julius, to learn what she must do. He beckoned her to come to him. She -arose from her leafy seat cautiously, and moved, with a caution which -danger taught her, toward our hero. He had the satisfaction of taking -her hand in his, and of observing that her movements had not been heard -by her savage companion, who was so tired that he still slept. - -“Come with me, Carrie,” he whispered, “and make as little noise as -possible.” - -“Yes, Julius,” said the little girl, whispering in reply. “Where is -papa?” - -“He came after you, too; but he did not take the right road.” - -“How did you know where I was?” - -“I guessed at it, and I guessed right. Don’t make any noise.” - -“Yes, Julius.” - -So they walked hand in hand. Julius hurried his little companion, for he -feared that the Indian would awake and pursue them. If he did so, he was -by no means sure that he could defend her. His pistol was loaded, but it -had but one barrel, and when it was discharged, he would be completely -defenseless. - -“Has the Indian got a gun?” he asked, in a whisper. - -“I didn’t see any,” said Carrie. - -Then he felt more easy in mind. If hard pressed, he would at least be -able to fire one shot. - -But there was another difficulty. He had not come directly to the place -where he had found Carrie, but had wandered about in different -directions. The result was that he didn’t know his way out of the -woods. - -“Do you know which way you came, Carrie?” he asked, in some perplexity. - -“No, Julius. I didn’t wake up till I was in the woods.” - -“I don’t know my way. I wish I could fall in with your father or Abner.” - -“What would you do if you met a lion?” asked Carrie, anxiously. - -“There are no lions here.” - -“The Indian said so. He said they would eat me if I ran away.” - -“That was only to frighten you, and prevent your escaping.” - -“Then are there no lions?” - -“No, Carrie. The Indian is the worst lion there is in the woods.” - -“Let us go home quick, Julius,” said Carrie, clasping his hand tighter -in her fear. - -“Yes, Carrie; we will keep on as fast as we can. We will go straight. If -we keep on far enough, I am sure we must get out of the woods. But I am -afraid you will get tired.” - -“No, Julius. I want to go home.” - -So they kept on, Julius looking anxiously about him and behind him, -fearing that the Indian might have waked up, and even now be in pursuit -of his little captive. - -He had reason for his fear. The slumbers of the savage were light, and, -though they had not been interrupted by the flight of Carrie, he roused -himself about ten minutes later. He turned slowly around, expecting to -see her sitting on the pile of leaves. Discovering that she was gone, he -sprang to his feet with a cry of rage and disappointment. He was -surprised, for he had supposed that she would be afraid to leave him. - -He instantly formed the determination to get her back. Without her his -revenge would be incomplete. Besides, it would be mortifying to his -pride as a warrior that a little child should escape from him, thus -getting the better of him. - -He was broad awake now, and his senses were on the alert. With Indian -quickness he tracked the footsteps of the little girl to the tree. Thus -far it seemed that she had run away without assistance. But at this -point he found another trail. He stooped over, and carefully scrutinized -the track made by our young hero, and it helped him to a conclusion. - -“Boy,” he muttered. “Small foot. Come when Indian sleep. No matter. Me -catch him.” - -A white man would have obtained no clew to guide him in the pursuit of -the fugitives; but the Indian’s practiced skill served him. With his -eyes upon the ground, marking here a print, and there a slight pressure -on the scattered leaves, he kept on his way, sure of success. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -JULIUS BECOMES A CAPTIVE. - - -Julius was still wandering about in uncertainty, holding Carrie by the -hand, when the Indian came in sight of him. Stealthily creeping up, he -seized our hero by the shoulder before he realized that the enemy was -upon him. He had no time to draw his pistol, nor did he deem it prudent -to do so now, as the Indian could easily wrest it from him, and turn it -against him. - -“Me got you!” exclaimed the savage, in accents of fierce exultation. - -Little Carrie uttered a dismal cry when she looked up and saw that her -dreaded captor was near. - -“Don’t be frightened, Carrie,” said Julius, soothingly, though, to tell -the truth, he felt rather uncomfortable himself. - -“What do you want?” he demanded, putting a bold face on. - -“Want little girl,” answered the Indian. - -“I am taking her home. Her father sent me for her.” - -“No matter; no go,” said the Indian, frowning. - -“What good will it do you to keep her?” asked Julius, though he -suspected argument would be of no avail. - -“No matter; come!” said the savage, and he seized Carrie by the hand. - -“Oh, Julius, don’t let him carry me off,” said Carrie, beginning to cry. - -“We must go, Carrie,” said our hero, in a low voice. “Perhaps he will -let us go after a while.” - -“But I want to go to mamma!” said the little girl, piteously. - -“No go. Mother bad,” said the Indian. - -“She isn’t bad,” said Carrie, forgetting her fear in her indignation. -“She’s good. You are bad.” - -“Hush, Carrie!” said Julius, who foresaw that it would not be prudent to -provoke the savage. - -“You come, too,” said the Indian to Julius. “What for you steal little -girl?” - -Julius felt that he might with great propriety have put this question to -his companion, but he forebore. He was trying to think of some way of -escape. - -The Indian plunged into the thick wood, holding Carrie by the hand. -Julius followed close after him. - -“So it seems,” he said to himself, “instead of recovering Carrie I am -caught myself. I wish Mr. Taylor and Abner would come along. We should -be too much for the Indian, then.” - -This gave him an idea. He took a piece of paper quietly from his pocket, -and wrote on it: - - “I am with Carrie and the Indian. He is leading us into the middle - of the wood. I will drop pieces of paper here and there on the way. - -JULIUS.” - - - -This he dropped casually in the path, without the knowledge of the -Indian. - -“There,” he said to himself; “if either of them comes this way, it may -be the means of saving us.” - -But though John did not observe this, he did notice the pieces of paper -which Julius dropped, and he was sharp enough to detect his motive for -doing this. - -“What for drop paper?” he demanded, seizing Julius roughly by the -shoulder. - -Julius knew that it would be of no use to equivocate, and he answered, -manfully. “To let Mr. Taylor know where we are.” - -“Umph!” grunted the Indian. “Pick up.” - -Julius was forced to pick up all the bits of paper he had scattered, but -the original one containing the message he left where it lay. - -“Now come.” - -The Indian made Julius go in front, and the three went on till they -reached the pile of leaves where Carrie and the Indian had rested -before. - -The Indian resumed his reclining position, and made Julius and Carrie -sit down also. Our hero, who still had the pistol, was in doubt whether -to use it, but a moment’s reflection satisfied him that it would be of -no use. If he wounded the Indian, the latter in his rage might kill them -both. Another idea came to him. He had heard from Mrs. Taylor that the -Indian had demanded money, and had probably taken offense because it was -not given him. He had two dollars in his pocket. If he should give this -to their captor, he would probably be eager to invest it in “fire -water,” and this would make it necessary to go to the village. While he -was absent Carrie and he could start again on their way home. - -Upon this hint he spoke. - -“Let us go,” he said, “and I will give you money.” - -As he spoke he drew four silver half-dollars from his pocket. - -“Give me,” said the Indian, his dull eye lighting up. - -Julius surrendered them, but said, “Can we go home?” - -“No go,” said the Indian. “Stay here.” - -Our hero expected nothing better. Still he felt disappointed. - -By and by the anticipated effect was produced. The Indian was eager to -exchange the money for drink, but he did not want his captives to -escape. - -He arose to his feet, and approached Julius. - -“Come,” he said. - -He took the wondering boy by the shoulder, and placed his back against a -tree. - -“What is he going to do?” thought our hero, rather alarmed. - -He was not long left in uncertainty. - -The Indian drew from some hiding place in his raiment a stout cord, and -proceeded dexterously to tie Julius to the tree. - -“Don’t hurt him!” exclaimed Carrie, terrified, thinking that something -dreadful was going to be done to Julius. - -The Indian did not deign to reply, but proceeded to perform his task so -thoroughly that Julius felt uncomfortably cramped. - -When it was accomplished, the Indian turned to go. - -“Go ’way,” he said. “Soon come back. Stay here.” - -Julius felt that he was likely to obey the command, as there was not -much chance of his breaking his bonds. But there was one hope yet that -somewhat encouraged him. - -“Feel in my pocket, Carrie,” he said, “and see if I have a knife.” - -Carrie obeyed, but the search was unavailing. - -“How unlucky!” said Julius. “I usually have it with me, but I remember -leaving it in my other pants. If I only had it, you could cut the -string, and we could escape.” - -“Do you think he will keep us always, Julius?” asked Carrie, -disconsolately. - -“No, Carrie; I will find a way to get you home, before long,” said -Julius in a tone that expressed more cheerfulness than he felt. - -“It’s provoking,” he thought, “to be tied up here, when there is such a -good chance to escape. I’ll never go without a knife again. I didn’t -think how much good it might do me.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE RESCUE. - - -Meanwhile Mr. Taylor and Abner had pursued the search in vain. From -opposite directions they met at the entrance to the wood. - -“Have you found no traces of Carrie, Abner?” asked the father, -anxiously. - -“No, sir,” said Abner. - -“Have you met Julius?” - -“No, sir.” - -“I, too, have been unsuccessful; but I am impressed with the belief that -my dear child is somewhere in this wood.” - -“Very likely, sir. It would be nat’ral for an Indian to make for the -woods; that is, if he’s got her.” - -“I am afraid there is no doubt of that,” sighed Mr. Taylor. “Do you -think he would hurt her, Abner?” he asked, anxiously. - -“No, I reckon not. He’d keep her to get money out of you.” - -“I would rather give half my fortune than lose my darling.” - -“It won’t be necessary to go as high as that, Mr. Taylor. Most likely -he’s got her in here somewhere. If we go together, we’ll be too much -for the red rascal.” - -“Come on, then, and may God speed us.” - -So they entered the wood, and plunged deeper and deeper into its gloom. -By and by Abner’s attention was drawn to a white fragment of paper, half -concealed in the grass. Elsewhere it would not have been noticed, but in -the woods it must evidently have been dropped by some one. - -He picked it up, and glanced at it. - -“Hurrah!” he shouted. “It’s the boy’s hand-writing.” - -“What boy?” - -“Julius.” - -“Give it to me, quick,” said Mr. Taylor. - -“Read it out loud,” said Abner, almost equally interested. - -Mr. Taylor read: - - “I am with Carrie and the Indian. He is leading us into the middle - of the wood. I will drop pieces of paper here and there on the - way.” - -“Bully for Julius!” said Abner. “We’ve got the Indian now, sure.” - -“I am glad he is with Carrie. She would be so frightened,” said Mr. -Taylor. - -“That’s true. She thinks a heap of Julius.” - -“He is a good boy--quick-witted, too, or he wouldn’t have thought of the -paper.” - -“I don’t see the scraps of paper he told about,” said Abner, who had -been very anxiously peering about him. - -“It may be that he was afraid to drop them, lest it should attract the -Indian’s attention,” said Mr. Taylor, coming very near the truth. - -“Maybe so. There is another way we can track them.” - -“How is that?” - -“Noticing where the grass and sticks are trodden over. That’s the Indian -way. We’ll fight the red man in his own way.” - -“Well thought of, Abner. Your eyes are better than mine. Lead the way, -and I will follow.” - -Abner was sharp-sighted, nor was he wholly ignorant of the Indians and -their ways; and thus it was that he led the anxious father almost -directly to the place where Carrie and Julius were waiting in fear and -anxiety for the Indian’s return. - -Abner spied them first. - -“There they are!” he exclaimed, “and the Indian isn’t with them.” - -Unable to control his impatience, Mr. Taylor, with a cry of joy, rushed -to the spot, and in a moment his beloved little daughter, Carrie, was in -his arms. - -“My dear little girl,” he said, kissing her again and again, “I thought -I had lost you altogether. Were you very much frightened?” - -“I was so frightened, papa, till Julius came. I didn’t mind it so much -then.” - -Meanwhile Abner was loosening the cord by which our hero was tied. - -“I s’pose the redskin did this,” said he. “Looks like his work.” - -“Yes; he liked my company so much he didn’t want to let me go,” said -Julius. - -“Where is he?” - -“Gone to the village to buy rum, I expect.” - -“Where did he get his money?” - -“I offered him money to let Carrie and me go, but he took it, and then -tied me up here. That’s what I call mean.” - -“So do I,” said Abner; “but he’ll find the bird flown when he gets back, -I reckon.” - -“The birds, you mean.” - -“Julius,” said Mr. Taylor, grasping the hand of our hero, now released -from his uncomfortable situation, “you have earned my heartfelt -gratitude. But for you my darling would still be in the power of that -miserable Indian.” - -“I didn’t do much,” said Julius, modestly. “I only managed to get taken, -too.” - -“It was the paper which you had the forethought to drop that led us -here.” - -“Did you find it?” asked Julius, eagerly. “Then it did some good after -all. I was afraid it wouldn’t. The Indian saw me dropping bits of paper, -and he was sharp enough to know what it meant. He made me pick them up, -but I left the paper with writing on it. He didn’t see that.” - -“That’s the way I thought it was,” said Mr. Taylor. “I told Abner you -were prevented from giving us the clew, as you promised.” - -“Well, it’s all right now,” said Julius. “Our copper-colored friend will -have to dispense with our company to-night.” - -“We must be getting home,” said Mr. Taylor. “Your mother is terribly -anxious about you, Carrie. Are you tired?” - -“Yes, papa; the Indian made me walk so fast.” - -“I will take you in my arms, my poor child. He shan’t get hold of you -again.” - -“I’ll take her part of the time, Mr. Taylor,” said Abner. - -But the glad father did not seem to feel the weight of his recovered -treasure. Quickly they retraced their steps, and when they came near the -house Mrs. Taylor ran out to meet them, clasping Carrie to her bosom -with grateful joy. It was a day of thanksgiving, for the lost had been -found. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -JULIUS BUYS A HOUSE. - - -An hour later the Indian was found drunk by the roadside. After -procuring a supply of liquor with the money which he had taken from -Julius, he set out on his return to the woods, but stopped from time to -time to drink. His potations were so deep that he was finally incapable -of proceeding farther. - -His agency in kidnapping little Carrie having become known, he was -arrested, and brought before a justice. The magistrate sentenced him to -a month’s imprisonment, assuring him that when it was over it would not -be expedient for him to visit the neighborhood again. The savage endured -his imprisonment with the stoicism characteristic of his race, and on -the day of his release departed, and was not seen again in Brookville. - -On the day succeeding Carrie’s adventure, Mr. Taylor said to Julius, “I -shall to-day place to your credit in the savings bank two hundred and -fifty dollars, in acknowledgment of your service in rescuing my little -girl, though it involved risk to yourself.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said Julius, gratefully; “but I don’t think I deserve -so much.” - -“Let me be the judge of that.” - -“Abner did as much as I.” - -“Abner will not go unrewarded. I shall deposit a similar sum in the bank -for him.” - -“Then, sir, I can only thank you for your kindness. I hope I shall -deserve it.” - -“I hope and believe you will,” said his patron, warmly. “Only keep on as -you have begun, and you will win the respect and good-will of all.” - -Though Julius said little, this commendation gave him great -satisfaction. Little more than a year before he had been a poor and -ignorant street boy, the companion of two burglars, with no prospects in -life except to grow up in ignorance, and perhaps vice. To-day he was a -member of a family of social position, as well educated as most boys of -his age, with every encouragement to keep on in the right path, worth -three hundred dollars in money, and with a prosperous future before him. - -“How fortunate I am,” he thought. “It was a lucky thing for me when I -made up my mind to come out West.” - -But his good fortune was not exhausted. One morning, a few months later, -Mr. Taylor called him back as he was leaving the breakfast table. - -“Julius,” he said, “I want to speak to you on a matter of business.” - -“Yes, sir,” said Julius, inquiringly. - -“You have three hundred dollars in the savings bank.” - -“It is more now, sir, as some interest was added in January.” - -“Very true. Now, I am going to give you some advice about investing it.” - -“I shall be very glad to follow your advice, Mr. Taylor.” - -“This is what I have in view: You know Mr. Cathcart’s place, about a -mile from here?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“There is a small house and barn on the place, and about ten acres of -land are connected with it. He is anxious to sell, as he has had a very -good offer of employment in Minnesota. Now, I advise you to buy the -place. It is sure to rise in value on account of its location. I should -not be surprised if it doubled in value in five years.” - -“But,” said Julius, rather bewildered, “he won’t sell for three hundred -dollars, will he?” - -“No, probably not,” answered Mr. Taylor, smiling. - -“That is all the money I have.” - -“He asks fifteen hundred dollars, which is cheap for it, in my opinion.” - -“Then I don’t see how I can buy it.” - -“Suppose he should be willing to take three hundred dollars down, and -the remainder at the end of a few years, you paying the interest in the -meantime.” - -“Yes, I see,” said Julius. - -“The twelve hundred dollars would be secured by a mortgage, which you -would eventually pay off.” - -Here Mr. Taylor explained to Julius, whose knowledge of real estate -transactions was limited, the nature of a mortgage, and the laws -relating to it. - -“I should like to buy it, if you think best,” said our hero, at length. - -“Then I will arrange matters, as your guardian. By the time you are -twenty-one, you will, I venture to say, be worth quite a little -property.” - -“But what shall I do with the place?” asked Julius. “I can’t go to live -there.” - -“You may as well defer that till you are married,” said Mr. Taylor; a -suggestion which made Julius smile. “The proper course is to find a -tenant for it. The rent will enable you to pay taxes and the interest on -the mortgage, and probably yield you a profit beside. Even if not, you -will be richly repaid in time by the increased value of the property.” - -No time was lost in effecting this transaction, as Mr. Cathcart was -anxious to leave Brookville as soon as possible. The money was drawn -from the savings bank, and almost before he knew it Julius found himself -the owner of a house and outbuildings, and ten acres of land. He went -out to see it, and it gave him a peculiar feeling to think that he, late -a ragged New York street boy, was now the proprietor of a landed estate. - -“I wonder what Jack and Marlowe would say if they knew it,” he thought. -“It would make Marlowe mad, I know. He never at any time liked me very -much, and now he hates me bad enough, I am afraid.” - -A week after the property passed into our hero’s hands, a -respectable-looking man called at Mr. Taylor’s door. He was a young -mechanic, a carpenter, who had recently established himself in -Brookville. - -“Take a seat, Mr. Brown,” said Mr. Taylor, politely. - -“I came on a little business,” said the young man. “I would like to hire -the Cathcart place. I hear you are the purchaser.” - -“You are perfectly right, Mr. Brown,” said Mr. Taylor. “I purchased it, -but it was in behalf of my ward Julius, here. You will have to speak to -him about hiring it.” - -“Indeed!” said the young man. “I hope,” turning to Julius, “you won’t -object to me as a tenant.” - -“I have so little experience as a landlord,” said Julius, laughing, -“that I don’t quite know what to say. What rent are you willing to -give?” - -“I could afford to pay ten dollars a month.” - -“That is a fair price, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor. - -“Then I shall be glad to accept your offer,” said Julius. “You can move -in as soon as you please.” - -“That is satisfactory. I hope you will find me a desirable tenant.” - -“And I hope you will find me a good landlord,” said Julius. - -“I think we shall agree pretty well,” said the young man. “After we get -settled, we shall be glad to receive a visit from our landlord.” - -Julius laughingly agreed to call. - -“It seems like a joke,” he said afterward to Mr. Taylor, “my being a -landlord. I don’t know how to act.” - -“I hope it will prove a profitable joke, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor. “I -have reason to think it will.” - -“I think I will write to Mr. O’Connor and tell him how I am getting -along,” said Julius. - -“Do so,” said Mr. Taylor. - -Julius wrote that very day, not without pride and satisfaction. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -A BUSINESS JOURNEY. - - -We must now carry forward the story two years. It has been a profitable -time for Julius. His excellent natural abilities, stimulated by -ambition, have advanced him very considerably in the education which -comes from books, while the hours spent in labor on the farm have -strengthened his muscles, and developed his figure, so that he presents -a strong contrast to the undersized and slender boy who came from the -city streets in Mr. O’Connor’s company. The effort of generous diet also -may be seen in his improved looks. He would now be regarded as quite a -good-looking boy, though he privately considers himself entitled to the -more dignified appellation of a young man. - -I am glad to be able to record that in other ways also he has improved. -As a street boy, he was not wholly free from the errors common to his -class. Now he has a regard for truth, and Mr. Taylor has come to have -implicit confidence in his word. He has even come to feel a paternal -interest in the once neglected waif, and treats him in all respects like -a son. Little Carrie, too, calls him Brother Julius, and probably feels -as much affection for him as if he were her own brother. - -Thus happily situated, Julius is not troubled as to his real parentage. -There is a mystery attending his origin, which he will probably never be -able to solve. But he is content to regard Mr. and Mrs. Taylor as his -parents, since they have allowed him to do so, and will always be known -by the name of Julius Taylor. - -Of course he has not forgotten his old associates, Jack Morgan and -Marlowe. About two years after his arrival in Brookville a paragraph was -copied into the county paper from the _New York Herald_, recording the -daring attempts of these two criminals to escape from the prison at Sing -Sing. Jack Morgan was caught and brought back, but Marlowe managed to -make good his escape. - -“I suppose,” thought Julius, “Jack was too fat. He couldn’t get over the -ground as fast as Marlowe.” - -In this he was correct. Jack Morgan’s size and clumsiness had interfered -with his escape, while Marlowe, who was not so incumbered, got away. - -“Marlowe would be glad to know where I am,” said our hero to himself. -“He’d like to punish me for getting him caught. But he isn’t likely to -find me out here. And even if he did, I think I can take care of myself -better than I could when he knew me.” - -Julius surveyed his figure in the glass complacently as he said this. He -was five feet eight inches in height, and weighed one hundred and fifty -pounds. His arm was powerful; and though he could not contend on equal -terms with the tall burglar, he felt that the time would soon come when -he could do so. - -“I wonder if he’d know me now,” thought our hero. - -This question was soon to be solved, though Julius did not know it. - -In the month of October Mr. Taylor proposed to Julius to set out on a -collecting tour, among the towns in the neighborhood. - -“I have claims against a dozen persons,” he said, “which ought to be -presented and paid. At present, however, it is not convenient for me to -leave home. If you will take my place, it will be quite a relief.” - -“There is nothing I should like better,” said Julius, elated at the -prospect of a journey. - -“I thought you might like it,” said Mr. Taylor. - -“I am glad you feel sufficient confidence in me to send me,” said our -hero. - -“You have given me reason to confide in you,” said Mr. Taylor, quietly. -“You will judge of the extent of my confidence when I say that the bills -which I shall give you to collect amount to a thousand dollars, or, -perhaps, a little more.” - -“I will bring back every cent,” said Julius, promptly. - -“Every cent you succeed in collecting. I have no doubt of it. The only -caution I have to give you is, to guard against being robbed. If it is -supposed that you have a considerable sum of money, you might be in -danger of having it stolen.” - -“It’ll take a smart thief to get it away from me,” said Julius, -confidently. “I didn’t live fifteen years in the streets of New York for -nothing. When do you want me to start?” - -“To-morrow morning. I shall give you the horse and buggy, and we will -plan the order of your journey to-night. You will stop at hotels, and -expend whatever is needful. I will ask you only to keep an account of -your expenses, to be submitted to me on your return.” - -“Very well, sir. How long do you expect me to be gone?” - -“That will depend on how much success you meet with. I should think a -week might be sufficient. If you find it necessary to stay longer, do -so; but let me know from time to time what progress you make in your -mission.” - -“Yes, sir, I’ll write to you every day.” - -There are few boys of seventeen who would not have experienced pleasure -in such an expedition. To have the command of a horse and buggy, to -drive from town to town, putting up at hotels by night, would to most be -a pleasant prospect. But Julius thoroughly understood that, however -pleasant it might be, the motive of his journey was business; and he -resolved to exert himself to the utmost in the interests of his guardian -and benefactor. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -MARLOWE. - - -Four days later Julius arrived about dusk in the village of -Lawrenceburg. There was a citizen of this place against whom Mr. Taylor -had given him a note to collect. He put up at the hotel, and after -entering his name inquired where Mr. Philip Thompson resided. - -“Two miles distant, on the Northcote road,” said the landlord. “Have you -business with him?” - -Julius answered in the affirmative. - -“If you want to go over there after supper, I will send my boy to show -you the way.” - -“I think I will wait till morning,” said Julius, who felt tired. “My -business will wait till then.” - -There was a man sitting on the piazza of the tavern when Julius drove -up. He was a tall man, rather shabbily built, with a slouching gait, who -kept his eyes bent downward, while his face was partly shaded by a soft -felt hat. Julius did not notice him, or rather did not do so -particularly; but the stranger fixed his eyes eagerly on the boy’s face, -and started perceptibly, while a look partly of recognition, partly of -hatred, swept over his countenance. - -I do not intend to make this man’s personality a mystery. It was Dan -Marlowe, the burglar, whom, three years before, Julius had been -instrumental in trapping, and who, until within two or three months, had -been confined in Sing Sing prison. His escape has already been referred -to. - -He had now two ends to accomplish. One was to elude capture, the other -to revenge himself on Julius. - -While in prison he had heard from a fellow-prisoner that Julius was -somewhere in the West. He could not ascertain where. Till to-day he had -no clew whereby he might discover him; when all at once chance brought -him face to face with his young enemy. In spite of his growth he -recognized the boy, for he seldom forgot a face; but, to make certainty -more certain, he lounged into the office after Julius had recorded his -name, and examined the signature. - -“Julius Taylor,” he repeated to himself. “The young cub has picked up -another name since he left us. But it’s he--it’s the same Julius. I -thought I couldn’t be mistaken. His face is the same, though he’s almost -twice as large as he was. He little dreams that Dan Marlowe is on his -track. I’d like to wring the boy’s neck!” he muttered to himself. “He’s -cost me over two years in Sing Sing; and poor Jack’s there yet.” - -Having satisfied himself, he went back to his seat on the piazza. - -Pretty soon Julius came out, and gave a casual look at Marlowe. But the -latter had his hat pulled down over his eyes, and not enough of his -features could be seen for our hero to distinguish him. Besides, Julius -was not thinking of Marlowe. He had no reason to suspect that his old -companion was in the neighborhood. If not caught, he supposed that he -was somewhere in hiding in the city of New York, or nearby. - -Marlowe did not, however, care to run even a small risk of discovery. He -had not changed as much as Julius, and the latter might probably -recognize him. So, finding that our hero had also seated himself -outside, he quietly arose from his chair, and went out to walk. - -“An ill-looking fellow,” thought Julius, casually. “He looks like a -tramp.” - -Marlowe strolled off at random, not caring where he went. His sole -object was to keep out of the way of Julius. He went perhaps a mile, and -then, turning into a field, sat down on the grass. Here he remained for -a long time. He did not set out on his return till he judged that it was -near ten o’clock. When he entered the inn, not Julius alone, but all the -other guests had retired; for in the country late hours are not popular. - -“We were just going to shut up, Mr. Jones,” said the landlord. - -Jones was the assumed name by which Marlowe now passed. - -“I went out for a walk,” said, Marlowe, “and didn’t know how time was -passing, having no watch with me.” - -“You must like walking in the dark better than I do.” - -“I wasn’t walking all the time,” said Marlowe. “I had some business on -my mind, and went out to think it over. Who was that young fellow that -came about six o’clock. - -“Julius Taylor. He’s from Brookville. Do you wish to know him? If so, I -will introduce you to him.” - -“I only asked from curiosity,” said Marlowe, carelessly. - -“His room is next to yours, No. 8. Yours is No. 7.” - -This was what Marlowe wanted to know, and he heard the information with -satisfaction. He proposed to make Julius a visit that night. What might -be the result he did not stop to consider. He only knew that this was -the boy to whom he owed two years of imprisonment, and that he would -have him in his power. He did not ask himself what he should do. He did -not consider whether he was about to endanger his own safety, and expose -himself to the risk of recapture. His spirit was fierce and revengeful, -and he had made up his mind to gratify it. - -He called for a light, and ascended the staircase to his room, No. 7. He -noticed the number over the door which Julius occupied, and outside he -saw a pair of shoes, which had been left to be blacked. - -“He’s been prospering,” he said to himself, gloomily, “while Jack and me -have been shut up. He’s had a good home, and good fare, and grown up to -consider himself a gentleman; while me and Jack, that brought him up, -have been confined like wild beasts. That’s his pay for selling us to -the cops. But the end is not yet. Marlowe’s on his track, and this night -there’ll be a reckoning.” - -He sat down on the side of the bed and waited. He wanted to make sure -that all were asleep in the inn, that he might carry out his dark -designs without interruption. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -CONCLUSION. - - -Julius was tired, and fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the -pillow. He slept so soundly that he did not hear Marlowe fumbling at the -lock with some of the burglar’s tools which he always carried with him. -Curiously he was dreaming of his old life, when he was under the -guardianship of Jack and Morgan, and Marlowe was a constant visitor. It -seemed to him that the latter had been accusing him to Jack, and was -threatening him with uplifted arm, when, all at once, he was aroused -from sleep by a violent shaking, and, opening his eyes, his first glance -rested on the man of whom he had been dreaming. - -He stared at him in bewilderment and alarm, but said nothing, such was -his surprise. - -“Well, boy,” said Marlowe, growing impatient, “why are you staring at me -so hard? Don’t you know me?” - -“Yes,” said Julius, the spell broken, “you are Dan Marlowe.” - -“Did you see me downstairs?” - -“Were you the man that was sitting on the piazza when I drove up?” - -“Yes.” - -“I wish I had known it,” thought Julius. “I should have been on my -guard.” - -“It is some time since we met,” said Marlowe. - -“Yes, it is.” - -“And I suppose,” he added, sneeringly, “you wish it had been longer.” - -“You are right there; I didn’t care to see you again,” returned Julius, -boldly. - -“I don’t wonder at that, after your base treachery, you rascally hound!” -said Marlowe, furiously. “Do you know how Jack and me spent the last two -years?” - -“In prison?” said Julius, hesitating. - -“Yes; in prison, and we have you to thank for it. You might as well have -turned against your own father as against Jack.” - -“No,” said Julius, firmly. “I am sorry for Jack. I wouldn’t have gone -against him, if there was any other way of saving Paul. Paul had been -kind to me when I needed it. What did Jack ever do for me? We lived -together when he was out of prison, but it was I that brought him all my -earnings. I paid my own way and more, too, even when I was a boy of -eight. I owe Jack nothing. But I am sorry for him all the same. I wish -he could get free.” - -“And what about me?” asked Marlowe, sneeringly. “Are you glad I am -free?” - -“No, I’m not,” said Julius, boldly. “I never liked you as well as Jack. -He’s bad enough, but you’re worse. Though he didn’t take care of me, he -was generally kind to me. Even if I owe him something, I owe you -nothing.” - -“But I owe you something, my chicken,” said Marlowe, between his teeth. -“Do you know why I am here? No? Well, I’ll tell you. I met Ned Sanders -soon after I got out, and he told me the tricks you played on him. I -found out from him that you had come out West, and that’s why I came -here. I hadn’t forgotten who sent me up. I swore, at the time, I’d be -revenged, and now I’ve got the chance.” - -The man looked so malicious--so possessed by the spirit of evil--that -Julius could not help shuddering as he met his baleful gaze. - -“What do you mean to do to me?” he asked, feeling helpless, as he -realized that in spite of his increased strength he was no match for the -stalwart ruffian. - -“I mean to kill you,” said Marlowe, fiercely. - -Julius shuddered, as well he might; but he answered: “If you do, your -life will be in danger.” - -“What do you mean?” quickly asked Marlowe, taking it as a threat. - -“You will be hung.” - -“They must catch me first,” said he, coolly. “But first you must answer -me a question. How much money have you?” - -“I can’t tell without counting.” - -“Don’t dare to trifle with me, boy!” - -“I am telling you the truth.” - -It may be mentioned that, apart from his personal apprehension, Julius -was anxious about his money. He had in a wallet six hundred dollars -belonging to Mr. Taylor, which he had collected in various places. He -was ambitious to justify his benefactor’s confidence, and carry it to -him in safety; but Marlowe threatened to take both the money and his -life. He was only a boy, but emergencies make men out of boys. He had -been provided by Mr. Taylor with a revolver, not with any supposition -that he would need it, but as a safeguard in case robbery should be -attempted on the road. He had forgotten to put it under his pillow, but -it was in the pocket of his coat, and that coat was hanging over a chair -on the opposite side of the bed from that on which Marlowe was standing. -He could only obtain possession of it by stratagem. - -“Give me your money,” said Marlowe, fiercely. - -“Then spare my life,” said Julius, assuming a tone of entreaty. - -“I cannot promise,” said Marlowe; “but I will assuredly kill you at once -unless you give me the money.” - -“Then wait till I get it for you,” said Julius. - -He jumped out of bed, Marlowe suspecting nothing, and put his hand in -the pocket of his coat. He drew out, not a pocketbook, but the revolver, -which he deliberately pointed at Marlowe. - -“Dan Marlowe,” he said, quietly, “you are stronger than I, but this -pistol is loaded, and I know how to use it. Come toward me, and I fire.” - -“Confusion!” exclaimed the burglar, furiously, and his impulse was to -spring upon Julius. But there was something in the boy’s resolute tone -which made him pause. - -“He wouldn’t be so cool if it wasn’t loaded,” he thought. - -A doubt in the mind of Julius was solved. Marlowe had no pistol, or he -would have produced it. Disagreeable as it was, the burglar stopped to -parley. He could postpone his revenge, and only exact money now. - -“Put up your pistol,” he said. “I only wanted to frighten you a bit. -You’ve done me a bad turn, and you owe me some return. Give me all the -money you have with you, and I’ll say quits.” - -“I can’t do that,” said Julius, “for the money isn’t mine.” - -“Whose is it?” - -“It belongs to my guardian.” - -“Is he rich?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then he can spare it. Tell him it was stolen from you.” - -“I shall do no such thing,” said Julius, firmly. “It hasn’t been stolen -yet, and won’t be, as I believe.” - -“We’ll see about that,” said Marlowe, furiously, making a dash toward -our hero. - -“Hold!” shouted Julius. “One step farther and I fire.” - -There is a popular impression that men of violence are brave; but it is -a mistaken one. Marlowe had not the nerve to carry out his threat, while -covered by a pistol in the hands of a resolute antagonist. There was -another reason also. The partitions were thin, and the noise had aroused -the gentleman sleeping in No. 9. He came out into the entry, and knocked -at the door of No. 8. - -“Put up your pistol, boy,” said Marlowe, hurriedly, “and I will open the -door.” - -Julius did not put it up, but hastily concealed it, and the door was -opened. - -The visitor was an elderly man in his nightclothes. - -“How do you expect a man to sleep?” he said, peevishly, “when you are -making such an infernal noise?” - -“I beg your pardon,” said Marlowe, politely, “but I am just leaving my -friend here, and shall retire at once. You won’t hear any more noise.” - -“It is time it stopped,” said the visitor, not quite appeased. “Why, -it’s after midnight!” - -“Is it, really?” said Marlowe. “I did not think it so late. Good-night, -Julius.” - -“Good-night,” said our hero. - -The visitor retired, and so did Marlowe. But Julius, distrusting his -neighbor, not only locked, but barricaded the door, and put the revolver -under his pillow. But he had no further visit from Marlowe. The latter, -for prudential reasons, postponed the revenge which he still meant to -take. - -In the morning Julius looked for his enemy, but he was nowhere to be -seen. Inquiring in a guarded way, he ascertained that Marlowe had taken -an early breakfast and had gone away. It might be that he feared Julius -would cause his arrest. At any rate, he was gone. - -Julius never saw him again, but read in a newspaper, not long afterward, -the closing incidents in the career of this dangerous ruffian. He made -his way to Milwaukee, and resumed his old business. While engaged in -entering a house by night, he was shot dead by the master of the house, -who had heard him enter. It was a fitting end to a misspent life. From a -boy he had warred against society, and now he had fallen at the hands of -one of his intended victims. - - * * * * * - -But little remains to be told--too little for a separate chapter. -Julius has redeemed the promise of his youth, and now in his early -manhood possesses the respect and attachment, not only of Mr. and Mrs. -Taylor, but of all who know him. His real estate speculation has turned -out favorably. The property for which he paid fifteen hundred dollars is -now worth three times that sum, owing to the rapid growth and increasing -population of Brookville; but as it is likely to become still more -valuable, he has decided not to sell yet. He has repaid Mr. Taylor the -amount of the mortgage out of his earnings, and is now sole proprietor. -He has assumed the management of Mr. Taylor’s large farm, and is likely -in time to grow rich. It is reported that he is engaged to be married to -a niece of Mrs. Taylor, who recently came from the East to visit her -aunt; and it is not unlikely that the report is true. Though he can -boast no proud lineage, and is even indebted to strangers for a name, -the Taylors feel that the good qualities which he possesses will -compensate for these deficiencies. - -He has once visited New York. Last year he went to the East on business -for Mr. Taylor, and sought out some of his old haunts. Among other -places, he visited the Newsboys’ Lodging House, and, at the request of -Mr. O’Connor, made a short speech to the boys, a portion of which will -conclude this story: - -“Boys,” he said, “it is but a few years since I was drifting about the -streets like you, making my living by selling papers and blacking -boots, ragged, and with a dreary prospect before me. I used to swear and -lie, I remember very well, as I know many of you do. If I had stayed in -the city I might be no better off now. But in a lucky moment I was -induced by Mr. O’Connor to go West. There I found kind friends and a -good home, and had a chance to secure a good education. Now I carry on a -large farm for my benefactor, and second father, as I consider him, and -I hope in time to become rich. I tell you, boys, it will pay you to -leave the city streets and go out West. You may not be as lucky as I -have been in finding rich friends, but it will be your own fault if you -don’t get along. There are plenty of homes waiting to receive you, and -plenty of work for you to do. If you want to prosper and grow up -respectable, I advise you to come out as soon as you get the chance.” - - -THE END. - - - - -THE PATERNOSTERS. - - -“And do you really mean that we are to cross by the steamer, Mr. Virtue, -while you go over in the _Seabird_? I do not approve of that at all. -Fanny, why do you not rebel and say we won’t be put ashore? I call it -horrid, after a fortnight on board this dear little yacht, to have to -get on to a crowded steamer, with no accommodation and lots of seasick -women, perhaps, and crying children. You surely cannot be in earnest?” - -“I do not like it any more than you do, Minnie; but, as Tom says we had -better do it, and my husband agrees with him, I am afraid we must -submit. Do you really think it is quite necessary, Mr. Virtue? Minnie -and I are both good sailors, you know; and we would much rather have a -little extra tossing about on board the _Seabird_ than the discomforts -of a steamer.” - -“I certainly think that it will be best, Mrs. Grantham. You know very -well we would rather have you on board, and that we shall suffer from -your loss more than you will by going the other way; but there’s no -doubt the wind is getting up, and though we don’t feel it much here, it -must be blowing pretty hard outside. The _Seabird_ is as good a seaboat -as anything of her size that floats; but you don’t know what it is to be -out in anything like a heavy sea in a thirty-tonner. It would be -impossible for you to stay on deck, and we should have our hands full, -and should not be able to give you the benefit of our society. -Personally, I should not mind being out in the _Seabird_ in any weather, -but I would certainly rather not have ladies on board.” - -“You don’t think we should scream, or do anything foolish, Mr. Virtue?” -Minnie Graham said indignantly. - -“Not at all, Miss Graham. Still, I repeat, the knowledge that there are -women on board, delightful at other times, does not tend to comfort in -bad weather. Of course, if you prefer it, we can put off our start till -this puff of wind has blown itself out. It may have dropped before -morning. It may last some little time. I don’t think myself that it will -drop, for the glass has fallen, and I am afraid we may have a spell of -broken weather.” - -“Oh, no; don’t put it off,” Mrs. Grantham said; “we have only another -fortnight before James must be back again in London, and it would be a -great pity to lose three or four days perhaps; and we have been looking -forward to cruising about among the Channel Islands, and to St. Malo, -and all those places. Oh, no; I think the other is much the better -plan--that is, if you won’t take us with you?” - -“It would be bad manners to say that I won’t, Mrs. Grantham; but I must -say I would rather not. It will be a very short separation. Grantham -will take you on shore at once, and as soon as the boat comes back I -shall be off. You will start in the steamer this evening, and get into -Jersey at nine or ten o’clock to-morrow morning; and if I am not there -before you, I shall not be many hours after you.” - -“Well, if it must be it must,” Mrs. Grantham said, with an air of -resignation. “Come, Minnie, let us put a few things into a hand-bag for -to-night. You see the skipper is not to be moved by our pleadings.” - -“That is the worst of you married women, Fanny,” Miss Graham said, with -a little pout. “You get into the way of doing as you are ordered. I call -it too bad. Here have we been cruising about for the last fortnight, -with scarcely a breath of wind, and longing for a good brisk breeze and -a little change and excitement, and now it comes at last, we are to be -packed off in a steamer. I call it horrid of you, Mr. Virtue. You may -laugh, but I do.” - -Tom Virtue laughed, but he showed no signs of giving way, and ten -minutes later Mr. and Mrs. Grantham and Miss Graham took their places in -the gig, and were rowed into Southampton Harbor, off which the _Seabird_ -was lying. - -The last fortnight had been a very pleasant one, and it had cost the -owner of the _Seabird_ as much as his guests to come to the conclusion -that it was better to break up the party for a few hours. - -Tom Virtue had, up to the age of five-and-twenty, been possessed of a -sufficient income for his wants. He had entered at the bar, not that he -felt any particular vocation in that direction, but because he thought -it incumbent upon him to do something. Then, at the death of an uncle, -he had come into a considerable fortune, and was able to indulge his -taste for yachting, which was the sole amusement for which he really -cared, to the fullest. - -He sold the little five-tonner he had formerly possessed, and purchased -the _Seabird_. He could well have afforded a much larger craft, but he -knew that there was far more real enjoyment in sailing to be obtained -from a small craft than a large one, for in the latter he would be -obliged to have a regular skipper, and would be little more than a -passenger, whereas on board the _Seabird_, although his first hand was -dignified by the name of skipper, he was himself the absolute master. -The boat carried the aforesaid skipper, three hands, and a steward, and -with them he had twice been up the Mediterranean, across to Norway, and -had several times made the circuit of the British Isles. - -He had unlimited confidence in his boat, and cared not what weather he -was out in her. This was the first time since his ownership of her that -the _Seabird_ had carried lady passengers. His friend Grantham, an old -school and college chum, was a hard-working barrister, and Virtue had -proposed to him to take a month’s holiday on board the _Seabird_. - -“Put aside your books, old man,” he said. “You look fagged and -overworked; a month’s blow will do you all the good in the world.” - -“Thank you, Tom; I have made up my mind for a month’s holiday, but I -can’t accept your invitation, though I should enjoy it of all things. -But it would not be fair to my wife; she doesn’t get very much of my -society, and she has been looking forward to our having a run together. -So I must decline.” - -Virtue hesitated a moment. He was not very fond of ladies’ society, and -thought them especially in the way on board a yacht; but he had a great -liking for his friend’s wife, and was almost as much at home in his -house as in his own chambers. - -“Why not bring the wife with you?” he said, as soon as his mind was made -up. “It will be a nice change for her too; and I have heard her say that -she is a good sailor. The accommodation is not extensive, but the -after-cabin is a pretty good size, and I would do all I could to make -her comfortable. Perhaps she would like another lady with her; if so by -all means bring one. They could have the after-cabin, you could have the -little stateroom, and I could sleep in the saloon.” - -“It is very good of you, Tom, especially as I know that it will put you -out frightfully; but the offer is a very tempting one. I will speak to -Fanny, and let you have an answer in the morning.” - -“That will be delightful, James,” Mrs. Grantham said, when the -invitation was repeated to her. “I should like it of all things; and I -am sure the rest and quiet and the sea air will be just the thing for -you. It is wonderful, Tom Virtue making the offer; and I take it as a -great personal compliment, for he certainly is not what is generally -called a lady’s man. It is very nice, too, of him to think of my having -another lady on board. Whom shall we ask? Oh, I know,” she said -suddenly; “that will be the thing of all others. We will ask my cousin -Minnie; she is full of fun and life, and will make a charming wife for -Tom!” - -James Grantham laughed. - -“What schemers you all are, Fanny! Now I should call it downright -treachery to take anyone on board the _Seabird_ with the idea of -capturing its master.” - -“Nonsense, treachery!” Mrs. Grantham said indignantly; “Minnie is the -nicest girl I know, and it would do Tom a world of good to have a wife -to look after him. Why, he is thirty now, and will be settling down into -a confirmed old bachelor before long. It’s the greatest kindness we -could do him, to take Minnie on board; and I am sure he is the sort of -man any girl might fall in love with when she gets to know him. The fact -is, he’s shy! He never had any sisters, and spends all his time in -winter at that horrid club; so that really he has never had any women’s -society, and even with us he will never come unless he knows we are -alone. I call it a great pity, for I don’t know a pleasanter fellow than -he is. I think it will be doing him a real service in asking Minnie; so -that’s settled. I will sit down and write him a note.” - -“In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose,” was Tom Virtue’s comment -when he received Mrs. Grantham’s letter, thanking him warmly for the -invitation, and saying that she would bring her cousin, Miss Graham, -with her, if that young lady was disengaged. - -As a matter of self-defense he at once invited Jack Harvey, who was a -mutual friend of himself and Grantham, to be of the party. - -“Jack can help Grantham to amuse the women,” he said to himself; “that -will be more in his line than mine. I will run down to Cowes to-morrow -and have a chat with Johnson; we shall want a different sort of stores -altogether from those we generally carry, and I suppose we must do her -up a bit below.” - -Having made up his mind to the infliction of female passengers, Tom -Virtue did it handsomely, and when the party came on board at Ryde they -were delighted with the aspect of the yacht below. She had been -repainted, the saloon and ladies’ cabin were decorated in delicate -shades of gray, picked out with gold; and the upholsterer, into whose -hands the owner of the _Seabird_ had placed her, had done his work with -taste and judgment, and the ladies’ cabin resembled a little boudoir. - -“Why, Tom, I should have hardly known her!” Grantham, who had often -spent a day on board the _Seabird_, said. - -“I hardly know her myself,” Tom said, rather ruefully; “but I hope she’s -all right, Mrs. Grantham, and that you and Miss Graham will find -everything you want.” - -“It is charming!” Mrs. Grantham said enthusiastically. “It’s awfully -good of you, Tom, and we appreciate it; don’t we, Minnie? It is such a -surprise, too; for James said that while I should find everything very -comfortable, I must not expect that a small yacht would be got up like a -palace.” - -So a fortnight had passed; they had cruised along the coast as far as -Plymouth, anchoring at night at the various ports on the way. Then they -had returned to Southampton, and it had been settled that as none of the -party, with the exception of Virtue himself, had been to the Channel -Islands, the last fortnight of the trip should be spent there. The -weather had been delightful, save that there had been some deficiency in -wind, and throughout the cruise the _Seabird_ had been under all the -sail she could spread. But when the gentlemen came on deck early in the -morning a considerable change had taken place; the sky was gray and the -clouds flying fast overhead. - -“We are going to have dirty weather,” Tom Virtue said at once. “I don’t -think it’s going to be a gale, but there will be more sea on than will -be pleasant for ladies. I tell you what, Grantham; the best thing will -be for you to go on shore with the two ladies, and cross by the boat -to-night. If you don’t mind going directly after breakfast I will start -at once, and shall be at St. Helier’s as soon as you are.” - -And so it had been agreed, but not, as has been seen, without opposition -and protest on the part of the ladies. - -Mrs. Grantham’s chief reason for objecting had not been given. The -little scheme on which she had set her mind seemed to be working -satisfactorily. From the first day Tom Virtue had exerted himself to -play the part of host satisfactorily, and had ere long shaken off any -shyness he may have felt towards the one stranger of the party, and he -and Miss Graham had speedily got on friendly terms. So things were going -on as well as Mrs. Grantham could have expected. - -No sooner had his guests left the side of the yacht than her owner began -to make his preparations for a start. - -“What do you think of the weather, Watkins?” he asked his skipper. - -“It’s going to blow hard, sir; that’s my view of it, and if I was you I -shouldn’t up anchor to-day. Still, it’s just as you likes; the _Seabird_ -won’t mind it if we don’t. She has had a rough time of it before now; -still, it will be a case of wet jackets, and no mistake.” - -“Yes, I expect we shall have a rough time of it, Watkins, but I want to -get across. We don’t often let ourselves be weather-bound, and I am not -going to begin it to-day. We had better house the top-mast at once, and -get two reefs in the mainsail. We can get the other down when we get -clear of the island. Get number three jib up, and the leg-of-mutton -mizzen; put two reefs in the foresail.” - -Tom and his friend Harvey, who was a good sailor, assisted the crew in -reefing down the sails, and a few minutes after the gig had returned and -been hoisted in, the yawl was running rapidly down Southampton waters. - -“We need hardly have reefed quite so closely,” Jack Harvey said, as he -puffed away at his pipe. - -“Not yet, Jack; but you will see she has as much as she can carry before -long. It’s all the better to make all snug before starting; it saves a -lot of trouble afterwards, and the extra canvas would not have made ten -minutes’ difference to us at the outside. We shall have pretty nearly a -dead beat down the Solent. Fortunately the tide will be running strong -with us, but there will be a nasty kick-up there. You will see we shall -feel the short choppy seas there more than we shall when we get outside. -She is a grand boat in a really heavy sea, but in short waves she puts -her nose into it with a will. Now, if you will take my advice, you will -do as I am going to do; put on a pair of fisherman’s boots and oilskin -and sou’-wester. There are several sets for you to choose from below.” - -As her owner had predicted, the _Seabird_ put her bowsprit under pretty -frequently in the Solent; the wind was blowing half a gale, and as it -met the tide it knocked up a short, angry sea, crested with white heads, -and Jack Harvey agreed that she had quite as much sail on her as she -wanted. The cabin doors were bolted, and all made snug to prevent the -water getting below before they got to the race off Hurst Castle; and it -was well that they did so, for she was as much under water as she was -above. - -“I think if I had given way to the ladies and brought them with us they -would have changed their minds by this time, Jack,” Tom Virtue said, -with a laugh. - -“I should think so,” his friend agreed; “this is not a day for a -fair-weather sailor. Look what a sea is breaking on the shingles!” - -“Yes, five minutes there would knock her into matchwood. Another ten -minutes and we shall be fairly out; and I shan’t be sorry; one feels as -if one was playing football, only just at present the _Seabird_ is the -ball and the waves the kickers.” - -Another quarter of an hour and they had passed the Needles. - -“That is more pleasant, Jack,” as the short, chopping motion was -exchanged for a regular rise and fall; “this is what I enjoy--a steady -wind and a regular sea. The _Seabird_ goes over it like one of her -namesakes; she is not taking a teacupful now over her bows. - -“Watkins, you may as well take the helm for a spell, while we go down to -lunch. I am not sorry to give it up for a bit, for it has been jerking -like the kick of a horse. - -“That’s right, Jack, hang up your oilskin there. Johnson, give us a -couple of towels; we have been pretty well smothered up there on deck. -Now what have you got for us?” - -“There is some soup ready, sir, and that cold pie you had for dinner -yesterday.” - -“That will do; open a couple of bottles of stout.” - -Lunch over, they went on deck again. - -“She likes a good blow as well as we do,” Virtue said enthusiastically, -as the yawl rose lightly over each wave. “What do you think of it, -Watkins? Is the wind going to lull a bit as the sun goes down?” - -“I think not, sir. It seems to me it’s blowing harder than it was.” - -“Then we will prepare for the worst, Watkins; get the try-sail up on -deck. When you are ready we will bring her up into the wind and set it. -That’s the comfort of a yawl, Jack; one can always lie to without any -bother, and one hasn’t got such a tremendous boom to handle.” - -The try-sail was soon on deck, and then the _Seabird_ was brought up -into the wind, the weather fore-sheet hauled aft, the mizzen sheeted -almost fore and aft, and the _Seabird_ lay, head to wind, rising and -falling with a gentle motion, in strong contrast to her impetuous rushes -when under sail. - -“She would ride out anything like that,” her owner said. “Last time we -came through the Bay on our way from Gib. we were caught in a gale -strong enough to blow the hair off one’s head, and we lay to for nearly -three days, and didn’t ship a bucket of water all the time. Now let us -lend a hand to get the mainsail stowed.” - -Ten minutes’ work and it was securely fastened and its cover on; two -reefs were put in the try-sail. Two hands went to each of the halliards, -while, as the sail rose, Tom Virtue fastened the toggles round the mast. - -“All ready, Watkins?” - -“All ready, sir.” - -“Slack off the weather fore-sheet, then, and haul aft the leeward. -Slack out the mizzen-sheet a little, Jack. That’s it; now she’s off -again, like a duck.” - -The _Seabird_ felt the relief from the pressure of the heavy boom to -leeward and rose easily and lightly over the waves. - -“She certainly is a splendid seaboat, Tom; I don’t wonder you are ready -to go anywhere in her. I thought we were rather fools for starting this -morning, although I enjoy a good blow; but now I don’t care how hard it -comes on.” - -By night it was blowing a downright gale. - -“We will lie to till morning, Watkins. So that we get in by daylight -to-morrow evening, that is all we want. See our side-lights are burning -well, and you had better get up a couple of blue lights, in case -anything comes running up Channel and don’t see our lights. We had -better divide into two watches; I will keep one with Matthews and -Dawson, Mr. Harvey will go in your watch with Nicholls. We had better -get the try-sail down altogether, and lie to under the foresail and -mizzen, but don’t put many lashings on the try-sail, one will be enough, -and have it ready to cast off in a moment, in case we want to hoist the -sail in a hurry. I will go down and have a glass of hot grog first, and -then I will take my watch to begin with. Let the two hands with me go -down; the steward will serve them out a tot each. Jack, you had better -turn in at once.” - -Virtue was soon on deck again, muffled up in his oilskins. - -“Now, Watkins, you can go below and turn in.” - -“I shan’t go below to-night, sir--not to lie down. There’s nothing much -to do here, but I couldn’t sleep, if I did lie down.” - -“Very well; you had better go below and get a glass of grog; tell the -steward to give you a big pipe with a cover like this, out of the -locker; and there’s plenty of chewing tobacco, if the men are short.” - -“I will take that instead of a pipe,” Watkins said; “there’s nothing -like a quid in weather like this, it aint never in your way, and it -lasts. Even with a cover a pipe would soon be out.” - -“Please yourself, Watkins; tell the two hands forward to keep a bright -lookout for lights.” - -The night passed slowly. Occasionally a sea heavier than usual came on -board, curling over the bow and falling with a heavy thud on the deck, -but for the most part the _Seabird_ breasted the waves easily; the -bowsprit had been reefed in to its fullest, thereby adding to the -lightness and buoyancy of the boat. Tom Virtue did not go below when his -friend came up to relieve him at the change of watch, but sat smoking -and doing much talking in the short intervals between the gusts. - -The morning broke gray and misty, driving sleet came along on the wind, -and the horizon was closed in as by a dull curtain. - -“How far can we see, do you think, Watkins?” - -“Perhaps a couple of miles, sir.” - -“That will be enough. I think we both know the position of every reef to -within a hundred yards, so we will shape our course for Guernsey. If we -happen to hit it off, we can hold on to St. Helier, but if when we think -we ought to be within sight of Guernsey we see nothing of it, we must -lie to again, till the storm has blown itself out or the clouds lift. It -would never do to go groping our way along with such currents as run -among the islands. Put the last reef in the try-sail before you hoist -it. I think you had better get the foresail down altogether, and run up -the spit-fire jib.” - -The _Seabird_ was soon under way again. - -“Now, Watkins, you take the helm; we will go down and have a cup of hot -coffee, and I will see that the steward has a good supply for you and -the hands; but first, do you take the helm, Jack, whilst Watkins and I -have a look at the chart, and try and work out where we are, and the -course we had better lie for Guernsey.” - -Five minutes were spent over the chart, then Watkins went above and Jack -Harvey came below. - -“You have got the coffee ready, I hope, Johnson?” - -“Yes, sir, coffee and chocolate. I didn’t know which you would like.” - -“Chocolate, by all means. Jack, I recommend the chocolate. Bring two -full-sized bowls, Johnson, and put that cold pie on the table, and a -couple of knives and forks; never mind about a cloth; but first of all -bring a couple of basins of hot water, we shall enjoy our food more -after a wash.” - -The early breakfast was eaten, dry coats and mufflers put on, pipes -lighted, and they then went up upon deck. Tom took the helm. - -“What time do you calculate we ought to make Guernsey, Tom?” - -“About twelve. The wind is freer than it was, and we are walking along -at a good pace. Matthews, cast the log, and let’s see what we are doing. -About seven knots, I should say.” - -“Seven and a quarter, sir,” the man said, when he checked the line. - -“Not a bad guess, Tom; it’s always difficult to judge pace in a heavy -sea.” - -At eleven o’clock the mist ceased. - -“That’s fortunate,” Tom Virtue said; “I shouldn’t be surprised if we get -a glimpse of the sun between the clouds presently. Will you get my -sextant and the chronometer up, Jack, and put them handy?” - -Jack Harvey did as he was asked, but there was no occasion to use the -instruments, for ten minutes later, Watkins, who was standing near the -bow gazing fixedly ahead, shouted: - -“There’s Guernsey, sir, on her lee bow, about six miles away, I should -say.” - -“That’s it, sure enough,” Tom agreed, as he gazed in the direction in -which Watkins was pointing. “There’s a gleam of sunshine on it, or we -shouldn’t have seen it yet. Yes, I think you are about right as to the -distance. Now let us take its bearings, we may lose it again directly.” - -Having taken the bearings of the island they went below, and marked off -their position on the chart, and they shaped their course for Cape -Grosnez, the northwestern point of Jersey. The gleam of sunshine was -transient--the clouds closed in again overhead, darker and grayer than -before. Soon the drops of rain came flying before the wind, the horizon -closed in, and they could not see half a mile away, but, though the sea -was heavy, the _Seabird_ was making capital weather of it, and the two -friends agreed that, after all, the excitement of a sail like this was -worth a month of pottering about in calms. - -“We must keep a bright lookout presently,” the skipper said; “there are -some nasty rocks off the coast of Jersey. We must give them a wide -berth. We had best make round to the south of the island, and lay to -there till we can pick up a pilot to take us into St. Helier. I don’t -think it will be worth while trying to get into St. Aubyn’s Bay by -ourselves.” - -“I think so, too, Watkins, but we will see what it is like before it -gets dark; if we can pick up a pilot all the better; if not, we will lie -to till morning, if the weather keeps thick; but if it clears so that we -can make out all the lights we ought to be able to get into the bay -anyhow.” - -An hour later the rain ceased and the sky appeared somewhat clearer. -Suddenly Watkins exclaimed, “There is a wreck, sir! There, three miles -away to leeward. She is on the Paternosters.” - -“Good Heavens! she is a steamer,” Tom exclaimed, as he caught sight of -her the next time the _Seabird_ lifted on a wave. “Can she be the -Southampton boat, do you think?” - -“Like enough, sir, she may have had it thicker than we had, and may not -have calculated enough for the current.” - -“Up helm, Jack, and bear away towards her. Shall we shake out a reef, -Watkins?” - -“I wouldn’t, sir; she has got as much as she can carry on her now. We -must mind what we are doing, sir; the currents run like a millstream, -and if we get that reef under our lee, and the wind and current both -setting us on to it, it will be all up with us in no time.” - -“Yes, I know that, Watkins. Jack, take the helm a minute while we run -down and look at the chart. - -“Our only chance, Watkins, is to work up behind the reef, and try and -get so that they can either fasten a line to a buoy and let it float -down to us, or get into a boat, if they have one left, and drift to us.” - -“They are an awful group of rocks,” Watkins said, as they examined the -chart; “you see some of them show merely at high tide, and a lot of them -are above at low water. It will be an awful business to get among them -rocks, sir, just about as near certain death as a thing can be.” - -“Well, it’s got to be done, Watkins,” Tom said firmly. “I see the danger -as well as you do, but whatever the risk it must be tried. Mr. Grantham -and the two ladies went on board by my persuasion, and I should never -forgive myself if anything happened to them. But I will speak to the -men.” - -He went on deck again and called the men to him. “Look here, lads; you -see that steamer ashore on the Paternosters. In such a sea as this she -may go to pieces in half an hour. I am determined to make an effort to -save the lives of those on board. As you can see for yourselves there is -no lying to weather of her, with the current and wind driving us on to -the reef; we must beat up from behind. Now, lads, the sea there is full -of rocks, and the chances are ten to one we strike on to them and go to -pieces; but, anyhow, I am going to try; but I won’t take you unless you -are willing. The boat is a good one, and the zinc chambers will keep her -afloat if she fills; well managed, you ought to be able to make the -coast of Jersey in her. Mr. Harvey, Watkins, and I can handle the -yacht, so you can take the boat if you like.” - -The men replied that they would stick to the yacht wherever Mr. Virtue -chose to take her, and muttered something about the ladies, for the -pleasant faces of Mrs. Grantham and Miss Graham had, during the -fortnight they had been on board, won the men’s hearts. - -“Very well, lads, I am glad to find you will stick by me; if we pull -safely through it I will give each of you three months’ wages. Now set -to work with a will and get the gig out. We will tow her after us, and -take to her if we make a smash of it.” - -They were now near enough to see the white breakers, in the middle of -which the ship was lying. She was fast breaking up. The jagged outline -showed that the stern had been beaten in. The masts and funnel were -gone, and the waves seemed to make a clean breach over her, almost -hiding her from sight in a white cloud of spray. - -“Wood and iron can’t stand that much longer,” Jack Harvey said; “another -hour and I should say there won’t be two planks left together.” - -“It is awful, Jack; I would give all I have in the world if I had not -persuaded them to go on board. Keep her off a little more, Watkins.” - -The _Seabird_ passed within a cable’s-length of the breakers at the -northern end of the reef. - -“Now, lads, take your places at the sheets, ready to haul or let go as I -give the word.” So saying, Tom Virtue took his place in the bow, holding -on by the forestay. - -The wind was full on the _Seabird’s_ beam as she entered the broken -water. Here and there the dark heads of the rocks showed above the -water. These were easy enough to avoid, the danger lay in those hidden -beneath its surface, and whose position was indicated only by the -occasional break of a sea as it passed over them. Every time the -_Seabird_ sank on a wave those on board involuntarily held their breath, -but the water here was comparatively smooth, the sea having spent its -first force upon the outer reef. With a wave of his hand Tom directed -the helmsman as to his course, and the little yacht was admirably -handled through the dangers. - -“I begin to think we shall do it,” Tom said to Jack Harvey, who was -standing close to him. “Another five minutes and we shall be within -reach of her.” - -It could be seen now that there was a group of people clustered in the -bow of the wreck. Two or three light lines were coiled in readiness for -throwing. - -“Now, Watkins,” Tom said, going aft, “make straight for the wreck. I see -no broken water between us and them, and possibly there may be deep -water under their bow.” - -It was an anxious moment, as, with the sails flattened in, the yawl -forged up nearly in the eye of the wind towards the wreck. Her progress -was slow, for she was now stemming the current. - -Tom stood with a coil of line in his hand in the bow. - -“You get ready to throw, Jack, if I miss.” - -Nearer and nearer the yacht approached the wreck, until the bowsprit of -the latter seemed to stand almost over her. Then Tom threw the line. It -fell over the bowsprit, and a cheer broke from those on board the wreck -and from the sailors of the _Seabird_. A stronger line was at once -fastened to that thrown, and to this a strong hawser was attached. - -“Down with the helm, Watkins. Now, lads, lower away the try-sail as fast -as you can. Now, one of you, clear that hawser as they haul on it. Now -out with the anchors.” - -These had been got into readiness; it was not thought that they would -get any hold on the rocky bottom, still they might catch on a projecting -ledge and at any rate their weight and that of the chain cable would -relieve the strain upon the hawser. - -Two sailors had run out on the bowsprit of the wreck as soon as the line -was thrown, and the end of the hawser was now on board the steamer. - -“Thank God, there’s Grantham!” Jack Harvey Exclaimed; “do you see him -waving his hand?” - -“I see him,” Tom said, “but I don’t see the ladies.” - -“They are there, no doubt,” Jack said confidently; “crouching down, I -expect. He would not be there if they weren’t, you may be sure. Yes, -there they are; those two muffled-up figures. There, one of them has -thrown back her cloak and is waving her arm.” - -The two young men waved their caps. - -“Are the anchors holding, Watkins? There’s a tremendous strain on that -hawser.” - -“I think so, sir; they are both tight.” - -“Put them round the windlass, and give a turn or two, we must relieve -the strain on that hawser.” - -Since they had first seen the wreck the waves had made great progress in -the work of destruction, and the steamer had broken in two just aft of -the engines. - -“Get over the spare spars, Watkins, and fasten them to float in front of -her bows like a triangle. Matthews, catch hold of that boat-hook and try -to fend off any piece of timber that comes along. You get hold of the -sweeps, lads, and do the same. They would stave her in like a nutshell -if they struck her.” - -“Thank God, here comes the first of them!” - -Those on board the steamer had not been idle. As soon as the yawl was -seen approaching slings were prepared, and no sooner was the hawser -securely fixed, than the slings were attached to it and a woman placed -in them. The hawser was tight and the descent sharp, and without a -check the figure ran down to the deck of the _Seabird_. She was lifted -out of the slings by Tom and Jack Harvey, who found she was an old woman -and had entirely lost consciousness. - -“Two of you carry her down below; tell Johnson to pour a little brandy -down her throat. Give her some hot soup as soon as she comes to.” - -Another woman was lowered and helped below. The next to descend was Mrs. -Grantham. - -“Thank God, you are rescued!” Tom said, as he helped her out of the -sling. - -“Thank God, indeed,” Mrs. Grantham said, “and thank you all! Oh, Tom, we -have had a terrible time of it, and had lost all hope till we saw your -sail, and even then the captain said that he was afraid nothing could be -done. Minnie was the first to make out it was you, and then we began to -hope. She has been so brave, dear girl. Ah! here she comes.” - -But Minnie’s firmness came to an end now that she felt the need for it -was over. She was unable to stand when she was lifted from the slings, -and Tom carried her below. - -“Are there any more women, Mrs. Grantham?” - -“No; there was only one other lady passenger and the stewardess.” - -“Then you had better take possession of your own cabin. I ordered -Johnson to spread a couple more mattresses and some bedding on the -floor, so you will all four be able to turn in. There’s plenty of hot -coffee and soup. I should advise soup with two or three spoonfuls of -brandy in it. Now, excuse me; I must go upon deck.” - -Twelve men descended by the hawser, one of them with both legs broken by -the fall of the mizzen. The last to come was the captain. - -“Is that all?” Tom asked. - -“That is all,” the captain said. “Six men were swept overboard when she -first struck, and two were killed by the fall of the funnel. Fortunately -we had only three gentlemen passengers and three ladies on board. The -weather looked so wild when we started that no one else cared about -making the passage. God bless you, sir, for what you have done! Another -half-hour and it would have been all over with us. But it seems like a -miracle your getting safe through the rocks to us.” - -“It was fortunate indeed that we came along,” Tom said; “three of the -passengers are dear friends of mine; and as it was by my persuasion that -they came across in the steamer instead of in the yacht, I should never -have forgiven myself if they had been lost. Take all your men below, -captain; you will find plenty of hot soup there. Now, Watkins, let us be -off; that steamer won’t hold together many minutes longer, so there’s no -time to lose. We will go back as we came. Give me a hatchet. Now, lads, -two of you stand at the chain-cables; knock out the shackles the moment -I cut the hawser. Watkins, you take the helm and let her head pay off -till the jib fills. Jack, you lend a hand to the other two, and get up -the try-sail again as soon as we are free.” - -In a moment all were at their stations. The helm was put on the yacht, -and she payed off on the opposite tack to that on which she had before -been sailing. As soon as the jib filled, Tom gave two vigorous blows -with his hatchet on the hawser, and, as he lifted his hand for a third, -it parted. Then came the sharp rattle of the chains as they ran round -the hawser-holes. The try-sail was hoisted and sheeted home, and the -_Seabird_ was under way again. Tom, as before, conned the ship from the -bow. Several times she was in close proximity to the rocks, but each -time she avoided them. A shout of gladness rose from all on deck as she -passed the last patch of white water. Then she tacked and bore away for -Jersey. - -Tom had now time to go down below and look after his passengers. They -consisted of the captain and two sailors--the sole survivors of those -who had been on deck when the vessel struck--three male passengers, and -six engineers and stokers. - -“I have not had time to shake you by the hand before, Tom,” Grantham -said, as Tom Virtue entered; “and I thought you would not want me on -deck at present. God bless you, old fellow! we all owe you our lives.” - -“How did it happen, captain?” Tom asked, as the captain also came up to -him. - -“It was the currents, I suppose,” the captain said; “it was so thick we -could not see a quarter of a mile any way. The weather was so wild I -would not put into Guernsey, and passed the island without seeing it. I -steered my usual course, but the gale must have altered the currents, -for I thought I was three miles away from the reef, when we saw it on -our beam, not a hundred yards away. It was too late to avoid it then, -and in another minute we ran upon it, and the waves were sweeping over -us. Everyone behaved well. I got all, except those who had been swept -overboard or crushed by the funnel, up into the bow of the ship, and -there we waited. There was nothing to be done. No boat would live for a -moment in the sea on that reef, and all I could advise was that when she -went to pieces everyone should try to get hold of a floating fragment; -but I doubt whether a man would have been alive a quarter of an hour -after she went to pieces.” - -“Perhaps, captain, you will come on deck with me and give me the benefit -of your advice. My skipper and I know the islands pretty well, but no -doubt you know them a good deal better, and I don’t want another -mishap.” - -But the _Seabird_ avoided all further dangers, and as it became dark -the lights of St. Helier’s were in sight, and an hour later the yacht -brought up in the port and landed her involuntary passengers. - -A fortnight afterwards the _Seabird_ returned to England, and two months -later Mrs. Grantham had the satisfaction of being present at the -ceremony which was the successful consummation of her little scheme in -inviting Minnie Graham to be her companion on board the _Seabird_. - -“Well, my dear,” her husband said, when she indulged in a little natural -triumph, “I do not say that it has not turned out well, and I am -heartily glad for both Tom and Minnie’s sake it has so; but you must -allow that it very nearly had a disastrous ending, and I think if I were -you I should leave matters to take their natural course in future. I -have accepted Tom’s invitation for the same party to take a cruise in -the _Seabird_ next summer, but I have bargained that next time a storm -is brewing up we shall stop quietly in port.” - -“That’s all very well, James,” Mrs. Grantham said saucily; “but you must -remember that Tom Virtue will only be first-mate of the _Seabird_ in -future.” - -“That I shall be able to tell you better, my dear, after our next -cruise. All husbands are not as docile and easily led as I am.” - - * * * * * - - The Aeroplane Series - - By JOHN LUTHER LANGWORTHY - - - 1. The Aeroplane Boys; or, The Young Pilots First Air Voyage - - 2. The Aeroplane Boys on the Wing; or, Aeroplane Chums in the Tropics - - 3. The Aeroplane Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young Aviators in a Wreck - - 4. The Aeroplane Boys’ Flights; or, A Hydroplane Round-up - - 5. The Aeroplane Boys on a Cattle Ranch - - * * * * * - - The Girl Aviator Series - - By MARGARET BURNHAM - - -Just the type of books that delight and fascinate the wide awake Girls -of the present day who are between the ages of eight and fourteen years. -The great author of these books regards them as the best products of her -pen. Printed from large clear type on a superior quality of paper; -attractive multi-color jacket wrapper around each book. Bound in cloth. - - 1. The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship - - 2. The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings - - 3. The Girl Aviators’ Sky Cruise - - 4. The Girl Aviators’ Motor Butterfly. - - -_For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of 75c._ - - M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY - - 701-733 S. DEARBORN STREET :: CHICAGO - * * * * * - - Radio Boys Series - - -1. Radio Boys in the Secret Service; -or, Cast Away on an Iceberg FRANK HONEYWELL - -2. Radio Boys on the Thousand Islands; -or, The Yankee Canadian Wireless Trail FRANK HONEYWELL - -3. Radio Boys in the Flying Service; -or, Held for Ransom by Mexican Bandits J. W. DUFFIELD - -4. Radio Boys Under the Sea; -or, The Hunt for the Sunken Treasure J. W. DUFFIELD - -5. Radio Boys Cronies; -or, Bill Brown’s Radio WAYNE WHIPPLE - -6. Radio Boys Loyalty; -or, Bill Brown Listens In WAYNE WHIPPLE - - - * * * * * - - Peggy Parson’s Series - - By ANNABEL SHARP - - -A popular and charming series of Girl’s books dealing in an interesting -and fascinating manner with the life and adventures of Girlhood so dear -to all Girls from eight to fourteen years of age. Printed from large -clear type on superior quality paper, multicolor jacket. Bound in cloth. - -1. Peggy Parson Hampton Freshman - -2. Peggy Parson at Prep School - - -_For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of 75c._ - - M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY - - 701-733 S. DEARBORN STREET :: CHICAGO - - * * * * * - - The American Boy’s - - Sports Series - - BY MARK OVERTON - - 12 Mo Cloth. Illustrated. Price 60c Each. - - -These stories touch upon nearly every sport in which the active boy is -interested. Baseball, rowing, football, hockey, skating, ice-boating, -sailing, camping and fishing all serve to lend interest to an unusual -series of books. There are the following four titles: - -1. Jack Winters’ Baseball Team; or, The Mystery of the Diamond. - -2. Jack Winters’ Campmates; or, Vacation Days in the Woods. - -3. Jack Winters’ Gridiron Chums; or, When the Half-back Saved the Day. - -4. Jack Winters’ Iceboat Wonder; or, Leading the Hockey Team to Victory. - - M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY - - 701-733 S. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Julius, The Street Boy - or Out West - -Author: Horatio Alger Jr. - -Release Date: December 28, 2016 [EBook #53821] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JULIUS, THE STREET BOY *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="321" height="500" alt="[Image -of the book's cover unavailble.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3"></a>{3}</span></p> - -<h1> -JULIUS, THE STREET BOY<br /> -OR<br /> -OUT WEST</h1> - -<p class="c"> -BY<br /> -HORATIO ALGER, JR.<br /> -<br /> -Author of<br /> -<br /> -<small>Brave and Bold, Bound to Rise, Risen from the Ranks, Erie Train<br /> -Boy, Paul, the Peddler, Phil, the Fiddler,<br /> -Young Acrobat, Etc.</small><br /> -<br /> -<img src="images/colophon.png" width="100" -alt="colophon" /> -<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Made in U. S. A.</span><br /> -<br /> -M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY<br /> -CHICAGO<span style="margin-left: 2em; -margin-right:2em;"> :: </span>NEW YORK<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4"></a>{4}</span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border: 2px black solid;margin:2em auto 1em auto;max-width:50%; -padding:1%;"> -<tr><td> -<p class="c"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_II">II., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_III">III., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_V">V., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VI., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">VII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">VIII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">IX., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_X">X., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">XI., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">XII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">XIII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">XIV., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XV">XV., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">XVI., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">XVII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">XIX., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XX">XX., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">XXI., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">XXII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">XXIII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">XXIV., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">XXV., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">XXVI., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">XXVII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">XXVIII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">XXIX., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">XXX. </a><br /> -<a href="#THE_PATERNOSTERS">THE PATERNOSTERS. </a> -</p> -</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5"></a>{5}</span></p> - -<h1>JULIUS, THE STREET BOY.</h1> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -<small>RETIRED FROM BUSINESS.</small></h2> - -<p>“Where are you goin’, Julius? Where’s yer blackin’ box?” asked Patrick -Riley.</p> - -<p>“I’ve retired from business,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Did yer rich uncle die, and leave yer a fortune?”</p> - -<p>“No, but he’s goin’ up the river to Sing Sing, for the benefit of his -constitushun, and I’m goin’ West fer my health.”</p> - -<p>“Goin’ West? You’re gassin’.”</p> - -<p>“No, I ain’t, I’m goin’ in a few days, along of Mr. O’Connor, and a lot -of other chaps.”</p> - -<p>“Is it far out there?” asked Pat.</p> - -<p>“More’n a hundred miles,” said Julius, whose ideas of geography and -distances were rather vague.</p> - -<p>“Yer don’t mean ter live out there?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I do, I’m goin’ on to a farm, or into a store, and grow up -respectable.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t yer miss the city, Julius?”</p> - -<p>“Likely I will.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I’d like the country,” said Pat, reflectively.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6"></a>{6}</span> “New -York’s a bully place. There’s always something goin’ on. I say, did you -hear of that murder in Center Street last night?”</p> - -<p>“No; what was it?”</p> - -<p>“A feller stabbed a cop that was trottin’ him round to the station house -for bein’ tight. There’s always something to make it lively here. In the -country there ain’t no murders, nor burglaries, nor nothin’,” concluded -Pat, rather contemptuously.</p> - -<p>“I hope there’s theayters,” said Julius, thoughtfully. “I like to go -when there’s a good lively piece.”</p> - -<p>“Have you been to our theayter yet, Julius?”</p> - -<p>“Your theayter?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, me and some of the boys have got up a theayter. We do the pieces -and actin’ ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“Where is it?” asked Julius, with lively curiosity.</p> - -<p>“It’s No. 17 Baxter Street, down in the basement. We call it ‘The Grand -Duke’s Oprea House.’ We don’t have to pay no rent. It’s Jim Campara’s -place, an’ he’s treasurer, so his father don’t charge nothin’.”</p> - -<p>“How long have you been goin’, Pat?”</p> - -<p>“Most a month. We play every night.”</p> - -<p>“Are you doin’ well? Do you make money?”</p> - -<p>“Tiptop. I say, Julius, yer must come to-night. It’s my benefit.”</p> - -<p>“Do you get all the money that’s took in?”</p> - -<p>“No, half goes for expenses. I get the rest.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7"></a>{7}</span></p> - -<p>“What do you do?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I play nigger parts, and dance the jigs.”</p> - -<p>“What do you charge for a ticket?”</p> - -<p>“Five cents admission, and eight cents reserved seats.”</p> - -<p>“That’s cheaper’n Tony Pastor’s.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; we can’t expect to get so much as Tony, ’cause yer know we ain’t -purfessional. We’re amatoors.”</p> - -<p>“How much do you get for your valuable services, Pat?” asked Julius, -laughing.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell yer the way we do. Jim Campara—he’s the treasurer—keeps all -the stamps till the end of the week, and then it is divided between us. -Last week I got three dollars.”</p> - -<p>“You did! Well, that’s pretty good pay.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Pat, “there’s some expenses. I have to pay for my -wardrobe.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p>“My stage clo’es. Besides I have to practice dancin’ in the daytime. I -ain’t Pat Riley on the stage.”</p> - -<p>“What are you, then?”</p> - -<p>“My actin’ name is ‘Miles O’Reilly.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“What made you change?”</p> - -<p>“Yer see it sounds grander than Pat Riley.”</p> - -<p>“Who acts besides you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, there’s Dan Conroy, Pete Connors, Teddy Sullivan, Jim McGrath, Dick -Burke, Jim Gillispie and Campara.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8"></a>{8}</span></p> - -<p>“If I was goin’ to stay in the city I’d like to play too,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you ain’t got a genius for it,” responded the eminent negro -comedian. “Lots of boys wants to come in, but we don’t take none if they -can’t act. There was Billy Burke wanted to come; but we tried him, an’ -he couldn’t play no more’n a stick. We want fellers that’ll draw. You -come round to-night, an’ you’ll see what we can do.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I will. What number did you say?”</p> - -<p>“No. 17 Baxter Street. Curtain rises at eight o’clock, prompt.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be there. What yer goin’ to play?”</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Laughin’ Gas’ and ‘Dick Turpin’ is the principal pieces, but the -‘Mulligan Guards’ is the best. Yer better be on time, for it’s my -benefit, and my friends will be out in crowds.”</p> - -<p>Here’s Pat’s keen eyes detected a gentleman with soiled boots, and he -called out, “Shine yer boots, mister?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if you’ll be quick about it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll shine ’em up in half a second, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead!”</p> - -<p>The gentleman submitted his boots to the professional efforts of Pat, -unaware that the young bootblack was the celebrated Miles O’Reilly of -the “Grand Duke’s Oprea House.” Probably he had never visited that -famous and fashionable place of amusement, or he would<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9"></a>{9}</span> have recognized -the face of one of the most brilliant stars in the galaxy of talent -which nightly appeared upon its humble stage.</p> - -<p>Julius went on his way, being for a few days a gentleman of leisure. For -the benefit of such readers as may not be familiar with the details of -his story as told in “Slow and Sure,” it is well to record the fact that -he had been brought up by Jack Morgan, a thief and burglar, who, for the -last four years, had spent half of his time on Blackwell’s Island. When -at liberty, Julius lived with him. When he was in seclusion, Julius -looked out for himself, and, being sharp and shrewd, and accustomed to -depend upon his own exertions, managed just as well without his guardian -as with him. He had no particular reason to like Jack, who merely gave -him the liberty of earning his own living, and frequently borrowed his -scanty earnings without thinking it necessary to repay them.</p> - -<p>Some weeks before, Jack, with a friend and confederate, Marlowe, formed -a plan for entering a house on Madison Avenue, which, they had reason to -believe, contained a considerable amount of plate. The owner was absent -in Europe and the house was left during his absence under the care of -Paul Hoffman and his mother. Paul, whose early history is recorded in -“Paul, the Peddler,” was the proprietor of a street necktie stand, near -the Astor House. He had on one occasion shown kindness<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10"></a>{10}</span> to Julius, and -the latter was grateful. Learning that Jack and Marlowe proposed to -enter the house occupied by Paul, he showed his gratitude by giving the -young street merchant an intimation of their intentions. Thus, when the -attempt was made, Paul was prepared, and the two burglars walked into a -trap. Jack was caught on the spot, but Marlowe for the time escaped. Had -he left the city at once, he might have escaped wholly. But he was -inflamed with bitter anger against the boy Julius, who, as he rightly -judged, had betrayed them, and he was determined to be revenged. -Following the boy to Staten Island, he overtook him in a lonely place, -and but for timely interference might have murdered him, in which case -the present volume would never have been written.</p> - -<p>But Julius was reserved for better things. His dangerous enemy was -arrested, and being identified as having been concerned in the Madison -Avenue robbery, was tried in due form, and sentenced to ten years’ -imprisonment in Sing Sing.</p> - -<p>I have anticipated matters a little, as at the time the present story -opens both he and Jack Morgan were temporarily confined in the Tombs, -while awaiting trial.</p> - -<p>As for Julius, he was rewarded by a gift of fifty dollars, and, by the -advice of his new friends, determined to seek a home in the West, going -out under the auspices of the Children’s Aid Society. The company of -which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11"></a>{11}</span> he was to be one was to start in a few days. Meanwhile Julius -decided to enjoy a rest from his usual labors, having an ample supply of -money to meet his small expenses. On the whole, he was pleased with the -idea of going West. But, apart from this consideration, he felt that his -life would not be safe in the city should Jack Morgan or Marlowe succeed -in breaking jail, as they had done more than once before. The boy had -good reason to apprehend danger, for he well knew their brutal natures, -and their unscrupulousness, and that they would stop at no crime in -wreaking vengeance upon him. Once out West, however, he would be out of -their reach, and it was not likely that they would follow him out -there.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12"></a>{12}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -<small>THE “GRAND DUKE’S OPREA HOUSE.”</small></h2> - -<p>Some minutes before eight, Julius reached the “Grand Duke’s Oprea -House.” It is very eligibly located on Baxter Street not far from the -famous Five Points. Perhaps in consequence of the filthy condition of -the streets in the immediate neighborhood, visitors are not expected to -appear in full dress, and nothing is more common than for the young -gentlemen who patronize it to dispense with coat or vest, or both. As -for kid gloves, these are not tolerated at the <i>Oprea</i> House, and a -fellow who indulged in them would be regarded as “puttin’ on airs,” and -probably be hustled out unceremoniously, as guilty of a gross insult to -the rest of the spectators.</p> - -<p>The entrance to the Grand Duke theatre is not imposing. In fact, the -visitor is obliged to descend a shaky staircase into a cellar about ten -feet below the level of the sidewalk.</p> - -<p>“It’s like goin’ down into a coal mine,” remarked Julius to Pat Riley, -who was acting as his guide.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Pat; “but we have jolly fun when we get there.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13"></a>{13}</span></p> - -<p>Reaching the bottom of the flight of steps, Julius found himself -confronted by the ticket seller who was looking out of a square hole, -over which were marked the prices of admission.</p> - -<p>“That’s where yer pay,” said Pat. “I go in free, coz I’m one of the -actors.”</p> - -<p>“Five cents,” said the keeper of the box office.</p> - -<p>“There it is,” said Julius, who had come provided with the right change.</p> - -<p>The treasurer pulled a cord connecting with the door of entrance, and -Julius entered.</p> - -<p>The <i>Oprea</i> House proved to consist of a room twenty feet by thirty, and -six and a half feet high. A portion of this was set apart as a stage, in -front of which hung a curtain of turkey-red calico, four breadths wide. -On one side was a lofty pillar with a scroll, on which was written the -ambitious name of this temple of the muses, “Grand Duke’s Oprea House.” -In place of the customary footlights was a kerosene lamp, which with the -aid of a concave reflector illuminated the room.</p> - -<p>“What do yer think of it, Julius?” asked Pat, with justifiable pride.</p> - -<p>“It’s bully.”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t it? Do yer see that?”</p> - -<p>Pat pointed to a large broadside of brown packing paper, on which was -rudely scrawled:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14"></a>{14}</span></p> - -<p class="c"> -“<small>BENEFIT</small><br /> -OF<br /> -<span class="smcap">Miles O’Reilly</span>,<br /> -The Great Nigger Komedian<br /> -<small>AND</small><br /> -Jig Dancer.”<br /> -</p> - -<p>“That’s me!” said Pat, with professional pride. “It looks big, don’t -it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Julius, admiringly.</p> - -<p>“There’s lots of chaps would give all they could make on shines in a -week, to hev their names put up there,” said Pat, confidentially.</p> - -<p>“I’d like it myself,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Ef you wos goin’ to stay in the city, I’d learn you some jigs,” said -Pat, “and see what you was made of. It isn’t every feller that can make -a good jig dancer.”</p> - -<p>“How are you, Miles?” said a large boy, slapping Pat on the shoulder. “I -guess you’ll have a good house.”</p> - -<p>“I hope I will. Dave, this is a friend of mine. He ain’t been to the -<i>Oprea</i> House before.”</p> - -<p>“Glad to see yer,” said David Conroy, with dignified affability. “Hope -yer’ll get yer money’s worth.”</p> - -<p>To this Julius made a suitable reply.</p> - -<p>“Dave is stage manager,” said Pat. “He kin do anything, kin Dave. He -painted the sceneries; you’ll see ’em bimeby, and he’s the best actor -we’ve got. He’s captain of the Mulligans. There ain’t nothin’ that -feller<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15"></a>{15}</span> can’t do,” concluded Pat, with unmistakable admiration expressed -in his tone.</p> - -<p>“Where do you get your plays from, Pat?”</p> - -<p>“Call me Miles while we are in the <i>Oprea</i> House. That’s my name here.”</p> - -<p>“Miles, then.”</p> - -<p>“Dave fixes ’em up out of plays at the Theatre Comique, and some of the -songs we gits from Tony Pastor’s. If there was time I’d take you behind -the sceneries. But it’s most time to begin.”</p> - -<p>“Miles O’Reilly is wanted,” was heard from behind the curtain, and the -great comedian left our hero and hurried behind the scenes.</p> - -<p>By this time the cellar was nearly full of boys, varying in age from -five to twenty, who were crowded together in such near proximity as the -limited size of the auditorium rendered imperatively necessary. The -front row was close up to the curtain, and here Julius was fortunate -enough to secure a place.</p> - -<p>The stiffness and reserve which characterize the spectators at other -theatres was dispensed with at the free and easy “Grand Duke’s Oprea -House.” Cheerful and jocose remarks were interchanged, spiced with -genial humor, and occasionally tinged with sarcastic remarks of a -personal character. But all was taken in good part. At last, however, -the patrons became impatient, and calls were heard, such as, “What yer -waitin’ fur?” “Hurry<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16"></a>{16}</span> up de overture!” “Have yer gone ter sleep behind -there?”</p> - -<p>At last the manager responded to the flattering impatience of his -patrons. The curtain arose and displayed the orchestra consisting of two -musicians, a performer on an accordeon and a bone-player. The overture -was made up of pieces skillfully selected by the manager to suit the -tastes of the audience. Choice gems from “Norma,” “Trovatore,” and -“Faust” would not have satisfied the fastidious tastes of the Grand -Duke’s patrons. Instead of these, such choice airs as “Squeeze me, Joe,” -and “Up in Avenue A,” afforded unmistakable pleasure, and the whole -closed with “The Campbells Are Coming,” which was rendered with spirit -and general acceptance.</p> - -<p>Next came the comedy, “Laughing Gas,” in which the gas is administered -to a variety of patients, who are differently affected, one laughing, -another dancing, another combative, and so on. The acting was rude, but -lively, and the piece was rapturously applauded. In this applause Julius -bore his full part. Though he is my hero I have no desire to represent -him as more refined or better educated than the majority of his -companions. The classic drama or the opera, as brought out at the -Academy, would have been far less attractive to him than this rude -performance.</p> - -<p>He was no less pleased with the next piece, in which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17"></a>{17}</span> two boys, -representing <i>Tom King</i> and <i>Dick Turpin</i>, appear on the stage with dark -lanterns, and attempt the robbery of a house, but become panic-stricken, -and exhibit more alarm than the occupants of the house. This, of course, -amuses the spectators.</p> - -<p>“It ’minds me of Jack and Marlowe,” said Julius to his next neighbor, -“when they was robbin’ the house on Madison Avenue.”</p> - -<p>“Was you there?” asked the other.</p> - -<p>“No, but I knew all about it. I lived with Jack.”</p> - -<p>“You did!” repeated the other, with something like awe at finding his -neighbor to have been intimate with so illustrious a criminal. “How did -you like him?”</p> - -<p>“Jack wa’n’t a bad sort,” said Julius, “except when he was sprung. I -like him better than Marlowe.”</p> - -<p>“They was took by the cops, wasn’t they?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, they was took,” said Julius, shortly.</p> - -<p>His own agency in the affair he didn’t care to mention, chiefly because -in the class to which he belonged it was considered a point of honor to -make common cause against the cops, that is, against the conviction of -those who transgress the laws, and our hero felt that the revelation of -his agency in entrapping his associates would not increase his -popularity. Nor would he have taken the part he did but for the -gratitude he felt to Paul, and the fear that he would suffer harm.</p> - -<p>Later in the evening the beneficiary, the great Miles<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18"></a>{18}</span> O’Reilly, -appeared in a jig, which was very creditably danced. His appearance was -the signal for a noisy ovation; due partly to his general popularity, -and partly to his position as the beneficiary of the evening.</p> - -<p>“Good for yer, Miles!” expressed the general appreciation of his -efforts. Space will not permit us to enlarge on the other features in -the programme of the evening. Evidently “The Mulligan Guards” was most -popular, being received with tremendous applause. To gratify the -curiosity of such of my readers as are not familiar with this celebrated -local song, the first verse is here introduced:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“We crave your condescension,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">We’ll tell you what we know<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Of marching in the Mulligan Guard,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">From Sligoward below.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Our captain’s name was Hussey,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">A Tipperary man,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">He carried his sword like a Russian duke,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Whenever he took command.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">Chorus.</span></p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“We shouldered guns, and marched and marched away,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">From Baxter Street we marched to Avenue A;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With drums and fifes how sweetly they did play,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">As we marched, marched, marched in the Mulligan Guard.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The effect of the song is heightened by the marching of the Guards, the -roll of the drum, and presenting arms, which the young actors went -through very creditably.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19"></a>{19}</span></p> - -<p>At the close, Miles was summoned before the curtain, and a speech was -called for. As the recipient of the benefit the eminent actor could not -very well decline. He presented himself with a low bow, and said:</p> - -<p>“Boys, I’m glad to welcome yez here this evening. I don’t care so much -for the stamps.” (“Oh, no! course yer don’t!” came in ironical accents -from some one in the audience.) “That’s so, Jim Blin, and you know it. -I’m glad yez like my dancin’! I won’t say no more, ’cause I ain’t used -to makin’ speeches, but, with the kind permission of the manager, I’ll -give yez anuther jig, and wish you good-night!”</p> - -<p>Here the speaker bowed, the music struck up, and, to the satisfaction of -all, the beneficiary repeated his performance. Then there was a rush for -the door and in five minutes the “Grand Duke’s Oprea House” was silent -and deserted.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20"></a>{20}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -<small>ON THE RAILWAY.</small></h2> - -<p>As the time approached for his leaving New York, Julius could not help -feeling a little regret. The great city had been a harsh stepmother to -him. He had suffered often from cold and hunger, during the years that -he had been drifting about her streets, an unconsidered waif in the -great sea of life. He had received kindness from few, harshness from -many. From the age of five he had been forced to earn his own living, -with no one to look out for him except a professional thief. He had seen -more of the dark than the bright side of life, but he had not been -without his enjoyments. Youth is hopeful and can find enjoyment under -the most unpropitious circumstances.</p> - -<p>So Julius, as he took his last walk through the streets with which he -had for years been familiar, felt sorry that he was to leave them the -next day, perhaps, for many years. It is true he hoped to do better at -the West, but all his present associations were with Broadway, Chatham -Street, and the Bowery, and City Hall Park, and his new life would seem -strange at first.</p> - -<p>But when all preparations had been made and he found himself seated in -the cars, dressed in a new suit, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21"></a>{21}</span> thirty other boys, under the -general charge of Mr. O’Connor, the superintendent of the Newsboys’ -Lodging House, he forgot the city, and was exhilarated by the rapid -motion of the cars, and the varied panorama through which he was swiftly -passing.</p> - -<p>“Ain’t it bully, Teddy?” said he to one of his city acquaintances who -occupied the adjoining seat.</p> - -<p>“That’s so, Julius. I never rid in the cars before.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you?” said Julius, with complacent superiority. “I have.”</p> - -<p>“Where’d you go?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I went to Newark, and one summer I went to Long Branch—that’s a -big watering place, you know. Both places are in New Jersey. I stayed a -week at Long Branch.”</p> - -<p>“Did you put up at one of the big hotels?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I put up at the Continental Hotel.”</p> - -<p>“You’re gassin’!”</p> - -<p>“No, I ain’t.”</p> - -<p>“How much did you pay?”</p> - -<p>“I forgot to ask for the bill,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Where’d you sleep?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I slept in a bathing house, on the beach. It belonged to the -hotel.”</p> - -<p>“How’d you like it?”</p> - -<p>“Pretty good, only the tide came up so high that it poured into the -bathing house, and gave me a wetting.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22"></a>{22}</span></p> - -<p>“Did you get anything to do?”</p> - -<p>“I made a few stamps by blackin’ boots, but the black-boots in the hotel -said he’d bounce me for interferin’ with his business. So I thought I’d -come back to the city. I didn’t mind much, for there wasn’t much goin’ -on in the daytime.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know how long we’ll be travelin’?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor told me it would take us two days and nights, and perhaps -more. He says it’s more’n a thousand miles.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose’n we don’t like it, and want to come back?”</p> - -<p>“We can’t do it without money.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t got but a dollar.”</p> - -<p>“I have got forty dollars,” said Julius, complacently.</p> - -<p>“Where’d you get such a pile?” asked Teddy, who regarded forty dollars -as quite a fortune.</p> - -<p>“Speculatin’ in real estate,” answered Julius, who did not care to -mention exactly how he came by the money.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe you’ve got so much,” said Teddy, who was under the -impression that he was being sold.</p> - -<p>“I’ll show you part of it,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>He drew out a pocketbook, and displayed five one-dollar bills, and a -small amount of fractional currency.</p> - -<p>“That’s only five dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor’s got the rest. He’s goin’ to give it to the man that I’m -to live with to take care of for me.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23"></a>{23}</span> I’d rather he’d keep it. I might -lose it, or spend it foolish.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re in luck. I jist wish I had half as much.”</p> - -<p>“Do you remember Jim Driscoll, that used to sell papers on Nassau -Street?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I knew him; where is he?”</p> - -<p>“He went West about two years ago. He’s doin’ well. Got fifty dollars in -the savings bank, and a good home besides.”</p> - -<p>“Who told you?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor. He had a letter from him.”</p> - -<p>“Jim can’t write, nor read either. When he was sellin’ papers in Nassau -Street, he used to ask what was the news. Sometimes I told him wrong. -Once I told him the President was dead, and he didn’t know no better -than to believe it. He sold his papers fast, but the last chap got mad -and booted him.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Jim can write now. He’s been to school since he was out there.”</p> - -<p>“He can do more’n I can. I can read easy readin’, but I can’t write no -more’n a lamp-post.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I,” said Julius, “but I mean to learn. I can’t read much, either.”</p> - -<p>“I say, Julius; won’t it seem odd if we made money, and come to New York -and put up at a big hotel, and get our boots blacked, just like the -customers we used to have?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24"></a>{24}</span></p> - -<p>“That’s what I mean to do, Teddy. I’ve got tired of knockin’ round the -streets, as I have ever since I was knee high to a toad.”</p> - -<p>“So have I, Julius. But I expect we’ll have to work hard.”</p> - -<p>“I always did have to work. I’ll be willin’ to work when I’ve got a good -home, and feel that I’m gettin’ along.”</p> - -<p>The time had come to both of these homeless boys when they had become -tired of their vagrant life and Arab-like condition. They had a vague -idea of what is meant by respectability, and they began to appreciate -its value. They could see that the street life they had been leading -must soon terminate, and that it was time to form plans for the future. -In a few years they would be men, and lay aside the street employments -by which they had gained a scanty and miserable living. When that time -came, would they take a respectable place in the ranks of workingmen, or -become social outlaws like Jack Morgan and his confederate, Marlowe? -Such thoughts had come frequently to Julius of late, and his present -state of mind was one of the most encouraging signs of his future good -conduct. He was dissatisfied with his past life, and anxious to enter -upon a better.</p> - -<p>The thirty boys were not all in one car. Mr. O’Connor and the greater -part of them were in the car behind.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25"></a>{25}</span> Julius and the others could find -no room there, and had come into this car.</p> - -<p>After his conversation with Teddy, Julius began to look out of the -window. Inexperienced as a traveler, and knowing very little of the -country, he saw much that excited his interest, as they sped onward at -the rate of thirty miles an hour. He also, with his usual habit of -observation, regarded his fellow-passengers with interest. Directly in -front of him sat a stout man, plainly dressed, who had become sleepy, -and occasionally indulged in a nod, his newspaper having fallen from his -hands upon the floor. He was probably more used to traveling than our -hero and cared less for the scenery. Julius gave him a casual look, but -without much interest, till at a way station a flashily dressed young -man entered, and, looking carefully about him, selected the seat beside -the stout man though he had his choice of several. Julius started when -he saw him, and looked puzzled. He was sure he had seen him before, at -Jack Morgan’s room, but there was something unfamiliar in his -appearance. Jack’s friend had black hair. This man’s hair was red. A -closer look, however, explained this discrepancy. Underneath the edge of -the red he caught sight of a few black hairs, which were not entirely -concealed. It was clear that he wore a red wig.</p> - -<p>“It is Ned Sanders,” said Julius to himself, “and he’s got a red wig on. -What’s he up to, I wonder? I’ll watch him.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26"></a>{26}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br /><br /> -<small>JULIUS DETECTS A PICKPOCKET.</small></h2> - -<p>Ned Sanders settled himself into his seat, and looked about him. He did -not, however, recognize Julius, for, though he had seen him in calling -upon Jack Morgan, he had never taken particular notice of his features, -probably regarding him as of little importance. Finally Mr. Sanders -devoted special attention to the man at his side. As the latter was -sleeping, he was not conscious of the close watch of his companion.</p> - -<p>Julius noticed it, however, and, being familiar with the character of -Sanders, said to himself: “I know what he’s up to. He wants to pick his -pocket.”</p> - -<p>From the watch pocket of the stout stranger depended a gold watch chain -solid and valuable in appearance, and to it was attached a gold watch.</p> - -<p>Sanders took out a newspaper, and held it before him. He appeared to be -very much occupied with its contents, but Julius detected a stealthy -glance at his companion’s waistcoat.</p> - -<p>“This is gettin’ excitin’,” thought Julius. “He won’t wait long.”</p> - -<p>Julius was right. Ned Sanders felt that now was the favorable -opportunity to carry out his unlawful purpose,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27"></a>{27}</span> while his neighbor was -asleep, as when his nap was over he would more readily detect his -intentions.</p> - -<p>With his paper still before his face, his hand crept softly to the watch -chain, which he gently appropriated, dropping it into his coat pocket. -But he was not yet satisfied. He was preparing to relieve the other of -his pocketbook also, when Julius thought it was about time to interfere. -Rising in his seat, he struck the stout man forcibly on the back. The -latter started, and opening his eyes said, “What! Eh, what do you want? -Is it morning?”</p> - -<p>The pickpocket started also, and looked uneasy, but retained his seat, -not suspecting that he had been detected. His uneasiness arose from the -fear that his neighbor, on awakening, would immediately miss his watch, -which would be awkward and perhaps dangerous for him. He was vexed with -Julius, whom he did not yet recognize, for this interference with his -plans.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you let the gentleman alone?” he said angrily. “Why do you -disturb him?”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” said his victim, in his turn, a little irritated. -“What do you mean by thumping my back, boy?”</p> - -<p>“I wanted to ask you what time it is,” said Julius, quietly.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s cool,” grumbled the stout man. “You<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28"></a>{28}</span> wake me up out of a -nap to ask me what time of day it is.”</p> - -<p>Sanders turned pale when Julius asked this question, for he saw that -discovery was imminent. He half arose from his seat, but it occurred to -him that that would only fasten suspicion upon him. Moreover the train -was going at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour, and, though he might -go into another car, he could not escape from the train. He closed his -lips tightly, and tried to look calm and indifferent. He had determined -to brazen it out.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding his grumbling rejoinder, the stout man felt for his -watch. Now it was his turn to start and look dismayed.</p> - -<p>“By jove, it’s gone!” he ejaculated.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter, sir?” asked Julius.</p> - -<p>“My watch and chain are gone. Do you know anything about them, boy?”</p> - -<p>“I think you had better put that question to the man you’re sittin’ -with.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by that, you young rascal?” demanded Ned Sanders, pale -with passion and dismay. “I think, sir, the boy behind you has taken -your watch.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how he could do that,” said the other, regarding him -suspiciously. “Can you tell me where my watch is sir?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29"></a>{29}</span></p> - -<p>“What should I know of your watch? Do you mean to insult me, sir?” -blustered the pickpocket.</p> - -<p>His manner increased the suspicions of his victim, who recognized, by -his appearance and flashy attire, the class to which he belonged. He -turned to Julius, and asked, “What made you refer to this gentleman?”</p> - -<p>“Because,” said Julius bluntly, “I saw him take it. He held up the paper -before him, while he loosened your chain. He’s got it in his pocket -now.”</p> - -<p>“That is sufficient. Now, sir,” he said sternly, “I command you -instantly to return my watch and chain.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t got it. The boy lies,” said Sanders, furiously.</p> - -<p>By this time, most of the passengers in the car had gathered around the -two. Just at this moment, too, the conductor entered.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter, gentlemen?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“This man has stolen my watch,” said the stout man.</p> - -<p>“It’s a —— lie!” said Sanders.</p> - -<p>“Are you willing to show us what you have in your pockets?” said the -conductor.</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not. I am a New York merchant, and I won’t submit to an -impertinence.”</p> - -<p>“Where is your place of business?”</p> - -<p>“In Pearl Street,” answered Sanders, quite at random.</p> - -<p>“Have you one of your business cards with you?”</p> - -<p>“I believe so.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30"></a>{30}</span></p> - -<p>He felt in his pocket, and appeared surprised at finding none.</p> - -<p>“I believe I have none with me,” he admitted. “I generally have some.”</p> - -<p>“What’s your business?”</p> - -<p>“I’m in the clothing business?” said Sanders, with some hesitation.</p> - -<p>“What is your name?”</p> - -<p>“I won’t answer any more questions,” said the pickpocket, desperately. -“You have insulted me enough, all of you. Just make way, will you? I am -going to get out.”</p> - -<p>The cars had just stopped at a way station.</p> - -<p>Sanders attempted to arise, but his victim seized him by the arm.</p> - -<p>“You don’t leave this car till you have surrendered my watch,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Let go, or I’ll strike you,” said Sanders, losing his prudence in his -anger.</p> - -<p>“You can’t get out till you have been searched,” said the conductor. -“Who is the boy that saw him take the watch?”</p> - -<p>“I did,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Where did he put it? Did you notice?”</p> - -<p>“In his left breast pocket.”</p> - -<p>“Show us what you have in that pocket.”</p> - -<p>Sanders hesitated? and then drew out a handkerchief.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31"></a>{31}</span></p> - -<p>“There, I hope you are satisfied,” he said.</p> - -<p>Meantime his neighbor, pressing his hand against the pocket on the -outside, exclaimed triumphantly:</p> - -<p>“He’s got the watch. I can feel it.”</p> - -<p>The thief uttered a profane ejaculation, and made a desperate effort to -arise, but three men threw themselves upon him, two holding him down, -while the other drew out the watch and chain, and handed them to their -owner.</p> - -<p>“Now will you let me go?” demanded Sanders, doggedly. He felt that it -would do no good to indulge in further protestations of innocence.</p> - -<p>“No,” said the conductor. “Gentlemen, will you guard him till we reach -the next station? Then I will place him in the hands of an officer.”</p> - -<p>“Boy,” said Sanders, turning around, and glaring fiercely at Julius, “I -shan’t forget you. Some time I’ll make you repent what you’ve done -to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t mind him, my lad,” said the stout man, elated by the recovery of -his property. “You’ve done exactly right. But how came you to suspect -this man?”</p> - -<p>“Because I knew him,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>Here Sanders turned around, and scanned our hero’s face sharply.</p> - -<p>“That’s a lie!” he said.</p> - -<p>“It’s not a lie, Mr. Ned Sanders,” said Julius. “I’ve seen you more than -once.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32"></a>{32}</span></p> - -<p>Again Sanders scanned his features sharply. This time a light dawned -upon him.</p> - -<p>“I know you now,” he said; “you’re Jack Morgan’s boy.”</p> - -<p>“I was,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Have you left him?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Where are you going?”</p> - -<p>“Out West.”</p> - -<p>“Where?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t want to tell me.”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t. I don’t care about receiving a visit from you.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll hunt you up, and pay off old debts. I shouldn’t be in this scrape -but for you,” said Sanders, vindictively.</p> - -<p>He relapsed into a moody silence, and said nothing more while in the -car. At the next station, which was an important place, two officers -were summoned, who took him into custody. But he managed to elude their -vigilance some hours later and escaped to New York.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33"></a>{33}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /><br /> -<small>JULIUS IS REWARDED.</small></h2> - -<p>After the pickpocket had been removed from the car, his intended victim -turned in his seat, and addressed Julius.</p> - -<p>“Come and sit by me,” he said; “I want to speak with you.”</p> - -<p>Julius readily accepted the invitation.</p> - -<p>“My boy,” said the stout gentleman, “you have done me a great service.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad of it,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“You must know that this watch and chain, which but for you I should -have lost, were bought for me, in Switzerland, by a son who has since -died. They are valuable in themselves, but they are five times as -valuable to me because they were a last gift from him.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad Ned didn’t get off with ’em,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“You seem to know this man,” said the other, with some curiosity.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, sir, I know him like a brick.”</p> - -<p>The common expression is “like a book”; but that would hardly have -implied any close knowledge on the part of Julius, for he knew next to -nothing of books.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34"></a>{34}</span> Probably the phrase he did use was suggested by the -other.</p> - -<p>“Is he a professional pickpocket?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, that’s the way he makes a livin’.”</p> - -<p>“Then how do you come to know him?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he used to come and see Jack.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s Jack?”</p> - -<p>“Jack Morgan—the man I used to live with.”</p> - -<p>“Jack didn’t have very respectable friends, then, I should judge.”</p> - -<p>“Ned and he was pretty thick. They used to do business together.”</p> - -<p>“Was Jack a pickpocket, also?”</p> - -<p>“He didn’t do much that way; he was too clumsy. He broke into houses.”</p> - -<p>“What! was he a burglar?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say that you lived with a burglar?” asked the stout -gentleman, in surprise.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Julius, unconcerned.</p> - -<p>“And did you help him, too?” demanded the other, suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“No, I didn’t,” said Julius. “I didn’t like the business. Besides, I -didn’t want to be sent over to the island. I blacked boots, and such -things.”</p> - -<p>“That is a much better way of getting a living,” said his companion, -approvingly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35"></a>{35}</span></p> - -<p>“So I think,” said Julius; “but it ain’t quite so easy.”</p> - -<p>“I think you are mistaken. An honest life is the easiest in the end. -Where is Jack now?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s in the Tombs. He was took up for burglary of a house in -Madison Avenue. I guess he’ll be sent up for five or ten years.”</p> - -<p>“That won’t be very easy, or pleasant.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Julius. “I’m glad I ain’t in Jack’s shoes.”</p> - -<p>“I hope, my lad, you are in no danger of following the example of your -evil associates.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Julius. “I’m goin’ to be respectable.”</p> - -<p>“An excellent determination. How do you happen to be traveling?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m goin’ out West.”</p> - -<p>“What made you think of that?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor—he’s the superintendent of the Newsboys’ Lodging -House—was goin’ to take some boys out, and get ’em places; and he -offered to take me.”</p> - -<p>“Are all these boys I see in the car going out too?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, all of ’em, and there’s some more in the car behind.”</p> - -<p>“Where in the West do you expect to go?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Julius. “Is the West a big place?”</p> - -<p>“I should say it was,” said the other, with a laugh. “It’s a very large -place.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36"></a>{36}</span></p> - -<p>“Were you ever there?” asked Julius, desiring to hear something about -his place of destination.</p> - -<p>“I live there—in Wisconsin. Did you ever hear of Wisconsin?”</p> - -<p>Julius shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know much about any places, except New York and Jersey,” he -added.</p> - -<p>“I live in the city of Milwaukee, in Wisconsin. It is quite a -flourishing city.”</p> - -<p>“Is it as big as New York?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no; we can’t show any cities in the West as big as New York. I -doubt if we ever shall, though we’ve some large cities, that are growing -fast. Do you think you are likely to come to Milwaukee?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Julius. “Mr. O’Connor could tell you.”</p> - -<p>“Where is he?”</p> - -<p>“In the other car. Will I speak to him?”</p> - -<p>“Not yet. I’ve got something more to say to you. I am under an -obligation to you.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” asked Julius, puzzled.</p> - -<p>“I mean that you have done me a favor.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Julius. “I’m glad of it.”</p> - -<p>“And in doing so, you have probably made an enemy,” added the other.</p> - -<p>“You mean Ned Sanders?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37"></a>{37}</span></p> - -<p>“Yes; I am afraid, if he gets a chance, he will do you an injury.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be out of his way.”</p> - -<p>“He might some time see you.”</p> - -<p>“If he does, and I’m grown up, I won’t be afraid of him.”</p> - -<p>“You seem to be a brave young man.”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t a coward,” said Julius, proudly.</p> - -<p>“And yet there are some things I hope you will be afraid of.”</p> - -<p>“What are them?” asked Julius, somewhat puzzled.</p> - -<p>“I hope you will be afraid to lie and steal, and do wrong generally.”</p> - -<p>“I shan’t steal,” said Julius; “I don’t know about lyin’, most boys lie -sometimes.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you will be one of the boys that do not lie at all.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe so,” said Julius, dubiously. “A feller can’t always be good.”</p> - -<p>“No, I suppose not. But there is no occasion for lying.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try not to, but I ain’t an angel.”</p> - -<p>“Angels are scare, as far as my observation goes,” said his companion, -smiling, “and you appear to have too much human nature about you to be -altogether angelic. But there’s one thing you can do. You can try to do -right.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38"></a>{38}</span></p> - -<p>“I mean to,” said Julius, promptly. “I want to grow up respectable.”</p> - -<p>“If you want to, you probably will. You’ll have a better chance at the -West than you would in New York.”</p> - -<p>“If I stayed there, I’d be a bootblack all my life,” said Julius. “There -ain’t no chance for a boy like me to rise. I wouldn’t want to be a -bootblack,” he added reflectively, “when I got to be old and -gray-headed.”</p> - -<p>“No, it wouldn’t be an agreeable business for an old man to follow. But -I’ve got off the track.”</p> - -<p>“Off the track!” repeated Julius, looking out of the window.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I didn’t mean that. The cars are all right. But I meant to say, -that I had got away from what I meant to say. I think I owe you -something for your saving me from losing my watch.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s nothing,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“To me it is a great deal, and I want to show my sense of the favor. Is -there anything in particular you would like?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Julius, thoughtfully. “I might like a jack-knife.”</p> - -<p>“That isn’t enough. As I said, I have particular reason to value my -watch and chain. Did you ever have a watch yourself?”</p> - -<p>“I never got so far along. I couldn’t save enough on shines for that.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39"></a>{39}</span></p> - -<p>“Well, it so happens that, in New York, I took a small silver watch and -chain in the way of business from a traveler who owed me money. Here it -is.”</p> - -<p>He drew from his pocket a neat, but inexpensive silver watch, with a -chain of the same metal.</p> - -<p>“What do you think of it?” he said.</p> - -<p>“It’s tiptop,” said Julius admiringly.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you like it, for I am going to give it to you.”</p> - -<p>“Goin’ to give me a watch and chain!” repeated Julius, in amazement.</p> - -<p>“Yes. Would you like it?”</p> - -<p>“It’ll make me feel like a swell,” said Julius, elated. “Ain’t it a -beauty, Teddy?” he continued, turning in his seat, and displaying it to -his comrade.</p> - -<p>“It ain’t yours, is it?” asked Teddy, not without a slight feeling of -envy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is. This gentleman says so.”</p> - -<p>And Julius proudly put the watch in his vest pocket, and attached the -chain to one of the button-holes. The donor looked on with a benevolent -smile, glad that he had been able to make so acceptable a gift to the -boy who had done him such a service.</p> - -<p>“Now,” he said, smiling, “it will be your turn to look out for -pickpockets. They may try to carry off your watch, as they did mine.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40"></a>{40}</span></p> - -<p>“I d like to see ’em do it,” said Julius, confidently. “It’ll take a -smart pickpocket to hook my watch.”</p> - -<p>“Well, my young friend,” said the other, “as the time may come when I -can do you a service, I will give you my card.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t read writin’,” admitted Julius, reluctantly, as he took the -card, which was printed in script.</p> - -<p>“My name is John Taylor, of Milwaukee. Keep the card, and you will soon -be able to read it.”</p> - -<p>Here the paper boy passed through the car, and Mr. Taylor, purchasing a -copy of <i>Harper’s Weekly</i>, was soon immersed in its contents. Finding -that the interview was ended, Julius returned to his former seat, and -Teddy and he spent some time in admiring it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41"></a>{41}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /><br /> -<small>A NEWSBOY’S LETTER.</small></h2> - -<p>“I say, Julius, you’re in luck,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“I won’t be in luck if Marlowe or Ned Sanders gets hold of me.”</p> - -<p>“They won’t find you, away out West.”</p> - -<p>“Marlowe might. He’s a tough customer, Marlowe is. I mind how he looked -when he got hold of me at Staten Island. Jack ain’t so bad, but -Marlowe’d go a thousand miles to get hold of me.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t think of it, Julius.”</p> - -<p>“I shan’t lose no sleep. If he don’t break out of jail, I’ll be a man -before he can get at me.”</p> - -<p>“Look out of the window, Julius. See them cows harnessed together. What -are they doin’?”</p> - -<p>“They’re ploughin’, I expect,” said Julius, who, like his companion, -took a yoke of oxen for cows.</p> - -<p>“They don’t go very fast.”</p> - -<p>“They look as if they was lazy. They’re the biggest cows I ever see.”</p> - -<p>Here Mr. O’Connor came into the car and passed down the aisle, looking -to see that none of the boys were missing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42"></a>{42}</span></p> - -<p>“Well, boys, how are you getting along?” he asked, pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“Bully!” “Tiptop!” were heard from the boys on either side.</p> - -<p>“What have you got there, Julius?” asked the superintendent, noticing -the watch chain.</p> - -<p>Julius drew out his watch.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get it?” asked Mr. O’Connor, a little suspiciously. “You -haven’t spent any of your money, have you?”</p> - -<p>“No; it was given me,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Given you?”</p> - -<p>“By that gentleman.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor looked up, finding himself referred to.</p> - -<p>“Is this the gentleman who has charge of your party?” he asked, turning -to Julius.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. It is Mr. O’Connor.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor, the boy’s story is correct. He detected a pickpocket in -the act of appropriating my gold watch and chain. As it was of great -value, I asked his acceptance of the watch and chain you see.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you did not ask any reward, Julius,” said the superintendent.</p> - -<p>“It was entirely my own thought,” said Mr. Taylor. “I presume the boy -never thought of any compensation.”</p> - -<p>“No, I didn’t,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you have behaved so well, Julius,” said<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43"></a>{43}</span> superintendent, -approvingly. “I am sure you will value your present.”</p> - -<p>“It’s bully,” said Julius, enthusiastically.</p> - -<p>“Where do you intend to take the boys, Mr. O’Connor?” asked Mr. Taylor.</p> - -<p>“I have an invitation from the citizens of Brookville, in Wisconsin, to -make my headquarters there. I am told that boys and girls are in demand -in that town and vicinity, and that I shall probably be able to find -homes for all my party in that neighborhood.”</p> - -<p>“I think you can. I know Brookville very well. I have a nephew living -there. He is a prosperous farmer. By the way, I shouldn’t be surprised -if he would like a boy. Suppose I give you a note to my young friend -here to deliver to him.”</p> - -<p>“I should be glad to have you do so.”</p> - -<p>“If Ephraim takes him into his family, he will have an excellent home.”</p> - -<p>“That is what we desire for all our party.”</p> - -<p>“Do you generally succeed?”</p> - -<p>“Very generally. We seldom receive complaints from the children we have -placed. They are treated kindly almost without exception.”</p> - -<p>“How about the other parties? Do they often prefer complaints of the -children?”</p> - -<p>“Sometimes, but not often. Considering the training our children have -had in the city streets, they conduct<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44"></a>{44}</span> themselves remarkably well in -their new homes. Removed from the temptations and privations of the -city, their better natures assert themselves, and they behave as well as -ordinary children. In fact, I may say that most of the complaints that -come to us are of a trivial nature. People forget that our boys are no -more perfect than their own, and if now and then they pelt the cows, or -leave the turkeys out in the rain, that hardly indicates a depraved -heart.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor smiled.</p> - -<p>“I have heard of such things, myself,” he said. “I suspect boys are -about the same now that they were fifty years ago.”</p> - -<p>“And will be fifty years hence. Of course, they will always need -restraint, and, if they do mischief, they must pay the penalty. Still, -if a boy is simply mischievous, I don’t think he can be considered a -hopeless case.”</p> - -<p>“I should say not. I used to do some things myself that were not quite -exemplary. Of course I was punished and in time I steadied down.”</p> - -<p>“As you seem to take an interest in our mission,” said Mr. O’Connor, -“you may feel interested to read a letter<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> which I received not long -since from one of our boys in Indiana. It is characteristic, and will -give a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45"></a>{45}</span> good idea of the improvement which emigration makes in their -condition and circumstances.”</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> This letter is a genuine production. It is taken from an -extremely interesting work, by Charles L. Brace, on “The Dangerous -Classes of New York, and Twenty Years’ Work Among Them.”</p></div> - -<p>“I should like very much to read it,” said Mr. Taylor.</p> - -<p>This was the letter:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“M——, <span class="smcap">Ind.</span>, Nov. 24, 1859.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">To My Friend and Benefactor</span>: So I take my pen in hand to let you -know how I am, and how I am getting along. As far as I can see, I -am well satisfied with my place; but I took a general look around, -and, as far as I can see, all the boys left in M—— are doing -well, especially myself, and I think there is as much fun as in New -York, for nuts and apples are all free. I am much obliged to you, -Mr. O’Connor, for the paper you sent me. I received it last night, -read it last night—something about the Newsboys’ Lodging House.</p> - -<p>“All the newsboys in New York have a bad name; but we should show -ourselves, and show them, that we are no fools; that we can become -as respectable as any of their countrymen; for some of you poor -boys can do something for your country; for Franklin, Webster, -Clay, were poor boys once, and even Commodore V. C. Perry or Math. -C. Perry. But even George Law, and Vanderbilt, and Astor—some of -the richest men of New York—and Math. and V. C. Perry, were -nothing but printers, and in the navy on Lake Erie. And look at -Winfield Scott. So now, boys, stand up, and let them see that you -have got the real stuff in you. Come out here, and make respectable -and honorable men, so they can say, there, that boy was once a -newsboy.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys, you all know I have tried everything. I have been a -newsboy, and when that got slack, you know I have smashed baggage. -I have sold nuts, I have peddled. I have worked on the rolling -billows up the canal; I was a bootblack; and you know, when I sold<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46"></a>{46}</span> -papers I was at the top of the profession. I had a good stand of my -own, but I found all would not do. I could not get along, but I am -now going ahead. I have a first-rate home, ten dollars a month, and -my board; and, I tell you, fellows, that is a great deal more than -I could scrape up my best times in New York. We are all on an -equality, my boys, out here, so long as we keep ourselves -respectable.</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor, tell ‘Fatty,’ or F. John Pettibone, to send me a -Christmas number of <i>Frank Leslie’s</i>, and <i>Harper’s Weekly</i>, a -<i>Weekly News</i> or some other pictorials to read, especially the -<i>Newsboys’ Pictorial</i>, if it comes out. No old papers, or else -none. If they would get some other boys to get me some books. I -want something to read.</p> - -<p>“I hope this letter will find you in good health, as it leaves me, -Mr. O’Connor. I expect an answer before two weeks—a letter and a -paper. Write to me all about the lodging house. With this I close -my letter. With much respect to all.</p> - -<p>“I remain your truly obedient friend,</p> - -<p class="r"> -“J. K.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>“The writer of this letter is evidently a smart boy,” said Mr. Taylor, -as he finished reading it. “I warrant he will make his way in the -world.”</p> - -<p>“I expected he would do well, when we sent him out,” said the -superintendent. “In New York he was a leader in his set, and very -successful in his street trades. But, as you see, he admits that he is -doing much better out West.”</p> - -<p>“His Western life will make a man of him. Do you often hear from those -you have sent out?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47"></a>{47}</span></p> - -<p>“We are in constant correspondence with them. We feel ourselves under an -obligation to look after them still, and to show them that we keep up an -interest in them.”</p> - -<p>“It must have a good effect upon them.”</p> - -<p>“We find that it does. They are ashamed to misconduct themselves, -knowing that it will come to our ears.”</p> - -<p>“Have you sent out many children, in this way?”</p> - -<p>“Thousands of our children are located in different parts of the great -West. With few exceptions, they are doing well, and bid fair to -become—some have already become—respected and useful members of -society.”</p> - -<p>“What would have been their fate, had they remained in the city?”</p> - -<p>“Many would be vagrants, many, doubtless, tenants of prison cells; very -few would have turned out well.”</p> - -<p>“It is a great work,” said Mr. Taylor warmly. “I hope you will be -encouraged to persevere. I feel like helping you. Accept this -contribution to the funds of your society,” and he drew two fifty-dollar -bills from his pocketbook and handed to the superintendent.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir,” said Mr. O’Connor, “I am sure you will not regret your -gift. Every addition to our means enables us to extend our operations. -This gift, for instance, will enable us to bring out six children to the -West and place them in good homes.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48"></a>{48}</span></p> - -<p>“Will it, indeed!” said Mr. Taylor, gratified. “That assurance alone -abundantly repays me. But I must write the note of introduction which I -promised to my young friend.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49"></a>{49}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -<small>BROOKVILLE.</small></h2> - -<p>Though there was plenty of excitement and novelty attending the journey, -Julius and his companions looked forward with eager interest to the hour -when they would reach their destination. Where were they to live, and -what sort of homes would they obtain? These were questions which -naturally arose in the minds of all.</p> - -<p>Hour after hour the train sped onward with its living freight. The boys -looked out upon the broad fields, smiling in the sunlight, and -bright-looking villages scattered along the route, and wondered if their -future homes would look anything like them.</p> - -<p>At last the moment approached when their curiosity was to be gratified.</p> - -<p>“Boys, the next town is Brookville,” said Mr. O’Connor, passing through -the cars.</p> - -<p>“Are we goin’ to stop there?” asked Teddy.</p> - -<p>“Yes; that is where we get out of the cars.”</p> - -<p>Soon a large village came in sight. It was quite thickly settled, and -the streets were broad and regular. The boys could see various public -buildings, besides a large number of dwelling houses. The place looked -quite attractive, and the boys’ faces lighted up with pleasure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50"></a>{50}</span></p> - -<p>“I say, Teddy,” said Julius, “Brookville’s a nice place.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t look much like New York,” said Teddy, dubiously.</p> - -<p>“Of course it don’t. The country ain’t like the city, stupid.”</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s a pretty good place,” said Teddy. “I hope we’ll live near -each other.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so, too; but maybe not. You may live somewhere else.”</p> - -<p>“Shan’t we all live here?”</p> - -<p>“No; I heard Mr. O’Connor say we’d be scattered around among the towns, -but I’m goin’ to live here.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know you are?”</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Cause I’ve got a letter to Mr. Taylor’s nephew. He lives in -Brookville.”</p> - -<p>“P’rhaps he’ll want two boys.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he will.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” asked Teddy, as the sound of music was heard.</p> - -<p>“It’s a band—don’t you see it?—on the platform. What a crowd of -people!”</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Mr. O’Connor, “that music is for you. The citizens have -come out to welcome you. Now I will tell you what you must do. You will -follow me out of the cars as soon as the train stops, form two by two -on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51"></a>{51}</span> the platform, and then you may swing your hats, and shout, ‘Three -cheers for Brookville!’ Will you do it?”</p> - -<p>“All right, sir,” said the boys, eagerly.</p> - -<p>They were already within a few rods of the station. Speed was already -slackened, and in a moment the cars had stopped.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys, form in line after the other passengers have left the car,” -said the superintendent. “Then follow me.”</p> - -<p>His directions were carefully followed, and in five minutes the little -company were drawn up on the platform. Many curious eyes were fixed upon -them by those who had come to meet them, and some were already selecting -those whom they desired to adopt.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys,” said the superintendent, when order was obtained, “what -have you to say to the ladies and gentlemen who have been kind enough to -come here to meet you?”</p> - -<p>“Three cheers for Brookville!” shouted Tim Shanter, who, it had been -agreed, should act as leader.</p> - -<p>The cheers were given with a will, and with such emphasis that it was -clear none of the boys as yet was troubled with weak lungs.</p> - -<p>Then the band struck up again, and after they had concluded, one of the -citizens came forward and addressed Mr. O’Connor.</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor, I presume?” he said.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52"></a>{52}</span></p> - -<p>“That is my name, sir. You were expecting us?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; we received your telegram, and have made arrangements to receive -you. First, however, let me introduce myself. My name is Taylor.”</p> - -<p>“Ephraim Taylor?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the other, in some surprise.</p> - -<p>“You wonder that I know your name,” said Mr. O’Connor. “I met an uncle -of yours while traveling in the State of New York, and he gave one of -our boys a letter to you.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed!”</p> - -<p>“It was a boy,” exclaimed the superintendent, “who had an opportunity of -being of service to him.”</p> - -<p>“In what way, may I ask?”</p> - -<p>“He detected a pickpocket in the act of taking your uncle’s gold watch, -and warned him of it. Julius, come here!”</p> - -<p>Julius stepped out of the ranks. Mr. Taylor looked at him earnestly.</p> - -<p>“I hear that you fell in with my uncle,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. He give me a letter for you.”</p> - -<p>“Let me see it.”</p> - -<p>Julius drew the letter from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Taylor.</p> - -<p>The letter read as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<span class="smcap">My Dear Nephew</span>: This will be handed to you by a boy who has done -me a service, the nature of which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53"></a>{53}</span> the superintendent will explain -to you. I do not know how you are situated, or whether you require -the services of a boy. If you do, I think you can’t do better than -to take this one. He is bright, sharp, and, as I have reason to -believe, honest. I shall be glad if he can secure a good home.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span style="margin-right: 10%;">Your uncle,</span><br /> -“<span class="smcap">John Taylor</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>Julius had already examined critically the personal appearance of Mr. -Taylor, whom he regarded as his future employer and guardian. His past -life had made him a good and quick observer of character. Street boys, -obliged to fight their way, and struggle for a livelihood, are by their -circumstances made preternaturally sharp. They acquire a judgment and -self-reliance beyond their years, however defective they may be in the -knowledge to be gained from books. Engaged in reading his uncle’s -letter, Mr. Taylor did not notice the keen glance with which Julius -regarded him. But the result was favorable.</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ll like him,” said our hero to himself. “He looks like he -might be kind. I hope he’ll take me.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor looked up with a smile.</p> - -<p>“My uncle wants me to take you, my lad,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Will you?” asked Julius.</p> - -<p>“What do you say, Mr. O’Connor?” said Mr. Taylor. “Will you intrust this -young man to me?”</p> - -<p>“I shall be glad to do so,” said the superintendent. “I will ask you to -leave him with us till to-morrow, however,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54"></a>{54}</span> as applications will not -generally be accepted till then.”</p> - -<p>“I have no objection to that. Now let me tell you what arrangements we -have made for your reception. How many children have you in your -company?”</p> - -<p>“Fifty-two.”</p> - -<p>“It is as I supposed. There are more than can be lodged at our hotel, -which is small. They could receive but twenty there, and the remainder -can be accommodated in a hall we have in the village.”</p> - -<p>“I should prefer that they would not be separated. I would rather have -them all under my own eye for to-night,” said the superintendent.</p> - -<p>“Very well; then perhaps it will be best for all to be accommodated in -the hall. There are two halls, in fact; and bedding can be placed on the -floor. It won’t be quite so comfortable as it would be at the hotel.”</p> - -<p>“Our boys are used to roughing it,” said Mr. O’Connor. “Many a night in -the city they have slept out in old wagons or alleyways. It won’t hurt -them to sleep on the floor.”</p> - -<p>“The hall is about half a mile distant. I will lead the way, and you may -get settled at once.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Tim Shanter, see that the boys walk in line,” said the superintendent. -“I appoint you captain, Mr. Taylor, and I will go on ahead, and you will -follow us.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55"></a>{55}</span></p> - -<p>So the procession moved through the village, attracting curious glances -from the inhabitants as it passed along. The boys on their side used -their eyes to advantage. They were delighted with the fields of grass, -the trees now in full leaf, the flower-plots in front of some of the -houses, and the singing of the birds. There was not one of them who did -not hope that he would find a home in Brookville.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56"></a>{56}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -<small>JULIUS HAS AN ADVENTURE.</small></h2> - -<p>About midway in the principal street of Brookville is the town hall. It -is a neat building, of considerable size, and two stories in height.</p> - -<p>Here the procession halted, and after a pause filed in.</p> - -<p>The boys found themselves in a large hall, with a platform and desk at -one end, the body of the hall being filled with settees.</p> - -<p>“Looks like a schoolroom,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“Only there ain’t no desks,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“We’re to stay here all night, boys,” said Tim Shanter.</p> - -<p>“It’s only three o’clock. What will we do till then?” said Tom Burke.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Mr. O’Connor, “would you like to see something of the -village?”</p> - -<p>“Yes!” “Yes!” was heard from all quarters.</p> - -<p>“Then for the next two hours you may go where you please, but you must -be back before six.”</p> - -<p>“All right, sir!” shouted half a dozen, and there was a rush for the -door.</p> - -<p>“Come back,” shouted the superintendent. “You haven’t heard all I have -to say.”</p> - -<p>The boys turned back reluctantly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57"></a>{57}</span></p> - -<p>“You must be careful to do no mischief, and commit no trespass upon any -person’s property. I want you to show our friends here that, if you have -been brought up in the streets of New York, you know how to behave -yourselves.”</p> - -<p>“We will!” “We will!” shouted the boys, and in less than a minute the -hall was emptied.</p> - -<p>They separated into groups, and walked off in different directions. -Julius, Teddy and Tom formed one of the parties.</p> - -<p>“Where will we go?” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Come down here,” said Julius, pointing down a side street. “There’s -some nice fields off there.”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t it jolly?” said Teddy. “It’s a big sight better than New York.”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t that a nice field for baseball?” said Julius, pointing to a large -pasture some distance ahead.</p> - -<p>“There’s lots of fields, but no ball.”</p> - -<p>“Look there, fellers! Do you see that little pond down there?”</p> - -<p>“Let us go there.”</p> - -<p>“All right.”</p> - -<p>The boys jumped over the fence, and walked in the direction of the pond. -It was a small circular sheet of water, covering about two acres. On it -was a small, unpainted boat, which the boys no sooner saw than they -jumped into. There was but one paddle inside, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58"></a>{58}</span> the boys used by -turns. They had never before been in a boat, and were not scientific -navigators; still they managed to paddle around the little pond, greatly -to their satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if there’s any fish in this pond,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see none,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“If there was, it would be good fun to catch some,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“We could use Teddy for bait,” suggested Julius.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t advise a small fish to swaller me,” said Teddy. “I’d dance a -double shuffle in his stomach, and he’d soon want ter let me go.”</p> - -<p>The boys enjoyed floating about, and time passed quickly.</p> - -<p>“What time is it?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>Julius drew out his watch with an air.</p> - -<p>“It’s five o’clock,” he said.</p> - -<p>“We ought ter be goin’ back; Mr. O’Connor told us we must be back in -time.”</p> - -<p>They turned the boat toward shore, when all at once Tom, who was looking -toward the shore, exclaimed, “What’s that, boys?”</p> - -<p>Following the direction in which he pointed, the boys were startled by -seeing a large, clumsy animal walking deliberately down toward the place -where they were about to land.</p> - -<p>They paused in their progress, and Julius, after a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59"></a>{59}</span> careful examination -of the stranger, announced, “I’ll tell you what it is, boys; it’s a -bear!”</p> - -<p>“A bear!” exclaimed Tom and Teddy, simultaneously.</p> - -<p>“Yes; I’ve seed a picture of one in Frank Leslie’s. It’s a bear, sure.”</p> - -<p>“What will we do?” said Teddy, alarmed. “They’ll bite, won’t they?”</p> - -<p>“I guess they will,” said Julius. “They’d kill you just as easy as -winkin’.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know there was any wild animals around here,” said Teddy, -nervously.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Tom; “there’s bears, and wolves, and panthers. I’ve read -about ’em in a dime novel called ‘Pathfinder Pete; or, The Wild Hunter -of the West.’ You know we are in the West now.”</p> - -<p>“How will we get back?” asked Teddy, rather anxiously. “He’s squattin’ -down, waitin’ for us.”</p> - -<p>The bear had come to a pause, and, squatting on its hind quarters, was -steadily and seriously regarding the boys with an expression which, to -their excited imaginations, seemed particularly savage and bloodthirsty.</p> - -<p>“I wish’t I had a rifle like the one ‘Pathfinder Pete’ had,” ejaculated -Tom.</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t dare to fire it if you had one,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I would. I’d fire a bullet into his right eye and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60"></a>{60}</span> then I’d fire -another right into his left eye, and then he couldn’t see to chase us.”</p> - -<p>“That would be good enough if we had a rifle,” said Julius; “but we -haven’t. S’pose we land on the other side of the pond, and run for the -fence.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t yer do it!” exclaimed Teddy, in terror. “He’d catch us before we -got halfway there.”</p> - -<p>“Do bears run fast, Tom?” asked Julius, deferring to the superior -knowledge of his comrade, who had had the great privilege of reading the -instructive story of “Pathfinder Pete.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t they? They can go twenty miles an hour without hurtin’ ’em.”</p> - -<p>“They don’t look like it,” said Julius, surveying the clumsy form of the -bear. “I’ll bet that bear can’t keep up with me.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he don’t look it, but he can run like lightnin’. ‘Pathfinder -Pete’ was chased by a bear, when his rifle wasn’t loaded, an’ the only -way he got off was to hide behind a tree till he’d loaded his gun, an’ -then he blazed away, and keeled him over on his back.”</p> - -<p>“Then I wish ‘Pathfinder Pete’ would happen around this afternoon. -Teddy, jist sing a bit. Maybe that’ll frighten him.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t feel like singin’,” said Teddy. “Oh, boys, how will we get -home?”</p> - -<p>“I move,” said Julius, who was least disturbed of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61"></a>{61}</span> three, “that we -pitch out Teddy. While the bear’s eatin’ him, we’ll run away.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t yer do it,” entreated Teddy, his teeth chattering with fright.</p> - -<p>“We won’t jest yet. Wait an’ see if he won’t go away himself.”</p> - -<p>“He’s goin’ to swim out to us,” screamed Teddy, in fright, as the bear -arose to his feet, and put one foot in the water. But he quickly -withdrew it, apparently not liking the feeling.</p> - -<p>“Do you think we’ll have to stay here all night?” asked Tom, soberly.</p> - -<p>“If the bear don’t get tired, and go away.”</p> - -<p>“I wish I was back at the Lodgin’ House,” said Teddy, gloomily.</p> - -<p>The bear arose to his feet, and walked slowly around the pond, looking -from time to time at the boat and the three young navigators.</p> - -<p>“What time is it now, Julius,” asked Tom, after a while.</p> - -<p>“Wants five minutes ter six,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“What’ll Mr. O’Connor think?”</p> - -<p>“He can’t blame us for not comin’. I say, boys, I’m gettin’ hungry,” -said Tom.</p> - -<p>“So is the bear,” said Julius, significantly.</p> - -<p>At this suggestion, Teddy turned a shade paler.</p> - -<p>So the boys watched and waited in vain for their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62"></a>{62}</span> unwelcome visitor to -depart, keeping the little boat as near the middle of the pond as -possible.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll have to stay all night,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>Just at that moment the attention of the three boys was drawn to a boy -of about their own age, who was walking across the field toward the -pond.</p> - -<p>“Does he see the bear, I wonder?” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“The bear sees him,” said Tom. “He’s goin’ for him.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63"></a>{63}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -<small>THE BEAR AND HIS MASTER.</small></h2> - -<p>“Hadn’t we better holler to him to look out for the bear?” suggested -Teddy.</p> - -<p>“He sees him, and is callin’ to him,” said Julius, directly afterward.</p> - -<p>The three boys looked on in eager excitement, to see what would come of -the meeting. Teddy fully expected that the bear would appropriate the -newcomer for his supper, and was very much surprised at seeing him -rubbing his head against the boy’s legs, as if they were fast friends.</p> - -<p>“Look at that,” he cried. “I don’t believe he’s a bear.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he is,” said Tom, confidently. “Don’t you think I know a bear when -I see him?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll ask him,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Hello, there, Johnny!” he called out from the boat.</p> - -<p>The boy looked up, and for the first time noticed the three boys.</p> - -<p>“How did you know my name?” he asked, in surprise, for it so happened -that his name was really John.</p> - -<p>“I guessed at it,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64"></a>{64}</span></p> - -<p>“We’re New York aldermen,” said Julius, “travelin’ for our health.”</p> - -<p>“How came you in my boat?”</p> - -<p>“Is the boat yours?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“We thought we’d give it a little exercise, seein’ it had nothin’ to -do.”</p> - -<p>“I know who you are. You came with the agent of the Children’s Aid -Society.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so; I’m the president of the society, and these gentlemen are -directors.”</p> - -<p>“You look like it,” said the other boy, smiling.</p> - -<p>“Is that a bear?” asked Tom, who was anxious to have the question -settled.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t he bite?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no; he’s a tame bear. Ain’t you, old Bruin?”</p> - -<p>The bear rubbed his head against his legs as before.</p> - -<p>“Won’t he do anything to us if we come on shore?” asked Teddy, -nervously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no; he’s as good-natured as an old dog.”</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll land,” said Julius. “We’ve been stayin’ out here an hour, -’cause Teddy here was afraid of him.”</p> - -<p>“You were just as much afraid as I was,” said Teddy, indignantly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65"></a>{65}</span></p> - -<p>“That’s a lie. Me and Tom ain’t afraid of anything; but we wouldn’t -leave you here alone.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe him,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“I don’t,” said the boy on shore, laughing.</p> - -<p>“You see,” said Julius, “that my life is valuable to my country, and I -couldn’t bear to lose it. Step out, Teddy. Now tie the boat. We’d better -make tracks, or Mr. O’Connor’ll scold us.”</p> - -<p>They joined the other boy and the bear, though Teddy took care to keep -as far away from the latter as he could.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get the bear?” asked Julius. “Do they live around here?”</p> - -<p>“No; this was taken when a cub by an uncle of mine, and when it was -half-grown he gave it to me.”</p> - -<p>“How long have you had him?”</p> - -<p>“About five years; ever since I was nine years old.”</p> - -<p>“Is he quite tame?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes; he’s as tame as a cat.”</p> - -<p>“Do you let him go around loose?”</p> - -<p>“Part of the time. In the night we tie him, and keep him in the barn.”</p> - -<p>The bear, with the desire probably of getting acquainted with different -members of the party, here walked around to the further side, where -Teddy was walking.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66"></a>{66}</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, take him away!” said the frightened boy. “He’s goin’ for me.”</p> - -<p>“Shut up, you fool!” said Julius; “do you think he’d touch such skinny -meat as you, when he could have Tom or me? He ain’t fond of pigs.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t care if he ate you or Tom,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“Pat him,” said the stranger. “You’ll see how he won’t hurt you.”</p> - -<p>Teddy did so in fear and trembling, and was at last convinced that there -was nothing to fear.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to live in Brookville?” asked the young owner of the -bear.</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Who are you going to live with?”</p> - -<p>“With Mr. Taylor.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Ephraim Taylor?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; what kind of a man is he?”</p> - -<p>“He’s a good man; he’s rich, too. Did he say he’d take you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; I brought him a letter from his uncle. His uncle gave me this -watch and chain;” and Julius displayed, not without pride, his valued -treasure.</p> - -<p>“It’s a nice one,” said the other, after examining it.</p> - -<p>“Have you got one?”</p> - -<p>“Not yet; my father’s going to give me one on my next birthday.”</p> - -<p>“When will that be?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67"></a>{67}</span></p> - -<p>“On the Fourth of July.”</p> - -<p>“Was you born then?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said John smiling. “They celebrate my birthday around here.”</p> - -<p>“We do in New York, too.”</p> - -<p>“You see I am a great man.”</p> - -<p>“What’s your name—your whole name?”</p> - -<p>“John Sandford.”</p> - -<p>“Do you live near Mr. Taylor’s?”</p> - -<p>“About half a mile.”</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll see each other sometimes.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; you can tell me about New York.”</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t you ever there?”</p> - -<p>“No; but I should like to go. It’s a very big place, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“You bet it is.”</p> - -<p>“What is the population?”</p> - -<p>“What?”</p> - -<p>“How many people are there in the city?”</p> - -<p>“About ten million, I guess,” said Julius, pausing to think, and then -guessing.</p> - -<p>“There can’t be so many as that. Why, London has only a little over -three millions.”</p> - -<p>“London ain’t New York.”</p> - -<p>“No; but it’s a good deal bigger.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know exactly. I never counted,” said Julius.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68"></a>{68}</span></p> - -<p>“Are those other boys going to live in Brookville?”</p> - -<p>“I hope I will,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“So do I,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor is goin’ to get places for us to-morrow,” said Julius. -“I’ll tell you what, Johnny, you’d better take Teddy yourself. You could -let him sleep with the bear. Only, if the bear got hungry in his sleep, -maybe he’d make hash out of him.”</p> - -<p>“That would be hash treatment,” said John, laughing. “What is your name? -I’ve told you mine.”</p> - -<p>“My name is Julius.”</p> - -<p>“What else?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing else.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t you got but one name?” asked John, surprised.</p> - -<p>“No; what’s the use of two names?”</p> - -<p>“Everybody has two.”</p> - -<p>“Then, if I go to live with Mr. Taylor, I’ll call myself Julius Taylor.”</p> - -<p>“What’s your name?” turning to Teddy.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you,” said Julius. “That is the Hon. Teddy Bates, professor -of boot blackin’, and this other bummer is Tom Burke, Esq., one of the -most distinguished baggage-smashers in all New York.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t often get into such good company,” said John, laughing. “Are -all the rest of your company as celebrated?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69"></a>{69}</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, no; they’re common loafers. Me and Tom and Teddy are——”</p> - -<p>“Uncommon loafers, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“You guessed right the first time,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Hello, fellers!” interrupted Tom; “there’s Pat Maloney comin’ up the -road; I guess he’s comin’ for us.”</p> - -<p>“Where’ve you fellers been?” said Pat, on meeting them. “Mr. O’Connor -sent me to find you.”</p> - -<p>“Was he mad?”</p> - -<p>“No; he thought you’d lost your way. What’s that?” he exclaimed, -suddenly, for the first time espying the bear.</p> - -<p>“It’s a bear,” said John Sandford. “But don’t be frightened. He is tame. -He won’t hurt you.”</p> - -<p>“You’d better come quick, or you’ll lose your grub,” said Pat.</p> - -<p>This was enough. The three boys were very hungry, and, quickening their -pace, soon rejoined their companions, whom they found partaking of a -substantial supper, which had been liberally supplied by the citizens of -Brookville, with characteristic Western hospitality.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70"></a>{70}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.<br /><br /> -<small>A BOOTBLACK’S SPEECH.</small></h2> - -<p>Julius and his companions were readily excused by the superintendent, on -explaining the cause of their delay.</p> - -<p>After supper was over, Mr. O’Connor said: “Boys, this is the last time -you will be all together. To-morrow probably many of you will set out -for new homes. Now, how shall we pass the time?”</p> - -<p>“A speech from Corny Donovan!” cried one boy.</p> - -<p>“Speech from Corny!” was heard from all parts of the hall.</p> - -<p>“Corny, have you anything to say to the boys?” asked the superintendent, -smiling.</p> - -<p>Corny was a short, wiry little fellow, apparently twelve, but in reality -two years older. He was noted among the boys for his drollery, and -frequently amused them with his oratory. He came forward with a twinkle -of merriment in his eye.</p> - -<p>“The Honorable Corny Donovan will speak to the meetin’,” said Julius, -acting as temporary chairman.</p> - -<p>Corny took his place on the platform, and with perfect gravity took out -a small, red handkerchief, and blew his nose explosively, in imitation -of a gentleman who<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71"></a>{71}</span> once addressed the boys at the Lodging House. The -boys greeted this commencement with vociferous applause.</p> - -<p>“Go in, Corny!” “Spit it out!” were heard from different parts of the -hall.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” said Corny, extending his right arm horizontally, “I’ve come -here from my manshun in Fifth Avenoo to give you some good advice. -You’re poor miserable bummers, ivery mother’s son of you. You don’t know -much anyhow. Once’t I was as poor as you.” (“Hi; hi!” shouted his -auditors.) “You wouldn’t think to look at my good clo’es that I was once -a poor bummer like the rest of yez.” (“Yes we would. Where’s your gold -watch?”) “Where’s my gold watch? I left it at home on the planner. Maybe -you’d like to grow up gentlemen like me. But you can’t do it. It ain’t -in you.” (“Oh, dry up!”) “Boys, where’s your manners? Don’t you know no -more’n to interrupt me in my speech? Me and Mr. O’Connor have brought -you out here to make men of you. We want you to grow up ‘spectable. -Blackin’ boots won’t make men of you.” (“You’re only a bootblack -yourself!”) “I only blacked boots for amoosement, boys. I’d have you -know I used to leave my Fifth Avenoo manshun in disguise, and pass the -day round Printin’ House Square, blackin’ boots, ’cause my doctor told -me I must have exercise, or I’d die eatin’ too much rich food.” (“Rich -hash, you mean!”) “No,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72"></a>{72}</span> I don’t. I never allow my cook to put hash on -the table, ’cause you can’t tell what it’s made of, no more’n sassidges. -There’s lots of dogs and cats disappear in New York, and it’s pop’larly -supposed that they commits suicide; but the eatin’-house keepers know -what ’comes of ’em.” (“You bet! That’s so, Corny!”)</p> - -<p>“Now I want you boys to leave off bummin’, and try to be ’spectable -members of s’ciety. I don’t want yer to spend yer money for cigars, an’ -chew cheap tobaccer, just as ef you was men. Once’t I saw a -four-year-old bummer sittin’ on a doorstep, smokin’ a cigar that was -half as big as he was. All at once’t his rags took fire, and he went up -in a balloon.” (“Hi! hi!”)</p> - -<p>“I tell you, boys, the West is the place for you. Who knows but what -you’ll git to be Congressmen, or even President?” (“Hear the boy talk!”) -“I didn’t mean you, Jim Malone, so you needn’t say nothin’. They don’t -make Congressmen out’n sich crooked sticks as you be. Maybe you’ll keep -a corner grocery some time, or a whiskey shop, an’ lay on the floor -drunk half the time.” (“Pitch into him, Corny!”) “But that ain’t what I -was a goin’ to say. You’ll be great men, ef you don’t miss of it; and if -you’re good and honest and industrious like I am,” (“Dry up! Simmer -down!”), “you’ll come to live in fine houses, and have lots of servants -to wait on you, and black yer boots, instead of blackin’ ’em yourself.” -(“I’ll take you for my bootblack, Corny,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73"></a>{73}</span> interrupted Julius.) “No, you -won’t. I expect to be governor before that time, and maybe you’ll be -swallered by the bear that scared you so this afternoon.” (Laughter from -the boys.) “But I’ve most got through.” (“Oh, drive ahead, Corny!”) “If -you want to be great men all you’ve got to do is to imertate me. Me and -Mr. O’Connor are goin’ to watch you, to see that you behave the way you -ought to. When you’re rich you can come back to New York, and go to the -Lodgin’ House and make a speech to the boys, and tell ’em you was once a -poor bummer like they be, and advise ’em to go West, if they want to be -somebody.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys, I won’t say no more. I’m afeared you won’t remember what -I’ve said already. I won’t charge you nothin’ for my advice.”</p> - -<p>Corny descended from the platform amid the laughter and applause of his -comrades.</p> - -<p>Mr. O’Connor said: “Boys, Corny’s advice is very good, and I advise you -to follow it, especially as to avoiding cigars and tobacco, which can -only do boys harm. I am not sure that any of you stand a chance of -becoming a Congressman or President, as he suggests, but there is one -thing pretty certain—you can, if you are honest, industrious, and -improve your opportunities at the schools which you will have a chance -to attend, obtain a respectable position in society. Some of the boys -who in former years have gone to the West have become prosperous,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_74" id="page_74"></a>{74}</span> -having farms or shops of their own. I don’t see why you can’t be just as -successful as they. I hope you will be, and if, some years hence, you -come to New York, I hope you will visit the Lodging House. If I am still -there, I shall be glad to see you, and have you speak to the boys, and -encourage them, by the sight of your prosperity, to work as you have -done. Now I would suggest that you sing one or two of the songs we used -to sing on Sunday evenings at the Lodging House. After that you may go -out for an hour, but you must keep near this hall, as the evening is -coming on.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_75" id="page_75"></a>{75}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br /><br /> -<small>NEW HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS.</small></h2> - -<p>The next day was to witness the dispersion of the little company which -had come out to try their fortunes in the great West. Notices had been -circulated in the neighboring villages that a company of boys had -arrived, and farmers and mechanics who needed a boy on the farm or in -the shop came to Brookville; and at eleven in the forenoon the hall -presented a busy and animated sight. While the newcomers scanned -attentively the faces of the boys, or opened conversations with them, to -guide them in the selections, the boys again were naturally anxious to -obtain desirable guardians and homes. Julius, being already provided -for, had no anxiety, but wandered about, surveying the scene with -comparative indifference. As he had a bright and intelligent look, he -was more than once addressed by visitors.</p> - -<p>“What is your name, my lad?” asked a middle-aged farmer from the next -town.</p> - -<p>“Julius.”</p> - -<p>“How old are you?”</p> - -<p>“Fifteen.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_76" id="page_76"></a>{76}</span></p> - -<p>“How would you like to come with me, and help me on my farm?”</p> - -<p>“I’m engaged,” said Julius, with an air of importance; for as young -ladies are often emulous of getting married before their companions, so -the boy who first succeeds in obtaining a place plumes himself -accordingly.</p> - -<p>“Indeed!” said the farmer, somewhat disappointed. “Where are you going -to live?”</p> - -<p>“With Mr. Ephraim Taylor.”</p> - -<p>“In Brookville?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Then I shall have to look somewhere else, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’d like Corny Donovan?” suggested Julius.</p> - -<p>“Where is he? Point him out.”</p> - -<p>Our hero pointed out the speaker of the evening before.</p> - -<p>“He’s small,” said the farmer, after a critical survey. “How old is he?”</p> - -<p>“He’s fourteen.”</p> - -<p>“He doesn’t look more than twelve.”</p> - -<p>“He’s strong, Corny is, and he’s smart. He used to earn twice as much -money as some of the boys.”</p> - -<p>“What did he do?”</p> - -<p>“He blacked boots.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think he would like to work on a farm?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_77" id="page_77"></a>{77}</span></p> - -<p>“I’ll axe him. Come here, Corny.”</p> - -<p>Corny Donovan came up.</p> - -<p>“Here’s a gentleman wants to talk to you,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“I was asking if you would like to work on a farm.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Corny, promptly, “if I was treated well, and could go to -school. I want to learn somethin’, so’s I can grow up to be somebody.”</p> - -<p>“You ain’t afraid of work, are you?”</p> - -<p>“No, nor nothin’ else. Julius here is afraid of bears.”</p> - -<p>“You won’t find any bears where I live,” said the farmer, smiling. “How -would you like to go home with me?”</p> - -<p>“I’d like it. You’ll have to speak to Mr. O’Connor.”</p> - -<p>“He is the man who brought you to the West?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. He stands there.”</p> - -<p>Mr. O’Connor was the center of a group of farmers and others, who were -making inquiries about particular boys.</p> - -<p>“Mr. O’Connor,” said the farmer just introduced, “I want to ask you -about a boy who calls himself Corny Donovan.”</p> - -<p>“He is a smart boy; there is no smarter in our company.”</p> - -<p>“Can you recommend him?”</p> - -<p>“My dear sir, it depends on what you mean by the word.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_78" id="page_78"></a>{78}</span></p> - -<p>“Well, is he to be depended upon?”</p> - -<p>“I think so; but we cannot guarantee it. You know what has been the past -life of our boys; how they have been brought up in neglect and privation -in the city streets, subject to little restraint, and without careful -instruction. You can’t expect them to be models of all the virtues.”</p> - -<p>“No, I suppose not!”</p> - -<p>“But I can tell you this—that among the thousands whom we place in -Western homes, there are few who do us discredit by being guilty of -criminal offenses. They may at times be mischievous, as most boys in all -conditions are, and with whatever advantages. There are few who show -themselves really bad.”</p> - -<p>“That is all I want to know, Mr. O’Connor. I will take this boy, Corny, -and try him, with your consent.”</p> - -<p>“Have you spoken with him?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; he thinks he shall like being on a farm.”</p> - -<p>“Then, sir, you have only to give us good references, and the matter -shall be arranged. We always insist upon them, as we feel under -obligations to place our boys in good families, where they will be -likely to receive good treatment.”</p> - -<p>“That is quite fair, sir. I can satisfy you on that point.”</p> - -<p>The matter was soon arranged, and Corny Donovan’s suspense was at an -end. He had found a home. His<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_79" id="page_79"></a>{79}</span> new guardian was Mr. Darius Fogg, who -owned and cultivated a large farm in the adjoining township of -Claremont.</p> - -<p>“How far do you live from Brookville?” asked Julius.</p> - -<p>“About six miles.”</p> - -<p>“Can Corny come over some time? I should like to see him sometimes.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes; he will have occasion to come often. We send our farm produce -here, to go East by rail, and we do our shopping here. Mrs. Fogg will -want Cornelius to drive her over of an afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I drive the horses?” asked Corny, his eyes lighting up with eager -anticipation.</p> - -<p>“Certainly; you will have to do it every day.”</p> - -<p>“That’ll be stavin’. I say, Julius, won’t I put her over the road -two-forty?”</p> - -<p>This remark Mr. Fogg did not hear, or he might have been alarmed at the -prospect of either of his staid farm horses being put over the road at -racing speed. It is doubtful, however, whether Corny, or any other -driver, could have got any very surprising speed out of them.</p> - -<p>Teddy Bates was attached to Julius, and, though he was but a year -younger than our hero, looked up to him as a weak nature looks up to a -stronger. He was very anxious to find a home near our hero. Fortune -favored him at last, as a Mr. Johnson, a shoemaker, living only<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_80" id="page_80"></a>{80}</span> half a -mile distant from Mr. Taylor, agreed to take him into his shop, and -teach him the shoemaker’s trade.</p> - -<p>“So you’re goin’ to learn to make shoes, Teddy,” said Julius. “Do you -think you’ll like it?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Teddy, “but I’m glad I’m goin’ to be near you.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have bully times, but I’d rather be on a farm. I want to drive -horses.”</p> - -<p>“I never drove a horse,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“Nor I; but I can.”</p> - -<p>“S’pose he runs away.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t let him. You ain’t afraid of a horse as well as a bear, are -you, Teddy?”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t used to ’em, you see.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I; but I will be soon.”</p> - -<p>Teddy did not reply; but congratulated himself that he should have no -horse to take care of. In this, however, he was mistaken, as his new -guardian kept a horse also, though he did not have as much use for him -as if he had been a farmer.</p> - -<p>Teddy, I may here remark, was an exception to his class. Street boys are -rarely deficient in courage or enterprise, and most would be delighted -at the opportunity to control or drive a horse. But Teddy inherited a -timid temperament, and differed widely from such boys as Julius or Corny -Donovan.</p> - -<p>“Well, my boy, are you ready? I’ve got to be getting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_81" id="page_81"></a>{81}</span> home,” said Mr. -Johnson, walking up to the place where Teddy stood talking with Julius.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I’m ready. I’ll just bid good-by to Mr. O’Connor.”</p> - -<p>“Good-by, my boy,” said the superintendent. “I hope you will behave well -in your new home, and satisfy the gentleman who has agreed to take you. -Write home sometimes, and let me know how you are getting along.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t write, sir,” said Teddy, rather ashamed of his ignorance.</p> - -<p>“You will soon learn. Good-by!”</p> - -<p>Next Julius came up, as Mr. Taylor was also ready to start.</p> - -<p>“Good-by, Julius,” said Mr. O’Connor. “Now you’ve got a chance to make a -man of yourself, I hope you’ll do it.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said Julius, confidently. “If Jack Morgan or Marlowe come -round to ask where I am, don’t tell them.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think they’ll trouble me with any inquiries. They are probably -in Sing Sing by this time.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_82" id="page_82"></a>{82}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br /><br /> -<small>JULIUS IN LUCK.</small></h2> - -<p>A light wagon was standing outside for Julius and his new guardian.</p> - -<p>“Jump in, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor.</p> - -<p>Our hero did not need a second command. He was quickly in his seat, and -looked wistfully at his companion, who held the reins.</p> - -<p>“May I drive?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Are you accustomed to driving?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you never got a chance in the city?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir. Jack didn’t keep a horse,” said Julius, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“Who was Jack?”</p> - -<p>“He was the man I lived with.”</p> - -<p>“Was he in any business?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; but it wasn’t a very good kind of business. Jack used to -break into houses, and take anything he could find. He tried pickin’ -pockets one while, but he was too clumsy, and got caught too often. -Marlowe could do that better.”</p> - -<p>“Were those the two men you spoke of to Mr. O’Connor, as you were coming -away?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_83" id="page_83"></a>{83}</span></p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“How did you happen to be in charge of such a man?”</p> - -<p>“That’s more than I knows of. When I was a little chap, four or five -years old, I lived with Jack; but he never told me where he got me -from.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think you are his son?”</p> - -<p>“No; I know I’m not. When Jack got drunk he used to tell me I wa’n’t no -child of his, and he’d send me out to shift for myself if I didn’t do -jest as he told me.”</p> - -<p>“Did he often get drunk?”</p> - -<p>“He used to drink when he got a chance, but he’d only get reg’lar drunk -about once a week.”</p> - -<p>“Did he ever offer you anything to drink?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Julius, laughing; “he wanted it all himself. But I -wouldn’t have took it.”</p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t like it. Besides, I didn’t want to lay round drunk like Jack. -I didn’t see that there was any fun in it.”</p> - -<p>“You are right there. There is very little fun, as you call it, in -getting drunk. It appears to me you were brought up under bad -influences.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I was,” said Julius, in a matter-of-fact manner.</p> - -<p>“Many would be afraid to take into their houses a boy who had been -reared by a thief.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe they would,” said Julius.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_84" id="page_84"></a>{84}</span></p> - -<p>“They might be afraid that he had been trained to steal.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Julius; “but what’s the good of stealin’ when you got a good -home?”</p> - -<p>“Quite right; but that isn’t the highest view to take of stealing. It is -wrong in the sight of God.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what they told us at the Lodgin’ House.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you believe it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I believe it.”</p> - -<p>“And if ever you are tempted to take anything that doesn’t belong to -you, think first that it will be displeasing to God. After that, you may -consider that it is bad policy also.”</p> - -<p>“It was bad for Jack and Marlowe. They was in prison half the time. -They’re in Sing Sing now, hammerin’ stone, I expect.”</p> - -<p>“You may be thankful that you are out of their reach. But you said you -wanted to drive.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” said Julius, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Take the reins, and I’ll show you how to do it. You will have to learn -to harness and unharness the horse also.”</p> - -<p>“That’ll be bully,” said our hero, in a tone of satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you like the idea. I am going to make a Western farmer of -you.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I want.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_85" id="page_85"></a>{85}</span></p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor gave Julius some practical directions about driving, and had -an illustration of the boy’s quickness in his immediate comprehension -and acting upon them. They soon came in sight of a gate, on the other -side of which was a lane.</p> - -<p>“Jump out and open the gate,” said Mr. Taylor. “That lane leads to my -house.”</p> - -<p>They soon came in sight of a substantial farm-house of good appearance. -A man in overalls, and without a coat, came up to meet the carriage.</p> - -<p>“Abner,” said Mr. Taylor, “you may take out the horse, and put him in -the barn.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I go with him?” asked Julius.</p> - -<p>“Not now. I will take you into the house, and introduce you to Mrs. -Taylor, who will show you where you are to sleep.”</p> - -<p>He entered the house, followed by Julius.</p> - -<p>“Come in here,” said Mr. Taylor, throwing open the door of a comfortable -sitting-room. It was furnished in ordinary, yet tasteful, style; and to -Julius, bred in the street and never having known anything better than a -bare and cheerless apartment in a shabby tenement house, it seemed like -a palace. In front of a fire sat a pleasant and comely woman of -thirty-five, sewing. She looked up as Mr. Taylor entered, and her eyes -rested with interest on the boy who followed him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_86" id="page_86"></a>{86}</span></p> - -<p>“Emma,” said her husband, “this is the boy I spoke to you about.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad to see you,” said Mrs. Taylor, with a cordial smile, -extending her hand, which Julius took bashfully. He was not diffident in -the presence of men, but he was not accustomed to ladies, and felt -awkward in their presence. “You have come a long journey,” said Mrs. -Taylor.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir—I mean ma’am,” stammered Julius.</p> - -<p>“You come from New York?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, ma’am.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you will like Brookville. It isn’t much like the great city you -have left.”</p> - -<p>“I like it a great deal better.”</p> - -<p>“What is your name?”</p> - -<p>“Julius.”</p> - -<p>“You are the first Julius that I ever met. And your other name?”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t got none.”</p> - -<p>The lady looked surprised.</p> - -<p>“What was your father’s name. Surely he had one.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he did, but I never had the pleasure of his acquaintance.”</p> - -<p>“This is really singular, Ephraim,” said his wife. “How can he get along -with but one name?”</p> - -<p>“He can take ours.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_87" id="page_87"></a>{87}</span></p> - -<p>“How would you like to take the name of Taylor?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Tiptop,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Then you can call yourself Julius Taylor. I suppose that will be all -the formality required. Emma, where are you going to put him?”</p> - -<p>“I will show him his room,” said Mrs. Taylor. “Is his trunk outside?”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t got no trunk,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Then where do you keep your clothes?” asked Mrs. Taylor, in some -surprise.</p> - -<p>“I suspect,” said her husband, “Julius carries his clothes on his back.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got some in this bundle,” said our hero, displaying a paper -parcel.</p> - -<p>“You will have to buy him some, Ephraim,” said his wife. “He will need a -supply of underclothes.”</p> - -<p>“I leave that matter in your hands, my dear. You will know more about -his needs than I.”</p> - -<p>Julius followed Mrs. Taylor upstairs to a small back chamber on the -second floor, which was neatly furnished, with a bedstead, table, -bureau, washstand, two chairs, and adorned, moreover, by three prints -cheaply framed, and hung upon the walls.</p> - -<p>“This will be your room Julius,” said Mrs. Taylor.</p> - -<p>To the boy, with the recollections of his street life fresh<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_88" id="page_88"></a>{88}</span> in his -memory, it seemed hardly credible that this sumptuous chamber, as it -seemed to him, could really be his.</p> - -<p>“Do you like it?” asked Mrs. Taylor, noticing that he remained silent.</p> - -<p>“Don’t I?” he answered, drawing a long breath. “Is this goin’ to be my -room?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, you are to sleep here regularly. That bureau is for your clothes. -You can put your bundle inside now, and in a few days you shall have -some more to put in.”</p> - -<p>“It’s stavin’,” ejaculated Julius, rapturously.</p> - -<p>“I am not familiar with that word,” Mrs. Taylor said, “but I suppose it -means that the room suits you. You will find some water in the pitcher, -if you want to wash. When you have got through, you may come downstairs. -We shall have dinner directly.”</p> - -<p>Left to himself, Julius sat down on the bed, and tried to realize the -situation.</p> - -<p>“What would Jack say if he should see me now?” he said to himself. “I -didn’t expect I was goin’ to set up as a gentleman so quick. Ain’t this -a jolly bed? I’ll sleep like a top on it. It’s a blamed sight better -than lyin’ on the floor in Jack’s room, or sleepin’ in old wagons, or on -the piers. I feel as if one of them magician chaps had shaken his stick -at me and changed me from a bootblack into a prince, like he did in that -play at the Old Bowery. So I’m Julius Taylor now.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_89" id="page_89"></a>{89}</span></p> - -<p>Julius arose from the bed, and proceeded to wash his face and hands, -though, under ordinary circumstances, he would scarcely have thought it -necessary. But he reflected that he had ascended in the social scale, -and it was only proper to adapt himself to his new position. When he had -completed his ablutions, to use an expression which he would not yet -have understood, he heard a bell ring below.</p> - -<p>“That’s for grub!” he said to himself. “I guess I can do my share.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_90" id="page_90"></a>{90}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br /><br /> -<small>THE NEW DOLL.</small></h2> - -<p>Julius had been unusually fortunate in obtaining a home in Mr. Taylor’s -family. His new guardian was a man of wealth; indeed, he was the -wealthiest man in Brookville. He owned shares in banks and mining -companies, and could have lived handsomely had his farm yielded no -income. He had a taste for agriculture, however, though he personally -carried on but a small part of his extensive farm. His wife had been -born and brought up in an Eastern city, was well educated, and, though -she superintended the affairs of her household, did comparatively little -work herself, having the aid of two stout, capable girls in the kitchen, -who relieved her of all the drudgery, and, being competent for their -positions, required very little looking after. It will be seen, -therefore, that Mr. Taylor’s household is not presented as that of an -average Western farmer. Though, as a class, our Western farmers are -intelligent, they lack the refinement and cultivation which Mr. and Mrs. -Taylor derived from their early advantages.</p> - -<p>I must now explain how they came to take Julius into their family. -Though they had been married twelve years, they had but one child, a -little girl of five, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_91" id="page_91"></a>{91}</span> pretty and attractive child. Having no son, it -occurred to them to receive into their household a boy, who would be -company for little Carrie, and whom, if found worthy, they might -hereafter adopt and provide for. A boy of the age of Julius can always -make himself useful on a Western farm, but it was only partially with a -view to this consideration that he was received.</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor resolved to give him a good education, and increase his -advantages, if he showed himself to possess capability and willingness -to learn.</p> - -<p>Comparatively few of the boys who are sent to the West can hope to -obtain such homes; but though their privileges and opportunities may be -less, they will in most cases obtain a decent education, good treatment, -and a chance to rise.</p> - -<p>While Julius was upstairs, Mr. Taylor asked his wife:</p> - -<p>“Well, Emma, what do you think of the boy I have brought home?”</p> - -<p>“He looks bright, but I judge that he has not had much education.”</p> - -<p>“Quite right; it will be for us to remedy that. He has been brought up -in the streets of New York, but I don’t think he has any bad faults.”</p> - -<p>“He described his room as ‘stavin’,” said Mrs. Taylor, smiling. “I never -heard the word before.”</p> - -<p>“It is an emphatic word of approval among boys. I have heard it among -those who are not street boys. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_92" id="page_92"></a>{92}</span> use it where girls would say a -thing was ‘perfectly lovely’.”</p> - -<p>“I never had much to do with boys, Ephraim. You know I had no brothers, -so I am ignorant of their dialect.”</p> - -<p>“I presume Julius will enlighten your ignorance before long.”</p> - -<p>“I hardly think I shall adopt it. Suppose I should tell Mrs. Green that -her dress was ‘stavin’?”</p> - -<p>“Probably she would stare. Seriously, I hope our young waif may do -credit to our training. He will have a great deal to learn, and much to -unlearn; but he looks bright, and I have good hopes of success.”</p> - -<p>Here little Carrie entered, and at once monopolized attention.</p> - -<p>“What do you think I have brought home for you, Carrie?” asked her -father, taking her in his arms and kissing her.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, papa. What is it?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a doll—a big doll.”</p> - -<p>“How big?” asked Carrie, seriously.</p> - -<p>“Bigger than Carrie.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, how nice!” said the child. “Where is it?” and she looked around.</p> - -<p>“It will soon come in.”</p> - -<p>“Where did you get it, papa?”</p> - -<p>“It came all the way from New York.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_93" id="page_93"></a>{93}</span></p> - -<p>“How nice of you, papa!”</p> - -<p>“And what do you think, Carrie? It can walk all by itself.”</p> - -<p>“Really, papa?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and it can talk.”</p> - -<p>“Can it talk like me?” asked the unsuspecting child.</p> - -<p>“Yes; and a great deal louder.”</p> - -<p>“It must be a funny doll,” said the child, reflectively? “What does it -look like?”</p> - -<p>“Like a boy.”</p> - -<p>“Is it a boy doll?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad of that. All my dolls are girls.”</p> - -<p>“Well, this is a boy.”</p> - -<p>“Did you pay a great deal for it, papa?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor laughed.</p> - -<p>“I expect it will cost me a great deal before I get through with it; for -I forgot to tell you one thing, Carrie—this doll I am speaking to you -about, eats.”</p> - -<p>“Does it eat dinner?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I have to feed it?”</p> - -<p>“I think it will prefer to feed itself, Carrie,” said her father, -compelled to laugh by the serious, wondering face of the little girl.</p> - -<p>At that moment Julius entered the room.</p> - -<p>“There it is now,” said Mr. Taylor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_94" id="page_94"></a>{94}</span></p> - -<p>“That is a boy,” said Carrie, looking somewhat disappointed.</p> - -<p>“I told you it was.”</p> - -<p>“But you said it was a doll. Are you a doll?” she asked, sliding from -her father’s knee, and running up to Julius.</p> - -<p>“I’m a pretty big one,” said Julius, amused.</p> - -<p>“There, papa, you were only funning,” said the little girl, -reproachfully.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I tell you the truth? Can’t he eat, and talk, and walk?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but he isn’t a doll.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he better than a doll? A doll couldn’t play with you; Julius -can.”</p> - -<p>“Is your name Julius?” asked the little girl, looking up to our hero.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“What’s your other name?”</p> - -<p>“Taylor,” answered Julius, with a glance at her father.</p> - -<p>“Why, that’s our name.”</p> - -<p>“Then he must be of our family,” said her father. “Do you want him to -stay, and live with us? He can play with you, and tell you stories, and -you can have plenty of good times together.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I should like to have him stay. Will you, Julius?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if you want me to,” answered our hero; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_95" id="page_95"></a>{95}</span> he felt strongly -attracted to the sweet little girl, who had mistaken him for a doll.</p> - -<p>“Then you may lead him out to dinner, Carrie,” said Mr. Taylor, as Jane, -one of the servants, opened the door and announced that dinner was -ready. “Perhaps you will have to feed him, as he is a doll, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Now you are funning again, papa,” said Carrie, shaking her curls. “Will -you sit by me, Julius?”</p> - -<p>“I should like to, Carrie,” said our hero; and hand in hand with the -little girl he walked into the next room, where a table was neatly -spread for dinner.</p> - -<p>It was a new experience to Julius. He had never had a sister. Those -girls with whom he had been brought in contact had been brought up as he -had been, and, even where their manners were not rough, possessed little -of the grace and beauty of this little child of fortune. She seemed to -the eyes of our young plebeian a being of a higher type and superior -clay, and, untutored as he was, he could appreciate in a degree, her -childish beauty and grace.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were pleased to find that the little girl’s -happiness was likely to be increased by this accession to their -household.</p> - -<p>“I think, Carrie,” said her mother, “you like Julius better than if he -were a doll.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, mamma, I do.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_96" id="page_96"></a>{96}</span></p> - -<p>“If you don’t,” said Julius, “I’ll turn myself into a big doll with pink -eyes.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t,” said Carrie, seriously.</p> - -<p>“Maybe I can’t myself, but I might get a big magician to do it.”</p> - -<p>“Is that a fairy,” asked the little girl.</p> - -<p>“I guess so.”</p> - -<p>“The difference is,” said her father, “that magicians are men, but -fairies are women.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want you to,” said Carrie, “for then you couldn’t talk to me, -and play with me. Please stay a boy.”</p> - -<p>“I will as long as you want me to,” said Julius, gravely.</p> - -<p>Our hero did not feel wholly at his ease, for he was not used to dining -in company. In the cheap eating houses which he had been accustomed to -patronize, when he was in luck, very little ceremony prevailed. The -etiquette in vogue was of the loosest character. If a patron chose to -sit with his hat on, or lean his elbows on the table, there was nothing -to prevent. But Julius was observing, and carefully observed how Mr. and -Mrs. Taylor ate, being resolved to imitate them, and so make no -mistakes. He found it difficult, however, to eat with his fork, instead -of his knife, as he had always done hitherto, and privately thought it a -very singular and foolish custom. His attempts were awkward, and -attracted the attention of his new guardians; but they were encouraged<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_97" id="page_97"></a>{97}</span> -by it to believe that he would lay aside other habits springing from his -street life, and, after a while, shape his manners wholly to his new -position.</p> - -<p>When dinner was over, Mr. Taylor said: “Julius, would you like to go out -with me and see the farm?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” said our hero, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“I thought you were going to play with me,” said little Carrie, -disappointed.</p> - -<p>“Julius can’t play with you all the time, my dear,” said her mother. -“After supper perhaps he will.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I change him into a doll?” asked her father. “Then he’ll have to -stay in.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Carrie; “I like a boy better.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_98" id="page_98"></a>{98}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br /><br /> -<small>FIRST LESSONS.</small></h2> - -<p>“I suppose you don’t know much about farming, Julius?” said Mr. Taylor, -after supper.</p> - -<p>“No more’n a horse,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Some horses know considerable about farming, or at least have a chance -to,” said his new guardian, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“I guess they know more’n me.”</p> - -<p>“Very likely; but you can learn.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” said Julius, confidently. “It won’t take me long.”</p> - -<p>“I shall put you in charge of Abner, who will give you some instruction. -You will begin to-morrow morning with helping him to milk.”</p> - -<p>“All right, sir.”</p> - -<p>“He gets up at five o’clock. He will knock at your door, as he comes -downstairs. He sleeps on the floor above. Now I want to ask a few -questions about other matters. I suppose your education has been -neglected.”</p> - -<p>“I was to college once,” said our hero.</p> - -<p>“How was that?”</p> - -<p>“I carried a bundle of books from a bookseller in Nassau<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_99" id="page_99"></a>{99}</span> Street to one -of the purfessors of Columbia College.”</p> - -<p>“If that is the extent of your educational advantages, you probably -still have something to learn. Have you been to school?”</p> - -<p>“Not much. I went to evenin’ school a few times.”</p> - -<p>“Can you read and write?”</p> - -<p>“I can read a little, but I have to skip the hard words. I ain’t much on -writin’.”</p> - -<p>“Here is a little book of fairy stories. You can read one aloud to -Carrie.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t read well enough,” said Julius, drawing back reluctantly.</p> - -<p>“That is just what I want to find out,” said Mr. Taylor. “Don’t be -bashful. If you can’t read well, you shall have a chance to improve.”</p> - -<p>“Are you going to read me a story, Julius?” asked little Carrie, -delighted.</p> - -<p>“I’ll try,” said Julius, embarrassed.</p> - -<p>He began to read, but it soon became evident that he had not exaggerated -his ignorance. He hesitated and stumbled, miscalled easy words, and made -very slow progress, so that Carrie, who had been listening attentively, -without getting much idea of the story, said, discontentedly, “Why, how -funny you read, Julius! I like better to hear papa read.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a>{100}</span></p> - -<p>“I knew I couldn’t do it,” said Julius, disconcerted, as he laid down -the book.</p> - -<p>“You will soon be able to,” said Mr. Taylor, encouragingly. “Now I will -tell you what I propose to do. In the forenoon, up to dinner time, you -shall work on the farm, and in the afternoon I will assign you lessons -to be recited in the evening. Would you like that?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Julius. “I don’t want to be a know-nothin’ when I get to be -a man.”</p> - -<p>It is hardly necessary to explain that in using the term “know-nothing” -Julius had no thought of its political meaning.</p> - -<p>“But I’m afraid I won’t learn very fast,” he said hesitatingly.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps not just at first, but you will soon get used to studying. I -will be your teacher; and when I am too busy to hear your lessons, Mrs. -Taylor will supply my place. Are you willing, Emma?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, Ephraim; it will remind me of the years that I was teaching -school.”</p> - -<p>“Next winter I will send you to the public school,” said Mr. Taylor. “By -that time you will, I hope, have learned so much that you will be able -to get into a class of boys somewhere near your own age.”</p> - -<p>“I shouldn’t like to be in a class with four-year-old babies,” said -Julius. “They’d take me for a big baby myself.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a>{101}</span></p> - -<p>“Your pride is natural and proper. Your grade in school will depend on -how well you work between now and winter.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll study some to-night,” said Julius, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Very well. The sooner you begin the better. You may take the same story -you have been trying to read, and read it over three times carefully by -yourself. When you come to any words you don’t know, you can ask Mrs. -Taylor or myself. To-morrow evening you may read it aloud to Carrie, and -we can see how much benefit you have derived from your study.”</p> - -<p>Julius at once set to work in earnest. He had considerable perseverance, -and really desired to learn. He was heartily ashamed of his ignorance, -and this feeling stimulated him to make greater exertions.</p> - -<p>The next morning he was awakened by a loud knock at his door.</p> - -<p>“What’s up?” he muttered, drowsily.</p> - -<p>“Get up, Julius,” Abner called, loudly.</p> - -<p>Julius opened his eyes, and stared about him in momentary bewilderment.</p> - -<p>“Blest if I didn’t forget where I was,” he said to himself. “I thought I -was at the Lodgin’ House, and Mr. O’Connor was callin’ me. I’m comin’,” -he said, aloud.</p> - -<p>“You’ll find me at the barn,” said Abner.</p> - -<p>“All right.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a>{102}</span></p> - -<p>Julius hurried on his clothes, and proceeded to the barn, where he soon -found Abner in the act of milking.</p> - -<p>“Is it easy to milk?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“It’s easy when you know how,” said Abner.</p> - -<p>“It don’t look hard.”</p> - -<p>“Come and try it,” said Abner.</p> - -<p>He got off his stool, and Julius took his place. He began to pull, but -not a drop of milk rewarded his efforts.</p> - -<p>“There ain’t no milk left,” he said. “You’re foolin’ me.”</p> - -<p>In reply Abner drew a full stream into the pail.</p> - -<p>“I did just like you,” said Julius, puzzled.</p> - -<p>“No, you didn’t. Let me show you.”</p> - -<p>Here followed a practical lesson, which cannot very well be transferred -to paper, even if the writer felt competent to give instructions in an -art of which he has little knowledge.</p> - -<p>Julius, though he had everything to learn, was quick in acquiring -knowledge, whether practical or that drawn from books, and soon got the -knack of milking, though it was some days before he could emulate Abner -with his years of experience.</p> - -<p>The next day Julius undertook to milk a cow alone. So well had he -profited by Abner’s instructions, that he succeeded very well. But he -was not yet experienced in the perverse ways of cows. When the pail was -nearly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a>{103}</span> full, and he was congratulating himself on his success, the cow -suddenly lifted her foot, and in an instant the pail was overturned, and -all the milk was spilled, a portion of it on the milker.</p> - -<p>Julius uttered an exclamation of mingled dismay and anger.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Abner, rather amused at the expression on the -face of Julius, notwithstanding the loss of the milk.</p> - -<p>“Matter! The darned brute has knocked over the pail, and spilled all the -milk.”</p> - -<p>“Cows is curis critters,” said Abner, philosophically. “They like to -make mischief sometimes.”</p> - -<p>“Just let me get a stick. I’ll give her a dose,” said Julius, excited.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Abner, “we’ll tie her legs if she does it again. It doesn’t -do much good beating an animal. Besides,” he added, smiling, “I s’pose -she thought she had a right to spill the milk, considerin’ it was hers.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about that,” said Julius. “That’s the way she pays her -board.”</p> - -<p>“I s’pose she didn’t see it in that light. Better luck next time, -Julius. It wa’n’t your fault anyway.”</p> - -<p>The cow stood placidly during this conversation, evidently well pleased -with her exploit. Julius would like to have given her a beating; but -Abner, who was a kind-hearted man, would not allow it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a>{104}</span></p> - -<p>“It would be a bully idea to make her go without her breakfast,” said -Julius, whose anger was kept fresh by the sight of the spilled milk.</p> - -<p>“Wal,” said Abner, “you see there’s this objection. If she don’t have no -breakfast, she won’t give as much milk next time.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think of that.”</p> - -<p>“She can’t make milk out of nothin’. Don’t you have no cows in New -York?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” said Julius, laughing; “the mayor has a whole drove of ’em, -that he pastures in Central Park.”</p> - -<p>“Does he get pasturin’ for nothin’?” asked Abner, in good faith.</p> - -<p>“In course he does. Then there’s a lot of bulls in Wall Street.”</p> - -<p>“Do they let ’em go round loose?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t they ever get rampagious?”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t they do mischief?”</p> - -<p>“I guess they do. They’re always fightin’ with the bears.”</p> - -<p>“Sho! you don’t mean to say you’ve got bears in New York.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I do. They’re in Wall Street, too.”</p> - -<p>“I shouldn’t think they’d allow it,” said Abner, whose knowledge of -finance and the operators who make Wall<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a>{105}</span> Street the theatre of their -operations was very rudimentary.</p> - -<p>“Oh, ain’t you jolly green!” said Julius, exploding with laughter.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” demanded Abner, inclined to feel offended.</p> - -<p>“The bulls and bears I am talkin’ of are men. They’re the brokers that -do business in Wall Street.”</p> - -<p>“How should I know that? What do they give ’em such curis names for?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said Julius. “I never heard. Didn’t you ever go to New -York?”</p> - -<p>“No; but I should like to go. It costs a pile of money to go there, I -expect. I wish you’d tell me something about it.”</p> - -<p>“All right.”</p> - -<p>Then and at other times Julius gave Abner a variety of information, not -always wholly reliable, about New York and his former life there, to -which Abner listened with greedy attention.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a>{106}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br /><br /> -<small>TEMPTATION.</small></h2> - -<p>Though Mr. Taylor owned several hundred acres, he retained but forty -under his personal charge. The remainder was rented to various parties, -who paid him either in money or grain, according to the agreement made. -Being fond of agriculture, he would have kept the whole in his own -hands, but that it would have increased so largely the cares of his -wife. A large number of farm laborers would have been required, whom he -would probably have been compelled to receive under his own roof, and -his wife would have become in effect the mistress of a large boarding -house. This he was too considerate to require, or allow.</p> - -<p>Even of the forty acres he reserved, but a small portion was cultivated, -the remainder being used for pasturage or mowing. During the greater -part of the year, therefore, he found Abner’s services sufficient. Only -during haying and harvest he found it necessary to engage extra -assistance. Mr. Taylor was, however, an exception to the general rule. -Ordinarily, Western farmers, owning a large number of acres, carry on -the whole themselves; though it is doubtful whether their profits<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a>{107}</span> are -any greater than if they should let out the greater part.</p> - -<p>It will be seen, therefore, that Julius was fortunate in his position. -He had to work but half the day, while the remaining half he was at -liberty to devote to making up the many deficiencies in his early -education. He was sensible enough to appreciate this advantage, and -showed it by the rapid improvement he made. After he had begun to -improve in his reading, he had lessons assigned him in writing and -arithmetic. For the latter he showed a decided taste; and even mastered -with ease the difficulties of fractions, which, perhaps more than any -other part of the arithmetic, are liable to perplex the learner.</p> - -<p>“You are really making excellent progress, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor to -him one evening. “I find you are a very satisfactory pupil.”</p> - -<p>“Do you, sir?” said Julius, his eyes brightening.</p> - -<p>“You appear not only to take pains, but to have very good natural -abilities.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad I’m not goin’ to grow up a know-nothin’.”</p> - -<p>“You certainly won’t if you keep on in this way. But there is one other -thing in which you can improve?”</p> - -<p>“What is that?”</p> - -<p>“In your pronunciation. Just now you said ‘goin’<span class="lftspc">’</span> and ‘know-nothin’.’ -You should pronounce the final letter, saying ‘going’ and ‘nothing.’ -Don’t you notice that I do it?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a>{108}</span></p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; but I’m used to the other.”</p> - -<p>“You can correct it, notwithstanding. By way of helping you I will -remind you whenever you go wrong in this particular way; indeed, -whenever you make any mistake in pronunciation.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you would,” said Julius, earnestly. “Do you think they’ll put me -in a very low class at school?”</p> - -<p>“Not if you work hard from now to Thanksgiving.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know as much as other boys of my age. I don’t want to be in -a class with four-year-olds.”</p> - -<p>“You have got safely by that, at least,” said Mr. Taylor, smiling. “I -like your ambition, and shall be glad myself, when you enter school, to -have you do credit to my teaching.”</p> - -<p>There was nothing connected with the farm work that Julius liked better -than driving a horse, particularly when he had sole charge of it; and he -felt proud indeed the first time he was sent with a load of hay to a -neighboring town. He acquitted himself well; and from that time he was -often sent in this way. Sometimes, when Mr. Taylor was too busy to -accompany her, Mrs. Taylor employed him to drive her to the village -stores, or to a neighbor’s, to make a call; and as Julius showed himself -fearless, and appeared to have perfect control even of Mr. Taylor’s most -spirited horse, she felt as safe with him as with her husband.</p> - -<p>Julius had been in his new place about six weeks, when<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a>{109}</span> his integrity -was subjected to a sudden and severe test. He was sent to a neighbor’s, -living about a mile and a half away, and, on account of the distance, -was told to harness up the horse and ride. This he did with alacrity. He -took his seat in the buggy, gathered the reins into his hands, and set -out. He had got a quarter of a mile on his way when he suddenly espied -on the floor of the carriage, in the corner, a pocketbook. He took it -up, and, opening it, discovered two facts: first, that it belonged to -Mr. Taylor, as it contained his card; next, that its contents were -valuable, judging from the thick roll of bills.</p> - -<p>“How much is there here?”</p> - -<p>This was the first question that Julius asked himself.</p> - -<p>Counting the bills hurriedly, he ascertained that they amounted to two -hundred and sixty-seven dollars.</p> - -<p>“Whew! what a pile!” he said to himself. “Ain’t I in luck? I could go to -California for this, and make a fortune. Why shouldn’t I keep it? Mr. -Taylor will never know. Besides, he’s so rich he won’t need it.”</p> - -<p>To one who had been brought up, or rather who had brought himself up, as -a bootblack in the streets of New York, the temptation was a strong one. -Notwithstanding the comfort which he now enjoyed there were moments when -a longing for his old, independent, vagrant life swept over him. He -thought of Broadway, and City Hall Park, of Tony Pastor’s, and the old -Bowery, of the busy hum and excitement of the streets of the great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a>{110}</span> -city; and a feeling something like homesickness was aroused within him. -Brookville seemed dull, and he pined to be in the midst of crowds. This -longing he was now able to gratify. He was not apprenticed to Mr. -Taylor. It is not the custom of the Children’s Aid Society to bind out -the children they send West for any definite term. There was nothing to -hinder his leaving Brookville, and either going back to New York, or -going to California, as he had often thought he would like to do. Before -the contents of the pocketbook were exhausted, which, according to his -reckoning, would be a very long time, he would get something to do. -There was something exhilarating in the prospect of starting on a long -journey alone, with plenty of money in his pocket. Besides, the money -wouldn’t be stolen. He had found it, and why shouldn’t he keep it?</p> - -<p>These thoughts passed through the mind of Julius in considerably less -time than I have taken in writing them down. But other and better -thoughts succeeded. After all, it would be no better than stealing to -retain money when he knew the owner. Besides, it would be a very poor -return to Mr. Taylor for the kindness with which he had treated him ever -since he became a member of his household. Again, it would cut short his -studies, and he would grow up a know-nothing—to use his own word—- -after all. It would be pleasant traveling, to be sure; it would be -pleasant to see California, or to find himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a>{111}</span> again in the streets of -New York; but that pleasure would be dearly bought.</p> - -<p>“I won’t keep it,” said Julius, resolutely. “It would be mean, and I -should feel like a thief.”</p> - -<p>He put the pocketbook carefully in the side pocket of his coat, and -buttoned it up. As he whipped up the horse, who had taken advantage of -his preoccupation of mind to walk at a snail’s pace, it occurred to him -that if he should leave Brookville he would no longer be able to drive a -horse; and this thought contributed to strengthen his resolution.</p> - -<p>“What a fool I was to think of keeping it!” he thought. “I’ll give it to -Mr. Taylor just as soon as I get back.”</p> - -<p>He kept his word.</p> - -<p>“Haven’t you lost your pocketbook, Mr. Taylor?” he asked, when, having -unharnessed the horse, he entered the room where his guardian was -sitting.</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor felt in his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said he, anxiously. “It contained a considerable sum of money. -Have you found it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; here it is.” And our hero drew it from his pocket, and -restored it to the owner.</p> - -<p>“Where did you find it?”</p> - -<p>“In the bottom of the wagon,” answered Julius.</p> - -<p>“Do you know how much money there is in the wallet?” asked Mr. Taylor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a>{112}</span></p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; I counted the bills. There is nearly three hundred dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t it occur to you,” asked Mr. Taylor, looking at him in some -curiosity, knowing what he did of his past life and associations, -“didn’t it occur to you that you could have kept it without my -suspecting it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Julius, frankly. “It did.”</p> - -<p>“Did you think how much you might do with it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; I thought how I could go back to New York and cut a swell, or go -to California and maybe make a fortune at the mines.”</p> - -<p>“But you didn’t keep it.”</p> - -<p>“No; it would be mean. It wouldn’t be treating you right, after all -you’ve done for me; so I just pushed it into my pocket, and there it -is.”</p> - -<p>“You have resisted temptation nobly, my boy,” said Mr. Taylor, warmly; -“and I thank you for it. I won’t offer to reward you, for I know you -didn’t do it for that; but I shall hereafter give you my full -confidence, and trust you as I would myself.”</p> - -<p>Nothing could have made a better or deeper impression on the mind of -Julius than these words. Nothing could have made him more ashamed of his -momentary yielding to the temptation of dishonesty. He was proud of -having won the confidence of Mr. Taylor. It elevated him in his own -eyes.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir,” he said, taking his guardian’s proffered<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a>{113}</span> hand. “I’ll -try to deserve what you say. I’d rather hear them words than have you -pay me money.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor was a wise man, and knew the way to a boy’s heart. Julius -never forgot the lesson of that day. In moments of after temptation it -came back to him, and strengthened him to do right.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a>{114}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br /><br /> -<small>THE NEW TEACHER.</small></h2> - -<p>On the first Monday after Thanksgiving the winter school commenced. -Julius looked forward to the day with eager interest. He had studied at -home faithfully in the afternoon, according to Mr. Taylor’s proposal, -and had really made remarkable progress. His ambition was aroused, and -he had labored to reach an equality with other boys of his age. He was -encouraged to believe he had done so, and therefore was not afraid of -being mortified by his standing in the assignment of scholars to -classes.</p> - -<p>“Who is to be the teacher this winter?” asked Mrs. Taylor, at the -breakfast table, turning to her husband.</p> - -<p>“It is a nephew of Deacon Slocum. I believe his name is Slocum.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know anything of him?”</p> - -<p>“No; I only know that the Deacon actively interested himself to get him -the appointment. Most of the parents would have preferred Dexter -Fairbanks. He has experience, and is known to be an excellent teacher.”</p> - -<p>“How came the deacon to carry his point?”</p> - -<p>“By asking his nephew’s appointment as a special favor. I only hope he -will prove a good teacher.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a>{115}</span></p> - -<p>Julius listened to this conversation with attention. He felt that he was -personally interested in the matter. He hoped the new teacher would be a -good one, for he really wished to learn. If I should say, however, that -this was all that our hero had in view, I should convey a false idea. He -expected to have a good time, and meant to get what enjoyment he could -as well as profit. By this time he was pretty well acquainted with the -boys who, like himself, were to attend the school, and no longer felt -like a stranger.</p> - -<p>One thing I must add. When we first made acquaintance with Julius, in -the streets of New York, he was meager and rather undersized. Want and -privation had checked his growth, as was natural. But since he had found -a home in the West, he had lived generously, enjoyed pure air, and a -sufficiency of out-of-door exercise, and these combined had wrought a -surprising change in his appearance. He had grown three inches in -height; his form had expanded; the pale, unhealthy hue of his cheek had -given place to a healthy bloom, and his strength had considerably -increased. This change was very gratifying to Julius. Like most boys of -his age he wanted to be tall and strong; in the city he had been rather -ashamed of his puny appearance; but this had disappeared, and he now -felt able to cope with most boys of his age.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a>{116}</span></p> - -<p>Some minutes before nine a group of boys assembled in front of the -schoolhouse.</p> - -<p>“Have you seen the new teacher?” asked Julius, addressing John Sandford.</p> - -<p>“No; they say he only came to Brookville late last evening.”</p> - -<p>“Where is he going to board?”</p> - -<p>“At Deacon Slocum’s, so father says. The deacon is his uncle.”</p> - -<p>“I hope he isn’t like his uncle, then,” said Henry Frye. “The deacon -always looks as stiff as a fence rail.”</p> - -<p>“I wish we were going to have Mr. Fairbanks here again this winter. He’s -a regular, tiptop teacher.”</p> - -<p>“So he is,” said Henry.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Taylor says it’s the deacon’s doing, getting his nephew appointed.”</p> - -<p>“Of course it was. Mr. Fairbanks was willing to teach. I wish we could -have had him. He used to go out at recess, and play ball with us -sometimes.”</p> - -<p>“Could he play well?” asked Julius.</p> - -<p>“I bet he could. Do you see that tree over there?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he knocked a ball as far as that one day.”</p> - -<p>“He must have been pretty strong in the arms,” said Julius, measuring -the distance with his eye.</p> - -<p>“He was that.”</p> - -<p>“Did he ever lick the boys?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a>{117}</span></p> - -<p>“No; he didn’t need to. We all liked him, and didn’t give him any -cause.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe this teacher will be a good one.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so; but I know he isn’t as good as Mr. Fairbanks.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that he, coming up the hill?” asked Teddy Bates.</p> - -<p>“It must be,” said John Sandford. “He bends backward just like the -deacon. Tall, too; looks like a May pole.”</p> - -<p>Forty pairs of eyes scanned with interest the advancing figure of the -schoolmaster. He was very tall, very thin, with a pimply face, and -bright red hair, and a cast in his right eye. He would hardly have been -selected, either by a sculptor or an artist, as a model of manly beauty; -and this was the impression made upon the youthful observers.</p> - -<p>“Ain’t he a beauty?” said Henry Frye, in a low voice.</p> - -<p>“Beats the deacon all hollow,” said John Sandford; “and that’s saying a -good deal.”</p> - -<p>“He’s got the family backbone,” said Julius, who had been long enough in -the town to become well acquainted with the appearance of most of the -inhabitants.</p> - -<p>“That’s so, Julius.”</p> - -<p>By this time the teacher had come within a few feet of his future -scholars.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a>{118}</span></p> - -<p>“Boys,” said he, majestically, “I am Mr. Slocum, your teacher.”</p> - -<p>The boys looked at him, and two of the younger ones said, -“Good-morning.”</p> - -<p>“You will at once enter the schoolhouse,” said the new teacher, with -dignity.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t the bell going to ring?” asked Henry Frye.</p> - -<p>“Yes. On the whole, you may wait for the bell.”</p> - -<p>He entered the schoolhouse, and a minute later reappeared at the door -ringing the bell violently.</p> - -<p>Probably few persons are the objects of more critical attention than a -new teacher, for the pupils who are to be under his charge. It is to -many an embarrassment to be subjected to such close scrutiny, but Mr. -Theophilus Slocum rather liked it. He had an exceedingly high opinion of -himself, and fancied that others admired him as much as he admired -himself. Of his superior qualifications as a teacher he entertained not -the slightest doubt, and expected to “come, see and conquer.” He had -taught small schools twice before, and, although his success was far -from remarkable, he managed to keep the schools through to the end of -the term.</p> - -<p>Such was the teacher who had undertaken to keep the winter term of the -principal school in Brookville.</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum took his place at the teacher’s desk, solemnly drew out a -large red handkerchief, and blew a sonorous blast upon his nose, and -then began to speak.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a>{119}</span></p> - -<p>“Boys and girls,” he commenced, in a nasal voice, “I have agreed to -teach this school through the winter. They wanted me in two or three -other places, but I preferred to come here, in order to be near my -venerable relative, Deacon Slocum. I expect you to make great -improvement, considering how great will be your advantages. When I was a -boy I used to take right holt of my studies, and that’s the way I have -rose to be a teacher.” (Significant looks were exchanged between -different scholars, who were quick to detect the weakness of the -speaker.) “I was not raised in this State. I come from Maine, where I -graduated from one of the best academies in the State. I come out here, -hoping to advance the cause of education in the West. I don’t think all -the best teachers ought to stay in the East. They ought to come to the -great West, like I have, to teach the young idea how to shoot. Now, boys -and girls, that’s all I’ve got to say, except that I mean to be master. -You needn’t try to cut up any of your pranks here, for I won’t allow it. -I will form the classes, and we will begin.”</p> - -<p>For an hour and a half the new teacher was engaged in classifying the -scholars. Then came recess, and on the play ground, as may well be -supposed, not a few remarks were made upon the new teacher, and his -speech.</p> - -<p>“He’s a conceited jackass,” said John Sandford. “You’d think, to hear -him talk, that we had no good teachers in the West till he came.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a>{120}</span></p> - -<p>“He’d better have stayed where he came from,” said Henry Frye. “I don’t -believe they wanted him in two or three other places.”</p> - -<p>“I wish he had gone to one of them, for my part. I wouldn’t cry much. -How much better Mr. Fairbanks was!”</p> - -<p>“I should say he was,” said Tom Allen. “You wouldn’t catch him making a -jackass of himself by making such a speech.”</p> - -<p>“I hope he knows something,” said Julius, “for I want to learn.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe he does,” said John. “When a man talks so much about -what he knows, I think he’s a humbug. Did you hear what he said about -taking right ‘holt’? It seems to me a teacher from one of the best -academies in Maine ought to know better.”</p> - -<p>“He puts on airs enough,” said Tom Allen. “If he expects he’s going to -tread us under foot, he’ll find himself mistaken.”</p> - -<p>Tom Allen was the largest boy in school—large-framed and muscular, -through working on a farm. He was tractable if treated justly, but apt -to resist if he felt that any attempt was being made to impose upon him. -He was a little dull, but tried to improve. He was a scholar whom it was -the interest of the teacher to secure as a friend, for he could render -very efficient assistance in case of trouble. He was not particularly -pleased with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a>{121}</span> the tone of the new teacher’s opening speech, regarding it -as unnecessarily aggressive, as well as betraying not a little -self-conceit. He had been a trusted supporter of Mr. Fairbanks, who had -patiently endeavored to clear up difficulties in his lessons, and, not -being naturally quick, he encountered them often. It would have been -well if Mr. Slocum had understood the wisdom of conciliating him; but -the new teacher was very deficient in good judgment and practical -wisdom, and was by no means as well versed as he pretended to be in the -studies which he had undertaken to teach. It was a proof of his want of -tact that he had begun his career by threatening the school, and -parading his authority very unnecessarily.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a>{122}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br /><br /> -<small>A FIRST-CLASS HUMBUG.</small></h2> - -<p>Julius found, to his great satisfaction, that he was placed in a class -of boys of his own age and size, and that the lessons assigned were not -beyond his ability to learn. Teddy Bates, on the other hand, who had had -no opportunity of increasing his knowledge since his departure from New -York, was placed in the lowest class. He was astonished to find his old -companion so far above him.</p> - -<p>“How did you do it, Julius?” he asked at recess.</p> - -<p>“I have been studying at home ever since I came here. Mr. Taylor helped -me.”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t know no more’n I do when you came out here.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, Teddy.”</p> - -<p>“You must have studied awful hard.”</p> - -<p>“That’s because I wanted to make up for all the time I’d lost. I was a -reg’lar know-nothing when I began.”</p> - -<p>“Like me,” said Teddy.</p> - -<p>“You haven’t had the same chance I have,” said Julius, wishing to save -the feelings of his friend.</p> - -<p>“I’ve had to peg shoes all day. I didn’t get no time to study.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a>{123}</span></p> - -<p>“Never mind, Teddy. You’ve got a chance now. Do the best you can, and if -you get stuck, I’ll help you.”</p> - -<p>“What a lot you must know, Julius! You’re in the highest class. Do you -think you can get along?” asked Teddy, with newborn respect for his -friend on account of his superior knowledge.</p> - -<p>“I ain’t afraid,” said Julius, confidently. “You can work your way up, -too, if you try.”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t as smart as you are, Julius.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you are,” said our hero, though he secretly doubted it, and -with good reason. There was no doubt that Julius surpassed his friend, -not only in energy, but in natural talent.</p> - -<p>The boys soon discovered that their new teacher was by no means equal in -scholarship to the favorite whom he had superseded. Notwithstanding he -had graduated, as he asserted, at one of the most celebrated academies -in Maine, he proved to be slow at figures, and very confused in his -explanations of mathematical principles. It may be well to let the -reader into a little secret. Mr. Slocum had passed a few months at an -academy in Maine, without profiting much by his advantages; and, having -had very indifferent success in teaching schools of a low grade at home, -had come out West by invitation of his uncle, under the mistaken -impression that his acquirements, though not appreciated in the East, -would give him a commanding position at the West. He was destined to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a>{124}</span> -find that the West is as exacting as the East in the matter of -scholarship.</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum betrayed his weakness first on the second day. Frank Bent, a -member of the first class, went up to him at recess with a sum in -complex fractions.</p> - -<p>“I don’t quite understand this sum, Mr. Slocum,” he said. “Will you -explain it to me?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” said the teacher, pompously. “I dare say it seems hard to -you, but to one who has studied the higher branches of mathematics like -I have, it is, I may say, as easy as the multiplication table.”</p> - -<p>“You must be very learned, Mr. Slocum,” said Frank, with a grave face, -but a humorous twinkle in his eye.</p> - -<p>“That isn’t for me to say,” said Mr. Slocum, complacently. “You know the -truth shouldn’t be spoken at all times. Ahem! what sum is it that -troubles you?”</p> - -<p>“This, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I see.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum took up the arithmetic, and looked fixedly at the sum with an -air of profound wisdom, then turned back to the rule, looked carefully -through the specimen example done in the book, and after five minutes -remarked: “It is quite easy, that is, for me. Give me your slate.”</p> - -<p>He worked on the sum for the remainder of the recess, referring -frequently to the book, but apparently arrived at no satisfactory -result.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a>{125}</span></p> - -<p>“Do you find it difficult, sir?” asked Frank, mischievously.</p> - -<p>“Certainly not,” said the teacher; “but I think I see why it is that you -didn’t get it.”</p> - -<p>“Why, sir?”</p> - -<p>“Because the answer in the book is wrong,” replied Mr. Slocum. “Ahem! I -have discovered other errors before. I believe I will write to the -publishers about it, Really, it ought to be corrected in the next -edition.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir,” said Frank, amused; for he didn’t credit the statement -about the error.</p> - -<p>“What do you think Slocum says?” he said in a whisper to Julius, who sat -at the same desk with him.</p> - -<p>“What is it?”</p> - -<p>“He says the answer to the fifth sum is wrong in the book, and he is -going to write to the publishers about it.”</p> - -<p>“The fifth sum! Why, I’ve done it, and got the same answer as is in the -book.”</p> - -<p>“How did you do it?”</p> - -<p>“Just like the rest. It’s easy enough. I’ll show you.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Frank. “The teacher worked on it for ten minutes, and then -couldn’t get it. I guess he don’t know much.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see anything hard about it,” said Julius. “All you’ve got to do -is to follow the rule.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell him you did it when we recite. See what he’ll say.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a>{126}</span></p> - -<p>“First class in arithmetic,” called Mr. Slocum.</p> - -<p>The boys took their places.</p> - -<p>“Our lesson to-day treats of complex fractions,” said Mr. Slocum, -pompously. “Does any boy know what complex means?”</p> - -<p>“Difficult,” suggested one boy.</p> - -<p>“Not exactly. It means complicated. That is, they are puzzling to -ordinary intellects, but very simple to those who have studied the -higher branches of mathematics, such as algebra, geometry, -triggernometry”—this was the way the teacher pronounced it—“and so -forth. I have studied them all,” he added, impressively, “because I have -a taste for mathematics. Many of you wouldn’t be able to understand such -recondite studies. I will now ask each of you to give the rule. Julius, -you may give it first.”</p> - -<p>The rule was correctly recited by each member of the class.</p> - -<p>“That is very well,” said Mr. Slocum, blandly. “I will now explain the -way in which the sums are done.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum went to the blackboard, and, keeping the book open, did the -sum already done in the book, giving the explanation from the page -before him.</p> - -<p>“You see that there seems to be no difficulty,” he said, with an air of -superior knowledge. “I have, however, detected an error in the fifth -sum, about which one of the class consulted me during recess. The book -is evidently<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a>{127}</span> wrong, and I propose to write to the publishers, and -acquaint them with the fact.”</p> - -<p>Here Frank Bent raised his hand.</p> - -<p>“What is wanted?” asked the teacher.</p> - -<p>“Julius Taylor has done the sum, and gets the same answer as the book.”</p> - -<p>“Julius, do I understand you to say that you got the same answer as the -book?” demanded Mr. Slocum, rather discomposed. “I am afraid,” he added, -severely, “you copied the answer out of the book.”</p> - -<p>“No, I didn’t,” said Julius, bluntly.</p> - -<p>“You may go to the board, and perform the problem, and explain it after -you get through,” said the teacher.</p> - -<p>Julius went to the board, and did what was required; writing down at the -close the same answer given in the book.</p> - -<p>“Now elucidate it,” said Mr. Slocum, who, like many superficial persons, -thought that the use of long and uncommon words would impress others -with an idea of his learning.</p> - -<p>Julius had never heard the word before, but he supposed it must mean -“explain,” and accordingly explained it—so well, that even Mr. Slocum -understood the operation, and perceived that it was correct. It was -rather an awkward situation, to admit that a pupil had succeeded where -he had failed; but Mr. Slocum was equal to the emergency.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a>{128}</span></p> - -<p>“Ahem!” he admitted, “you are correct. I did the sum by a recondite -process which is in use in the higher branches of mathematics, and I -probably made a mistake in one of the figures, which led to a different -result. The method in the book is a much more simple one, as I explained -to you a short time ago. Frank Bent, you may take the next sum and do it -on the board.”</p> - -<p>It so happened that Frank, who was not very strong in arithmetic, made a -mistake, and got a wrong answer.</p> - -<p>“My answer doesn’t agree with the book,” he said.</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum looked at the operation; but, though his face wore an -expression of profound wisdom, it was too complex for him. He was, -however, thoroughly up in the science of sham.</p> - -<p>“You have made a mistake,” he said, sagely. “Can any boy point it out?”</p> - -<p>Julius raised his hand, greatly to the relief of the teacher.</p> - -<p>“Julius, you may come up to the board, and point out the right method of -performing the sum.”</p> - -<p>Our hero did so; thereby affording information to the teacher, as well -as to his classmates.</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Mr. Slocum, patronizingly. “Julius, you do me credit. -Bent, do you understand the sum now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“You must pay more attention next time. You can’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a>{129}</span> do anything without -attention and talent. When I was a student at one of the most celebrated -educational institutions in Maine, I was noted for my attention. When -the principal handed me the first prize at the end of the term, he said -to me: ‘Theophilus, you have gained this testimonial by your attention -and natural talent.’ I am sorry that I left the prize at my home in -Maine. It would give me pleasure to show it to you, as it might -encourage you to go and do likewise. We will now go through the -remaining sums. John Sandford, you may try the sixth sum.”</p> - -<p>So the recitation proceeded. In spite of his pompous words, the scholars -began to suspect that the new teacher was a first-class humbug. There is -reason to believe that they were not very far from the truth.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a>{130}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.<br /><br /> -<small>MR. SLOCUM’S STRATEGY.</small></h2> - -<p>“I don’t believe Mr. Slocum knew how to do that sum,” said Frank Bent, -at noon. “He got off by saying that he did it in another way; but I saw -him looking at the rule about forty times when he was trying to do it. -If you hadn’t done it on the board, he would have been caught.”</p> - -<p>“Listen, boys,” said John Sandford, “I’ll put you up to a good joke. We -shall have the rest of those sums to-morrow. We’ll all pretend we can’t -do them, and ask him to explain them to us. Do you agree?”</p> - -<p>The boys unanimously agreed.</p> - -<p>“As he will be most likely to call on you, Julius, you must be the -individual to ask him for an explanation.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Julius, who enjoyed the prospect of cornering the -teacher.</p> - -<p>Accordingly at recess Julius went up to the teacher gravely, and said, -“Mr. Slocum, will you tell me how to do this sum?”</p> - -<p>“Ahem! let me see it,” said the teacher.</p> - -<p>He took the book and read the following example:</p> - -<p>“If seven is the denominator of the following fraction,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a>{131}</span> nine and -one-quarter over twelve and seven-eighths, what is its value when -reduced to a simple fraction?”</p> - -<p>Now this ought not to present any difficulty to a teacher; but Mr. -Slocum had tried it at home, and knew he could not do it. He relied upon -some one of the scholars to do it on the board, and as he decided in his -own mind, from his experience of the day before, that Julius was most to -be relied upon, he was dismayed by receiving such an application from -our hero.</p> - -<p>“It is rather a difficult example,” he said, slowly. “Have you tried -it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>Julius had tried it, and obtained the correct answer; but this he did -not think it necessary to mention.</p> - -<p>“Then you had better go to your desk and try again.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t you explain it to me, sir?”</p> - -<p>“I have not time,” said Mr. Slocum. “Besides, I think it much better -that you should find out for yourself.”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t easy to get ahead of him,” thought Julius; “but when the class -comes up, we’ll see how he’ll get off.”</p> - -<p>To tell the truth, though he had got off for the time being, Mr. Slocum -was rather disturbed in mind. He could not do the sum, and it was -possible he would be called upon to explain it to the class. How should -he conceal his ignorance? That was an important question.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a>{132}</span> He did not -suspect that a trap had been laid for him, but supposed the question had -been asked in good faith.</p> - -<p>At length the time came, and the class were called upon to recite.</p> - -<p>“Julius Taylor,” said the teacher, “you may go to the board and do the -eleventh example.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try, sir,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>He went up to the board and covered it with a confused mass of figures; -finally bringing out the answer one hundred and eleven over eight -hundred and forty-six.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t got the same answer as the book, Mr. Slocum,” he said.</p> - -<p>“You have probably made some mistake in the figures,” said the teacher.</p> - -<p>“I am not sure that I have done it the right way, sir.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum scanned with a look of impressive wisdom the confused figures -on the board, and said: “You are right in principle, but there is an -error somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“Would you be kind enough to point it out, sir?” asked Julius, demurely.</p> - -<p>“Is there any one in the class who has obtained the correct answer to -this sum?” asked the teacher, hoping to see a hand raised.</p> - -<p>Not one of the class responded.</p> - -<p>“You may all bring up your slates and do it at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a>{133}</span> same time, while -Julius does it again on the board,” he said.</p> - -<p>Five minutes passed, and by agreement every one announced a wrong -answer. The boys thought Mr. Slocum would now be forced to explain. But -the pedagogue was too wise to attempt what he knew was impossible.</p> - -<p>“I see,” said the teacher, “that these sums are too difficult for the -class. I shall put you back at the beginning of fractions.”</p> - -<p>This announcement was heard by most of the boys with dismay. Many of -them could only attend school in the winter, and wanted to make as much -progress as they could in the three months to which they were limited. -Among the most disappointed was Julius. He saw that his practical joke -on the teacher was likely to cost him dear, and he resolved to sacrifice -it.</p> - -<p>“I think I can do it now, sir,” he said. “I have just thought of the -way.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Mr. Slocum, much relieved; “you may do it.”</p> - -<p>Our hero at once performed the sum correctly, obtaining the same answer -as the book.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got it,” he said.</p> - -<p>“You may explain it to the class,” said the teacher.</p> - -<p>Julius did so.</p> - -<p>“That is the result of perseverance,” said Mr. Slocum, “I was always -persevering. When I was connected with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a>{134}</span> a celebrated institution of -learning in the State of Maine, the principal one day said to me: -‘Theophilus, I never knew a more persevering boy than you are. You never -allow any difficulties to stand in your way. You persevere till you have -conquered them.’ Once, at the end of the arithmetic—a more difficult -one than this—there was a very hard example, which none of the other -boys could do; but I sat up till one o’clock at night and did it. Such -are the results of perseverance.”</p> - -<p>“May we go on where we are?” asked Julius, “and not go back to the -beginning of fractions?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Mr. Slocum, “since you have shown that you can persevere. I -could easily have explained the sum to you at once; but what good would -it have done you? You could not have done the next. Now that you have -got it out yourself, I think I am justified in letting you advance.”</p> - -<p>So Mr. Slocum triumphed; but not one of the class credited his -statement. It was clear to all that he had been “stuck,” and did not -dare attempt the sum for fear of failing.</p> - -<p>“You had to back down, and do the sum after all, Julius,” said Frank -Bent.</p> - -<p>“Yes; I didn’t want the class put back to the beginning of fractions.”</p> - -<p>“The master was pretty well cornered, I wondered how he would get out.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a>{135}</span></p> - -<p>“I hope he knows more about other things than arithmetic.”</p> - -<p>“I wish we had Mr. Fairbanks back again. He had the whole arithmetic by -heart. There wasn’t a sum he couldn’t do; though he didn’t brag about -it, like Mr. Slocum. He knew how to explain so a feller couldn’t help -understand him.”</p> - -<p>In the afternoon Mr. Slocum had another chance to boast. This time it -was about his travels, which, by the way, were limited to his journey -from Maine, by way of New York. But the city of New York, in which he -spent two days, had impressed him very much, and he was proud of having -visited it.</p> - -<p>“What is the largest city in the United States, Julius?” asked the -teacher; though this question was not included in the lesson.</p> - -<p>“New York.”</p> - -<p>“Quite correct. New York is indeed a vast city. I am quite familiar with -it, having spent some time there not long since. I expect you have not -any of you had the privilege of visiting this great city.” Here Julius -and Teddy Bates exchanged glances of amusement.</p> - -<p>“New York contains a great variety of beautiful edifices,” continued Mr. -Slocum, complacently. “I used often to walk up Broadway, and survey the -beautiful stores. I made some purchases at the store of the celebrated<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a>{136}</span> -A. T. Stewart, whom you have heard of frequently.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum’s extensive purchases to which he alluded consisted of a -handkerchief, for which he paid fifty cents.</p> - -<p>“It is very beneficial to travel,” continued Mr. Slocum. “It enlarges -the mind, and stores it with useful information. We cannot all travel, -for travel is expensive; but I think teachers ought to travel, as it -enables them to illustrate lessons in geography by their own -observations in distant cities and remote lands.”</p> - -<p>Here Frank Bent raised his hand.</p> - -<p>“Will you tell us some more about New York, sir?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum was flattered; and with a preliminary flourish proceeded: “I -am glad you desire to acquire information; it is a very laudable -ambition. I stopped at one of the finest hotels in New York, located on -Chatham Avenue, a broad and fashionable thoroughfare, lined with stately -stores.”</p> - -<p>Here Julius and Teddy found it difficult to repress their laughter, but -by an effort succeeded.</p> - -<p>“Did you go to the Grand Duke’s Oprea House?” Julius asked, raising his -hand.</p> - -<p>“To be sure,” said Mr. Slocum, supposing it to be a fashionable place of -amusement. “It is an elegant structure, worthy of the great city in -which it is erected. I never visited Europe, but I am told that none of -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a>{137}</span> capital cities of the Old World can surpass it in grandeur.”</p> - -<p>This was intensely amusing to Julius, who remembered the humble basement -in Baxter Street, described in our early chapters, as the “Grand Duke’s -Oprea House.” He concluded that Mr. Slocum’s knowledge of New York was -about on a par with his knowledge of complex fractions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a>{138}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX.<br /><br /> -<small>MR. SLOCUM AS AN ORATOR.</small></h2> - -<p>“Next Wednesday afternoon the boys will all speak pieces,” Mr. Slocum -announced. “You may select any pieces you please. At the celebrated -institution in Maine, from which I graduated, we used to speak pieces -every week. You may be interested to know that your teacher gained a -great reputation by his speaking. ‘Theophilus,’ said the principal to me -one day, I never had a student under my instruction who could equal you -in speaking. There is no one who can do such justice to Daniel Webster, -and other great orators of antiquity. You are a natural orator, and -eloquence comes natural to you.’ This was a high compliment, as you will -agree; but it was deserved. The principal put it to vote whether a prize -should be offered for speaking, but the students voted against it; -‘for,’ they said, ‘Slocum will be sure to get it, and it will do us no -good.’ I hope, boys, you will do your best, so that I may be able to -compliment you.”</p> - -<p>The scholars were not a little amused at this illustration of their -teacher’s self-conceit, which was quite in keeping with previous -exhibitions of the same weakness.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a>{139}</span></p> - -<p>“I wish Mr. Slocum would favor us with a specimen of his declamation,” -said John Sandford, at recess.</p> - -<p>“He must be a regular steam engine,” said Walter Pratt; “that is, -according to his own account.”</p> - -<p>“The principal of the celebrated institution in Maine thought a good -deal of Theophilus,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“What a phenomenon he must have been!” said Tom Allen. “He appears to -have stood first in everything.”</p> - -<p>“But he seems to forget easy,” said Frank Bent. “Complex fractions are -too much for him.”</p> - -<p>“Well, how about asking him to speak?” resumed John Sandford. “Who goes -in for it?”</p> - -<p>“I,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“And I.”</p> - -<p>“And I.”</p> - -<p>“Who shall go up and ask him?”</p> - -<p>“Go yourself, John.”</p> - -<p>“All right, boys. I’ll do it, if you say so. But I am afraid I can’t -keep a straight face.”</p> - -<p>So John went back into school just before the bell rang, and approached -the teacher’s desk.</p> - -<p>“What’s wanted, Sandford?” said Mr. Slocum.</p> - -<p>“The boys want to know, Mr. Slocum, if you will be willing to speak a -piece for us on Wednesday. You see, sir, we never heard any good -speaking, and we think it would improve us if we could hear a good -speaker now and then.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a>{140}</span></p> - -<p>As may be inferred from his habit of boasting, Mr. Slocum was very -accessible to flattery, and listened graciously to this request. John -was perfectly sober, though he was laughing inside, as he afterward -said; and the teacher never dreamed of a plot to expose and ridicule -him.</p> - -<p>“You are quite right, Sandford,” said he, graciously; “it would -undoubtedly be very beneficial to you, and I will look over one of my -old pieces, and see if I can remember it. I am glad to see that the boys -are anxious to improve in the important branch of declamation.”</p> - -<p>John carried to the boys the news of his success, which was received -with a great deal of interest. Though most of the boys thought it -irksome to commit a piece to memory, and had no ambition to become -orators, all went to work willingly, feeling that they should be repaid -by hearing the “master” speak.</p> - -<p>“Speaking” was new business to Julius. During his very brief school -attendance in New York he had not been sufficiently advanced to declaim, -and he felt a little apprehensive about his success. He chose an extract -from one of Webster’s speeches, and carefully committed it, reciting it -at home to Mr. Taylor, from whom he received several suggestions, which -he found of value. The result was that he acquitted himself quite -creditably.</p> - -<p>“I wonder whether the master’ll speak first,” said John Sandford, and -there were others who wondered<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a>{141}</span> also; but Mr. Slocum had not announced -his intentions on this point. But when the scholars were assembled on -Wednesday afternoon, he said: “I have promised you that I will give you -this afternoon a specimen of my speaking, and I have selected one of the -pieces that I was distinguished for, when I was connected with one of -the most celebrated institutions in the State of Maine. I will wait, -however, until you are all through, as I do not like to discourage you -in your inexperienced efforts. I will wind up the speaking by ascending -the rostrum after your declamation is finished.”</p> - -<p>One after another the boys spoke. One boy, of thirteen, rather -inappropriately had selected the well-known little poem, commencing</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“You’d scarce expect one of my age<br /></span> -<span class="i1">To speak in public on the stage.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>“That piece is rather too young for you,” said Mr. Slocum, when he had -taken his seat. “I remember speaking that piece when I was two years -old. I was considered a very forward baby, and my parents were very -proud of me; so they invited some company, and in the course of the -evening they stood me up on a table, and I spoke the piece you have just -listened to. Even now I can remember, though it is so long ago, how the -company applauded, and how the minister came up to me, and, putting his -hand on my head, said: ‘Theophilus,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a>{142}</span> the day will come when your father -will be proud of you. You will live to be a credit to the whole Slocum -family.’ Then he turned to my father, and said: ‘Mr. Slocum, I -congratulate you on the brilliant success of your promising son. He is -indeed a juvenile “progedy”<span class="lftspc">’</span><span class="lftspc">”</span>—this was Mr. Slocum’s word—“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>and the -world will yet hear of him.’ Such was my first introduction to the world -as an orator, and I have always enjoyed speaking from that time. I hope -that some of my pupils will also become distinguished in the same way.”</p> - -<p>“I wish he’d speak that piece now,” whispered Julius to his next -neighbor.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t he a conceited jackass?” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“He must have been a beautiful baby,” said Julius, comically.</p> - -<p>“A regular phenomenon in petticoats.”</p> - -<p>“What are you laughing at?” demanded Mr. Slocum, sternly.</p> - -<p>“Julius said he wished you would speak that piece you spoke when you -were two years old.”</p> - -<p>“It wouldn’t be appropriate,” said the teacher, seriously. “I like best -now to declaim the sonorous sentences of Daniel Webster and Patrick -Henry. If I should ever enter public life, as my friends have tried at -times to persuade me, I think I should adopt their style. Frank Bent, it -is your turn to speak.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a>{143}</span></p> - -<p>At last the scholars had all spoken, and in expectant silence Mr. -Slocum’s “piece” was awaited by the boys.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” he said, arising with dignity, and advancing to the platform, “I -should like to speak a piece from Webster; but I have forgotten those I -once knew, and I will favor you with one of a lighter character, called -‘The Seminole’s Reply.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum took his place on the rostrum, as he liked to call it, made a -low bow to the boys, struck an attitude, and began to declaim at the top -of his voice. The first two stanzas are quoted here, in order to show -more clearly the character of Mr. Slocum’s declamation:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Blaze, with your serried columns!<br /></span> -<span class="i3">I will not bend the knee!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The shackles ne’er again shall bind<br /></span> -<span class="i3">The arm which now is free.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I’ve mailed it with the thunder,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">When the tempest muttered low,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And when it falls, ye well may dread<br /></span> -<span class="i3">The lightning of its blow!<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“I’ve seared ye in the city,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">I’ve scalped ye on the plain;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Go, count your chosen, where they fell<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Beneath my leaden rain!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I scorn your proffered treaty!<br /></span> -<span class="i3">The paleface I defy!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Revenge is stamped upon my spear,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And blood my battle cry!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>No fault could be found with Mr. Slocum on the score of animation. He -exerted his voice to the utmost,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a>{144}</span> stamped with his foot, and when he -came to “the arm which now is free,” he shook his first at the boys in a -most savage way. But his most effective gesture occurred in the second -line of the second verse, where, in illustrating the act of scalping, he -gathered with one hand his luxuriant red hair, and with the other made a -pass at it with an imaginary tomahawk.</p> - -<p>The boys cheered vociferously, which encouraged Mr. Slocum to further -exertions. Nothing could exceed the impressive dignity with which he -delivered the concluding half of the fourth stanza:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“But I stand as should the warrior,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">With his rifle and his spear;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The scalp of vengeance still is red<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And warns ye, Come not here!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The gravity of the boys, however, was endangered by a too appropriate -gesture. When Mr. Slocum wished to designate the scalp of vengeance as -still red, he pointed to his own hair, which, as has been said, was of a -decided red tint.</p> - -<p>The two concluding lines of the poem, as many of my readers, to whom it -is familiar, will doubtless remember, are these:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“But I’ll swim the sea of slaughter,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Till I sink beneath its wave.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>This Mr. Slocum illustrated by going through the motions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a>{145}</span> of swimming -with his hands, much to the delight of the boys.</p> - -<p>When the orator had concluded his effort, and with a low bow resumed his -seat, the boys applauded uproariously. Mr. Slocum’s vanity was -flattered, and he arose to acknowledge the compliment.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” he said, “I am glad to find that you appreciate my efforts to -instruct you. Don’t be discouraged because you cannot yet speak as well -as I do. Keep on in your efforts. Let your motto ever be Excelsior! and -the time will perhaps come when you will receive the applause of -listening multitudes. The school is now dismissed.”</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t it rich, Julius?” asked John Sandford, when they were walking -home. “I never wanted to laugh so much in all my life. But the best of -it was about the red scalp.”</p> - -<p>“You’re envious, John. That’s the reason you ridicule Mr. Slocum’s -speaking. I’m afraid you’ll never be as great an orator as he is.”</p> - -<p>“I hope not,” said John.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a>{146}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX.<br /><br /> -<small>MR. SLOCUM’S PANIC.</small></h2> - -<p>Had Mr. Slocum become in after years a distinguished man, and in due -time a biography had been called for, some one of the scholars who had -the great privilege of receiving his instructions would have been -admirably qualified, so far as information went, to perform the task of -writing it; for, as we have seen, the teacher took frequent occasion to -illustrate points that came up in the day’s lessons by narratives drawn -from his own personal experience. One day, for instance, when in the -class in geography a certain locality was spoken of as abounding in -bears, Mr. Slocum indulged in a reminiscence.</p> - -<p>Laying down the book on his desk, he said: “I myself once had an -adventure with a bear, which I will narrate for your entertainment.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum’s stories were always listened to with close attention, in -the confident expectation that they would be found to redound greatly to -his credit. So the boys looked up, and exhibited a gratifying interest -on the part of the class.</p> - -<p>“You must know,” said the teacher, “that we have extensive forests in -Maine, in some of which wild animals<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a>{147}</span> are to be found. One day, when a -mere boy, I wandered into the woods with some of my school companions. -We were hunting for squirrels. All at once an immense bear walked around -from behind a tree, and faced us, not more than fifty feet away. Most of -the boys were frightened, for we had no guns with us. We knew that if we -climbed the trees the bear could climb after us. So, as they looked upon -me as a leader, they turned to me, and said, ‘Theophilus, what shall we -do? The bear will kill us,’ and one of the smallest boys began to cry. -But I was not frightened,” continued Mr. Slocum, impressively. “I was -always noted for my presence of mind even as a boy.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Don’t be frightened, boys,’ I said, ‘I will save you.’</p> - -<p>“I had heard that nearly all beasts are afraid of the human eye. So I -advanced slowly toward the savage beast, fixing my eye sternly upon him -all the while.”</p> - -<p>Here Mr. Slocum glared upon the boys, by way of illustrating the manner -in which he regarded the bear.</p> - -<p>“The result was what I expected. The bear tried to sustain my steady -gaze, but in vain. Slowly he turned, and sought the solitudes of the -forest, leaving us in safety. When my companions found that they were -saved, they crowded around me, and said, with tears in their eyes, -‘Theophilus, you have saved our lives!’ When we returned home,” Mr. -Slocum added, complacently, “the fame of my bravery got about, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a>{148}</span> -parents of the boys clubbed together, and bought a gold medal, which -they presented to me out of gratitude for what I had done.”</p> - -<p>“Have you got it with you, sir?” asked one of the class.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to say that I have not,” answered the teacher. “I was afraid -I might lose it, and so I left it on deposit in a bank, before I left -Maine for the West.”</p> - -<p>“Do you believe that bear story, John?” asked Julius, of John Sandford, -when they were walking home from school together.</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t.”</p> - -<p>“Nor do I.”</p> - -<p>“The fact is, Mr. Slocum is the biggest blower I ever met with. I don’t -believe half the stories that he tells about himself. If they were true, -he would be, I think, one of the most remarkable men that ever lived. I -don’t believe he’s as brave as he pretends.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose we find out.”</p> - -<p>“How can we?”</p> - -<p>“Has he ever seen your bear?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think he has. We never let it out into the road.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t we manage to have him fall in with the bear some evening, John?” -asked Julius. “It would be fun to see him try to stare the old fellow -out of countenance.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a>{149}</span></p> - -<p>“That’s a splendid idea, Julius. I’m in for it, but I don’t see exactly -how we can manage it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you. He goes by your house sometimes in the evening, doesn’t -he?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. He told me once he walked in order to commune with Nature.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I propose that he shall commune with the bear once, by way of -variety.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me what to do, and I will do it.”</p> - -<p>“Have the bear close by, and just after he has passed let him out—the -bear, I mean. Then run by Mr. Slocum, appearing to be in a great fright, -and tell him there’s a bear after him.”</p> - -<p>“Good!” said John, shaking with laughter. “But you must help me.”</p> - -<p>“So I will.”</p> - -<p>“It will be easier for one reason,” said John. “I have taught the bear -to run after me, and as soon as he sees me ahead he will begin to run -too.”</p> - -<p>“Let it be to-morrow evening. What time does Mr. Slocum go by?”</p> - -<p>“About seven o’clock.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be around at your house then at half-past six.”</p> - -<p>“Would you tell the rest of the boys?”</p> - -<p>“Not till afterward. If they come around, and there is a crowd, we may -not be able to carry out our plan.”</p> - -<p>“He’ll be mad with us when he finds out our game.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a>{150}</span></p> - -<p>“Let him be mad. We’ll look him in the eye, and he’ll turn tail and -flee.”</p> - -<p class="ast">* -* * * * * * * *</p> - -<p>The next evening two boys might have been seen crouching behind the wall -bordering a large field belonging to Mr. Sandford. The bear was -peacefully reclining beside them. From time to time the boys took -observations, with a view to discover whether the enemy was in sight.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid he isn’t coming,” said Julius. “That would be a joke on -us.”</p> - -<p>“He can’t be so mean, when we have made such preparations to receive -him.”</p> - -<p>“I think he would if he only knew what they are.”</p> - -<p>“Hush! there he is.”</p> - -<p>In the distance the stately figure of the teacher was seen, walking with -dignified composure. Mr. Theophilus Slocum always walked as if he felt -that the eyes of the world were upon him. He realized that he was a -personage of no little importance, and that it behooved him to shape his -walk and conversation accordingly.</p> - -<p>The hearts of the boys beat high with anticipation. At length they heard -the teacher go by.</p> - -<p>“Now for it!” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Now is the time to try men’s soles!” said John. “Can you run?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a>{151}</span></p> - -<p>“You’ll see.”</p> - -<p>Through an opening they emerged into the road, followed by the bear. Mr. -Slocum was now about fifty feet in advance.</p> - -<p>“Now scream!” said Julius.</p> - -<p>The boys uttered a shriek, and began to run at the top of their speed. -The bear, as he had been trained, tried to keep up with them. Mr. Slocum -turned around, and saw the fleeing boys, and behind them the huge, -unwieldy bear getting rapidly over the ground. He knew it was a bear, -for he had once seen one at a menagerie.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Slocum, save us!” implored Julius, appearing greatly -frightened.</p> - -<p>“There’s a bear after us,” chimed in John. “Don’t let him kill us.”</p> - -<p>Now the teacher had never heard of Mr. Sandford’s bear. He was not aware -that one was kept in the village. He supposed that this one had strayed -from the forest, and was dangerous. Alas! that I should record -it—instead of bravely turning, and facing the animal, Theophilus turned -pale with terror, and exerting his long limbs to the utmost, fled -incontinently, shooting ahead of the boys, whom he didn’t pause to -rescue, coattails flying, and, having lost his hat in his flight, with -his red hair waving in the wind.</p> - -<p>When John and Julius saw the tall figure speeding before them, and saw -the panic into which their eminent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a>{152}</span> instructor had been thrown through -their mischievous means, a sense of the ridiculous so overcame them that -they sank down in the path, convulsed with laughter. But Mr. Slocum -didn’t see this, for he never stopped till he had run half a mile, when -he bolted into the village store, panting and out of breath, and -answered the eager inquiries of the men who were congregated there, by -giving an alarming account of a ferocious bear which had closely pursued -him for two miles.</p> - -<p>“Is it Sandford’s bear?” asked one of his auditors.</p> - -<p>“Does Mr. Sandford keep a bear?” asked Theophilus.</p> - -<p>“Yes; he has a large one. But it is quite tame. It wouldn’t hurt a -child.”</p> - -<p>“Why,” said the teacher, bewildered, “Mr. Sandford’s son, John, was -running away from him. Julius Taylor was with him. They told me that a -bear was after them, and asked me to save them.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum was hardly prepared for the laugh which followed. The joke -was understood at once.</p> - -<p>“I think, Mr. Slocum,” said the storekeeper, “that the boys were playing -a trick upon you. They probably let out the bear just after you passed -by. You didn’t stop to save them, did you?”</p> - -<p>“No,” stammered Theophilus, beginning to look foolish, for he, too, -understood the joke now, and saw that it would be hard to reconcile his -conduct this evening with his bravery as a boy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a>{153}</span></p> - -<p>For almost the first time in his life he had absolutely nothing to say. -He left the store, and retraced his steps in the hope of finding his -hat. In this he was successful, but neither John, Julius, nor the bear -was visible. The boys were in Mr. Sandford’s barn, laughing over the -joke, and beginning to wonder whether Mr. Slocum would say anything -about it in school the next day.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a>{154}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI.<br /><br /> -<small>A REVOLUTION IN SCHOOL.</small></h2> - -<p>Mr. Slocum was terribly annoyed by what had happened. It seemed -impossible to explain his flight in any way that would reflect credit -upon himself. He could not pretend that it was all a joke, for he had -shown himself too much in earnest in the village store, where he had -taken refuge, for this to be believed. Though not remarkable for sense, -Mr. Slocum knew that if he should undertake to punish Julius and John -for their agency in the affair, he would only give it greater publicity. -He felt a strong desire to do this, however, and would have derived -great comfort from flogging them both. Finally he decided not to refer -to the matter in school, and in this decision he was unusually discreet.</p> - -<p>Of course Julius and John did not keep the matter secret. When Mr. -Slocum came up the school-house hill, the next morning, there was not a -scholar in the school who had not heard of his adventure, and the -teacher, in his hurried glance at his pupils, detected a look of sly -meaning, which revealed to him the fact that all was known. Julius and -John were among the rest, looking very demure and innocent. Mr. Slocum -saw them, too, out of the corner of his eye, and he determined<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a>{155}</span> to seize -the first chance that presented itself of flogging each.</p> - -<p>The school opened. Julius was doubtful whether any reference would be -made to the bear. He rather expected a speech, but Mr. Slocum -disappointed him. He heard the classes as usual, but refrained from -making any remarks of a biographical character. His self-complacency had -been severely disturbed, and he looked severe and gloomy.</p> - -<p>He watched Julius and John, hoping to detect something in their conduct -which would justify him in punishing them; but they, too, were unusually -quiet, as rogues are apt to be just after a successful trick.</p> - -<p>At length, however, something happened which led to an explosion.</p> - -<p>Tom Allen, who has been described as the oldest and largest boy in -school, sat directly behind Julius. He was not a brilliant scholar, but -he had a keen sense of the ludicrous, and had been very much amused by -the account of the teacher’s narrow escape from Mr. Sandford’s bear. He -had a little taste for drawing, of which he occasionally made use. After -finishing his sums, having a few idle moments, he occupied himself with -drawing on his slate a caricature of Mr. Slocum pursued by the bear. -There was enough resemblance in the portraits, both of the man and the -animal, to make the subject<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a>{156}</span> of the picture unmistakable. It was, as was -natural, slightly caricatured, so that the effect was ludicrous.</p> - -<p>Desiring his effort to be appreciated, he passed the slate to Julius, -who sat in front of him. Our hero was easy to make laugh, and he no -sooner cast his eyes over the picture than he burst into audible -laughter. This was the occasion that Mr. Slocum had been waiting for. -Laughter was against the rules of the school—it was disorderly—and -would give him an excuse for the punishment he was so strongly desirous -of inflicting. He strode to the desk of Julius while the latter was -still looking at the slate. Mr. Slocum, too, saw it, and his fury was -increased, for he recognized the subject only too well.</p> - -<p>Seizing Julius by the collar, he jerked him out upon the floor, saying, -in a voice of concentrated passion: “So, sir, you are drawing pictures -instead of studying. I’ll give you a lesson.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t draw it,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“I’ll flog you for telling a lie,” exclaimed the excited teacher.</p> - -<p>Julius was about to repeat his disclaimer, but it was made unnecessary. -Tom Allen arose quietly in his seat, and said: “Julius is perfectly -right, Mr. Slocum; he didn’t draw the picture.”</p> - -<p>“Who did, then?” asked the teacher, pausing in his contemplated -punishment.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a>{157}</span></p> - -<p>“I did,” said Tom, coolly. “If you want to punish anybody for doing it, -you’ll have to punish me.”</p> - -<p>This was very disagreeable intelligence for Mr. Slocum. Tom Allen was a -stout, broad-shouldered, immensely powerful young fellow, standing five -feet ten inches in his stockings. There are few teachers who would not -have fought shy of punishing, or attempting to punish, such a formidable -scholar. Mr. Slocum was disconcerted at the interruption, and did not -care about undertaking such a doubtful job. Neither did he want to -release Julius from his clutches. He knew that he could punish him, and -he meant to do it. A lucky thought came to him.</p> - -<p>“I do not punish him for drawing the picture,” he said, “but for -disturbing the order of the school by laughing at it.”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t help laughing at it,” exclaimed our hero.</p> - -<p>“Nor could any of the other scholars,” said Tom Allen; and taking the -slate from the desk before him, he held it up, and exhibited it to the -other scholars. It was recognized at once, and there was a general shout -of laughter.</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum looked about him with an angry scowl, and his temper was -fairly aroused, so that he became, to a certain extent, regardless of -consequences.</p> - -<p>“I won’t let you off,” he said to Julius, tightening his grasp on the -boy’s collar.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a>{158}</span></p> - -<p>“What are you punishing him for?” asked Tom Allen, quietly.</p> - -<p>“For laughing out in school.”</p> - -<p>“The rest of the scholars have done the same. Are you going to punish -them, too?”</p> - -<p>“I shall punish some of them,” said the teacher, with a smile of -complacent malice. “John Sandford laughed loudest. His turn will come -next.”</p> - -<p>By this time it was very clear to all present what the two boys were to -be punished for. The laughing was only a pretext. They were to be -flogged for their participation in the practical joke of the day before.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Slocum,” said Tom Allen, “I am the greatest offender. The boys only -laughed, but I drew the picture.”</p> - -<p>“You did not laugh,” said Mr. Slocum, uneasily.</p> - -<p>“Still, if anybody is to be punished, I am the one. Here is my hand. You -may ferule me, if you like.”</p> - -<p>Tom Allen’s hand was hardened by labor, and he would not have minded the -feruling in the least. But Mr. Slocum had no desire to ferule Tom. His -animosity was not excited against him, but against Julius and John. He -wanted to punish them, and so wipe out the grudge he had against them.</p> - -<p>“I don’t choose to punish you,” said Theophilus, “though you have been -guilty of inciting disorder.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a>{159}</span></p> - -<p>“Why not?” asked Tom. “I shall not resist; that is, if you only ferule -me.”</p> - -<p>“There is no need of giving my reasons,” said Mr. Slocum, stubbornly. “I -have on more than one occasion noticed the insubordinate spirit of -Julius Taylor and John Sandford; and it is due to myself that I should -punish them, and I intend to do it now.”</p> - -<p>He was preparing to punish Julius, and evidently would not have spared -the rod to spoil the child, when Tom Allen interfered again.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Slocum,” said he, stepping out from behind the desk, “I’ve got a -word to say in this matter. You shall not punish Julius!”</p> - -<p>“What!” roared Theophilus, almost foaming at the mouth. “Do you know -whom you are talking to?”</p> - -<p>“I know that I am talking to a man in a passion, who wants to do an -injustice,” said Tom. “I am willing to do what’s right, and I have -offered to let you ferule me; but I won’t stand by and see an innocent -boy suffer for what he couldn’t help.”</p> - -<p>“You are a rebel! I will expel you from school!” exclaimed Mr. Slocum.</p> - -<p>“I won’t go,” said Tom, “as long as there are boys here who need my -protection. I have got Julius into a scrape, and I won’t let him be -punished for my fault. That’s all I’ve got to say.”</p> - -<p>“And this is what I’ve got to say,” retorted the furious<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a>{160}</span> teacher, -bringing down the rod on the shoulders of Julius, who was struggling in -his grasp.</p> - -<p>Then Tom Allen thought it was time to act. He tore the rod from Mr. -Slocum’s grasp, and flung it to the other side of the room. The -astonished teacher loosened his grasp, and Tom, forcibly drawing him -away, told him to take his seat. Then Mr. Slocum lost all prudence. His -face fiery with rage, he pitched into Tom Allen, and there was a -rough-and-tumble fight, in which Tom had the best of it. At this most -unlucky time one of the trustees, the Rev. Mr. Brandon, entered the -schoolroom on a visit of inspection, and stood appalled at the spectacle -before him.</p> - -<p>“Good heavens! Mr. Slocum, what does this mean?” he ejaculated.</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum started as if he had been shot, and turned his perturbed -countenance toward the trustee.</p> - -<p>“It means that there is a rebellion in school,” he said.</p> - -<p>An immediate inquiry was instituted, and Mr. Brandon was at last made -acquainted with the circumstances.</p> - -<p>“I think, Mr. Slocum,” he said, “you had better dismiss the school, and -I will call a meeting of the trustees for this evening at my house. I -will ask you to be present; also four of your scholars, including Thomas -Allen, Julius Taylor, and any two others whom you may select.”</p> - -<p>It needs only to be said that, it being made clear to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a>{161}</span> the trustees that -Mr. Slocum was incompetent to teach the school, taking into -consideration his literary qualifications alone, he was recommended to -resign; and next week, to the joy of the scholars, Dexter Fairbanks, the -former popular teacher, was installed in his place.</p> - -<p>Mr. Slocum did not remain long in Brookville. Whether he went farther -West, or returned to Maine, was not ascertained, and few of his pupils -cared to inquire.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a>{162}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br /><br /> -<small>AN INDIAN’S REVENGE.</small></h2> - -<p>After Mr. Fairbanks assumed charge of the school there was no further -trouble. He was a teacher of large experience, good judgment, and a -happy faculty of imparting what he knew. He was not a man of extensive -acquirements, but he was thoroughly versed in all the branches he was -required to teach. Though he never boasted of his remarkable -achievements, like his predecessor, his pupils had far greater -confidence in his knowledge.</p> - -<p>Julius learned rapidly under his care. After the winter term was over -Mr. Fairbanks was induced to open a private school by those who thought -the more of him from comparing him with his predecessor; and to this -school Julius also was sent. But, though his progress was steady, no -events of interest call for mention here. He became popular with his -schoolfellows, distinguishing himself in the playground as well as the -classroom. Nearly all the street phrases which he carried to the West -with him dropped away, and only now and then did he betray the manner of -his former life.</p> - -<p>Having written so much to let my readers know how Julius was advancing, -I pass to describe a character<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a>{163}</span> who has something to do with my story. -Though no tribe of Indians was settled near Brookville, single -representatives of the race, from time to time, visited the -village—occasionally with baskets of beadwork to sell, occasionally in -the less honorable character of mendicant. Most were subject to the -curse which civilization brought with it to these children of the -forest, namely, the love of strong drink; and a large portion of -whatever money they received was spent for what the Indian appropriately -calls fire water.</p> - -<p>It was on a day in the following summer that a tall Indian, wrapped in a -dirty blanket, presented himself at the back door of Mr. Taylor’s house. -His features were bloated, and clearly indicated his habits. His -expression otherwise was far from prepossessing, and the servant, who -answered his call, looked at him rather uneasily, knowing that her -mistress, herself and little Carrie were alone in the house. Mr. Taylor -had gone to a neighboring town and taken Julius with him, while Abner -was in the fields.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Money,” said the Indian, laconically.</p> - -<p>“I have no money,” she answered. “I will give you something to eat.”</p> - -<p>“Want money,” repeated the Indian.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go and ask my mistress,” said Jane.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Taylor, on being informed of the matter, went<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a>{164}</span> herself to the door. -Little Carrie’s curiosity had been aroused, and she asked if she might -go too. As there seemed to be no objection, Mrs. Taylor took the little -girl by the hand, and presented herself at the door.</p> - -<p>“Are you hungry?” she asked, of her dusky visitor.</p> - -<p>“No; want money,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“I am not in the habit of giving money at the door. My husband does not -approve of it,” she answered.</p> - -<p>“Go ask him,” said the Indian.</p> - -<p>“He is not at home,” she answered, incautiously; “but I am sure he would -not be willing to have me give you any money.”</p> - -<p>As soon as she had admitted the absence of her husband she realized her -imprudence. There was a scarcely perceptible gleam of exultation in the -eye of the Indian as he heard what was so favorable to his purpose. A -man would be in his way, but a woman he could frighten.</p> - -<p>“Must have money; must have two dollar,” he reiterated.</p> - -<p>“What do you want money for?” asked Mrs. Taylor.</p> - -<p>“Buy rum—good!”</p> - -<p>“Then I am sure I shall give you none. Rum is bad,” said Mrs. Taylor.</p> - -<p>“It makes Indian feel good.”</p> - -<p>“It may for the time, but it will hurt you afterward.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a>{165}</span> I will give you -some meat and some coffee. That is better than rum.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t want it,” said the Indian, obstinately. “Want money.”</p> - -<p>“You’d better give it to him, ma’am, and let him go,” said Jane, in a -low voice.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Mrs. Taylor; “Mr. Taylor is very much opposed to it. The last -time I gave money he blamed me very much. If he is not satisfied with -coffee and meat I shall give him nothing.”</p> - -<p>“Ugh! Ugh!” grunted the Indian, evidently angry.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid of him, mamma. He’s so ugly,” said Carrie, timidly, clinging -to her mother’s hand.</p> - -<p>“He won’t hurt you, my darling,” said Mrs. Taylor.</p> - -<p>But the Indian had caught the little girl’s words, and probably -understood them. He scowled at her, and this terrified the child still -more.</p> - -<p>“Will you have some coffee?” Mrs. Taylor asked once more.</p> - -<p>“No; rum.”</p> - -<p>“I have no rum to give you.”</p> - -<p>“Money.”</p> - -<p>“Neither shall I give you money.”</p> - -<p>The Indian emitted a guttural sound, probably indicating -dissatisfaction, and turned slowly away.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a>{166}</span></p> - -<p>“I am glad he is gone,” said Mrs. Taylor. “I don’t like his looks.”</p> - -<p>“Is he a bad man?” asked Carrie.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, my dear, but he likes to drink rum.”</p> - -<p>“Then he must be bad.”</p> - -<p>“He’s the worst lookin’ Indian I ever see,” said Jane. “I don’t want to -set my eyes upon him again. He ought to be ashamed, goin’ round askin’ -for money, a great, strong man like him. Why don’t he work?”</p> - -<p>“Indians are not very fond of working, I believe, Jane.”</p> - -<p>“If he wants money, he might make baskets.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you tell him so?”</p> - -<p>“I was afraid to. He looked so wicked.”</p> - -<p>So the subject was dismissed. They supposed that the Indian was gone, -and that they would not hear from him again. But they had forgotten that -the red man is quick to take offense, and is revengeful by nature. They -did not suspect that he was even then planning a revenge which would -strike anguish into the heart of all in the household.</p> - -<p>The Indian had not gone away, as they supposed. He was still hovering -about the house, though he carefully avoided observation. He had been -greatly incensed at the persistent refusal of Mrs. Taylor to supply him -with rum, or the means of purchasing it. Years before he had become a -slave to the accursed fire water, and it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a>{167}</span> had become a passion with him -to gratify his thirst. But it could not be obtained without money, and -money was not to be had except by working for it, or by begging. Of -these two methods the Indian preferred the last.</p> - -<p>“Work is for squaws!” he said, in a spiteful and contemptuous manner. -“It is not for warriors.”</p> - -<p>But John, as he was sometimes called, did not look like the noble -warriors whom Cooper describes. He was a shaggy vagabond, content to -live on the alms he could obtain from the whites in the towns which he -visited. As for lodgings, he was forced to lie down in his blanket -wherever he could find the shelter of a tree or a forest.</p> - -<p>The sight of the child had suggested to John a notable revenge. He could -steal the little child, who had called him an ugly man—an expression -which he understood. Thus he could wring the mother’s heart, and obtain -revenge. There would be little danger of interference, for he knew that -Mr. Taylor was away.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Taylor and Carrie went back to the sitting-room where the mother -resumed her sewing, and Carrie began to play with her blocks on the -floor. Neither of them suspected that, just outside, the Indian was -crouching, and that from time to time he glanced into the room to watch -his chances of carrying out his plan.</p> - -<p>By and by Carrie grew sleepy, as children are apt<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a>{168}</span> to do in the hot -summer afternoons, and when they are tired.</p> - -<p>“Lie down on the sofa, my darling,” said her mother.</p> - -<p>“So I will, mother,” said Carrie. “I am very hot and sleepy.”</p> - -<p>She lay down, and her mother tenderly placed a cushion under the little, -weary head.</p> - -<p>Soon Carrie was wrapped in the deep, unconscious sleep of childhood. The -Indian, with a look of satisfaction, beheld her repose, as he stole a -glance through the window.</p> - -<p>Soon Mrs. Taylor thought of a direction she wished to give Jane. -Glancing at little Carrie, she left the room, knowing that the child -would not miss her.</p> - -<p>No sooner had she left the room than the Indian, who had been waiting -for this, sprang in through the open window, clasped the unconscious -child in his arms, whose slumber was too profound to be disturbed even -by this action, and in a moment was out on the lawn, speeding rapidly -away with the little girl in his arms.</p> - -<p>Suspecting no harm, Mrs. Taylor remained absent for fifteen minutes, -then returning, her first glance was at the sofa, where she had left -Carrie. Her heart gave a sudden bound when she discovered her absence. -But even then she did not suspect the truth. She thought the child might -have waked up, and gone upstairs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a>{169}</span></p> - -<p>“Carrie! Carrie!” she called out, in the greatest uncertainty and alarm.</p> - -<p>But there was no answer.</p> - -<p>She summoned Jane, and together they hunted high and low for the little -girl, but in vain.</p> - -<p>Then first a suspicion of the truth came to her.</p> - -<p>“The Indian has carried her off!” she exclaimed in anguish, and sank -fainting to the floor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a>{170}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.<br /><br /> -<small>KIDNAPPED.</small></h2> - -<p>The Indian was fleet-footed, like most of his race. After obtaining -possession of the child, he struck across the fields, for on the public -road he would have been liable to be seen and stopped. Little Carrie was -in the deep sleep of childhood, and did not awake for some time. This of -course was favorable to his design, for he had over a mile to go before -he reached the woods, in which the instinct of his race led him to take -refuge. It was not till a stray twig touched her cheek that the little -girl awoke.</p> - -<p>Opening her eyes, her glance rested on the dark face of the Indian, and, -as might have been expected, she uttered a shriek of terror. At the same -time she tried to get away.</p> - -<p>“Put me down,” she cried in her fright.</p> - -<p>“Not yet,” said the Indian.</p> - -<p>“Where are you taking me, you ugly Indian? I want to go to my mamma.”</p> - -<p>“No go,” said the Indian.</p> - -<p>“I want to go home,” said Carrie; and she renewed her efforts to get -away.</p> - -<p>“No go home. Stay with John,” said the Indian.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a>{171}</span></p> - -<p>“I don’t want to stay with you. Take me home.”</p> - -<p>“No take home,” said the Indian; but he put her down, tired perhaps with -carrying her.</p> - -<p>Carrie looked about her bewildered. All about her were thick woods, and -she could not see her way out. She did not know in what direction lay -the home to which she was so anxious to return, but she thought it might -be in the direction from which they had come. She started to run, but in -an instant the Indian was at her side. He seized her hand in his firm -grasp, and frowned upon her.</p> - -<p>“Where go?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Home to my mamma.”</p> - -<p>“No go,” said he, shaking his head.</p> - -<p>“Why did you take me away from my mamma?” asked the poor child.</p> - -<p>“Bad woman! No give poor Indian money,” responded the savage.</p> - -<p>“Take me home, and she will give you money,” urged the child.</p> - -<p>“Not now. Did not give before. Too late,” responded John.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to keep me here? Will you never take me home?” asked -Carrie, overwhelmed with alarm.</p> - -<p>“Little girl stay with Indian; be Indian’s pickaninny.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to be a pickaninny,” said Carrie. “Poor<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a>{172}</span> mamma will be so -frightened. Did she see you take me away?”</p> - -<p>“No. She go out. Leave child asleep. Indian jump through window. Take -little girl.”</p> - -<p>When Carrie understood how it was that she had been kidnapped, she felt -very much frightened; but even in her terror she felt some curiosity -about the Indian, and his mode of life.</p> - -<p>“Where is your house?” she asked. “Is it here in the woods?”</p> - -<p>“All places, under trees.”</p> - -<p>“What! do you sleep under trees, without any roof?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you build a house?”</p> - -<p>“Indian live in wigwam.”</p> - -<p>“Then why don’t you live in a wigwam?”</p> - -<p>“My wigwam far away—over there,” and he pointed to the north.</p> - -<p>“Where will you sleep to-night?”</p> - -<p>“Under tree.”</p> - -<p>“Then you must take me home, I can’t sleep under a tree. I would catch -my death of cold. So mamma says.”</p> - -<p>“Must stay. Get used to it. Indian make bed of leaves for pickaninny.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to sleep on leaves. I want to sleep in my little bed at -home.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a>{173}</span></p> - -<p>“Come,” said John; and he dragged the child forward.</p> - -<p>“Where are you taking me? Oh, carry me home!” pleaded Carrie.</p> - -<p>“Stop!” said the Indian, sternly. “No cry, or I kill you.”</p> - -<p>Carrie stopped, in greater fear than ever. The stern face of her -companion made it not improbable that he might carry out the fearful -threat he had uttered. So she checked her audible manifestations of -grief, but the tears still coursed silently down her cheeks.</p> - -<p>“What will mamma say, and papa—and Julius?” This was the thought that -continually occupied her mind. Would she never see these dear ones -again? Must she spend all her life with the wicked Indian? At any rate, -when she got to be a woman—a great, strong woman, and knew her way -about, she would run away, and go home. But there would be a good many -years first. She wondered whether her skin would turn red, and she would -look like the Indians. Then her father and mother would not know her, -and would send her back again to live with the Indians. Altogether, -however groundless some of her fears might be, little Carrie was very -miserable and unhappy.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the Indian strode along. The little girl was forced at times -to run, in order to keep up with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a>{174}</span> her companion. She began to feel -tired, but did not dare to complain.</p> - -<p>At length they stopped. It was at a place where the Indian had spent the -previous night. A few leaves had been piled up, and the pile was arched -over by some branches which he had broken off from the surrounding -trees. It was a rude shelter, but was a little better than lying on the -bare ground.</p> - -<p>He turned to the little girl, and said, “This Indian’s house.”</p> - -<p>“Where?” asked the child, bewildered.</p> - -<p>“There,” he said, pointing to the pile of leaves. “Suppose pickaninny -tired; lie down.”</p> - -<p>Carrie sat down on the leaves, for she did feel tired, and it was a -relief to sit. Had Julius been with her, or her father, she would have -enjoyed the novel sensation of being in the heart of the woods, knowing -that she would be carried home again. But with the Indian it was -different. Her situation seemed to her very dreadful, and she would have -cried, but that she had already cried till she could cry no more.</p> - -<p>The Indian gathered some more leaves, and threw himself down by her -side. He looked grave and impassive, and did not speak. Carrie stole -glances at him from time to time, but also kept silence. She felt too -miserable even to repeat her entreaties that he would take her home.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a>{175}</span></p> - -<p>But a child cannot always keep silence. After an hour she mustered -courage to accost her fearful companion.</p> - -<p>“Are you married?” she asked.</p> - -<p>The Indian looked at her, and grunted, but did not reply.</p> - -<p>“Have you got a wife?”</p> - -<p>“Had squaw once—she dead,” answered John.</p> - -<p>“Have you got any little girls like me?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you had,” sighed Carrie.</p> - -<p>“What for you wish?”</p> - -<p>“Because, then you would let me go to my papa. If you had a little girl, -you would not like to have any one carry her off, would you?” and the -little girl fixed her eyes on his face.</p> - -<p>He grunted once more, but did not reply.</p> - -<p>“Think how sorry your little girl would be,” said Carrie.</p> - -<p>But the Indian was not strong in the way of sentiment. His feelings were -not easily touched. Besides, he felt sleepy. So he answered thus: -“Little girl no talk. Indian tired. He go sleep.”</p> - -<p>So saying, he stretched himself out at length on the leaves. But first -he thought it necessary to give the child a caution.</p> - -<p>“Little girl stay here,” he said. “Sleep, too.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a>{176}</span></p> - -<p>“I am not sleepy any more,” said Carrie.</p> - -<p>“No go way. Suppose go, then Indian kill her,” he concluded, with a -fierce expression.</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t be so wicked as to kill me, would you?” said Carrie, -turning pale.</p> - -<p>“Me kill you, if go away.”</p> - -<p>Carrie implicitly believed him; and, as she did not know her way about, -she would not have dared to disobey his commands. Then all at once there -came another fear. The evening before Julius had read her a story of a -traveler meeting a lion in the forest, and narrowly escaping with his -life. It is true the forest was in Africa, but Carrie did not remember -that. She did not know but that lions were in the habit of prowling -about in the very forest where she was. Suppose one should come along -while the Indian was asleep. She shuddered at the thought, and the fear -made her speak.</p> - -<p>“Are there any lions in this wood?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Why ask?” said the Indian.</p> - -<p>“If one came while you were asleep, he might eat me up.”</p> - -<p>The Indian was quick-witted enough to avail himself of this fear to -prevent the child’s leaving him.</p> - -<p>“Suppose one come; you wake me. Me kill him.”</p> - -<p>“Then there are lions here?” she repeated, terror-stricken.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a>{177}</span></p> - -<p>“Yes. Suppose you go away. Maybe meet him; he kill you.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t go away,” said Carrie, quickly. “Are you sure you could kill -one, if he came?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; me kill many,” answered the Indian, with a disregard of truth more -often to be found among civilized than barbarous nations.</p> - -<p>Poor Carrie!—her sensations were by no means to be envied, as she sat -by the side of the sleeping Indian, agitated by fears which, to her, -were very real. On the one side was the Indian, on the other the lion -who might spring upon her at any minute. From time to time she cast a -terrified glance about her in search of the possible lion. She did not -see him; but what was her delight when, as a result of one of these -glances, she caught sight of a boy’s face—the face of Julius—peeping -from behind a tree!</p> - -<p>She would have uttered a cry of joy, but he put his hand to his lips, -and shook his head earnestly. She understood the sign, and instantly -checked herself.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a>{178}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV.<br /><br /> -<small>FOUND.</small></h2> - -<p>Mr. Taylor and Julius had reached home about twenty minutes after Mrs. -Taylor’s discovery of the disappearance of her little girl. The former -was not a little startled, when his wife, pale and with disheveled hair, -ran out to meet them.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter, Emma?” he asked hastily.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Ephraim, our poor child!”—and the poor mother burst into tears.</p> - -<p>“What has happened to her? Is she sick?” he asked, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“She’s gone.”</p> - -<p>“Gone! What do you mean?” he asked, utterly at a loss to understand his -wife’s meaning.</p> - -<p>“An Indian has carried her off. I shall never see her again;” and Mrs. -Taylor burst into a fresh flood of tears.</p> - -<p>“Tell me how it all happened, as quickly as possible,” said the father. -“I don’t understand.”</p> - -<p>After a time he succeeded in obtaining from his wife an account of the -Indian’s application, and the revenge which followed her refusal to -supply him with money.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I wish I had given him what he asked! I would<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a>{179}</span> rather give all I -had, than lose my little darling. But I knew you did not want me to give -money to strangers,” sobbed Mrs. Taylor.</p> - -<p>“You did right, Emma. Whatever the consequences, you did right. But that -is not the question now. We must immediately go in search of our lost -child. Julius, call Abner.”</p> - -<p>Abner was at the barn, having just returned from the fields. He came -back with Julius.</p> - -<p>“Abner,” said Mr. Taylor, after briefly explaining the case, “we will -divide. You go in one direction, and I in another. Have you got a gun?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mr. Taylor.”</p> - -<p>“Take it; you may need it. I have another.”</p> - -<p>“Have you got one for me?” asked Julius.</p> - -<p>“Do you know how to fire a gun?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; Abner showed me last week.”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid even with one you would be no match for an Indian. I cannot -give you a gun, but I have a pistol in the house. You shall have that.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take it,” said Julius. “Perhaps I shall be the one to find -Carrie.”</p> - -<p>“Take it, and God bless you!” said the father, as he brought out a small -pistol, and placed it in the hands of Julius. “Be prudent, and run no -unnecessary risk.”</p> - -<p>The three started in different directions, but it chanced that Julius -had selected the right path, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180"></a>{180}</span> though he knew it not, was on the -track of the Indian and the lost child, while Abner and Mr. Taylor -started wrong.</p> - -<p>There had been some delay in getting ready, and altogether the Indian -had a start of nearly an hour. On the other hand, he was incumbered with -the weight of the child, which had a tendency to diminish his speed. -Again, Julius ran a part of the way. He knew little of the Indians from -personal observation, but he had read stories of Indian adventure, and -he concluded that the captor of little Carrie would take to the woods. -He therefore struck across the fields for the very woods in which the -little girl was concealed.</p> - -<p>He wandered about at random till chance brought him to the very tree -from behind which he caught sight of the object of his search, under the -guardianship of the sleeping Indian. His heart gave a bound of -exultation, for he saw that circumstances were favorable to her rescue. -His great fear was that when she saw him she would utter a cry of joy, -which would arouse the sleeping savage. Just at this moment, as -described in the last chapter, Carrie espied him. Fortunately she caught -his signal, and checked the rising cry of joy. She looked eagerly toward -Julius, to learn what she must do. He beckoned her to come to him. She -arose from her leafy seat cautiously, and moved, with a caution which -danger taught her, toward our hero. He had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181"></a>{181}</span> the satisfaction of taking -her hand in his, and of observing that her movements had not been heard -by her savage companion, who was so tired that he still slept.</p> - -<p>“Come with me, Carrie,” he whispered, “and make as little noise as -possible.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Julius,” said the little girl, whispering in reply. “Where is -papa?”</p> - -<p>“He came after you, too; but he did not take the right road.”</p> - -<p>“How did you know where I was?”</p> - -<p>“I guessed at it, and I guessed right. Don’t make any noise.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Julius.”</p> - -<p>So they walked hand in hand. Julius hurried his little companion, for he -feared that the Indian would awake and pursue them. If he did so, he was -by no means sure that he could defend her. His pistol was loaded, but it -had but one barrel, and when it was discharged, he would be completely -defenseless.</p> - -<p>“Has the Indian got a gun?” he asked, in a whisper.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t see any,” said Carrie.</p> - -<p>Then he felt more easy in mind. If hard pressed, he would at least be -able to fire one shot.</p> - -<p>But there was another difficulty. He had not come directly to the place -where he had found Carrie, but had wandered about in different -directions. The result was that he didn’t know his way out of the -woods.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182"></a>{182}</span></p> - -<p>“Do you know which way you came, Carrie?” he asked, in some perplexity.</p> - -<p>“No, Julius. I didn’t wake up till I was in the woods.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know my way. I wish I could fall in with your father or Abner.”</p> - -<p>“What would you do if you met a lion?” asked Carrie, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“There are no lions here.”</p> - -<p>“The Indian said so. He said they would eat me if I ran away.”</p> - -<p>“That was only to frighten you, and prevent your escaping.”</p> - -<p>“Then are there no lions?”</p> - -<p>“No, Carrie. The Indian is the worst lion there is in the woods.”</p> - -<p>“Let us go home quick, Julius,” said Carrie, clasping his hand tighter -in her fear.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Carrie; we will keep on as fast as we can. We will go straight. If -we keep on far enough, I am sure we must get out of the woods. But I am -afraid you will get tired.”</p> - -<p>“No, Julius. I want to go home.”</p> - -<p>So they kept on, Julius looking anxiously about him and behind him, -fearing that the Indian might have waked up, and even now be in pursuit -of his little captive.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183"></a>{183}</span></p> - -<p>He had reason for his fear. The slumbers of the savage were light, and, -though they had not been interrupted by the flight of Carrie, he roused -himself about ten minutes later. He turned slowly around, expecting to -see her sitting on the pile of leaves. Discovering that she was gone, he -sprang to his feet with a cry of rage and disappointment. He was -surprised, for he had supposed that she would be afraid to leave him.</p> - -<p>He instantly formed the determination to get her back. Without her his -revenge would be incomplete. Besides, it would be mortifying to his -pride as a warrior that a little child should escape from him, thus -getting the better of him.</p> - -<p>He was broad awake now, and his senses were on the alert. With Indian -quickness he tracked the footsteps of the little girl to the tree. Thus -far it seemed that she had run away without assistance. But at this -point he found another trail. He stooped over, and carefully scrutinized -the track made by our young hero, and it helped him to a conclusion.</p> - -<p>“Boy,” he muttered. “Small foot. Come when Indian sleep. No matter. Me -catch him.”</p> - -<p>A white man would have obtained no clew to guide him in the pursuit of -the fugitives; but the Indian’s practiced skill served him. With his -eyes upon the ground, marking here a print, and there a slight pressure -on the scattered leaves, he kept on his way, sure of success.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184"></a>{184}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV.<br /><br /> -<small>JULIUS BECOMES A CAPTIVE.</small></h2> - -<p>Julius was still wandering about in uncertainty, holding Carrie by the -hand, when the Indian came in sight of him. Stealthily creeping up, he -seized our hero by the shoulder before he realized that the enemy was -upon him. He had no time to draw his pistol, nor did he deem it prudent -to do so now, as the Indian could easily wrest it from him, and turn it -against him.</p> - -<p>“Me got you!” exclaimed the savage, in accents of fierce exultation.</p> - -<p>Little Carrie uttered a dismal cry when she looked up and saw that her -dreaded captor was near.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be frightened, Carrie,” said Julius, soothingly, though, to tell -the truth, he felt rather uncomfortable himself.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” he demanded, putting a bold face on.</p> - -<p>“Want little girl,” answered the Indian.</p> - -<p>“I am taking her home. Her father sent me for her.”</p> - -<p>“No matter; no go,” said the Indian, frowning.</p> - -<p>“What good will it do you to keep her?” asked<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185"></a>{185}</span> Julius, though he -suspected argument would be of no avail.</p> - -<p>“No matter; come!” said the savage, and he seized Carrie by the hand.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Julius, don’t let him carry me off,” said Carrie, beginning to cry.</p> - -<p>“We must go, Carrie,” said our hero, in a low voice. “Perhaps he will -let us go after a while.”</p> - -<p>“But I want to go to mamma!” said the little girl, piteously.</p> - -<p>“No go. Mother bad,” said the Indian.</p> - -<p>“She isn’t bad,” said Carrie, forgetting her fear in her indignation. -“She’s good. You are bad.”</p> - -<p>“Hush, Carrie!” said Julius, who foresaw that it would not be prudent to -provoke the savage.</p> - -<p>“You come, too,” said the Indian to Julius. “What for you steal little -girl?”</p> - -<p>Julius felt that he might with great propriety have put this question to -his companion, but he forebore. He was trying to think of some way of -escape.</p> - -<p>The Indian plunged into the thick wood, holding Carrie by the hand. -Julius followed close after him.</p> - -<p>“So it seems,” he said to himself, “instead of recovering Carrie I am -caught myself. I wish Mr. Taylor and Abner would come along. We should -be too much for the Indian, then.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186"></a>{186}</span></p> - -<p>This gave him an idea. He took a piece of paper quietly from his pocket, -and wrote on it:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I am with Carrie and the Indian. He is leading us into the middle -of the wood. I will drop pieces of paper here and there on the way.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Julius.</span>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>This he dropped casually in the path, without the knowledge of the -Indian.</p> - -<p>“There,” he said to himself; “if either of them comes this way, it may -be the means of saving us.”</p> - -<p>But though John did not observe this, he did notice the pieces of paper -which Julius dropped, and he was sharp enough to detect his motive for -doing this.</p> - -<p>“What for drop paper?” he demanded, seizing Julius roughly by the -shoulder.</p> - -<p>Julius knew that it would be of no use to equivocate, and he answered, -manfully. “To let Mr. Taylor know where we are.”</p> - -<p>“Umph!” grunted the Indian. “Pick up.”</p> - -<p>Julius was forced to pick up all the bits of paper he had scattered, but -the original one containing the message he left where it lay.</p> - -<p>“Now come.”</p> - -<p>The Indian made Julius go in front, and the three went on till they -reached the pile of leaves where Carrie and the Indian had rested -before.</p> - -<p>The Indian resumed his reclining position, and made Julius and Carrie -sit down also. Our hero, who still<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187"></a>{187}</span> had the pistol, was in doubt whether -to use it, but a moment’s reflection satisfied him that it would be of -no use. If he wounded the Indian, the latter in his rage might kill them -both. Another idea came to him. He had heard from Mrs. Taylor that the -Indian had demanded money, and had probably taken offense because it was -not given him. He had two dollars in his pocket. If he should give this -to their captor, he would probably be eager to invest it in “fire -water,” and this would make it necessary to go to the village. While he -was absent Carrie and he could start again on their way home.</p> - -<p>Upon this hint he spoke.</p> - -<p>“Let us go,” he said, “and I will give you money.”</p> - -<p>As he spoke he drew four silver half-dollars from his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Give me,” said the Indian, his dull eye lighting up.</p> - -<p>Julius surrendered them, but said, “Can we go home?”</p> - -<p>“No go,” said the Indian. “Stay here.”</p> - -<p>Our hero expected nothing better. Still he felt disappointed.</p> - -<p>By and by the anticipated effect was produced. The Indian was eager to -exchange the money for drink, but he did not want his captives to -escape.</p> - -<p>He arose to his feet, and approached Julius.</p> - -<p>“Come,” he said.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188"></a>{188}</span></p> - -<p>He took the wondering boy by the shoulder, and placed his back against a -tree.</p> - -<p>“What is he going to do?” thought our hero, rather alarmed.</p> - -<p>He was not long left in uncertainty.</p> - -<p>The Indian drew from some hiding place in his raiment a stout cord, and -proceeded dexterously to tie Julius to the tree.</p> - -<p>“Don’t hurt him!” exclaimed Carrie, terrified, thinking that something -dreadful was going to be done to Julius.</p> - -<p>The Indian did not deign to reply, but proceeded to perform his task so -thoroughly that Julius felt uncomfortably cramped.</p> - -<p>When it was accomplished, the Indian turned to go.</p> - -<p>“Go ’way,” he said. “Soon come back. Stay here.”</p> - -<p>Julius felt that he was likely to obey the command, as there was not -much chance of his breaking his bonds. But there was one hope yet that -somewhat encouraged him.</p> - -<p>“Feel in my pocket, Carrie,” he said, “and see if I have a knife.”</p> - -<p>Carrie obeyed, but the search was unavailing.</p> - -<p>“How unlucky!” said Julius. “I usually have it with me, but I remember -leaving it in my other pants. If I only had it, you could cut the -string, and we could escape.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189"></a>{189}</span></p> - -<p>“Do you think he will keep us always, Julius?” asked Carrie, -disconsolately.</p> - -<p>“No, Carrie; I will find a way to get you home, before long,” said -Julius in a tone that expressed more cheerfulness than he felt.</p> - -<p>“It’s provoking,” he thought, “to be tied up here, when there is such a -good chance to escape. I’ll never go without a knife again. I didn’t -think how much good it might do me.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190"></a>{190}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI.<br /><br /> -<small>THE RESCUE.</small></h2> - -<p>Meanwhile Mr. Taylor and Abner had pursued the search in vain. From -opposite directions they met at the entrance to the wood.</p> - -<p>“Have you found no traces of Carrie, Abner?” asked the father, -anxiously.</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” said Abner.</p> - -<p>“Have you met Julius?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I, too, have been unsuccessful; but I am impressed with the belief that -my dear child is somewhere in this wood.”</p> - -<p>“Very likely, sir. It would be nat’ral for an Indian to make for the -woods; that is, if he’s got her.”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid there is no doubt of that,” sighed Mr. Taylor. “Do you -think he would hurt her, Abner?” he asked, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“No, I reckon not. He’d keep her to get money out of you.”</p> - -<p>“I would rather give half my fortune than lose my darling.”</p> - -<p>“It won’t be necessary to go as high as that, Mr. Taylor. Most likely -he’s got her in here somewhere.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191"></a>{191}</span> If we go together, we’ll be too much -for the red rascal.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, then, and may God speed us.”</p> - -<p>So they entered the wood, and plunged deeper and deeper into its gloom. -By and by Abner’s attention was drawn to a white fragment of paper, half -concealed in the grass. Elsewhere it would not have been noticed, but in -the woods it must evidently have been dropped by some one.</p> - -<p>He picked it up, and glanced at it.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” he shouted. “It’s the boy’s hand-writing.”</p> - -<p>“What boy?”</p> - -<p>“Julius.”</p> - -<p>“Give it to me, quick,” said Mr. Taylor.</p> - -<p>“Read it out loud,” said Abner, almost equally interested.</p> - -<p>Mr. Taylor read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I am with Carrie and the Indian. He is leading us into the middle -of the wood. I will drop pieces of paper here and there on the -way.”</p></div> - -<p>“Bully for Julius!” said Abner. “We’ve got the Indian now, sure.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad he is with Carrie. She would be so frightened,” said Mr. -Taylor.</p> - -<p>“That’s true. She thinks a heap of Julius.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192"></a>{192}</span></p> - -<p>“He is a good boy—quick-witted, too, or he wouldn’t have thought of the -paper.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see the scraps of paper he told about,” said Abner, who had -been very anxiously peering about him.</p> - -<p>“It may be that he was afraid to drop them, lest it should attract the -Indian’s attention,” said Mr. Taylor, coming very near the truth.</p> - -<p>“Maybe so. There is another way we can track them.”</p> - -<p>“How is that?”</p> - -<p>“Noticing where the grass and sticks are trodden over. That’s the Indian -way. We’ll fight the red man in his own way.”</p> - -<p>“Well thought of, Abner. Your eyes are better than mine. Lead the way, -and I will follow.”</p> - -<p>Abner was sharp-sighted, nor was he wholly ignorant of the Indians and -their ways; and thus it was that he led the anxious father almost -directly to the place where Carrie and Julius were waiting in fear and -anxiety for the Indian’s return.</p> - -<p>Abner spied them first.</p> - -<p>“There they are!” he exclaimed, “and the Indian isn’t with them.”</p> - -<p>Unable to control his impatience, Mr. Taylor, with a cry of joy, rushed -to the spot, and in a moment his beloved little daughter, Carrie, was in -his arms.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193"></a>{193}</span></p> - -<p>“My dear little girl,” he said, kissing her again and again, “I thought -I had lost you altogether. Were you very much frightened?”</p> - -<p>“I was so frightened, papa, till Julius came. I didn’t mind it so much -then.”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Abner was loosening the cord by which our hero was tied.</p> - -<p>“I s’pose the redskin did this,” said he. “Looks like his work.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; he liked my company so much he didn’t want to let me go,” said -Julius.</p> - -<p>“Where is he?”</p> - -<p>“Gone to the village to buy rum, I expect.”</p> - -<p>“Where did he get his money?”</p> - -<p>“I offered him money to let Carrie and me go, but he took it, and then -tied me up here. That’s what I call mean.”</p> - -<p>“So do I,” said Abner; “but he’ll find the bird flown when he gets back, -I reckon.”</p> - -<p>“The birds, you mean.”</p> - -<p>“Julius,” said Mr. Taylor, grasping the hand of our hero, now released -from his uncomfortable situation, “you have earned my heartfelt -gratitude. But for you my darling would still be in the power of that -miserable Indian.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t do much,” said Julius, modestly. “I only managed to get taken, -too.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194"></a>{194}</span></p> - -<p>“It was the paper which you had the forethought to drop that led us -here.”</p> - -<p>“Did you find it?” asked Julius, eagerly. “Then it did some good after -all. I was afraid it wouldn’t. The Indian saw me dropping bits of paper, -and he was sharp enough to know what it meant. He made me pick them up, -but I left the paper with writing on it. He didn’t see that.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the way I thought it was,” said Mr. Taylor. “I told Abner you -were prevented from giving us the clew, as you promised.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s all right now,” said Julius. “Our copper-colored friend will -have to dispense with our company to-night.”</p> - -<p>“We must be getting home,” said Mr. Taylor. “Your mother is terribly -anxious about you, Carrie. Are you tired?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, papa; the Indian made me walk so fast.”</p> - -<p>“I will take you in my arms, my poor child. He shan’t get hold of you -again.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take her part of the time, Mr. Taylor,” said Abner.</p> - -<p>But the glad father did not seem to feel the weight of his recovered -treasure. Quickly they retraced their steps, and when they came near the -house Mrs. Taylor ran out to meet them, clasping Carrie to her bosom -with grateful joy. It was a day of thanksgiving, for the lost had been -found.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195"></a>{195}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXVII.<br /><br /> -<small>JULIUS BUYS A HOUSE.</small></h2> - -<p>An hour later the Indian was found drunk by the roadside. After -procuring a supply of liquor with the money which he had taken from -Julius, he set out on his return to the woods, but stopped from time to -time to drink. His potations were so deep that he was finally incapable -of proceeding farther.</p> - -<p>His agency in kidnapping little Carrie having become known, he was -arrested, and brought before a justice. The magistrate sentenced him to -a month’s imprisonment, assuring him that when it was over it would not -be expedient for him to visit the neighborhood again. The savage endured -his imprisonment with the stoicism characteristic of his race, and on -the day of his release departed, and was not seen again in Brookville.</p> - -<p>On the day succeeding Carrie’s adventure, Mr. Taylor said to Julius, “I -shall to-day place to your credit in the savings bank two hundred and -fifty dollars, in acknowledgment of your service in rescuing my little -girl, though it involved risk to yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir,” said Julius, gratefully; “but I don’t think I deserve -so much.”</p> - -<p>“Let me be the judge of that.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196"></a>{196}</span></p> - -<p>“Abner did as much as I.”</p> - -<p>“Abner will not go unrewarded. I shall deposit a similar sum in the bank -for him.”</p> - -<p>“Then, sir, I can only thank you for your kindness. I hope I shall -deserve it.”</p> - -<p>“I hope and believe you will,” said his patron, warmly. “Only keep on as -you have begun, and you will win the respect and good-will of all.”</p> - -<p>Though Julius said little, this commendation gave him great -satisfaction. Little more than a year before he had been a poor and -ignorant street boy, the companion of two burglars, with no prospects in -life except to grow up in ignorance, and perhaps vice. To-day he was a -member of a family of social position, as well educated as most boys of -his age, with every encouragement to keep on in the right path, worth -three hundred dollars in money, and with a prosperous future before him.</p> - -<p>“How fortunate I am,” he thought. “It was a lucky thing for me when I -made up my mind to come out West.”</p> - -<p>But his good fortune was not exhausted. One morning, a few months later, -Mr. Taylor called him back as he was leaving the breakfast table.</p> - -<p>“Julius,” he said, “I want to speak to you on a matter of business.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” said Julius, inquiringly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197"></a>{197}</span></p> - -<p>“You have three hundred dollars in the savings bank.”</p> - -<p>“It is more now, sir, as some interest was added in January.”</p> - -<p>“Very true. Now, I am going to give you some advice about investing it.”</p> - -<p>“I shall be very glad to follow your advice, Mr. Taylor.”</p> - -<p>“This is what I have in view: You know Mr. Cathcart’s place, about a -mile from here?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“There is a small house and barn on the place, and about ten acres of -land are connected with it. He is anxious to sell, as he has had a very -good offer of employment in Minnesota. Now, I advise you to buy the -place. It is sure to rise in value on account of its location. I should -not be surprised if it doubled in value in five years.”</p> - -<p>“But,” said Julius, rather bewildered, “he won’t sell for three hundred -dollars, will he?”</p> - -<p>“No, probably not,” answered Mr. Taylor, smiling.</p> - -<p>“That is all the money I have.”</p> - -<p>“He asks fifteen hundred dollars, which is cheap for it, in my opinion.”</p> - -<p>“Then I don’t see how I can buy it.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose he should be willing to take three hundred<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198"></a>{198}</span> dollars down, and -the remainder at the end of a few years, you paying the interest in the -meantime.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I see,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“The twelve hundred dollars would be secured by a mortgage, which you -would eventually pay off.”</p> - -<p>Here Mr. Taylor explained to Julius, whose knowledge of real estate -transactions was limited, the nature of a mortgage, and the laws -relating to it.</p> - -<p>“I should like to buy it, if you think best,” said our hero, at length.</p> - -<p>“Then I will arrange matters, as your guardian. By the time you are -twenty-one, you will, I venture to say, be worth quite a little -property.”</p> - -<p>“But what shall I do with the place?” asked Julius. “I can’t go to live -there.”</p> - -<p>“You may as well defer that till you are married,” said Mr. Taylor; a -suggestion which made Julius smile. “The proper course is to find a -tenant for it. The rent will enable you to pay taxes and the interest on -the mortgage, and probably yield you a profit beside. Even if not, you -will be richly repaid in time by the increased value of the property.”</p> - -<p>No time was lost in effecting this transaction, as Mr. Cathcart was -anxious to leave Brookville as soon as possible. The money was drawn -from the savings bank, and almost before he knew it Julius found himself -the owner of a house and outbuildings, and ten acres of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199"></a>{199}</span> land. He went -out to see it, and it gave him a peculiar feeling to think that he, late -a ragged New York street boy, was now the proprietor of a landed estate.</p> - -<p>“I wonder what Jack and Marlowe would say if they knew it,” he thought. -“It would make Marlowe mad, I know. He never at any time liked me very -much, and now he hates me bad enough, I am afraid.”</p> - -<p>A week after the property passed into our hero’s hands, a -respectable-looking man called at Mr. Taylor’s door. He was a young -mechanic, a carpenter, who had recently established himself in -Brookville.</p> - -<p>“Take a seat, Mr. Brown,” said Mr. Taylor, politely.</p> - -<p>“I came on a little business,” said the young man. “I would like to hire -the Cathcart place. I hear you are the purchaser.”</p> - -<p>“You are perfectly right, Mr. Brown,” said Mr. Taylor. “I purchased it, -but it was in behalf of my ward Julius, here. You will have to speak to -him about hiring it.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed!” said the young man. “I hope,” turning to Julius, “you won’t -object to me as a tenant.”</p> - -<p>“I have so little experience as a landlord,” said Julius, laughing, -“that I don’t quite know what to say. What rent are you willing to -give?”</p> - -<p>“I could afford to pay ten dollars a month.”</p> - -<p>“That is a fair price, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200"></a>{200}</span></p> - -<p>“Then I shall be glad to accept your offer,” said Julius. “You can move -in as soon as you please.”</p> - -<p>“That is satisfactory. I hope you will find me a desirable tenant.”</p> - -<p>“And I hope you will find me a good landlord,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“I think we shall agree pretty well,” said the young man. “After we get -settled, we shall be glad to receive a visit from our landlord.”</p> - -<p>Julius laughingly agreed to call.</p> - -<p>“It seems like a joke,” he said afterward to Mr. Taylor, “my being a -landlord. I don’t know how to act.”</p> - -<p>“I hope it will prove a profitable joke, Julius,” said Mr. Taylor. “I -have reason to think it will.”</p> - -<p>“I think I will write to Mr. O’Connor and tell him how I am getting -along,” said Julius.</p> - -<p>“Do so,” said Mr. Taylor.</p> - -<p>Julius wrote that very day, not without pride and satisfaction.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201"></a>{201}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /><br /> -<small>A BUSINESS JOURNEY.</small></h2> - -<p>We must now carry forward the story two years. It has been a profitable -time for Julius. His excellent natural abilities, stimulated by -ambition, have advanced him very considerably in the education which -comes from books, while the hours spent in labor on the farm have -strengthened his muscles, and developed his figure, so that he presents -a strong contrast to the undersized and slender boy who came from the -city streets in Mr. O’Connor’s company. The effort of generous diet also -may be seen in his improved looks. He would now be regarded as quite a -good-looking boy, though he privately considers himself entitled to the -more dignified appellation of a young man.</p> - -<p>I am glad to be able to record that in other ways also he has improved. -As a street boy, he was not wholly free from the errors common to his -class. Now he has a regard for truth, and Mr. Taylor has come to have -implicit confidence in his word. He has even come to feel a paternal -interest in the once neglected waif, and treats him in all respects like -a son. Little Carrie, too, calls him Brother Julius, and probably feels -as much affection for him as if he were her own brother.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202"></a>{202}</span></p> - -<p>Thus happily situated, Julius is not troubled as to his real parentage. -There is a mystery attending his origin, which he will probably never be -able to solve. But he is content to regard Mr. and Mrs. Taylor as his -parents, since they have allowed him to do so, and will always be known -by the name of Julius Taylor.</p> - -<p>Of course he has not forgotten his old associates, Jack Morgan and -Marlowe. About two years after his arrival in Brookville a paragraph was -copied into the county paper from the <i>New York Herald</i>, recording the -daring attempts of these two criminals to escape from the prison at Sing -Sing. Jack Morgan was caught and brought back, but Marlowe managed to -make good his escape.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” thought Julius, “Jack was too fat. He couldn’t get over the -ground as fast as Marlowe.”</p> - -<p>In this he was correct. Jack Morgan’s size and clumsiness had interfered -with his escape, while Marlowe, who was not so incumbered, got away.</p> - -<p>“Marlowe would be glad to know where I am,” said our hero to himself. -“He’d like to punish me for getting him caught. But he isn’t likely to -find me out here. And even if he did, I think I can take care of myself -better than I could when he knew me.”</p> - -<p>Julius surveyed his figure in the glass complacently as he said this. He -was five feet eight inches in height, and weighed one hundred and fifty -pounds. His arm was powerful; and though he could not contend on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203"></a>{203}</span> equal -terms with the tall burglar, he felt that the time would soon come when -he could do so.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if he’d know me now,” thought our hero.</p> - -<p>This question was soon to be solved, though Julius did not know it.</p> - -<p>In the month of October Mr. Taylor proposed to Julius to set out on a -collecting tour, among the towns in the neighborhood.</p> - -<p>“I have claims against a dozen persons,” he said, “which ought to be -presented and paid. At present, however, it is not convenient for me to -leave home. If you will take my place, it will be quite a relief.”</p> - -<p>“There is nothing I should like better,” said Julius, elated at the -prospect of a journey.</p> - -<p>“I thought you might like it,” said Mr. Taylor.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you feel sufficient confidence in me to send me,” said our -hero.</p> - -<p>“You have given me reason to confide in you,” said Mr. Taylor, quietly. -“You will judge of the extent of my confidence when I say that the bills -which I shall give you to collect amount to a thousand dollars, or, -perhaps, a little more.”</p> - -<p>“I will bring back every cent,” said Julius, promptly.</p> - -<p>“Every cent you succeed in collecting. I have no doubt of it. The only -caution I have to give you is, to guard against being robbed. If it is -supposed that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204"></a>{204}</span> you have a considerable sum of money, you might be in -danger of having it stolen.”</p> - -<p>“It’ll take a smart thief to get it away from me,” said Julius, -confidently. “I didn’t live fifteen years in the streets of New York for -nothing. When do you want me to start?”</p> - -<p>“To-morrow morning. I shall give you the horse and buggy, and we will -plan the order of your journey to-night. You will stop at hotels, and -expend whatever is needful. I will ask you only to keep an account of -your expenses, to be submitted to me on your return.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, sir. How long do you expect me to be gone?”</p> - -<p>“That will depend on how much success you meet with. I should think a -week might be sufficient. If you find it necessary to stay longer, do -so; but let me know from time to time what progress you make in your -mission.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I’ll write to you every day.”</p> - -<p>There are few boys of seventeen who would not have experienced pleasure -in such an expedition. To have the command of a horse and buggy, to -drive from town to town, putting up at hotels by night, would to most be -a pleasant prospect. But Julius thoroughly understood that, however -pleasant it might be, the motive of his journey was business; and he -resolved to exert himself to the utmost in the interests of his guardian -and benefactor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205"></a>{205}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXIX.<br /><br /> -<small>MARLOWE.</small></h2> - -<p>Four days later Julius arrived about dusk in the village of -Lawrenceburg. There was a citizen of this place against whom Mr. Taylor -had given him a note to collect. He put up at the hotel, and after -entering his name inquired where Mr. Philip Thompson resided.</p> - -<p>“Two miles distant, on the Northcote road,” said the landlord. “Have you -business with him?”</p> - -<p>Julius answered in the affirmative.</p> - -<p>“If you want to go over there after supper, I will send my boy to show -you the way.”</p> - -<p>“I think I will wait till morning,” said Julius, who felt tired. “My -business will wait till then.”</p> - -<p>There was a man sitting on the piazza of the tavern when Julius drove -up. He was a tall man, rather shabbily built, with a slouching gait, who -kept his eyes bent downward, while his face was partly shaded by a soft -felt hat. Julius did not notice him, or rather did not do so -particularly; but the stranger fixed his eyes eagerly on the boy’s face, -and started perceptibly, while a look partly of recognition, partly of -hatred, swept over his countenance.</p> - -<p>I do not intend to make this man’s personality a mystery.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206"></a>{206}</span> It was Dan -Marlowe, the burglar, whom, three years before, Julius had been -instrumental in trapping, and who, until within two or three months, had -been confined in Sing Sing prison. His escape has already been referred -to.</p> - -<p>He had now two ends to accomplish. One was to elude capture, the other -to revenge himself on Julius.</p> - -<p>While in prison he had heard from a fellow-prisoner that Julius was -somewhere in the West. He could not ascertain where. Till to-day he had -no clew whereby he might discover him; when all at once chance brought -him face to face with his young enemy. In spite of his growth he -recognized the boy, for he seldom forgot a face; but, to make certainty -more certain, he lounged into the office after Julius had recorded his -name, and examined the signature.</p> - -<p>“Julius Taylor,” he repeated to himself. “The young cub has picked up -another name since he left us. But it’s he—it’s the same Julius. I -thought I couldn’t be mistaken. His face is the same, though he’s almost -twice as large as he was. He little dreams that Dan Marlowe is on his -track. I’d like to wring the boy’s neck!” he muttered to himself. “He’s -cost me over two years in Sing Sing; and poor Jack’s there yet.”</p> - -<p>Having satisfied himself, he went back to his seat on the piazza.</p> - -<p>Pretty soon Julius came out, and gave a casual look<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207"></a>{207}</span> at Marlowe. But the -latter had his hat pulled down over his eyes, and not enough of his -features could be seen for our hero to distinguish him. Besides, Julius -was not thinking of Marlowe. He had no reason to suspect that his old -companion was in the neighborhood. If not caught, he supposed that he -was somewhere in hiding in the city of New York, or nearby.</p> - -<p>Marlowe did not, however, care to run even a small risk of discovery. He -had not changed as much as Julius, and the latter might probably -recognize him. So, finding that our hero had also seated himself -outside, he quietly arose from his chair, and went out to walk.</p> - -<p>“An ill-looking fellow,” thought Julius, casually. “He looks like a -tramp.”</p> - -<p>Marlowe strolled off at random, not caring where he went. His sole -object was to keep out of the way of Julius. He went perhaps a mile, and -then, turning into a field, sat down on the grass. Here he remained for -a long time. He did not set out on his return till he judged that it was -near ten o’clock. When he entered the inn, not Julius alone, but all the -other guests had retired; for in the country late hours are not popular.</p> - -<p>“We were just going to shut up, Mr. Jones,” said the landlord.</p> - -<p>Jones was the assumed name by which Marlowe now passed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208"></a>{208}</span></p> - -<p>“I went out for a walk,” said, Marlowe, “and didn’t know how time was -passing, having no watch with me.”</p> - -<p>“You must like walking in the dark better than I do.”</p> - -<p>“I wasn’t walking all the time,” said Marlowe. “I had some business on -my mind, and went out to think it over. Who was that young fellow that -came about six o’clock.</p> - -<p>“Julius Taylor. He’s from Brookville. Do you wish to know him? If so, I -will introduce you to him.”</p> - -<p>“I only asked from curiosity,” said Marlowe, carelessly.</p> - -<p>“His room is next to yours, No. 8. Yours is No. 7.”</p> - -<p>This was what Marlowe wanted to know, and he heard the information with -satisfaction. He proposed to make Julius a visit that night. What might -be the result he did not stop to consider. He only knew that this was -the boy to whom he owed two years of imprisonment, and that he would -have him in his power. He did not ask himself what he should do. He did -not consider whether he was about to endanger his own safety, and expose -himself to the risk of recapture. His spirit was fierce and revengeful, -and he had made up his mind to gratify it.</p> - -<p>He called for a light, and ascended the staircase to his room, No. 7. He -noticed the number over the door which Julius occupied, and outside he -saw a pair of shoes, which had been left to be blacked.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209"></a>{209}</span></p> - -<p>“He’s been prospering,” he said to himself, gloomily, “while Jack and me -have been shut up. He’s had a good home, and good fare, and grown up to -consider himself a gentleman; while me and Jack, that brought him up, -have been confined like wild beasts. That’s his pay for selling us to -the cops. But the end is not yet. Marlowe’s on his track, and this night -there’ll be a reckoning.”</p> - -<p>He sat down on the side of the bed and waited. He wanted to make sure -that all were asleep in the inn, that he might carry out his dark -designs without interruption.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210"></a>{210}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX"></a>CHAPTER XXX.<br /><br /> -<small>CONCLUSION.</small></h2> - -<p>Julius was tired, and fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the -pillow. He slept so soundly that he did not hear Marlowe fumbling at the -lock with some of the burglar’s tools which he always carried with him. -Curiously he was dreaming of his old life, when he was under the -guardianship of Jack and Morgan, and Marlowe was a constant visitor. It -seemed to him that the latter had been accusing him to Jack, and was -threatening him with uplifted arm, when, all at once, he was aroused -from sleep by a violent shaking, and, opening his eyes, his first glance -rested on the man of whom he had been dreaming.</p> - -<p>He stared at him in bewilderment and alarm, but said nothing, such was -his surprise.</p> - -<p>“Well, boy,” said Marlowe, growing impatient, “why are you staring at me -so hard? Don’t you know me?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Julius, the spell broken, “you are Dan Marlowe.”</p> - -<p>“Did you see me downstairs?”</p> - -<p>“Were you the man that was sitting on the piazza when I drove up?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211"></a>{211}</span></p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“I wish I had known it,” thought Julius. “I should have been on my -guard.”</p> - -<p>“It is some time since we met,” said Marlowe.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is.”</p> - -<p>“And I suppose,” he added, sneeringly, “you wish it had been longer.”</p> - -<p>“You are right there; I didn’t care to see you again,” returned Julius, -boldly.</p> - -<p>“I don’t wonder at that, after your base treachery, you rascally hound!” -said Marlowe, furiously. “Do you know how Jack and me spent the last two -years?”</p> - -<p>“In prison?” said Julius, hesitating.</p> - -<p>“Yes; in prison, and we have you to thank for it. You might as well have -turned against your own father as against Jack.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Julius, firmly. “I am sorry for Jack. I wouldn’t have gone -against him, if there was any other way of saving Paul. Paul had been -kind to me when I needed it. What did Jack ever do for me? We lived -together when he was out of prison, but it was I that brought him all my -earnings. I paid my own way and more, too, even when I was a boy of -eight. I owe Jack nothing. But I am sorry for him all the same. I wish -he could get free.”</p> - -<p>“And what about me?” asked Marlowe, sneeringly. “Are you glad I am -free?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212"></a>{212}</span></p> - -<p>“No, I’m not,” said Julius, boldly. “I never liked you as well as Jack. -He’s bad enough, but you’re worse. Though he didn’t take care of me, he -was generally kind to me. Even if I owe him something, I owe you -nothing.”</p> - -<p>“But I owe you something, my chicken,” said Marlowe, between his teeth. -“Do you know why I am here? No? Well, I’ll tell you. I met Ned Sanders -soon after I got out, and he told me the tricks you played on him. I -found out from him that you had come out West, and that’s why I came -here. I hadn’t forgotten who sent me up. I swore, at the time, I’d be -revenged, and now I’ve got the chance.”</p> - -<p>The man looked so malicious—so possessed by the spirit of evil—that -Julius could not help shuddering as he met his baleful gaze.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean to do to me?” he asked, feeling helpless, as he -realized that in spite of his increased strength he was no match for the -stalwart ruffian.</p> - -<p>“I mean to kill you,” said Marlowe, fiercely.</p> - -<p>Julius shuddered, as well he might; but he answered: “If you do, your -life will be in danger.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” quickly asked Marlowe, taking it as a threat.</p> - -<p>“You will be hung.”</p> - -<p>“They must catch me first,” said he, coolly. “But first<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213"></a>{213}</span> you must answer -me a question. How much money have you?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t tell without counting.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t dare to trifle with me, boy!”</p> - -<p>“I am telling you the truth.”</p> - -<p>It may be mentioned that, apart from his personal apprehension, Julius -was anxious about his money. He had in a wallet six hundred dollars -belonging to Mr. Taylor, which he had collected in various places. He -was ambitious to justify his benefactor’s confidence, and carry it to -him in safety; but Marlowe threatened to take both the money and his -life. He was only a boy, but emergencies make men out of boys. He had -been provided by Mr. Taylor with a revolver, not with any supposition -that he would need it, but as a safeguard in case robbery should be -attempted on the road. He had forgotten to put it under his pillow, but -it was in the pocket of his coat, and that coat was hanging over a chair -on the opposite side of the bed from that on which Marlowe was standing. -He could only obtain possession of it by stratagem.</p> - -<p>“Give me your money,” said Marlowe, fiercely.</p> - -<p>“Then spare my life,” said Julius, assuming a tone of entreaty.</p> - -<p>“I cannot promise,” said Marlowe; “but I will assuredly kill you at once -unless you give me the money.”</p> - -<p>“Then wait till I get it for you,” said Julius.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214"></a>{214}</span></p> - -<p>He jumped out of bed, Marlowe suspecting nothing, and put his hand in -the pocket of his coat. He drew out, not a pocketbook, but the revolver, -which he deliberately pointed at Marlowe.</p> - -<p>“Dan Marlowe,” he said, quietly, “you are stronger than I, but this -pistol is loaded, and I know how to use it. Come toward me, and I fire.”</p> - -<p>“Confusion!” exclaimed the burglar, furiously, and his impulse was to -spring upon Julius. But there was something in the boy’s resolute tone -which made him pause.</p> - -<p>“He wouldn’t be so cool if it wasn’t loaded,” he thought.</p> - -<p>A doubt in the mind of Julius was solved. Marlowe had no pistol, or he -would have produced it. Disagreeable as it was, the burglar stopped to -parley. He could postpone his revenge, and only exact money now.</p> - -<p>“Put up your pistol,” he said. “I only wanted to frighten you a bit. -You’ve done me a bad turn, and you owe me some return. Give me all the -money you have with you, and I’ll say quits.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t do that,” said Julius, “for the money isn’t mine.”</p> - -<p>“Whose is it?”</p> - -<p>“It belongs to my guardian.”</p> - -<p>“Is he rich?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215"></a>{215}</span></p> - -<p>“Then he can spare it. Tell him it was stolen from you.”</p> - -<p>“I shall do no such thing,” said Julius, firmly. “It hasn’t been stolen -yet, and won’t be, as I believe.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll see about that,” said Marlowe, furiously, making a dash toward -our hero.</p> - -<p>“Hold!” shouted Julius. “One step farther and I fire.”</p> - -<p>There is a popular impression that men of violence are brave; but it is -a mistaken one. Marlowe had not the nerve to carry out his threat, while -covered by a pistol in the hands of a resolute antagonist. There was -another reason also. The partitions were thin, and the noise had aroused -the gentleman sleeping in No. 9. He came out into the entry, and knocked -at the door of No. 8.</p> - -<p>“Put up your pistol, boy,” said Marlowe, hurriedly, “and I will open the -door.”</p> - -<p>Julius did not put it up, but hastily concealed it, and the door was -opened.</p> - -<p>The visitor was an elderly man in his nightclothes.</p> - -<p>“How do you expect a man to sleep?” he said, peevishly, “when you are -making such an infernal noise?”</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon,” said Marlowe, politely, “but I am just leaving my -friend here, and shall retire at once. You won’t hear any more noise.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216"></a>{216}</span></p> - -<p>“It is time it stopped,” said the visitor, not quite appeased. “Why, -it’s after midnight!”</p> - -<p>“Is it, really?” said Marlowe. “I did not think it so late. Good-night, -Julius.”</p> - -<p>“Good-night,” said our hero.</p> - -<p>The visitor retired, and so did Marlowe. But Julius, distrusting his -neighbor, not only locked, but barricaded the door, and put the revolver -under his pillow. But he had no further visit from Marlowe. The latter, -for prudential reasons, postponed the revenge which he still meant to -take.</p> - -<p>In the morning Julius looked for his enemy, but he was nowhere to be -seen. Inquiring in a guarded way, he ascertained that Marlowe had taken -an early breakfast and had gone away. It might be that he feared Julius -would cause his arrest. At any rate, he was gone.</p> - -<p>Julius never saw him again, but read in a newspaper, not long afterward, -the closing incidents in the career of this dangerous ruffian. He made -his way to Milwaukee, and resumed his old business. While engaged in -entering a house by night, he was shot dead by the master of the house, -who had heard him enter. It was a fitting end to a misspent life. From a -boy he had warred against society, and now he had fallen at the hands of -one of his intended victims.</p> - -<p class="ast">* -* * * * * * * *</p> - -<p>But little remains to be told—too little for a separate<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217"></a>{217}</span> chapter. -Julius has redeemed the promise of his youth, and now in his early -manhood possesses the respect and attachment, not only of Mr. and Mrs. -Taylor, but of all who know him. His real estate speculation has turned -out favorably. The property for which he paid fifteen hundred dollars is -now worth three times that sum, owing to the rapid growth and increasing -population of Brookville; but as it is likely to become still more -valuable, he has decided not to sell yet. He has repaid Mr. Taylor the -amount of the mortgage out of his earnings, and is now sole proprietor. -He has assumed the management of Mr. Taylor’s large farm, and is likely -in time to grow rich. It is reported that he is engaged to be married to -a niece of Mrs. Taylor, who recently came from the East to visit her -aunt; and it is not unlikely that the report is true. Though he can -boast no proud lineage, and is even indebted to strangers for a name, -the Taylors feel that the good qualities which he possesses will -compensate for these deficiencies.</p> - -<p>He has once visited New York. Last year he went to the East on business -for Mr. Taylor, and sought out some of his old haunts. Among other -places, he visited the Newsboys’ Lodging House, and, at the request of -Mr. O’Connor, made a short speech to the boys, a portion of which will -conclude this story:</p> - -<p>“Boys,” he said, “it is but a few years since I was drifting about the -streets like you, making my living<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218"></a>{218}</span> by selling papers and blacking -boots, ragged, and with a dreary prospect before me. I used to swear and -lie, I remember very well, as I know many of you do. If I had stayed in -the city I might be no better off now. But in a lucky moment I was -induced by Mr. O’Connor to go West. There I found kind friends and a -good home, and had a chance to secure a good education. Now I carry on a -large farm for my benefactor, and second father, as I consider him, and -I hope in time to become rich. I tell you, boys, it will pay you to -leave the city streets and go out West. You may not be as lucky as I -have been in finding rich friends, but it will be your own fault if you -don’t get along. There are plenty of homes waiting to receive you, and -plenty of work for you to do. If you want to prosper and grow up -respectable, I advise you to come out as soon as you get the chance.”</p> - -<p class="c">THE END.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-169" id="page_ii-169"></a>{169}</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><a name="THE_PATERNOSTERS" id="THE_PATERNOSTERS"></a>THE PATERNOSTERS.</h2> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">And</span> do you really mean that we are to cross by the steamer, Mr. Virtue, -while you go over in the <i>Seabird</i>? I do not approve of that at all. -Fanny, why do you not rebel and say we won’t be put ashore? I call it -horrid, after a fortnight on board this dear little yacht, to have to -get on to a crowded steamer, with no accommodation and lots of seasick -women, perhaps, and crying children. You surely cannot be in earnest?”</p> - -<p>“I do not like it any more than you do, Minnie; but, as Tom says we had -better do it, and my husband agrees with him, I am afraid we must -submit. Do you really think it is quite necessary, Mr. Virtue? Minnie -and I are both good sailors, you know; and we would much rather have a -little extra tossing about on board the <i>Seabird</i> than the discomforts -of a steamer.”</p> - -<p>“I certainly think that it will be best, Mrs. Grantham. You know very -well we would rather have you on board, and that we shall suffer from -your loss more than you will by going the other way; but there’s no -doubt the wind is getting up, and though we don’t feel it much here, it -must be blowing pretty<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-170" id="page_ii-170"></a>{170}</span> hard outside. The <i>Seabird</i> is as good a seaboat -as anything of her size that floats; but you don’t know what it is to be -out in anything like a heavy sea in a thirty-tonner. It would be -impossible for you to stay on deck, and we should have our hands full, -and should not be able to give you the benefit of our society. -Personally, I should not mind being out in the <i>Seabird</i> in any weather, -but I would certainly rather not have ladies on board.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t think we should scream, or do anything foolish, Mr. Virtue?” -Minnie Graham said indignantly.</p> - -<p>“Not at all, Miss Graham. Still, I repeat, the knowledge that there are -women on board, delightful at other times, does not tend to comfort in -bad weather. Of course, if you prefer it, we can put off our start till -this puff of wind has blown itself out. It may have dropped before -morning. It may last some little time. I don’t think myself that it will -drop, for the glass has fallen, and I am afraid we may have a spell of -broken weather.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no; don’t put it off,” Mrs. Grantham said; “we have only another -fortnight before James must be back again in London, and it would be a -great pity to lose three or four days perhaps; and we have been looking -forward to cruising about among the Channel Islands, and to St. Malo, -and all those places. Oh, no; I think the other is much the better -plan—that is, if you won’t take us with you?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-171" id="page_ii-171"></a>{171}</span></p> - -<p>“It would be bad manners to say that I won’t, Mrs. Grantham; but I must -say I would rather not. It will be a very short separation. Grantham -will take you on shore at once, and as soon as the boat comes back I -shall be off. You will start in the steamer this evening, and get into -Jersey at nine or ten o’clock to-morrow morning; and if I am not there -before you, I shall not be many hours after you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if it must be it must,” Mrs. Grantham said, with an air of -resignation. “Come, Minnie, let us put a few things into a hand-bag for -to-night. You see the skipper is not to be moved by our pleadings.”</p> - -<p>“That is the worst of you married women, Fanny,” Miss Graham said, with -a little pout. “You get into the way of doing as you are ordered. I call -it too bad. Here have we been cruising about for the last fortnight, -with scarcely a breath of wind, and longing for a good brisk breeze and -a little change and excitement, and now it comes at last, we are to be -packed off in a steamer. I call it horrid of you, Mr. Virtue. You may -laugh, but I do.”</p> - -<p>Tom Virtue laughed, but he showed no signs of giving way, and ten -minutes later Mr. and Mrs. Grantham and Miss Graham took their places in -the gig, and were rowed into Southampton Harbor, off which the <i>Seabird</i> -was lying.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-172" id="page_ii-172"></a>{172}</span></p> - -<p>The last fortnight had been a very pleasant one, and it had cost the -owner of the <i>Seabird</i> as much as his guests to come to the conclusion -that it was better to break up the party for a few hours.</p> - -<p>Tom Virtue had, up to the age of five-and-twenty, been possessed of a -sufficient income for his wants. He had entered at the bar, not that he -felt any particular vocation in that direction, but because he thought -it incumbent upon him to do something. Then, at the death of an uncle, -he had come into a considerable fortune, and was able to indulge his -taste for yachting, which was the sole amusement for which he really -cared, to the fullest.</p> - -<p>He sold the little five-tonner he had formerly possessed, and purchased -the <i>Seabird</i>. He could well have afforded a much larger craft, but he -knew that there was far more real enjoyment in sailing to be obtained -from a small craft than a large one, for in the latter he would be -obliged to have a regular skipper, and would be little more than a -passenger, whereas on board the <i>Seabird</i>, although his first hand was -dignified by the name of skipper, he was himself the absolute master. -The boat carried the aforesaid skipper, three hands, and a steward, and -with them he had twice been up the Mediterranean, across to Norway, and -had several times made the circuit of the British Isles.</p> - -<p>He had unlimited confidence in his boat, and cared not what weather he -was out in her. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-173" id="page_ii-173"></a>{173}</span> was the first time since his ownership of her that -the <i>Seabird</i> had carried lady passengers. His friend Grantham, an old -school and college chum, was a hard-working barrister, and Virtue had -proposed to him to take a month’s holiday on board the <i>Seabird</i>.</p> - -<p>“Put aside your books, old man,” he said. “You look fagged and -overworked; a month’s blow will do you all the good in the world.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Tom; I have made up my mind for a month’s holiday, but I -can’t accept your invitation, though I should enjoy it of all things. -But it would not be fair to my wife; she doesn’t get very much of my -society, and she has been looking forward to our having a run together. -So I must decline.”</p> - -<p>Virtue hesitated a moment. He was not very fond of ladies’ society, and -thought them especially in the way on board a yacht; but he had a great -liking for his friend’s wife, and was almost as much at home in his -house as in his own chambers.</p> - -<p>“Why not bring the wife with you?” he said, as soon as his mind was made -up. “It will be a nice change for her too; and I have heard her say that -she is a good sailor. The accommodation is not extensive, but the -after-cabin is a pretty good size, and I would do all I could to make -her comfortable. Perhaps she would like another lady with her; if so by -all means bring one. They could have the after-cabin, you could have the -little stateroom, and I could sleep in the saloon.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-174" id="page_ii-174"></a>{174}</span></p> - -<p>“It is very good of you, Tom, especially as I know that it will put you -out frightfully; but the offer is a very tempting one. I will speak to -Fanny, and let you have an answer in the morning.”</p> - -<p>“That will be delightful, James,” Mrs. Grantham said, when the -invitation was repeated to her. “I should like it of all things; and I -am sure the rest and quiet and the sea air will be just the thing for -you. It is wonderful, Tom Virtue making the offer; and I take it as a -great personal compliment, for he certainly is not what is generally -called a lady’s man. It is very nice, too, of him to think of my having -another lady on board. Whom shall we ask? Oh, I know,” she said -suddenly; “that will be the thing of all others. We will ask my cousin -Minnie; she is full of fun and life, and will make a charming wife for -Tom!”</p> - -<p>James Grantham laughed.</p> - -<p>“What schemers you all are, Fanny! Now I should call it downright -treachery to take anyone on board the <i>Seabird</i> with the idea of -capturing its master.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense, treachery!” Mrs. Grantham said indignantly; “Minnie is the -nicest girl I know, and it would do Tom a world of good to have a wife -to look after him. Why, he is thirty now, and will be settling down into -a confirmed old bachelor before long. It’s the greatest kindness we -could do him, to take Minnie on board; and I am sure he is the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-175" id="page_ii-175"></a>{175}</span> sort of -man any girl might fall in love with when she gets to know him. The fact -is, he’s shy! He never had any sisters, and spends all his time in -winter at that horrid club; so that really he has never had any women’s -society, and even with us he will never come unless he knows we are -alone. I call it a great pity, for I don’t know a pleasanter fellow than -he is. I think it will be doing him a real service in asking Minnie; so -that’s settled. I will sit down and write him a note.”</p> - -<p>“In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose,” was Tom Virtue’s comment -when he received Mrs. Grantham’s letter, thanking him warmly for the -invitation, and saying that she would bring her cousin, Miss Graham, -with her, if that young lady was disengaged.</p> - -<p>As a matter of self-defense he at once invited Jack Harvey, who was a -mutual friend of himself and Grantham, to be of the party.</p> - -<p>“Jack can help Grantham to amuse the women,” he said to himself; “that -will be more in his line than mine. I will run down to Cowes to-morrow -and have a chat with Johnson; we shall want a different sort of stores -altogether from those we generally carry, and I suppose we must do her -up a bit below.”</p> - -<p>Having made up his mind to the infliction of female passengers, Tom -Virtue did it handsomely, and when the party came on board at Ryde they -were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-176" id="page_ii-176"></a>{176}</span> delighted with the aspect of the yacht below. She had been -repainted, the saloon and ladies’ cabin were decorated in delicate -shades of gray, picked out with gold; and the upholsterer, into whose -hands the owner of the <i>Seabird</i> had placed her, had done his work with -taste and judgment, and the ladies’ cabin resembled a little boudoir.</p> - -<p>“Why, Tom, I should have hardly known her!” Grantham, who had often -spent a day on board the <i>Seabird</i>, said.</p> - -<p>“I hardly know her myself,” Tom said, rather ruefully; “but I hope she’s -all right, Mrs. Grantham, and that you and Miss Graham will find -everything you want.”</p> - -<p>“It is charming!” Mrs. Grantham said enthusiastically. “It’s awfully -good of you, Tom, and we appreciate it; don’t we, Minnie? It is such a -surprise, too; for James said that while I should find everything very -comfortable, I must not expect that a small yacht would be got up like a -palace.”</p> - -<p>So a fortnight had passed; they had cruised along the coast as far as -Plymouth, anchoring at night at the various ports on the way. Then they -had returned to Southampton, and it had been settled that as none of the -party, with the exception of Virtue himself, had been to the Channel -Islands, the last fortnight of the trip should be spent there. The -weather had been delightful, save that there had been some deficiency in -wind, and throughout the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-177" id="page_ii-177"></a>{177}</span> cruise the <i>Seabird</i> had been under all the -sail she could spread. But when the gentlemen came on deck early in the -morning a considerable change had taken place; the sky was gray and the -clouds flying fast overhead.</p> - -<p>“We are going to have dirty weather,” Tom Virtue said at once. “I don’t -think it’s going to be a gale, but there will be more sea on than will -be pleasant for ladies. I tell you what, Grantham; the best thing will -be for you to go on shore with the two ladies, and cross by the boat -to-night. If you don’t mind going directly after breakfast I will start -at once, and shall be at St. Helier’s as soon as you are.”</p> - -<p>And so it had been agreed, but not, as has been seen, without opposition -and protest on the part of the ladies.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grantham’s chief reason for objecting had not been given. The -little scheme on which she had set her mind seemed to be working -satisfactorily. From the first day Tom Virtue had exerted himself to -play the part of host satisfactorily, and had ere long shaken off any -shyness he may have felt towards the one stranger of the party, and he -and Miss Graham had speedily got on friendly terms. So things were going -on as well as Mrs. Grantham could have expected.</p> - -<p>No sooner had his guests left the side of the yacht than her owner began -to make his preparations for a start.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-178" id="page_ii-178"></a>{178}</span></p> - -<p>“What do you think of the weather, Watkins?” he asked his skipper.</p> - -<p>“It’s going to blow hard, sir; that’s my view of it, and if I was you I -shouldn’t up anchor to-day. Still, it’s just as you likes; the <i>Seabird</i> -won’t mind it if we don’t. She has had a rough time of it before now; -still, it will be a case of wet jackets, and no mistake.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I expect we shall have a rough time of it, Watkins, but I want to -get across. We don’t often let ourselves be weather-bound, and I am not -going to begin it to-day. We had better house the top-mast at once, and -get two reefs in the mainsail. We can get the other down when we get -clear of the island. Get number three jib up, and the leg-of-mutton -mizzen; put two reefs in the foresail.”</p> - -<p>Tom and his friend Harvey, who was a good sailor, assisted the crew in -reefing down the sails, and a few minutes after the gig had returned and -been hoisted in, the yawl was running rapidly down Southampton waters.</p> - -<p>“We need hardly have reefed quite so closely,” Jack Harvey said, as he -puffed away at his pipe.</p> - -<p>“Not yet, Jack; but you will see she has as much as she can carry before -long. It’s all the better to make all snug before starting; it saves a -lot of trouble afterwards, and the extra canvas would not have made ten -minutes’ difference to us at the outside. We shall have pretty nearly a -dead beat down<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-179" id="page_ii-179"></a>{179}</span> the Solent. Fortunately the tide will be running strong -with us, but there will be a nasty kick-up there. You will see we shall -feel the short choppy seas there more than we shall when we get outside. -She is a grand boat in a really heavy sea, but in short waves she puts -her nose into it with a will. Now, if you will take my advice, you will -do as I am going to do; put on a pair of fisherman’s boots and oilskin -and sou’-wester. There are several sets for you to choose from below.”</p> - -<p>As her owner had predicted, the <i>Seabird</i> put her bowsprit under pretty -frequently in the Solent; the wind was blowing half a gale, and as it -met the tide it knocked up a short, angry sea, crested with white heads, -and Jack Harvey agreed that she had quite as much sail on her as she -wanted. The cabin doors were bolted, and all made snug to prevent the -water getting below before they got to the race off Hurst Castle; and it -was well that they did so, for she was as much under water as she was -above.</p> - -<p>“I think if I had given way to the ladies and brought them with us they -would have changed their minds by this time, Jack,” Tom Virtue said, -with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“I should think so,” his friend agreed; “this is not a day for a -fair-weather sailor. Look what a sea is breaking on the shingles!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, five minutes there would knock her into matchwood. Another ten -minutes and we shall be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-180" id="page_ii-180"></a>{180}</span> fairly out; and I shan’t be sorry; one feels as -if one was playing football, only just at present the <i>Seabird</i> is the -ball and the waves the kickers.”</p> - -<p>Another quarter of an hour and they had passed the Needles.</p> - -<p>“That is more pleasant, Jack,” as the short, chopping motion was -exchanged for a regular rise and fall; “this is what I enjoy—a steady -wind and a regular sea. The <i>Seabird</i> goes over it like one of her -namesakes; she is not taking a teacupful now over her bows.</p> - -<p>“Watkins, you may as well take the helm for a spell, while we go down to -lunch. I am not sorry to give it up for a bit, for it has been jerking -like the kick of a horse.</p> - -<p>“That’s right, Jack, hang up your oilskin there. Johnson, give us a -couple of towels; we have been pretty well smothered up there on deck. -Now what have you got for us?”</p> - -<p>“There is some soup ready, sir, and that cold pie you had for dinner -yesterday.”</p> - -<p>“That will do; open a couple of bottles of stout.”</p> - -<p>Lunch over, they went on deck again.</p> - -<p>“She likes a good blow as well as we do,” Virtue said enthusiastically, -as the yawl rose lightly over each wave. “What do you think of it, -Watkins? Is the wind going to lull a bit as the sun goes down?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-181" id="page_ii-181"></a>{181}</span></p> - -<p>“I think not, sir. It seems to me it’s blowing harder than it was.”</p> - -<p>“Then we will prepare for the worst, Watkins; get the try-sail up on -deck. When you are ready we will bring her up into the wind and set it. -That’s the comfort of a yawl, Jack; one can always lie to without any -bother, and one hasn’t got such a tremendous boom to handle.”</p> - -<p>The try-sail was soon on deck, and then the <i>Seabird</i> was brought up -into the wind, the weather fore-sheet hauled aft, the mizzen sheeted -almost fore and aft, and the <i>Seabird</i> lay, head to wind, rising and -falling with a gentle motion, in strong contrast to her impetuous rushes -when under sail.</p> - -<p>“She would ride out anything like that,” her owner said. “Last time we -came through the Bay on our way from Gib. we were caught in a gale -strong enough to blow the hair off one’s head, and we lay to for nearly -three days, and didn’t ship a bucket of water all the time. Now let us -lend a hand to get the mainsail stowed.”</p> - -<p>Ten minutes’ work and it was securely fastened and its cover on; two -reefs were put in the try-sail. Two hands went to each of the halliards, -while, as the sail rose, Tom Virtue fastened the toggles round the mast.</p> - -<p>“All ready, Watkins?”</p> - -<p>“All ready, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Slack off the weather fore-sheet, then, and haul<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-182" id="page_ii-182"></a>{182}</span> aft the leeward. -Slack out the mizzen-sheet a little, Jack. That’s it; now she’s off -again, like a duck.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Seabird</i> felt the relief from the pressure of the heavy boom to -leeward and rose easily and lightly over the waves.</p> - -<p>“She certainly is a splendid seaboat, Tom; I don’t wonder you are ready -to go anywhere in her. I thought we were rather fools for starting this -morning, although I enjoy a good blow; but now I don’t care how hard it -comes on.”</p> - -<p>By night it was blowing a downright gale.</p> - -<p>“We will lie to till morning, Watkins. So that we get in by daylight -to-morrow evening, that is all we want. See our side-lights are burning -well, and you had better get up a couple of blue lights, in case -anything comes running up Channel and don’t see our lights. We had -better divide into two watches; I will keep one with Matthews and -Dawson, Mr. Harvey will go in your watch with Nicholls. We had better -get the try-sail down altogether, and lie to under the foresail and -mizzen, but don’t put many lashings on the try-sail, one will be enough, -and have it ready to cast off in a moment, in case we want to hoist the -sail in a hurry. I will go down and have a glass of hot grog first, and -then I will take my watch to begin with. Let the two hands with me go -down; the steward will serve them out a tot each. Jack, you had better -turn in at once.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-183" id="page_ii-183"></a>{183}</span></p> - -<p>Virtue was soon on deck again, muffled up in his oilskins.</p> - -<p>“Now, Watkins, you can go below and turn in.”</p> - -<p>“I shan’t go below to-night, sir—not to lie down. There’s nothing much -to do here, but I couldn’t sleep, if I did lie down.”</p> - -<p>“Very well; you had better go below and get a glass of grog; tell the -steward to give you a big pipe with a cover like this, out of the -locker; and there’s plenty of chewing tobacco, if the men are short.”</p> - -<p>“I will take that instead of a pipe,” Watkins said; “there’s nothing -like a quid in weather like this, it aint never in your way, and it -lasts. Even with a cover a pipe would soon be out.”</p> - -<p>“Please yourself, Watkins; tell the two hands forward to keep a bright -lookout for lights.”</p> - -<p>The night passed slowly. Occasionally a sea heavier than usual came on -board, curling over the bow and falling with a heavy thud on the deck, -but for the most part the <i>Seabird</i> breasted the waves easily; the -bowsprit had been reefed in to its fullest, thereby adding to the -lightness and buoyancy of the boat. Tom Virtue did not go below when his -friend came up to relieve him at the change of watch, but sat smoking -and doing much talking in the short intervals between the gusts.</p> - -<p>The morning broke gray and misty, driving sleet came along on the wind, -and the horizon was closed in as by a dull curtain.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-184" id="page_ii-184"></a>{184}</span></p> - -<p>“How far can we see, do you think, Watkins?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps a couple of miles, sir.”</p> - -<p>“That will be enough. I think we both know the position of every reef to -within a hundred yards, so we will shape our course for Guernsey. If we -happen to hit it off, we can hold on to St. Helier, but if when we think -we ought to be within sight of Guernsey we see nothing of it, we must -lie to again, till the storm has blown itself out or the clouds lift. It -would never do to go groping our way along with such currents as run -among the islands. Put the last reef in the try-sail before you hoist -it. I think you had better get the foresail down altogether, and run up -the spit-fire jib.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Seabird</i> was soon under way again.</p> - -<p>“Now, Watkins, you take the helm; we will go down and have a cup of hot -coffee, and I will see that the steward has a good supply for you and -the hands; but first, do you take the helm, Jack, whilst Watkins and I -have a look at the chart, and try and work out where we are, and the -course we had better lie for Guernsey.”</p> - -<p>Five minutes were spent over the chart, then Watkins went above and Jack -Harvey came below.</p> - -<p>“You have got the coffee ready, I hope, Johnson?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, coffee and chocolate. I didn’t know which you would like.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-185" id="page_ii-185"></a>{185}</span></p> - -<p>“Chocolate, by all means. Jack, I recommend the chocolate. Bring two -full-sized bowls, Johnson, and put that cold pie on the table, and a -couple of knives and forks; never mind about a cloth; but first of all -bring a couple of basins of hot water, we shall enjoy our food more -after a wash.”</p> - -<p>The early breakfast was eaten, dry coats and mufflers put on, pipes -lighted, and they then went up upon deck. Tom took the helm.</p> - -<p>“What time do you calculate we ought to make Guernsey, Tom?”</p> - -<p>“About twelve. The wind is freer than it was, and we are walking along -at a good pace. Matthews, cast the log, and let’s see what we are doing. -About seven knots, I should say.”</p> - -<p>“Seven and a quarter, sir,” the man said, when he checked the line.</p> - -<p>“Not a bad guess, Tom; it’s always difficult to judge pace in a heavy -sea.”</p> - -<p>At eleven o’clock the mist ceased.</p> - -<p>“That’s fortunate,” Tom Virtue said; “I shouldn’t be surprised if we get -a glimpse of the sun between the clouds presently. Will you get my -sextant and the chronometer up, Jack, and put them handy?”</p> - -<p>Jack Harvey did as he was asked, but there was no occasion to use the -instruments, for ten minutes later, Watkins, who was standing near the -bow gazing fixedly ahead, shouted:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-186" id="page_ii-186"></a>{186}</span></p> - -<p>“There’s Guernsey, sir, on her lee bow, about six miles away, I should -say.”</p> - -<p>“That’s it, sure enough,” Tom agreed, as he gazed in the direction in -which Watkins was pointing. “There’s a gleam of sunshine on it, or we -shouldn’t have seen it yet. Yes, I think you are about right as to the -distance. Now let us take its bearings, we may lose it again directly.”</p> - -<p>Having taken the bearings of the island they went below, and marked off -their position on the chart, and they shaped their course for Cape -Grosnez, the northwestern point of Jersey. The gleam of sunshine was -transient—the clouds closed in again overhead, darker and grayer than -before. Soon the drops of rain came flying before the wind, the horizon -closed in, and they could not see half a mile away, but, though the sea -was heavy, the <i>Seabird</i> was making capital weather of it, and the two -friends agreed that, after all, the excitement of a sail like this was -worth a month of pottering about in calms.</p> - -<p>“We must keep a bright lookout presently,” the skipper said; “there are -some nasty rocks off the coast of Jersey. We must give them a wide -berth. We had best make round to the south of the island, and lay to -there till we can pick up a pilot to take us into St. Helier. I don’t -think it will be worth while trying to get into St. Aubyn’s Bay by -ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“I think so, too, Watkins, but we will see what it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-187" id="page_ii-187"></a>{187}</span> is like before it -gets dark; if we can pick up a pilot all the better; if not, we will lie -to till morning, if the weather keeps thick; but if it clears so that we -can make out all the lights we ought to be able to get into the bay -anyhow.”</p> - -<p>An hour later the rain ceased and the sky appeared somewhat clearer. -Suddenly Watkins exclaimed, “There is a wreck, sir! There, three miles -away to leeward. She is on the Paternosters.”</p> - -<p>“Good Heavens! she is a steamer,” Tom exclaimed, as he caught sight of -her the next time the <i>Seabird</i> lifted on a wave. “Can she be the -Southampton boat, do you think?”</p> - -<p>“Like enough, sir, she may have had it thicker than we had, and may not -have calculated enough for the current.”</p> - -<p>“Up helm, Jack, and bear away towards her. Shall we shake out a reef, -Watkins?”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t, sir; she has got as much as she can carry on her now. We -must mind what we are doing, sir; the currents run like a millstream, -and if we get that reef under our lee, and the wind and current both -setting us on to it, it will be all up with us in no time.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know that, Watkins. Jack, take the helm a minute while we run -down and look at the chart.</p> - -<p>“Our only chance, Watkins, is to work up behind the reef, and try and -get so that they can either<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-188" id="page_ii-188"></a>{188}</span> fasten a line to a buoy and let it float -down to us, or get into a boat, if they have one left, and drift to us.”</p> - -<p>“They are an awful group of rocks,” Watkins said, as they examined the -chart; “you see some of them show merely at high tide, and a lot of them -are above at low water. It will be an awful business to get among them -rocks, sir, just about as near certain death as a thing can be.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s got to be done, Watkins,” Tom said firmly. “I see the danger -as well as you do, but whatever the risk it must be tried. Mr. Grantham -and the two ladies went on board by my persuasion, and I should never -forgive myself if anything happened to them. But I will speak to the -men.”</p> - -<p>He went on deck again and called the men to him. “Look here, lads; you -see that steamer ashore on the Paternosters. In such a sea as this she -may go to pieces in half an hour. I am determined to make an effort to -save the lives of those on board. As you can see for yourselves there is -no lying to weather of her, with the current and wind driving us on to -the reef; we must beat up from behind. Now, lads, the sea there is full -of rocks, and the chances are ten to one we strike on to them and go to -pieces; but, anyhow, I am going to try; but I won’t take you unless you -are willing. The boat is a good one, and the zinc chambers will keep her -afloat if she fills; well managed, you ought to be able to make the -coast of Jersey in her. Mr. Harvey,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-189" id="page_ii-189"></a>{189}</span> Watkins, and I can handle the -yacht, so you can take the boat if you like.”</p> - -<p>The men replied that they would stick to the yacht wherever Mr. Virtue -chose to take her, and muttered something about the ladies, for the -pleasant faces of Mrs. Grantham and Miss Graham had, during the -fortnight they had been on board, won the men’s hearts.</p> - -<p>“Very well, lads, I am glad to find you will stick by me; if we pull -safely through it I will give each of you three months’ wages. Now set -to work with a will and get the gig out. We will tow her after us, and -take to her if we make a smash of it.”</p> - -<p>They were now near enough to see the white breakers, in the middle of -which the ship was lying. She was fast breaking up. The jagged outline -showed that the stern had been beaten in. The masts and funnel were -gone, and the waves seemed to make a clean breach over her, almost -hiding her from sight in a white cloud of spray.</p> - -<p>“Wood and iron can’t stand that much longer,” Jack Harvey said; “another -hour and I should say there won’t be two planks left together.”</p> - -<p>“It is awful, Jack; I would give all I have in the world if I had not -persuaded them to go on board. Keep her off a little more, Watkins.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Seabird</i> passed within a cable’s-length of the breakers at the -northern end of the reef.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-190" id="page_ii-190"></a>{190}</span></p> - -<p>“Now, lads, take your places at the sheets, ready to haul or let go as I -give the word.” So saying, Tom Virtue took his place in the bow, holding -on by the forestay.</p> - -<p>The wind was full on the <i>Seabird’s</i> beam as she entered the broken -water. Here and there the dark heads of the rocks showed above the -water. These were easy enough to avoid, the danger lay in those hidden -beneath its surface, and whose position was indicated only by the -occasional break of a sea as it passed over them. Every time the -<i>Seabird</i> sank on a wave those on board involuntarily held their breath, -but the water here was comparatively smooth, the sea having spent its -first force upon the outer reef. With a wave of his hand Tom directed -the helmsman as to his course, and the little yacht was admirably -handled through the dangers.</p> - -<p>“I begin to think we shall do it,” Tom said to Jack Harvey, who was -standing close to him. “Another five minutes and we shall be within -reach of her.”</p> - -<p>It could be seen now that there was a group of people clustered in the -bow of the wreck. Two or three light lines were coiled in readiness for -throwing.</p> - -<p>“Now, Watkins,” Tom said, going aft, “make straight for the wreck. I see -no broken water between us and them, and possibly there may be deep -water under their bow.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-191" id="page_ii-191"></a>{191}</span></p> - -<p>It was an anxious moment, as, with the sails flattened in, the yawl -forged up nearly in the eye of the wind towards the wreck. Her progress -was slow, for she was now stemming the current.</p> - -<p>Tom stood with a coil of line in his hand in the bow.</p> - -<p>“You get ready to throw, Jack, if I miss.”</p> - -<p>Nearer and nearer the yacht approached the wreck, until the bowsprit of -the latter seemed to stand almost over her. Then Tom threw the line. It -fell over the bowsprit, and a cheer broke from those on board the wreck -and from the sailors of the <i>Seabird</i>. A stronger line was at once -fastened to that thrown, and to this a strong hawser was attached.</p> - -<p>“Down with the helm, Watkins. Now, lads, lower away the try-sail as fast -as you can. Now, one of you, clear that hawser as they haul on it. Now -out with the anchors.”</p> - -<p>These had been got into readiness; it was not thought that they would -get any hold on the rocky bottom, still they might catch on a projecting -ledge and at any rate their weight and that of the chain cable would -relieve the strain upon the hawser.</p> - -<p>Two sailors had run out on the bowsprit of the wreck as soon as the line -was thrown, and the end of the hawser was now on board the steamer.</p> - -<p>“Thank God, there’s Grantham!” Jack Harvey Exclaimed; “do you see him -waving his hand?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-192" id="page_ii-192"></a>{192}</span></p> - -<p>“I see him,” Tom said, “but I don’t see the ladies.”</p> - -<p>“They are there, no doubt,” Jack said confidently; “crouching down, I -expect. He would not be there if they weren’t, you may be sure. Yes, -there they are; those two muffled-up figures. There, one of them has -thrown back her cloak and is waving her arm.”</p> - -<p>The two young men waved their caps.</p> - -<p>“Are the anchors holding, Watkins? There’s a tremendous strain on that -hawser.”</p> - -<p>“I think so, sir; they are both tight.”</p> - -<p>“Put them round the windlass, and give a turn or two, we must relieve -the strain on that hawser.”</p> - -<p>Since they had first seen the wreck the waves had made great progress in -the work of destruction, and the steamer had broken in two just aft of -the engines.</p> - -<p>“Get over the spare spars, Watkins, and fasten them to float in front of -her bows like a triangle. Matthews, catch hold of that boat-hook and try -to fend off any piece of timber that comes along. You get hold of the -sweeps, lads, and do the same. They would stave her in like a nutshell -if they struck her.”</p> - -<p>“Thank God, here comes the first of them!”</p> - -<p>Those on board the steamer had not been idle. As soon as the yawl was -seen approaching slings were prepared, and no sooner was the hawser -securely fixed, than the slings were attached to it and a woman placed -in them. The hawser was tight<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-193" id="page_ii-193"></a>{193}</span> and the descent sharp, and without a -check the figure ran down to the deck of the <i>Seabird</i>. She was lifted -out of the slings by Tom and Jack Harvey, who found she was an old woman -and had entirely lost consciousness.</p> - -<p>“Two of you carry her down below; tell Johnson to pour a little brandy -down her throat. Give her some hot soup as soon as she comes to.”</p> - -<p>Another woman was lowered and helped below. The next to descend was Mrs. -Grantham.</p> - -<p>“Thank God, you are rescued!” Tom said, as he helped her out of the -sling.</p> - -<p>“Thank God, indeed,” Mrs. Grantham said, “and thank you all! Oh, Tom, we -have had a terrible time of it, and had lost all hope till we saw your -sail, and even then the captain said that he was afraid nothing could be -done. Minnie was the first to make out it was you, and then we began to -hope. She has been so brave, dear girl. Ah! here she comes.”</p> - -<p>But Minnie’s firmness came to an end now that she felt the need for it -was over. She was unable to stand when she was lifted from the slings, -and Tom carried her below.</p> - -<p>“Are there any more women, Mrs. Grantham?”</p> - -<p>“No; there was only one other lady passenger and the stewardess.”</p> - -<p>“Then you had better take possession of your own cabin. I ordered -Johnson to spread a couple more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-194" id="page_ii-194"></a>{194}</span> mattresses and some bedding on the -floor, so you will all four be able to turn in. There’s plenty of hot -coffee and soup. I should advise soup with two or three spoonfuls of -brandy in it. Now, excuse me; I must go upon deck.”</p> - -<p>Twelve men descended by the hawser, one of them with both legs broken by -the fall of the mizzen. The last to come was the captain.</p> - -<p>“Is that all?” Tom asked.</p> - -<p>“That is all,” the captain said. “Six men were swept overboard when she -first struck, and two were killed by the fall of the funnel. Fortunately -we had only three gentlemen passengers and three ladies on board. The -weather looked so wild when we started that no one else cared about -making the passage. God bless you, sir, for what you have done! Another -half-hour and it would have been all over with us. But it seems like a -miracle your getting safe through the rocks to us.”</p> - -<p>“It was fortunate indeed that we came along,” Tom said; “three of the -passengers are dear friends of mine; and as it was by my persuasion that -they came across in the steamer instead of in the yacht, I should never -have forgiven myself if they had been lost. Take all your men below, -captain; you will find plenty of hot soup there. Now, Watkins, let us be -off; that steamer won’t hold together many minutes longer, so there’s no -time to lose. We will go back as we came. Give me a hatchet. Now,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-195" id="page_ii-195"></a>{195}</span> lads, -two of you stand at the chain-cables; knock out the shackles the moment -I cut the hawser. Watkins, you take the helm and let her head pay off -till the jib fills. Jack, you lend a hand to the other two, and get up -the try-sail again as soon as we are free.”</p> - -<p>In a moment all were at their stations. The helm was put on the yacht, -and she payed off on the opposite tack to that on which she had before -been sailing. As soon as the jib filled, Tom gave two vigorous blows -with his hatchet on the hawser, and, as he lifted his hand for a third, -it parted. Then came the sharp rattle of the chains as they ran round -the hawser-holes. The try-sail was hoisted and sheeted home, and the -<i>Seabird</i> was under way again. Tom, as before, conned the ship from the -bow. Several times she was in close proximity to the rocks, but each -time she avoided them. A shout of gladness rose from all on deck as she -passed the last patch of white water. Then she tacked and bore away for -Jersey.</p> - -<p>Tom had now time to go down below and look after his passengers. They -consisted of the captain and two sailors—the sole survivors of those -who had been on deck when the vessel struck—three male passengers, and -six engineers and stokers.</p> - -<p>“I have not had time to shake you by the hand before, Tom,” Grantham -said, as Tom Virtue entered; “and I thought you would not want me on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-196" id="page_ii-196"></a>{196}</span> -deck at present. God bless you, old fellow! we all owe you our lives.”</p> - -<p>“How did it happen, captain?” Tom asked, as the captain also came up to -him.</p> - -<p>“It was the currents, I suppose,” the captain said; “it was so thick we -could not see a quarter of a mile any way. The weather was so wild I -would not put into Guernsey, and passed the island without seeing it. I -steered my usual course, but the gale must have altered the currents, -for I thought I was three miles away from the reef, when we saw it on -our beam, not a hundred yards away. It was too late to avoid it then, -and in another minute we ran upon it, and the waves were sweeping over -us. Everyone behaved well. I got all, except those who had been swept -overboard or crushed by the funnel, up into the bow of the ship, and -there we waited. There was nothing to be done. No boat would live for a -moment in the sea on that reef, and all I could advise was that when she -went to pieces everyone should try to get hold of a floating fragment; -but I doubt whether a man would have been alive a quarter of an hour -after she went to pieces.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps, captain, you will come on deck with me and give me the benefit -of your advice. My skipper and I know the islands pretty well, but no -doubt you know them a good deal better, and I don’t want another -mishap.”</p> - -<p>But the <i>Seabird</i> avoided all further dangers, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-197" id="page_ii-197"></a>{197}</span> as it became dark -the lights of St. Helier’s were in sight, and an hour later the yacht -brought up in the port and landed her involuntary passengers.</p> - -<p>A fortnight afterwards the <i>Seabird</i> returned to England, and two months -later Mrs. Grantham had the satisfaction of being present at the -ceremony which was the successful consummation of her little scheme in -inviting Minnie Graham to be her companion on board the <i>Seabird</i>.</p> - -<p>“Well, my dear,” her husband said, when she indulged in a little natural -triumph, “I do not say that it has not turned out well, and I am -heartily glad for both Tom and Minnie’s sake it has so; but you must -allow that it very nearly had a disastrous ending, and I think if I were -you I should leave matters to take their natural course in future. I -have accepted Tom’s invitation for the same party to take a cruise in -the <i>Seabird</i> next summer, but I have bargained that next time a storm -is brewing up we shall stop quietly in port.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all very well, James,” Mrs. Grantham said saucily; “but you must -remember that Tom Virtue will only be first-mate of the <i>Seabird</i> in -future.”</p> - -<p>“That I shall be able to tell you better, my dear, after our next -cruise. All husbands are not as docile and easily led as I am.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-198" id="page_ii-198"></a>{198}</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cbg">The Aeroplane Series</p> - -<p class="c">By <span class="smcap">John Luther Langworthy</span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">1.</td><td align="left">The Aeroplane Boys; or, The Young Pilots First Air Voyage</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">2.</td><td align="left">The Aeroplane Boys on the Wing; or, Aeroplane Chums in the Tropics</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">3.</td><td align="left">The Aeroplane Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young Aviators in a Wreck</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">4.</td><td align="left">The Aeroplane Boys’ Flights; or, A Hydroplane Round-up</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">5.</td><td align="left">The Aeroplane Boys on a Cattle Ranch</td></tr> -</table> -<hr /> - -<p class="cbg">The Girl Aviator Series</p> - -<p>By <span class="smcap">Margaret Burnham</span></p> - -<p>Just the type of books that delight and fascinate the wide awake Girls -of the present day who are between the ages of eight and fourteen years. -The great author of these books regards them as the best products of her -pen. Printed from large clear type on a superior quality of paper; -attractive multi-color jacket wrapper around each book. Bound in cloth.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">1.</td><td align="left">The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">2.</td><td align="left">The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">3.</td><td align="left">The Girl Aviators’ Sky Cruise</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">4.</td><td align="left">The Girl Aviators’ Motor Butterfly.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c"><i>For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of 75c.</i></p> - -<p class="c"> -M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY<br /> - -701-733 S. DEARBORN STREET <span style="margin-left: 2em; -margin-right:2em;"> :: </span> CHICAGO<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-199" id="page_ii-199"></a>{199}</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cbg">Radio Boys Series</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td valign="top">1.</td><td valign="top">Radio Boys in the Secret Service; or, Cast Away on an Iceberg</td><td valign="bottom">FRANK HONEYWELL</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top">2.</td><td valign="top">Radio Boys on the Thousand Islands; or, The Yankee Canadian Wireless Trail</td><td align="left" valign="bottom">FRANK HONEYWELL</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top">3.</td><td valign="top">Radio Boys in the Flying Service; or, Held for Ransom by Mexican Bandits</td><td align="left" valign="bottom">J. W. DUFFIELD</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top">4.</td><td valign="top">Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for the Sunken Treasure</td><td align="left" valign="bottom">J. W. DUFFIELD</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top">5.</td><td valign="top">Radio Boys Cronies; or, Bill Brown’s Radio</td><td align="left" valign="bottom">WAYNE WHIPPLE</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top">6.</td><td valign="top">Radio Boys Loyalty; or, Bill Brown Listens In</td><td align="left" valign="bottom">WAYNE WHIPPLE</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cbg">Peggy Parson’s Series</p> - -<p class="c">By <span class="smcap">Annabel Sharp</span></p> - -<p>A popular and charming series of Girl’s books dealing in an interesting -and fascinating manner with the life and adventures of Girlhood so dear -to all Girls from eight to fourteen years of age. Printed from large -clear type on superior quality paper, multicolor jacket. Bound in cloth.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">1.</td><td align="left">Peggy Parson Hampton Freshman</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">2.</td><td align="left">Peggy Parson at Prep School</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c"><i>For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of 75c.</i></p> - -<p class="c"> -M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY<br /> - -701-733 S. DEARBORN STREET <span style="margin-left: 2em; -margin-right:2em;"> :: </span> CHICAGO<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii-200" id="page_ii-200"></a>{200}</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cbg">The American Boy’s</p> - -<p class="cbg">Sports Series</p> - -<p class="c">BY MARK OVERTON</p> - -<p class="c"> -12 Mo Cloth. Illustrated. Price 60c Each.<br /> -</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="letra"><img src="images/ill_t.png" -class="drop-cap" -width="50" height="" -alt="T" -/></span>HESE stories touch upon nearly every sport in which the active boy is -interested. Baseball, rowing, football, hockey, skating, ice-boating, -sailing, camping and fishing all serve to lend interest to an unusual -series of books. There are the following four titles:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left">1.</td><td align="left">Jack Winters’ Baseball Team; or, The Mystery of the Diamond.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left">2.</td><td align="left">Jack Winters’ Campmates; or, Vacation Days in the Woods.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left">3.</td><td align="left">Jack Winters’ Gridiron Chums; or, When the Half-back Saved the Day.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left">4.</td><td align="left">Jack Winters’ Iceboat Wonder; or, Leading the Hockey Team to Victory.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c"> -M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY<br /> - -CHICAGO<br /> - -</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Julius, The Street Boy, by Horatio Alger Jr. - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JULIUS, THE STREET BOY *** - -***** This file should be named 53821-h.htm or 53821-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/8/2/53821/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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