JACK EASY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 46, 15 May 1862, Page 5 (Supplement)

JACK EASY.

Jack Easy came to a good fortune at the death of his father, and mounted his hobby without its ever having been properly broken in. He galloped over the plains of Eancy, went of in full canter to the road of Dissipation, and leaped over all the five-barred gates of Advice and Discretion. It may naturally be expected that before long his filly gave him a fall: poor Jack came down sure enough ; but he only shook himself, brushed otf the dirt of the road, and mounted again in as high spirits as ever ; excepting that he now began to sit firmer in the saddle, and to look about him : this, however, did not hinder him from getting into a swamp called a Lawsuit, where he remained a long time before he could get out; his fortune was now reduced from some thousands to a few hundreds, and by this time no man knew better 4.1. - i T t 77* we ui me uiau my menu Jactc t.asy. He had been through all the dirty crossroads of Business, Money-borrowing, Bankruptcy, and Law; and at last arrived at a Gaol. My friend Jack did not despond. He consoled himself with the reflection that he was a single man ; some of his misfortunes were the consequences of his own imprudence; others of unforeseen accidents, and most of them originated from his own good-nature and generosity. He, however, never excused ; he lumped them all together, took

them in good part, and blamed nobody but himself. Fortune, however, at last put on her best smiles, and paid Jack a visit in the King’s Bench, in the shape of a handsome legacy. Jack smiled at the thing, and once more mounted his nag. He now rode more cautiously, and turned into the path of Kconomy, which led to a comfortable inn with the sig» of “ Competency” over the door. He hair borrowed a martingale from an old hostler called Experience, and for the first time in his life used a curb. He began already to find that, though he did not gallop away as formerly, yet he went on in his journey pleasantly enough. Some dashing riders passed him, laughing at his jog-trot pace ; but he had no occasion to envy them long; for presently some of them got into ruts’ others were stuck fast into bogs and quagmires, and the rest were thrown from their saddles, to the great danger of their necks. Jack Easy, meanwhile, jogged on merrily. He now preferred getting off and opening a gate to leaping over it: and smiled at an obstacle as at a turnpike, where he must necessarily pay toll. You might now see Jack Easy walking his hobby along the road, enjoying the scene around him, with contentment sparkling in his eyes. If the way happened to be crowded with horsemen and carriages, you might observe him very readily taking his own side of the road, and letting them pass. Thus my friend Jack Easy came in with a jog-trot to the end of his journey, leaving his example behind him as a sort of finger post for the good of other travellers.