Jack.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1008, 25 February 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

Jack.

r'l.ri ;"A;'»oiANCR 0? TBr;' <j 4 :;').-':• J ,pi^^j i Tpjß]lS(i|' , Sii ! :" ■"'■ '(THE'iDfeMEI) 'SQUalfiW' ' jl i. ;■■ J ■ j iiii-h :; i. u;\ I:,:. • .■; ■ .■■■: vih n •*<:: 1,, U.!,,„ 1 A»»., THE BLEOTJRIO LIGHT, y,.. ■:■■' J«. • ." ' [ffgggßTWJaßKr-,-.the- 'hours i of. siif .and B Bfl on/ one, Sijpday," in P ii of i tfee • of : graoe. eightr cpn.Jiandted ancV eighty ouo wna tho r prjppal, or, Afc,aayrftto, the : conolijding;goonq tittle sHetcb.n: •,: , The begintiingi of: the seiriea of events dates from tho sojourtii oha of tho' ihipi of themayy coming, to honor the 'opening of th^tfli'Exhibition;. :, 'on'-board tbia : shiipwas 'A juVenile -cadet/ whom,' for short,w«iwiltciilliJaok.lii'- j w'-r .-<i ' " -v JppV, being an officer 1 in the Royal Navy, WM,'of'CouifSe,'m'nted ( fo'balls and.parties, Ada, tho 'daughter • of old Zedekiah ,Tallowfat,'' Bodsitter,' whose mine: of wealth lay in, tho'lMbpokb,' Pciaaurri,' 1 AVaJlaby', 1 . Wothb^fc,' arid* other' 'sfationd, 1 'and. whoso' 'town, 1 or rather iuburban|.' waapt'Toorak,' ' cowia^oy; ,and tkn iis-, ;theiii letters,were intercepted,, pnd Ada Was |Sstio; Geeloag />r aoniq |otl>er jie-; solateplace,Wjljilij ;;Jack i'by,; old T^llp^f^jto'gOjtq tie deyil.' i(I • jjj j', .-Jack iidnlfc do! anything of tjie kind,l He wfcnt to Sydnoy for ia short time, and- then ship for: England, - He ithere passed' aim midshipman''and duly arrived-in Melbourne a spruce and handsdme reefer; full of miichief and': science aa midshipmen now,are, iu one of'the five ships of the detached squadron. . Tho name of tho particular shipimust remain■& profound secret,, for/.the simple reajon!ithat we do not'know theione of-the fivo'iit happened toibe to which Jack belonged;,;wi'; eii v.-i • -ii'-fn: . w. Jack was not rich,. If the truth must be told -ho'was rath'eT'in debt 1 to the piirser, ''the bumboat-wdtrt^n[" , and other persons who often grow rich throughthe, improvident habits of HerMajesty'S middies,' fle'wiij offered a free l ticket to ! thd 1 ball, and 'as 1 he could .wear" the ; Qfleen's: uniform) a full' 1 dress would'cost him fittfhiiig/'he resolved to goi He had not, .been, jn the great hatl'balf an houFWheK hWo'|itid' ( himßeff standing face to facowith Ada Tajlowfat, . They danced .to-' .he led her to sup;, per, .th^eacn ; enjoyed, more than -one, retiring'oonrii. of thebuiWing, In the last,' of these'the'paii i ye l ro ! 'su(!ldenly confronted by ild Tallowfat himself, ' l ' ' " . A ' Tallowfat was not a good-tempered man lit the J>e|it of ; times. J( Jgckhe was not at all likely- tp.lje.pp any. time,,' More.ithun %ti||the old man, had'just met a fotmer boflom friend of his, ; to .whom he (Tallow/at) had generously lent £IO,OOO at a good swinging rate of interest.' Th? bosom'friend had, that night, foy, the second, time,' refused, to: pay the lender. borrower was i.really indebted, .buthadj or iancied he,had, disv £,flaw,,ii)| the, agreement, >vhich j; aomehow or another,- he imagined would ,be as valuable,to, himself as,the possession ofra receipt, in full of,all demand,.: .There,was the law, but' Tallpwfat, knew;well enough that that was uncertain,. He, too, was a profound atheist, and if any .pious person should sit on the jury his evidence might not be.believed,, Sundown,',the debtor, Tallo)vfat,knew to be an advanced • thinker, having, no respect for : the, sanctity. of ( an,oath, and, therefore ready, to swear to anything, -,,... Under, the circumstances' it Teas no wonde'f that the man so. swindled .betrayed 1 niore than an ibrdinarjr asperity of temper. ''So,' self wentfor hisliatand ul?ter. • There was h'6' time, for. fyrmal leavetaking, and Jack had''only, the opportunity bf sky* ing— ;j, i ' ' " " Be "at home oh Sunday nightl ' Trust to' providence 1 Good-byel" ,,i -t ' _ Sltty, night-.c'ahie, 1 jand! A^a'sat'at.'the' piaiiOj disconsolate,, wondering /what : would, corte'out.'i'of'iic, 'and f 'it would' be. Jack, Jack,, instead of ''coming out; opeded the door and Walked in.'- . ; . . "Overcast pighf If .sai'd .Jack,,giving Ada *tjnyki'ssonthefhand,; "ClOKdsTOiylow, tooj|ju^t|the ; thing.;|( [i;:: , i.„ _ This !wasiGredkto Ada/J and-sb l it if as likely tofremaib,' for before i an explanation could be givon the footsteps of Tallowfat were heard in^the.passage. "Go to the.wjndowand look out," said Jack. "Keepyour eyeb'turned up I Leave the old man to me." • Ada did aS shijwas' bidden,'anl 'juit then Jaok'fbiihd himSelf confrbiited'with' iparent 1 aternerthan',overi : ' " ; v . : '' •' l,: ".fyeli,; scoundrel I",.,'said' the latter,: Vhat.brought you here 7" - ; ,- / .., " Love for your daughter. Mr. Tallowfat," oaid Jack.' 1 /' '. ; ; '''' "Love belianged I", But that was not the': word old Tallowfat used, although thewordsi are. the same'. "My daughter's fortune at her.marriigej"ithe"speak'er continued, " will ; be one hundred pounds 1" 1 " Delighted to hear it,'' said Jack. ' M W on 'so youariy gpod.'my jfoung cock sparrow, "said Tallowfat, Ajjd theri'',bo th were 'star tled by an,' ejacu-. from Ada at jthe,window. , /. Ip a moment she. cried out again, and then staggered into'the ; room in a fainting condi-' tionr : A? th'efaint'was a realone; shewould Jiavo fallen, ;aiid did fall into the'arms of Jack,' for.Ada's.pudden illneaa ( WfV3 certainly, nq pretence. ', At' la?t she recovered' a little; 1 her first utterance beings" Oh ! p'apay 'oh !«Jackthe sky! ' '' Jkck andjold |allpwfat, rushed to the dow ana J.opked out.' y.J, Just then a stream of-blue phosphorescent light passed somewhat,, suddenly- over the bottom layer Of clouds, " 1 " ' ' " I pooh ! jightning J", said old Ti(ilowfat, .... ~ : ... " Lightning does, not show itself in that fashion, " said Jack., , ' . " A comet, then 1" " Comets do not move sp rapidly." "The harry-roareri,may be ' ... . "Seen that-a hundred .'times, amid the frozen kcas of north„and southern oceans,' also wpeii crossing'theline coming out., ! Not at all .similar. Dp you ever read,your Bible, Mr. .Tallowfat ? \ I ha've seen [ there terrible accounts of the iast day, "Last'daiy'be '''• " '- 11 ' Tallowfat .didn't finish the sentence, for jußt at. that moment of light' became; incessant,'. ,apd; "just. at, that moment, t00,,a to all'appearance Capucliiri monk 'entered thejapart^entl-''' : . "j^eacV Jjblasphemeri" said.the new arrival. ''.Psacej. on this reajly, awful nightl Dids.'t neyqrjhear. how,theilgreat globeitself,, and all;tl]at is within_.it, Ehall dissolve, and, like tlie ljaselesa. fabric of- aivision, •. leaye-not; a wrack^ehind,?! ; " Have:h'eardj I tHinky the person read it out -pfiJithe:. lessons >tat'iohiirofci'i Boiivoii think it's that!" .v- !i o ; { >i « -

• i ;l'!' i jiii! ;.|:rviili c'v.il- T ' fopt?,- foryouraelf !j th,enm9pk;? anc(, again Beenied, as,infilled iwitht fiepy cressefs, .put as ,ygt partly ; hidden ; . by the clouds. ■ l " 'The quality of mercy is not strained,' Ask and it shall drop as the' gentle dew from Heaven, t But first must fhou.be merciful. 1 ' : '' Y"cis/ul *to a jl isdia- Ada, ■falling pn her,. knees; ;for /pb hud. noticed I a rwink.in Jack's eyes, Wnt,'; j .".Merciful to you in;whatf Vj m.-:, a:* :•!/,! i, ! "Let me, in pity, marry the m»n ; of:'my l ;clioicel''. ,v >:#m< I I " The. fellqw hasn't,» penny!',', eaidtrTal-. 10wfat...,., , 1 ■.,, [! if,.'in;; |' 'J Money is useless to .dying men,. I ,"putinj the monk, r , : ~ i.-./f j well r him," said thefather, thoroughly frightened.;. "But, mindil: yipitt don't,either of, you get ; a shilling of my, pioney." (\ i '''Don'twant it," said, Jack. ~f I'm not-, mercenary., I, will retire, from; the nayy,,and | live on my midßhipman's h#pay," ! Just, then ]tliere. Mfas "a, ; loud, ,y;eti,witlm\; Qui vering .knock at the door, and immediately . afterwards Sundown, pale, and : trembling,, Entered the.room and sankinto a chair.' ,i ,|| j ;" Thiink goodness I there is a.friend here," hid the agitated man.." Have you seen the; portents in the sky,- Mr. Tallpwfat?. Yes,',l, tnow you have by your anxious look.; ~lt is evidently, the end of all things. - So I'll-make 4, plean breast' of it.,, -I, owe,, you, the money, neighbour, I've made out a' dri\ft' for theimount, £10,000.,1 fear myjsigna: lure is shiiky, but I ,call all hero to witness; that it is igenuine."', .if.':; i | Tallpwfat took the paper, . and, thinking perhaps that, as the next scene would.be in,; tbimillenium, when money would be .of, but r little usoj he handed tho draft over to A(ja,, jvlip'.took gave her papa a kiss, wpfth, double the money," Jack.thought/m.return.! 1: J 'We supp'oso .there will be a \wedding portly,. although. Tallowfat aqd Smulowu: pave recovered, from .their, several frights,: For.,recover they did next ;morning,,,when reading in the paper that all, the mysterious appearahoesjwitnesscd.were caused by,some, if. Jack's friends on board the Mmshnt,i let into ,the secret, turning,tho parabolic re- 1 flector ,oi the electric |ight, with periirients were/being made, somewhat up? wards and swaying it about, thus causi.ng tho! brilHant and collected rays to fall uponiiftnd/ become reflected, by, Hie fortunately : lpwi stratum of fleecy,clouds overhanging, the city, Anil suburbs at tho time.* r. i .■. I Ttie presence ,of the Capuchin friar is. px-, plained by,.the'fact that one of Jack's jpessmates had brought with him a complete. ;rig iut for. playing „such a character,,drying, ] irospeptive-views of fancy dress balls; given; during the cruise,: