Jack and His Seven Foes — page 101: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

92 _—— old boss. You are the boy that’s ready, real-grit you are.” “And now, lads,” said Jibber, “we must have a name. We must call our- selves something. What shall it be?” Then ensued a discussion. All had a name, and everybody objected to all the names but their own. JT inally Jibber settled it. : ‘“‘ Lads,’ he said, “we will call our- selves the Bowie Boys. It’s short and pat, comes ready to the tongue, and will soon be heard of.” “That will do,” said one, and finally so said they all. “And when we've done a bit of — UY PD PYLYPOW 09 OI WO D0 JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES, work,” he concluded, “we'll put our mark on it, ‘Done by the Bowie Boys,’ and our line will be to keep out of sight. In business every man must mask his phiz. ‘“‘ Hear, hear!” they shouted. “It’s safer,” said the Swaggerer, and Makepeace Jibber, descending from his Pe bade them make a merry night of it. They had brought a lot of drink with them, and what they called a merry night followed. But it was of the coarsest revelry, and the air reeked with the bitterness and blasphemy of their tongues, Slaciee CHAPTER AXXYVT. MAPLE MOUNTAIN——-UNEXPECTED LODGERS—A CHALLENGE AND ACCEPTANCE. MaApLrerowN would have been called a village in England, but the Yankees always look ahead, and think of possi- bilities, and it was possible that the cluster of huts designated as above might one day become great and thriving. It was situated half-way up Maple Mountain, and the inhavitants were sugar-makers — maple-trees abounded, and the sap-from them made the sugar. They were a quiet, simple people, but they were Yankees, and made money in any way that offered. And up in Mapletown, one of them named Jerek Grittle let apartments. He had no original intention of doing so, nor had-any of his neighbours dreamt of doing such a thing, and it came about this way. One morning he was going round for his buckets of sap, run from the trees through a tap inserted in the lower part of the trunk, when he came across three strangers. One was an elderly man, the second a man of middle-age, and the third a handsome youth. Old Ben, Jacob Sturmby, and Jack, of course. Now, strangers were rare up Maple Mountain way, and Jereck Grittle had conversational gifts which he exercised whenever opportunity offered. ‘Hullo! ’’ he said, pausing, and put- | ting down his buckets, ‘“ whar do you come from, straugers ?”’ “We are Englishmen, travelling,” said Jacob Sturmby. ‘“Sakes, now,’ exclaimed Jerek, “and travelled you have, to come all this WELY.. “We want to stop and rest here for a while,” said Sturmby. “Wal, I reckon you can rest a bit,” replied Jerek. a ‘We don’t mean that,” said Jack. “I want to buy, hire, or build a hut.” “To buy, hire, or builda hut!” Jerek Grittle repeated. ‘‘Sakes, now! Do you? Wal, having done one or t’other, what then?” “We shall live in it, of course.”’ “And, living, you will do some- I ee “Nest, I tell you,” said Jack, impa- tiently. ‘I want rest.” “He isn’t well,’ said Jacob, in an undertone, ‘and we thought that the mountain air would do him good.” “The mountain air is pe-cu-li-ar,” said Grittle.. “It don’t suit everybody, and everybody don’t suit us.” “What do youmean?” asked Jack. “We had a party come up here on the same hill,” said Jerek. ‘‘ His name, is Slideaway Bunks, and his son came with him. They are here still, and they make sugar, darn ’em! They cut down the trade, they did.” (SO) eCom MICOOOKS