Jack and His Seven Foes — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

“ "os & - JACK AND HIS ae = a . - # + a . <a ~ ~~ ; SLIDEAWAY, JUNION, PLAYS THE Jack was alone in his room in the house | ot Jerek Gnittle, and the hour was noon, when there came a timid concilating knock at the door. “Come in,” he said. “May I come in? Really this is tarnation kind of you,” said Slideaway Bunks, junior, as he sidled into the room. ‘‘It seems to me that you ain’t hke most Britishers. There’s no pride about you.” “Sit down,” said Jack, quietly, “ and tell me what you want.” “T don’t want much, bless you,” said young Shdeaway, “only I thought I sc just come in and put matters right.” ‘Put what matters right P” “Well, you see, I thought that after the wrastle you might think that I bore malice.’ ‘““T assure you,’ said Jack, “that I haven’t thought about it at all.” “Jiminy, you don’t say so!” ex- claimed young Slideaway , 1n an ecstasy of admiration. “ Lor’, now, just like you Britishers—so blessed cool! 22 “Well, is that all you have to say?” ‘““No. I want you and I tobe on soft ground together—to be chummy lke.” “YT make very few friends,’ said Jack, “as I do not stay in one place very long.” ‘But while you are here,” said Slide- away, junior, with an oily smile, ‘‘ you can make yourself agreeable; 7? “T endeavour to do so.’ “Jn a way you do, but you ain’t festive with it, and we people of Maple Mountain are a festive folk.” “Very,” said Jack, with a dry smile. “We ain’t merry; our rejoicings are ”’ said young Slideaway, “and st offen so the form of tea with rog and ’bacca to foller.” “ That’s all vacy nice for those who care tor it,” said Jack. “Which you don’t,’ said junior, with his head on one meditative raven. “No, I cant : “That's bad, fos jet -~ ~ = 9 Bg Shdeaway, side like a IT do.” TV’in here to | | oe SEVEN FOES. 111 . % / @HAPTER XLIV. ® SPIDER—THE BAND OF VILLAINY AND TREACHERY, to come to tea to-night, and spend the evening with me and daddy.” “ Much obliged,” replied Jack, “but it’s out of my Tine.” * “But can’t you run in our line for once?” ‘No, indeed.” “Then how about those three chaps that are with you?” “You can ask two of them when they return,” said Jack; “the other is gone for good.” ‘* Lor’, now,” said Slideaway, junior, with a lenethoned face, “he was in a hurry.” “« He’s gone, and that’s enough,” Jack, abruptly. “When Ben said. and Sturmby come back, you can ask them to tea.” “And you won't object to their coming ?”’ “ Not in the least.” Shdeaway, junior, was shining with oiliness now. He smiled horribly, and rubbed his hands together as he put another question — “And perhaps you'll kind o’ persuade "em to come, me and daddy being SO | lonely ?.”’ LL LC Ct aa tt “Very well,” said Jack, impatiently, “they shall come.” Siidiway left the room, and put him- self outside the house. There in the snow he executed a dance that might have been performed by a clogged bear, and chuckled like a pig let Toose in a potato-field. . “Just what I reckoned,’ he said. “Tf I'd settled it all myself 1¢ couldn’t have been done better.’’» Returning home, he found his father sitting over the fire, smoking his pipe. With his nose down near his knees, and his feet curled up under the chair, > he looked like an aged candidate for the still open office ot the missing’ link. ‘Well, Shdey ?” he said, without looking up or moving. «Ts done, ’s done,” replied Slideaway,junior ; ‘‘and Jer ek Grittle _ promised you to come, didn’t he ?”’ GOMmicdoo cS (C©)