Sir John Kaye, he
was "a precocious boy almost from his cradle; thoughtful, studious, of
an inquiring nature; and he had the ineffable benefit of good parental
teaching of the best kind." Both his father and mother were deeply
religious people, and their children--seven in all--were brought up
with an intimate knowledge of the Bible. One day, it is said, when
John was three years old, Mrs. Nicholson found him alone in a room with
a knotted handkerchief in his hand and striking furiously at some
invisible object. On being asked what he was doing, John answered,
"Oh, mamma dear, I am trying to get a blow at the devil! He is wanting
me to be bad. If I could get him down, I'd kill him!"

The boy's willingness to be taught enabled him to learn how to read and
write at the early age of four. When, five years later, his father
died, and the family removed to Delgany, in County Wicklow, he was sent
to a school in that town. Thence he proceeded to the Royal School at
Dungannon, where, although he did not greatly distinguish himself as a
scholar, he made good progress. His chief characteristics were a fiery
temper and a reputation for truthfulness and courage. A relative has
placed on record her remembrance of having heard as a child that her
cousin John was always leader in games, and was never known to tell a
lie. "He was quite a hero from the first," she says.

Another feature of the boy's character was his very real love for his
mother. With two girls and five boys to bring up on a slender income,
Mrs. Nicholson was sometimes worried as to their future, and at these
times John, as her eldest son, would do his best to smooth away the
wrinkles from her forehead. "Don't fret, mamma dear," he would say;
"when I'm a big man I'll make plenty of money, and I'll give it all to
you." The mother no doubt smiled her pleasure at these brave words,
but she little guessed then how faithfully her son would keep his word
in the years to come.

The only other anecdote recorded of John Nicholson as a boy tells of a
serious accident, which came very near to putting an abrupt end to his
career. While spending a holiday at home in Lisburn he was playing
with gunpowder, when some of it unexpectedly exploded in his face.
With his hands over his eyes he ran into the house calling out that he
was blinded. Mrs. Nicholson on looking at his face saw that it was a
blackened mass, the eyes being completely closed, and blood trickling
do