FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46  
47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>   >|  
n the wives and elder children caught hold of it. I myself went to their help, and several of the visitors followed my example. Then, when we were all in position, there came a pause, for Duncan, who was directing the proceedings, charged us not to pull till the signal was given. Then there rose a peculiar cry or yodel, all the fishermen uttering it together, and as soon as it ceased we gave our united, mighty pull. Then we paused to take breath, until once more there came a yodel followed by another pull, and as this was repeated again and again, it was grand to see the heavy boat making steady and regular progress. Across the heavy sand she came, up the low bank, over the rough grass, slowly, steadily, surely, she moved onward, until at length she was placed in safety, far out of reach of the highest tide and the strongest sea. Thus, one after another, the boats were drawn up, and we were fairly tired before our work was done. I think it must have been that very day, that, as I was sitting painting, I once more heard the broken notes of the instrument which had troubled me so much before. It was that tune again, my mother's tune, and somehow, I do not know how it was, with the sound of my mother's tune there came back to my mind the remembrance of the Sunday service. Ah! my mother was on the right side of the line, I said to myself; she was a servant of Christ. But her son! what is he? I did not want to follow out this subject, so I jumped up from my camp-stool, and standing under the wall, I called, 'Little Jack, little Jack.' The music stopped at once, and the child came out. Dear, little merry fellow, how fond I was of him already! 'Yes, Mr. big Jack,' he said, as he ran out of the gate. 'Come and talk to me, old chappie,' I said, 'whilst I paint. Who plays music in your house?' 'I do,' said little Jack. '_You_ do, Jack? Why, you are a funny little fellow to play music! What do you play on, and who taught you?' 'Nobody teached me, Mr. Jack,' he said; 'I teached my own self.' 'Teached your own self? Why, how did you manage that?' I asked. 'I turned him round and round and round, Mr. Jack, and the music came, and I teached my own self,' he repeated. 'What is it, Jack?' I asked. 'Is it an old musical box?' 'No, it's an organ, a barrow-organ, Mr. Jack.' 'Oh, a barrel-organ you mean, little chappie; why, however in the world did you get hold of a barrel-organ? Is it a little toy one?' 'No,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46  
47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

teached

 

mother

 

repeated

 

chappie

 

fellow

 

barrel

 

Christ

 

whilst

 

servant

 
follow

barrow
 
service
 

Sunday

 
remembrance
 

subject

 
jumped
 
manage
 

Teached

 

turned

 

Nobody


taught

 

standing

 
called
 
stopped
 

Little

 

musical

 

ceased

 

united

 

uttering

 

peculiar


fishermen

 

mighty

 

paused

 

making

 

steady

 

regular

 

progress

 
breath
 

visitors

 

caught


children

 

charged

 
signal
 

proceedings

 

directing

 

position

 
Duncan
 
Across
 

fairly

 
sitting