Jacko in Reyengeful Mood

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 115, 17 May 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

Jacko in Reyengeful Mood

Jacko sat upon the doorstep of his home thinking over the happenings of the past few weeks and his thoughts were none too pleasant. In fact, Jacko was in rather a bitter frame of mind, for everything he had planned lately had gone wrong, all his intentions to do good turns had, somehow, turned out the wrong way. It seemed that whatever he did everyone seemed to think he did it with the idea of causing annoyance or getting into mischief. He had tried to please the “Look-out Man” by painting his tower and his reward was d shower bath of paint and a whacking when he arrived home. He had endeavoured to please Father Jacko by cleaning and oiling his motor-cycle but this attempt at being useful had also ended disastrously. Then he had tried to be of use to Uncle Johnny by helping him build his • shed and had ended by nailing Uncle Johnny up and had to return home in a great hurry only to receive another whacking. No, it was no good trying to do good turns, they simply would not be done. Getting into trouble seemed to be all poor Jacko could do, and this run of bad luck had started when the “Look-out Man” had kicked the tin of grey paint all over him. For a long time Jacko sat and brooded over his troubles and the memory that kept recurring in his mind was the “Look-out Man” kicking the tin of paint over him. The fact that he himself had left the paint up in the Look-out Tower and the “Look-out Man” had stumbled over it did not enter Jacko’s mind. Suddenly a wicked grin spread over Jacko’s face and a thought flashed into his mind, “revenge.” Yes, he would have revenge and his vengeance would fall on the head of the “Lookout Man.” As ’fe well know, to .think was to act with Jacko and at top speed he scampered over to Father Jacko’s workshop. Very shortly he emerged from the workshops armed with a tin of black paint and the grin on his face had grown more wicked. Away he went and in a very short time was i climbing the steps to the Look-out Tower.

To i*each the top was the work of a few momyits and, once within the Tower, Jacko’s scheme of revenge was soon being put into operation. Deftly picking the lock of a email cupboard, Jacko soon found what he sought—the “Hut”s Look-out Man’s” beloved binoculars! Click! the case was open and the binoculars in Jacko’s hands. The young monkey next produced his tin of black paint and it was the work of but a moment to cover the lenses of the binoculars with a coating of black paint. Quickly replacing the glasses in their case, Jacko replaced them In the cupboard and hiding himself in a benzine case that happened to be up in the Tower, settled down to await the coming of the “Look-out Man” and the culmination of his plan of revenge. He had not long to wait, for within a quarter of an hour Jacko heard steps approaching and peeping out, saw his adversary ascending the Tower. Singing softly to himself the “Look-out Man” opened his cupboard quite unconscious of the presence of Jacko or of the plan of revenge which he had prepared. Taking the binoculars from their case the “Look-out Man” placed them to his eyes and looked, expecting to see hordes of Wendyites doing good turns—but all was blackness. “Good gracious,’* he exclaimed, “I have been «truck blind,” and staggering back knocked over the benzine case in which Jacko was hidden. With a spring Jacko made for the steps leading from the Tower and in a flash the “Look-out Man” realised that he was not blind but had been neatly tricked. He made a dart at Jacko but missed as the young monkey scrambled down the steps to apparent safety. “The Look-out Man” took a step forward towards the Tower’s exit and as he did so his foot struck some metallic object—it was the tin of black paint which Jacko had carelessly left behind. Quickly the tin rolled towards the exit of the Tower and tonpled over the edge; right on to the head of Jacko and once again the “Lookout Man” had covered Jacko with a coat of