The Adventures of Jack and Elsie

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXV, Issue 6, 12 August 1905, Page 55

The Adventures of Jack and Elsie

Mrs. Scott, who lived in the house across the way, said that .lack and Elsie were very spoiled children indeed. When they were very little their father and mother lived in India, and were obliged to send them over the sea to their grandmother, because the climate of India is not suitable for English children. Grandmamma ami their young aunt Emily nearly always let them do as they pleased, and they grew to be very naughty and dissatisfied, for children who always have their own way are seldom happy. When their father and mother returned, and took (hem to their own home. Jack and his sister used to lie on the floor and kick ami scream when they could not gel what they wanted. Gue day .Jack's mother took him for a walk in tin* town. When she refused to buy some bright-coloured lollies, because she knew they were coloured with something that was unwholesome, the boy sat down on the sidewalk and refused to move, and when his mother took bis hand, ami tried to make him get up, he kicked his heeis on the stones and screamed so that a great crowd collected. Someone cried that a woman was illtreating a child, and this brought a policeman to the spot. When Jack's mother explained what the trouble was the policeman stooped, and lifted him up. Jack was very much frightened, ami thought he was going to be taken to gaol, so he cried out, “Let me go! Oh. please let me down, and 1 will go home with mamma.” And he walked home very quietly indeed. The next day Elsie was the naughty one. She had a beautiful doll that her uncle had given her. It was as large as a real baby, and had an open mouth with pretty white teeth. Elsie took it to dinner with her, sat it on a chair beside her and began to stuff potatoes and gravy in its mouth. “Elsie, don’t do that,” said her mother. f, You will spoil your doll.” “1 won't spoil it,” said Elsie, rudely. “Aunt Emily let me do it.” And she went on stuffing things in the doll’s mouth; for the head was hollow, and there was room for a good deal. As she would not stop, her mother came to the chair and lifted the doll out. She looked through the open mouth, and saw that the hollow head was nearly filled with little hits of bread and meat and fruit. Elsie had begun to stuff the poor dollie some time before, and a very unpleasant odour came from the decaying meat and fruit with which the hollow head was nearly filled. Airs. Manning tried to shake this food out through the mouth; but the opening was small, and it would not come. “I shall have to take the head from the body and clean it, and hang it out to air,” said Elsie’s mamma. ‘•Give me my dollie. You shan’t have it. I will feed it if I want to,” cried the naughty girl. “I cannot allow you to spoil your doll.” said her mother, “and you must not speak to me in*that rude way.” “You are not a bit kind to me. T wish you had stayed in India. I want to go back to live with grandmamma and never see you again.” Poor Mrs. Manning felt very sad. when her litlle daughter said she did not love her. She was a kind and wise mother, and she would not allow her little girl to go on doing what was wrong. She took the doll away, and Elsie began to kick ami scream as loud as she could. "Let's go back to grandmamma's.” said Jack t<> Elsie that afternoon. “Papa says a lady is coming to-morrow morning to teach us, to-morrow and (‘very day. We'll have to be in school and have no fun. Grandmamma did not make us have lessons when we didn’t want to.” "But how can we get there? It's such a long way!” “When papa and mamma go for a drive we can pack our bags with some things we want: and then, when no one is looking, we can slip out through the fence in the hack garden. I remember the road through the woods and the way to the stat ion.” “But I don't believe they will let us on the cars. Ami we have not money enough to pay for going all the way to grandmamma’s.” "Oh. we can slip in when the guard is not looking and hide* under a seat. .And then, I think, he’ll let us stay on till we get to gramlmanima's.” So Elsie agreed to try, and an hour later, when their father and mother had

left the Ihhisc the two stole out. bags in hand and soon found themselves outs dv the garden fence. Thev lull’d the path tlmmgii the woods, for Jac; hnd walked that way with his father. But they were not so happy as they had expected they would be. Perhaps grandmamma would he angry ami would send’ them back. Perhaps they could not succeed in getting on the train: or if they got on the conductor might put them off at the first station hr came to.far away from their grandmother's. Then they came t<> a place where two woodland roads met, and Jack could not remember which one led to the station. They took the one that he thought was right : but it was not long before they knew thev had made a mistake, for it soon became a very narrow, winding path through thick woods. “(). Jack, we must go back and find the other way,” said Elsie. At that moment they heard a crackling of branches, They turned round to see who was coming, and saw a dark, roughlooking man. Elsie was afraid, but Jack said: “Please, w ill you tell us t lie way Io the station? We are going to mt our grandmamma.’’ “Yes. I'll show you; come along after me.’’ When they saw hr was leading them farther on the winding path Elsie whispered: “Oh, Jack, let's go home! 1 know this isn't the right way!” The man heard her. and turned quickly. “I tell you this is the right way. and if you don't follow me you'll hr lost and the bogey will catch you.'’ “There's no such thing as a bogey. Grandmamma said there was not. and you are a naughty man to frighten us.” "Here, step your talking ami make haste.” said the man. catching her hand and beginning to walk quickly. “I said I would show you the way. and I have no time to lose.” He walked so fast that she was soon out of breath. At first she was too much frightened to say she would go no further. But when she grew more and more sure that he was not going to the station, for the wood grew deeper and there Was no Jia th to be seen, she suddenly jerked her hand from his. and. calling to her brother, began to run back. r fhe man caught her in a minute, and then she threw her arms about a little tree and he’d it fast, and screamed as loud as she eoud. .lack, too. began to scream and shout. “Here, stop that noise this minute." said t he man. And when they did not stop, for they hoped their cries would bring some one to help them, the rough fellow' gave the little boy a hard blow. “Now. you will come along quietly, or must I give yen a good beating?” he asked. “We’ll have to go with him. Jack.’ said Elsie, and the two sobbing children followed without another word. It was almost dark before they saw a light shining through (he trees, ami pie sently they came to a cleared pbi-e. where there wore two tents and a number of j)(*ople sitting around a lire. Thru Jack and Elsie were sure that what thev had feared was true. They were in the hands of gypsies. The man led them t<» the lire, toll them to sit down, ami took one of t i.r women aside, and talked to her far some lime. When she returned to them she spoke quite kindly, and said -he would give them some supper. Though they were frightened ami unhappy. they were so hungry that they air the coarse food. Then the woman showed them a dirty looking heap <<f clothes in a corner of the tent, ami told them it was their bed. I’wo gipsv children were asleep on another rough bed on the g’uuml. They had not taken off the clothes they had worn in the da vt i me. "But I don’t want to.go tty bed.” said Elsie. “I want to go home to my own mamma. And if you don't let us <» ? > home, our papa and mamma will semi people to look for us; ami they will put you in gaol for stealing us.” "AOil can't go home to-night. Il is too bite.” "W ill you take us home in the moi nlug ?*' “We'll see about that.’’ “But you must, you must. take us home." Elsie began to cry and scream, and .lack joined her. The man who had taken them through the woods put his head in at the opening of the lent, and said, shaking his list, “Bo quiet now. or I'll route in and give you a beating.” Both children stopped cry ing at once, and lav down on the dirty bid without

I liry weir very tired and had almost fallen asleep when they heard voic‘R <■•111 «!(!•• Ihe lent. The men and women who were * talking had forgotten that they ware so (lose to the bed where tin* children slept. “Listen. Jack, listen, they are talking about us,” whispered Elsie. The liste’iCi’s did not hear e'ery wof.l; but they lieaid enough to make them understand (bat the gypsies were afraid that people would .soon come to the fonts in seat ch of the children. Thev thought: the seekers would look nearei* the children's home first; hut perhaps by morning they would come to the ramp. And so -the men and women agreed that if would be safer to park everything info their covered waggons and drive away before dawn. But they’ would take a ft w hours’ sleep first. “Oh. Elsie.” whispered Jack, "if‘they take us very far, wv w ill never, never get home again.” “When (hey are sound a<letp. perhaps we can creep out.” said Elsie. “Hush!” said her brother, for some one was coming into the tent. Elsie tried to keep awake till all the gy psirs were asleep; but she was very tired, and when her brother shook her arm she had so far forgotten where she was that she almost called out loudly enough to wake the people in the tent. “Oh. hush. Elsie, hush!” said her brothel in a low. frightened tone. “ They'll hear you!'’ Thon Elsie remembered and was very quiet. “\\ e can creep out under the tent close by our bed,” said Jack. AAith the fear of being caught. Elsie’s heart beat so fast at first that she could not move: hut presently she said: “Let's try now.” The trembling, frightened pair crept out softly. They were afraid to run yet. because they had to pass another teht. and they did not want to make a noise. 'They had just passed Ihe second tent, when some dogs that were sleeping outside began to bark. “They’ll bite us,” said Elsie. “They'll wake the people.” said Jack. They heard a man's voice, and they ran as fast as their feel would carry them until they were out of the clearing. and in the thick woods. “Elsie, if they eomr after us. we can’t

run fast enough,” said Jaek. “Let’s hide.” So they crept into a hollow under some fallen logs, and lay very still; but no one came. The gypsies in the tent from which they had fled had not been awakened, and the man who went out to discover what the dogs were barking at did not see the children, and returned to his tent. “They’re not coming after us,” said

Jack. “Let’s try to get as far away from the tents as we can before they get up. So in the dark night two tired, sleepy little children wandered through the woods. Their feet were sore from long walking, but they kept on until Elsie said, “Jack, look there; I see a light!” Was it the light from another gipsy eamp, or was it some one coming to help them? They could not tell. “It’s getting nearer.” said Jack. “We must hide fill we see who it is.” They made their way into a clump

of bushes, and waited, fearing and hoping. Then there came a shout from Elsie, “It’s papa; <), it’s papa!” ’Papa, papa,” cried Jack, “don’t go on. Wait. wait. We’re here in the bushes. We’ll come out.” In a few minutes Elsie was in hei father’s arms, telling him her story in a voice choked by sobs. And Mi’. Scott the husband of the lady who had sai<| they were very spoiled children, carried Jack. Afterwards, when they talked about

their adventures, their father and mother thought the gypsies would have sent word that the children were with them, and have claimed a large sum of money foi telling where they were. Jack ami Elsie did not forget the fears and hardships of that night in the woods. It helped them to understand that their parents were wise and kind, and knew better than they what was good for them. And a few months later, when Mrs. Scott spoke of them, she said: “And. really, they have grown to be remarkably well behaved children.”