JACK

IV

Jack had a big black beard, and a red shirt, which

was made for another.
And no waistcoat.
His boots were somebody else's ;
He wore the Doctor's coat,
And the Vicar's trousers.
Personally, I gave him a hat, but it was too small.

Everybody liked Jack.

The Vicar liked him, although he never went to

church.
Indeed, he was a cheerful Pagan, with no temptation

to break more than the Eighth Commandment,

and no ambition as a sinner.
The Curate liked him, although he had no simpering

daughters. 10

The Doctor liked him, although he was never ill.
I liked him too—chiefly because of his perpetual

good temper, and his intimacy with Nature, and

his capacity for colouring cutties.
The girls liked him, because he brought them the

first wild roses and the sweetest honeysuckle ;
Also, because he could flatter so outrageously.

VI
But the boys loved him.
They followed him in little bands :
Jack was their hero.
And no wonder, for he could hit a running rabbit
with a stone.
ISO