Part 1 (1/2)
Leslie Ross.
by Charles Bruce.
CHAPTER I.
WHY LESLIE ROSS WAS SENT TO SCHOOL.
If ever a boy had kind parents and a happy home, that boy was Leslie Ross. He was an only child, and as such the love and care of both father and mother centered upon and surrounded him. He had once had a baby sister, whom he recollected to have kissed several times--and once when her cheeks were very, very cold and pale--but in a few days she had faded away; and now the love which she would have shared was all his, and the care which she would have demanded was expended upon him.
Never were parents so careful that the childhood of a son should be surrounded by pleasant a.s.sociations and memories, as were Mr and Mrs Ross. They would whisper to each other, while labouring to procure some fresh pleasure for Leslie, ”We do not know what his future life may be; it may be a rough and rugged one; it may not be a very happy one; we shall be unable to smooth his path then; so let us make his childhood and boyhood as happy as possible, that he may always look back upon it as the freshest and greenest spot in his life, and carry the recollection of our love in his heart all his days.”
With parents labouring to carry out such an idea, it need scarcely be added that Leslie was a happy boy; such, indeed, he was. One circ.u.mstance, which formed a large item in his sum of happiness, consisted in the fact that his home was close to the sea sh.o.r.e. The restless sea could be seen from the windows of the house; and the sound of its waves, as they fell gently or dashed violently on to the s.h.i.+ngly beach, could be heard in the warm, cosy parlour, or the silent bedrooms.
As soon as he could walk, Leslie manifested a decided preference for the beach as his playground, and aquatic pursuits as his pleasures; and his daily explorations among the boats and fis.h.i.+ng-smacks soon procured for him the notice and friends.h.i.+p of several of the boatmen and fishermen, who almost always take a liking to those who interest themselves in their pursuits; and Leslie did this, for he loved to watch the men, as, waist deep in the sea, they dredged for shrimps; to catch hold of one end of a net and help haul it ash.o.r.e; to carry the oars of a boat which was about to be launched, and even to add his tiny strength to that of the st.u.r.dy men in the attempt to float a fis.h.i.+ng smack, while his shrill ”_heave ho!_” could be distinctly heard mingling with the gruff tones of the fishers.
With the sanction of Mr Ross, one of the boatmen taught him to swim at a very early age; while a second manufactured and taught him how to handle a pair of oars; so that by the time Leslie was ten years of age, he could both row and swim very creditably, much to his own satisfaction and delight, and to the contentment of his parents who were happy in their son's happiness; they were, however, too mindful of the risk he ran to allow him to venture on the water unattended, and had strictly enjoined him to observe this rule, and although at times strongly tempted to disobey, Leslie never violated the command.
There was but one trait in the character of their son which gave Mr and Mrs Ross any concern; he was truthful, honest, and brave, but he was fond of what he called ”_a lark!_” which was the name Leslie gave to the successful accomplishment of a piece of mischief. He did not actually intend mischief, or intend doing any harm, but his love for ”_a lark_” led him farther than at the time he had any idea, and the expression ”_what a lark!_” seemed in his eyes an ample compensation for all the discomforts he inflicted upon others.
Thus he thought it no end of ”_a lark_” when, one Sunday morning, he put the long hand of all the clocks in the house back, so that his father, who was a clergyman, and very punctual in the performance of his duties, was ten minutes behind time, and found all the a.s.sembled congregation anxiously waiting his arrival. And one night when he could not sleep, he stole softly to the door of the servants' bedroom, where he shouted, ”Murder! Thieves! Fire!” frightening the poor women out of their first sleep and half out of their senses.
When, however, his father pointed out the consequences of indulging in such a course of action, Leslie would express, and for the moment feel, penitence; but an hour after he would be as ripe for mischief as ever, did any opportunity offer.
How to destroy this fault in their son gave Mr and Mrs Ross many hours of thought. If children did but consider how much pain and trouble their thoughtless and wilful conduct gave to their parents, they would surely think twice before they performed any action they knew would grieve them.
”I think, my dear,” said Mr Ross one day to his wife, ”I think the only way we can cure Leslie of his fault will be by sending him to school.”
”But do you not think,” replied Mrs Ross, ”that a.s.sociating with other boys will be more likely to foster it?”
”No, I think not, for among a number of boys there must be many who would view the consequences likely to arise from indulging in a senseless piece of mischief; these would control the more thoughtless and reckless of their number. Besides, in a good school, and subject to wholesome school rules and discipline, there would be less time and fewer opportunities for gratifying any particular propensity.”
”I wish,” said Mrs Ross, with a sigh, ”some other plan could be adopted. I do not like the idea of his going away from home and home influences, and being subject to others of which we know nothing.”
”I can think of no other,” said Mr Ross; ”school life will do Leslie a world of good; he is too much alone now, and mixes so little with companions of his own age, that he entertains too great an idea of his own powers and capacities; school life will teach him to moderate this. I think he will have to go, my dear.”
At that moment Leslie burst into the room, full of life and spirits, shouting, ”Good-bye, ma, good-bye papa, I'm off for a row with old Crusoe.”
”Well, be careful, Leslie; and mind, no larks,” said Mr Ross, holding up a finger.
”Careful, papa! Oh, you can't think how careful I am; and as for rowing, why, I shall beat Crusoe soon,” replied Leslie, as, with a merry laugh, he left the room.
”How bright,” said Mrs Ross; ”no care sets on his heart.”
”No, and his one great fault arises from thoughtlessness; how true are the poet's words:--
'Evil is wrought by want of thought As well as want of heart.'”
Meanwhile Leslie had made his way to the beach, where he was saluted by a weather-beaten old sailor, who, in his old age, had turned boatman; this was Crusoe, a name Leslie had bestowed upon him because he had visited so many parts of the globe.
”Good morning, sir; are you going to have a row this morning, Master Leslie?”