Well Won

Nantucket Jack was in a melancholy mood because there seemed to be no chance that he would ever win May Blossom, the captains daughter. The preferred suitor was the mate, Boles, who had inade a record as a whaler and stood high in favor. So Jack longed for an opportunity to distinguish himself and this is how it carne: The crew had pursued a whale of great valueand almost killed it, when they saw a squall coming1 on. All the boats at once cut away to seek the ship, bnt Jack was for holding- on and refused to lose such a prize. His crew deserted him and lef t him, to cope with the monster alone. And now a truly desperate combat took place. AHernately working the light craft with skiilful hand. and plying hiss lance - with the spray all aroand him - with the whale's flnke3 the air about his head, and the white scroll of the jaw occasionally almost gi-asping the boat, Jack fought desperately with this 'old king of the sea," so close to him all the time that the whale, the boat, the fishing lance and the nirnbie form of the young man, seemed almost blended into one. Aboard the man-of-war crew and officers were excited witnesses of this eombat. The shrouds, the booms and all the sails were alive with blue jackets, while even those aloft, stowing canvas to prepare for the squall, kept an eye upon the strangp spectacle of this one brave man struvg-ling with so mighty n aatagonist. All at once a ringing cheer rose from the seatnpn as Jack. planting his lance near the "Htcspot," caused the leviathan to spout blood. The raovements of the monster now were more feeble; he swam round and round, his spout becoming lower every moment; and finally, with one last, despsrate üurry, be rol led over stone dead. An oiücer - the ürst lieutenant - now' sprang upon the ship's hcrseblock and roared through histrumpet: , "Leáve yotr whaieand come aboard here lively, my man," pointing with one hand, as he sooke, to the black rack of the roaring, squall But Jack shook his head; for, having obtained his prize he was resolved not to run the risk of losing it. "Ay, ay," remarked an old f orecastle maa; did yc ever see the like oí j that chap's pluck? But Davy Jones i will be sure to swallow the lad in his i maw, though he's escaped that of Johnny AVhale. " A moment later along carne the squall, booining, shrieking andshroudmg Jack and his whale from sight in the whirling rack. The inan-of-war was hurled f ar from the spot, with the ends of her lee tnain and foreyards. alruost dipping in the seething, hissing foain,and,for a quarter of an hour, the wind blew so hard that the water was beaten down flat. At last, when the squall had passed j far to leeward Captain Blossom and I his crew watehed in vain for the younp harpooner, who, instead of returning to his shio, as Boles and ' the others had done, had refused to cut and kept on after the whale. With pale cheeksandstreaming e3'es May Blossom was among the watchrers. A mist lay upon the ocean in the i direction where her lover was last seen. and as the Meteor kept on Jaek's broken steering oar and the red woollen cap he had worn were discovered and picked up. '"This tells the story' said the cap tain sadly. Poor May gave a cry,but just then a shout was heard comingi'rotn the mist, and the g-irl, with flasbing eyes, arched her neck and reared her head like a young colt. "That was Jack!" she said. And she was right. As the ship forged on the wind partly blevv aside the mlsty curtain, showing the gallant fellow standinsr bareheaded in the stern sheets of his boat By lashing the latter seeurely on the lee s:de of the whale to the barbed irons sticking in the body of the monster, bi had prevented the craft froto swamping1 in the squall. He was soon picked u, when the captain, in his joy at securing so valuable a whale after he had thoug-ht it was lost, fairly embraced the harpooner. "I see now," said the skipper, "that I mistook yourcharacter; that a quiet man - a man of few words- may have as much energ-y and pluck as a noisy one, and sometimes more. Boles was for cutting from the whale, but you held on, even in the face of death. You deserve a reward. Here it is." To the side of the young1 man he drew May Blossom, now happier than words can express, and placed her hand in that of brave Nantucket Jack.