The Boy Patriot | Page 7

one of his favorite speeches, seemed
imminent. Blair did love to hear himself talk.
"My son, our question in life is not what we like, but what is duty. I
think the laws of the kingdom of heaven should be the guide to every

lover of his country. The voice of our Saviour is, 'Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.' 'The Spirit and
the bride say, Come; and let him that heareth say, Come.' Every true
Christian echoes the saying of St. Paul, 'I would to God that not only
thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether
such as I am, except these bonds.' So it should be with every favored
citizen of our happy land. We should welcome the oppressed of every
clime, and strive to make them worthy partakers of the blessings we
enjoy. I do not like to hear you say you hate any nation. We are all of
one blood, made in God's image."
"Dear mother," said Blair, "you are right; you are always right. How
thankful I ought to be to have such a guide, and such a help in keeping
my new resolutions. I want to do my duty even when it is hard for me.
You shall see what a friend I will be to Hal. I mean to go out as soon as
I have done breakfast, and see if I can look him up some steady work. I
heard Old Jock say on Saturday he wanted a strong boy to help him
handle his nets. I'll try to get the place for Hal."
Blair was as prompt to act as to plan. A half hour after breakfast was
over he was standing by the cottage of an old fisherman and knocking
for admittance.
It took all Blair's powers of persuasion to induce Jock to have any thing
to do with what he called a "furriner." The case seemed well-nigh lost,
when Blair mounted on a chair, and made a small speech in his best
style for the benefit of his single auditor. Whether won over by its logic
or through a sense of the honor thus conferred upon him, Jock agreed to
Blair's proposition.
"The first speech I ever made to any purpose," thought Blair, as he
walked rapidly along the shore, wending his way to Mrs. McKinstry's
dwelling.
Hal had locked himself into his "castle," as the only way in which he
could escape the merciless scolding of his voluble hostess. She seemed
to consider every stain on the injured garments a blot on the shield of
the English boy which no apologies could excuse or efface. Hal fairly

fled before the enemy; and once safe in his own room, whistled so
lustily as to drown all sound of the railing from without.
It was an unusually busy day with Mrs. McKinstry, or it is doubtful
whether she would have allowed even this close to the skirmish, for she
had a taste for such encounters. Blair however heard the dripping and
swashing of water in the rear of the house as he went up the narrow
stairway. The wide cap-border of Mrs. McKinstry was fanning
backwards and forwards, as she bent with a regular motion over the tub
in which her red arms were immersed. She gave one look at Blair as he
went up to her lodger's room, but did not condescend even to exchange
watchwords with him.
In answer to Blair's knock was returned a resolute "Who's there?"
The reply set Hal's mind at ease, and the visitor was promptly admitted.
Blair stated his business at once, but to his surprise he met with a blank
refusal from Hal. He would not fall in with such a plan, not he. He
would keep out of the water while there was any land left to stand on.
He had had enough of plumping to the bottom, and coming up, ears
singing, throat choking, and soul almost scared out of him. Better a
crumb of bread and a morsel of cheese, than fatness and plenty earned
in such a way.
It was hard for Blair to understand the nervous fear of drowning which
had taken possession of poor Hal. Fairport boys could swim almost as
soon as they could walk. They knew nothing of the helpless feeling of
one who has the great deep under him, and is powerless to struggle in
its waves.
But a few short days before, Blair would have pronounced Hal a
coward, and left him in disdain. Now he stood silent for a moment,
baffled and puzzled. "I'll teach you to swim, Hal," he said at length.
"We'll try in shallow water first, where you couldn't drown, unless you
wish