The ship sailed on past Huron and into the port of Sandusky where the Captain and a handful of “gobs” took Jimmie to show him the town while he waited to embark for home.
As the young boy in his tattered clothing was becoming interested in the sights of Sandusky, the Captain detoured somewhere along the line and sent a telegram to Jimmie’s father telling him where the lad was and to come and get him immediately.
A short while later the Captain rejoined his crew who were showing Jimmie the time of his life, and they all went to a nearby lunchroom where they partook of a hearty meal. This was the first good meal which the boy had had since he had left home the day before.
After having his dinner Jimmie then was taken for a walk through the little lakeside city of Sandusky where he saw his first tall buildings. He simply stood there with his mouth wide open as he gazed in silent adoration and amazement at the towering structures. For Sandusky at that time was a city of some eighteen thousand people and her streets were wide and tapering as they wound their way through the parks and down past beautiful homes.
Most awe-inspiring of all were the beautiful school buildings. Great stone edifices that were as much as three stories tall and usually an entire city block in length. Here the sailors stopped to let him watch the students come out of school. They were all dressed well and seemed to be so much older than those he had known in the schools he had attended. But he realized that he was nearly as old as most of them and that back at the one-room school near his home the people did not dress nearly so well just to go to school. This was entirely different from anything he had ever known.
After all the students had passed from his sight, Jimmie was taken still closer so that he might be able to see the magnificent structure at first hand. The huge building had great, wide halls covered with carpets, and mammoth rooms with many desks. This was truly enchantment of the first class for Jimmie Curwood. He felt certain that all this must be a dream.
As he stood there looking upon the symbols of higher education, he found that he no longer wanted to become a great Indian fighter, a buffalo hunter, or worse yet, a bold pirate. Instead, he now wanted to become a part of schools such as he was now standing before. He wanted to be one of the kings among the beautiful queens. He actually believed that he wanted to study. Until this moment his world had been the forty acre farm back there at Joppa, with all of its stones. Now a great, new world had opened up and Jimmie Curwood was determined to grasp it.
Later that same day his father arrived to take his son back home and away from the beautiful school buildings of Sandusky. En route homeward the boy tried his best to express to his father that which he felt in his heart. He told him of all he had encountered since he had run away from home. He told of the great lake he had sailed upon the first night away, and the magnificent schools he had seen and visited. His father understood.
The night of his return home found Jimmie sitting on the Fisher’s front steps with “Whistling Jeanne.” There was a full moon overhead casting down its beautiful light upon the green, fertile fields and hills. There almost seemed to be a song in the air—a song of happiness. A soft breeze was blowing through the cottonwoods and all about the house the crickets and the katydids gave forth with their serenades.
And once again Jeanne Fisher was comforting Jimmie as she had always done. Between their telling of their dreams of the future, Jimmie told Jeanne of all the wonderful things he had seen while he had been away, and of how he had visited the wonderful school building in Sandusky. He told her how he wanted to attend school there. Jeanne explained in her best manner that Sandusky was very far away and that it would cost a great deal of money for him to go to school in such a place regardless of how beautiful it might be.