“Our family are all well, and send love to all the folks. Oscar’s old friend, Willie Davenport, or ‘Whistler,’ as he is still called, is spending the evening with Ralph, and wishes to be remembered to Oscar. Ralph has teased me to forward the little toy you will find enclosed, as a present to Ronald. It is designed to be twirled round by the strings,—I suppose he will understand it. Ralph has taken quite a fancy to Ronald, although he has never seen him. Hoping to see you soon, I remain
“Your affectionate uncle,
“Henry Preston.”
This letter greatly relieved Jessie’s anxiety. Before going to bed, she wrote an affectionate letter to her brother, assuring him of her continued love and interest, and entreating him to go to his mother, and accept the situation she had procured for him.
Oscar was delighted to hear of the safe arrival of his cousin Jerry. The two boys had at one time been very intimate. Jerry’s parents lived in a small backwoods village in Maine, named Brookdale. His father was engaged in the logging business, and also carried on a farm. When Oscar was about fourteen years old, he was so unmanageable at home, and was so rapidly forming bad acquaintances, that his father sent him down to Brookdale, where he spent several months, and would have remained longer, had he not got into a serious “scrape,” which compelled him to leave town. Oscar’s influence upon Jerry, who was about a year younger than himself, was very unfavorable. Indeed, it was mainly owing to this bad influence that Jerry ran away from home, a few weeks after Oscar left the village, and started on the long voyage from which he had just returned.[[11]] The vessel in which Jerry shipped was wrecked on the homeward passage, and he was supposed to have been lost, until his unexpected appearance in Boston, as mentioned in Mr. Preston’s letter. Oscar, since he had tried to reform, had regretted very much the evil influence he had exerted upon Jerry; and, though he never said anything about it, he felt that he was, to some extent, responsible for his cousin’s ruin. It is not strange, therefore, that he was rejoiced to hear that his old comrade and pupil in mischief was not dead, but alive, and had still a chance to mend his ways, and become an honest and respectable man.
[11]. The career of Jerry is more fully related in the first two volumes of this series, “Oscar” and “Clinton.”
“Who knows but that father will come home, yet?” said Marcus, who had sat musing, while the others were talking about Jerry.
“I gave up all hope of that long ago,” replied his mother. “It is over ten years since your father sailed, and it is idle to expect ever to see him again in this world.”
“I don’t think so, mother,” replied Marcus. “You know the whalers pass in the neighborhood of a good many islands in the Pacific that are inhabited only by savages. Now isn’t it possible that father was wrecked on one of these islands, and is still there, and unable to get away? We know such things have happened. I have read of sailors being wrecked on some of these islands, and living with the savages a good many years, before they could communicate with any vessel. I sha’n’t give up all hopes of seeing father yet, for five years, at least.”
“I cherished that hope, until it seemed like hoping against hope,” replied Mrs. Page, sadly.