. . .Jack began to imitate the sounds of his papa the man, and his mama the goat; nor was it long before he learned to speak articulately. The old man, delighted with this first dawn of reason, used to place him upon his knee, and converse with him for hours together, while his pottage was slowly boiling amid the embers of a turf fire. As he grew bigger, Jack became of considerable use to his father: he could trust him to look after the gate, and open it during his absence; and as to the cookery of the family, it was not long before Jack was a complete proficient, and could make broth almost as well as his daddy himself. During the winter nights, the old man used to entertain him with stories[Pg 8] of what he had seen during his youth; the battles and sieges he had been witness to, and the hardships he had undergone; all this he related with so much life, that Jack was never tired of listening. But what delighted him beyond measure, was to see his daddy shoulder his crutch, i. . . Read More