“Let’s try Tom,” one whispered to another, “let’s try the fellow, and see how high he can jump.”

“Say, Tom,” said one of the boys, “will you go down to the captain’s goat pasture with us, and try that thing over again?”

Tom did not seem to be very fierce for going.  But all the boys urged him so hard, that he finally consented and went.  When he got to the goat pasture, he measured the fence with his eye; and from the manner in which he shrugged his shoulders, it was pretty clear that he considered the fence a very high one indeed.  He was not at all in a hurry about performing the feat.  But the roguish boys would not let him off.

“Come, Tom,” said one.

“Now for it,” said another.

“No backing out,” said a third.

“It’s only eight rails high,” said a fourth.

Still, somehow or other, Tom could not get his courage quite up to the point.  The best thing he could have done, in my way of thinking, when he found himself so completely cornered was to have said, “Well, boys, there’s no use in mincing the matter at all.  I am a little dunce.  I can no more jump over that fence than I can build a steamboat or catch a streak of lightning.”  But that was not his way of getting out of the scrape.

“Let me give the word now,” said one of the lads.  “I’ll say ’one, two, three,’ and when I come to ‘three,’ you shall run and jump.”

“Go ahead,” said Tom.

And the other boy began:  “One—­two—­three”—­

Tom started, and ran.  I’m not sure but he had boasted so much about his jumping, that he had almost made himself believe he really could jump over that fence.  At any rate, he tried it, and—­failed, of course.  His feet struck the fence about three quarters of the distance from the ground, and over he went, head foremost, into the goat pasture.  It was fortunate for him that he did not break his neck.  As it was, his spirit was broken, and that was about all.  He went home a much humbler boy than he was when he came to the goat pasture; and a somewhat wiser one, too.  After that unfortunate leap, if Tom ever boasted largely of what he could do and what he had done, it was a very common thing for his playmates to say, “Take care, Tom; remember that famous leap.”

* * * * *

Woodworth’s Juvenile Works.

PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.

PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING JUVENILE WORKS, By Francis C. Woodworth,

EDITOR OF “WOODWORTH’S YOUTH’S CABINET,” AUTHOR OF “THE WILLOW LANE
BUDGET,” “THE STRAWBERRY GIRL,” “THE MILLER OF OUR VILLAGE,” “THEODORE
THINKER’S TALES,” ETC., ETC.

UNCLE FRANK’S BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ LIBRARY.

A Beautiful Series, comprising six volumes, square 12 mo., with eight Tinted Engravings in each volume.  The following are their titles respectively: 

I. THE PEDDLER’S BOY, or I’ll Be Somebody. 
II.  THE DIVING BELL, or Pearls to be Sought For
III.  THE POOR ORGAN-GRINDER, and other stories. 
IV.  LOSS AND GAIN, or Susy Lee’s Motto. 
V. MIKE MARBLE; His Crotchets and Oddities. 
VI.  THE WONDERFUL LETTER-BAG OF KIT CURIOUS.