Jonas used to sit down with Rollo very often and amuse him by telling him stories. The story which Rollo liked the best was the story of Jack Hildigo. The story of Jack Hildigo was a very curious one. The reason why I put it in this book is because it is very hard to read right, and you must read it aloud and distinctly, till you learn to read it well.When Jonas told this story, they called it playing Jack Hildigo. It took several children to play it well. Sometimes when John and Samuel, who lived in another house, came over to play with Rollo, they would all sit down together, on the platform, in the garden-yard, and have a fine time playing Jack Hildigo.

Jonas would begin telling the story thus, the other children sitting all around him:—

“Once there was a boy, and his name was Jack Hildigo. One day he went round behind his father’s house, and found there a great hole leading under the house. So he thought he would go into that hole, and see what was there. He went in under the house, but he found nothing. So he stood there, and began to growl like a bear, so,—

“U-r-r, u-r-r, u-r-r.”

Here Jonas, who was telling the story, said, U-r-r, u-r-r, u-r-r, growling as much as he could like a bear.

“Presently there came along a large turkey, saying, Gobble-gobble-gobble. And the turkey said, ‘I wonder what there is in that great, black hole.’ And the turkey said, ‘Hark! I hear a strange noise in that great, black hole, something growling like a bear. I wonder what that is that is growling like a bear.’

“So the turkey walked along and looked in, and he said, ‘Oh, it is nothing but Jack Hildigo. I am not afraid of Jack Hildigo. I will go in and gobble, while he growls like a bear.’

“So the turkey went in and stood by the side of Jack Hildigo; and the turkey said, Gobble-gobble-gobble, and Jack Hildigo growled like a bear, so.”

Jonas would say, U-r-r, u-r-r, u-r-r, growling like a bear, and Rollo would say, Gobble-gobble-gobble, gobble-gobble-gobble, gobble-gobble-gobble, three times, and no more. This would make Rollo laugh. Then Jonas went on with the story.

“By and by there came along a duck, a waddling, quacking duck. And the duck said, ‘I wonder what there is in that great, black hole.’ And the duck said, ‘Hark! I hear a strange noise in that great, black hole, something growling like a bear. I wonder what that is that is growling like a bear.’

“So the duck walked along and looked in, and he said, ‘Oh, it is nothing but Jack Hildigo and a turkey. I am not afraid of Jack Hildigo.’ So the duck went in and stood by the turkey, and said, Quack-quack-quack, and the turkey said, Gobble-gobble-gobble, and Jack Hildigo growled like a bear, so.”

Here Jonas would say, U-r-r, u-r-r, u-r-r, and Rollo would say, Gobble-gobble-gobble, gobble-gobble-gobble, gobble-gobble-gobble, and John would say, Quack-quack-quack, quack-quack-quack, quack-quack-quack, all together, three times, and no more. Here Jonas would go on with the story.

“By and by there came along a dog, a large dog, a large, black dog, with a bone in his mouth. And the dog said, ‘I wonder what there is in that great, black hole.’ And when he came nearer he heard a noise. And he said, ‘Hark! what noise is that? It is something growling like a bear.’ So he walked along carefully, but when he got near the hole, he said, ‘Oh, it is only Jack Hildigo and a turkey and a duck! I am not afraid of Jack Hildigo, or the turkey, or the duck. I will go in and bow-wow-wow.’ So he went in and stood by the side of the duck. And the dog said, Bow-wow-wow, and the duck said, Quack-quack-quack, and the turkey said, Gobble-gobble-gobble, and Jack Hildigo growled like a bear, so.”

Here Jonas would say, U-r-r, u-r-r, u-r-r, growling like a bear, and Rollo would say, Gobble-gobble-gobble, gobble-gobble-gobble, gobble-gobble-gobble, and John would say, Quack-quack-quack, and Samuel would say, Bow-wow-wow, bow-wow-wow, bow-wow-wow, three times, and no more. This would make them all laugh, and then Jonas would go on with the story.

“In the yard of that house was a pig. He was lying down with his nose in the mud. And after lying there some time, he thought he would get up and take a walk.

“So he walked along till he came round behind the house, and he saw a great hole in the wall. And he said, ‘I wonder what there is in that great, black hole.’ And when he came nearer, he heard a noise, and he said, ‘Hark! what noise is that? It is something growling like a bear.’ So he walked along carefully, but when he got near the hole, he said, ‘Oh, it is only Jack Hildigo. I am not afraid of Jack Hildigo. I will go in and grunt, while he growls like a bear.’”

When Jonas got as far as this, in telling the story one day, he stopped, and said he could not go any farther, for there was nobody to play pig. But he said if he could only get four or five more boys some time, he could tell a good deal further, and they should have a great deal more fun.

This is the end of the story about Jack Hildigo.