The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jack of Both Sides, by Florence Coombe
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Title: Jack of Both Sides
The Story of a School War
Author: Florence Coombe
Illustrator: S. B. Pearse
Release Date: January 13, 2007 [EBook #20354]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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[Illustration: "IT'S A VERY GOOD THING, MADAM, FOR YOU ... THAT MY
FRIEND HERE IS NOT DEAD!"
_See page 40_]
Jack of Both Sides
The Story of a School War
BY
FLORENCE COOMBE
Author of "Boys of the Priory School" "A Chum Worth Having"
"Her Friend and Mine" &c.
_ILLUSTRATED BY S. B. PEARSE_
BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
LONDON GLASGOW AND DUBLIN
CONTENTS
CHAP.
I. THE JOKE THAT FAILED 5
II. TOPPIN'S DIVE 16
III. THE CHICKEN AND THE BICYCLE 30
IV. A KNOCK AT THE WINDOW 44
V. THE STORM BREAKS 57
VI. THE MARCH HARE'S REVENGE 71
VII. HANNAH THE HOUSEMAID 85
VIII. JACK'S MAIDEN SPEECH 94
IX. LOST--A NAME 103
JACK OF BOTH SIDES
CHAPTER I
THE JOKE THAT FAILED
"I say, you fellows, look here! What do you think of this? It's our
lunch!"
"This" was a large basket, lined with a white cloth, at the bottom of
which lay nine bread-pills. Nine boys looked down at them in rueful
disgust, and then across the school-room to where a larger group stood
chuckling mischievously, their hands and mouths filled with tempting,
crusty hunches, carved from the loaf according to fancy.
Those nine gray, unappetizing pellets represented all that was left of
the loaf; and Mason, the boy who first spoke, realizing this, flung the
big basket in a burst of indignation at the heads of the opposite clump,
one or two of whom were hit. Revenge was prompt. Ere it touched the
floor it was hurled back with vigour, but, being dodged successfully,
fell harmless to the ground.
Mason and seven others were new-comers to Brincliffe Sch
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