was studying natural philosophy; but Mr. Sheridan's Michael once
described it in this way:

"Sure, it's the queerest thing that ever ye saw! Ye just jam one piece
of tin pipe into another piece of tin pipe, as hard as ye can; an' it
lets a wail out of it that ye'd think would strike terror to the heart
of a stone and wake the dead!"

Whatever effect it might have upon granite or ghosts, however, Jack was
usually so engrossed with the boat as to be deaf to its call. If Mrs.
Gordon wanted him to harness a horse for her in a hurry, there was no
use in sounding a bugle blast; she might try again and again, but in
the end she would have to send some one over to him with the message.
If he was sent up to the village on an errand, or told to do anything
which took him away from his work, he either objected, or complied with
a very bad grace.

"I'll tell ye one thing," said Mary Ann the cook, one day when neither
Jack nor Jim would go to the store for her, though it would only have
taken a few minutes to make the trip on the bicycle,--"I'll tell ye one
thing, young sirs. Ye can't expect to have a bit of luck with that
boat ye're buildin'."

"No luck! Why not, I'd like to know?" inquired Jack.

"Because all four of ye boys are neglectin' what ye ought to do, and
takin' for this the time which by right should be spent on other
things; because ye've given yer fathers and mothers more cause to find
fault with ye durin' the last two or three weeks than for long before,
all on account of it; because ye're none of ye so good-natured as ye