One year in the last quarter of the present century John Frost, Esquire, of Arctic Hall, paid an unusually long visit to the British Islands. John, or Jack, Frost, as he was familiarly called by those who did not fear him, was a powerful fellow; an amazingly active, vigorous, self-willed fellow, whom it was difficult […]

CHAPTER 1. A DOUBLE RESCUE–INTRODUCTION. It is a curious and interesting fact that Christmas-tide seemed to have a peculiar influence on the prospects of our hero Jack Matterby, all through his life. All the chief events of his career, somehow, happened on or about Christmas Day. Jack was born, to begin with, on a Christmas […]

CHAPTER ONE. SOLITUDE IN THE WILDERNESS. THE OUTSKIRTER. To some minds solitude is depressing, to others it is congenial. It was the former to our friend John Robinson; yet he had a large share of it in his chequered life. John–more familiarly known as Jack–was as romantic as his name was the reverse. To look […]