the acorn souvenir for 1906 jack's mistake well good bye mother said jack stone as he kissed the lips of a little gray haired woman i'll be home again for your birthday don't disappoint me will you because uncle george wishes us to take the morning train to millville and spend the day with him she called as he walked down the board walk to the gate no mother i wouldn't do that was the reply and jack hurried out of the gate and down the street little did he think he would be tempted to break that promise he reached the depot just in time to catch the twelve five train for raymond one day after jack had been practising real steadily on the track he said to himself one week from today june eighth will be our track meet well i declare if that isn't the day before mother's birthday i promised her that i would surely be home then and in order to do so i mast take the four thirty train the before i must be loyal to my school and i couldn't think of g my promise to mother tried to have the date changed but all arrangements had been .__. the time passed very rapidly until the day arrived our rgetic student packed his suit case and took it to the depot so there could be not possible hitch when it neared train time at two o'clock the big track meet between the young academy of frankfort and the mountain college of raymond began all the events went off well until one of the boys dislocated his shoulder of course jack was there to help carry him to a shady spot and rub him while the doctor pulled the injured limb into place the excitement was so intense that lie forgot almost all about the time suddenly he grabbed his watch and discovered that he had but three quarters of an hour more he hurried to the athletic manager and said if the pole vaulting doesn't come next i must withdraw because i told mother the last time i visited her that i should be home for her birthday if contest is over by four i shall have time to go on the four thirty n mother doesn't understand how much this track meet means fo school on the other hand the school doesn't realize presence at home means to my mother hdraw from the pole vaulting contest we can't possibly do without you jack you are our highest jumper said the manager the pole vaulting came next jack was so excited thai jump was a failure the other boys had jumped eleven fe inches and he was determined to jump that high also oh if i just had time and could jump eleven feet nine inches i would save the school and bring the score from 36 to 35 in favor of y a to 36 to 38 in favor of m c when his turn came he took his pole walked back a few yards clutched it firmly among the watchers there was silence almost breathless suspense ran a few steps and over the stick he went as easily and gracefully as a grey hound cheers — cheets — cheers — almost deafened him there was not time to go over it a a notch higher he thought