Moving to the beautiful San Ramon Valley, not far from the Bay of San Francisco, the Whites took Jack with them.  They taught him the leading doctrines and facts of the Bible, and made him useful in domestic service.  He grew and thrived.  Broad-shouldered, muscular, and straight as an arrow, Jack was admired for his strength and agility by the white boys with whom he was brought into contact.  Though not quarrelsome, he had a steady courage that, backed by his great strength, inspired respect and insured good treatment from them.  Growing up amid these influences, his features were softened into a civilized expression, and his tawny face was not unpleasing.  The heavy under-jaw and square forehead gave him an appearance of hardness which was greatly relieved by the honest look out of his eyes, and the smile which now and then would slowly creep over his face, like the movement of the shadow of a thin cloud on a calm day in summer.  An Indian smiles deliberately, and in a dignified way—­at least Jack did.

I first knew Jack at Santa Rosa, of which beautiful town his patron, Mr. White, was then the marshal.  Jack came to my Sunday-school, and was taken into a class of about twenty boys taught by myself.  They were the noisy element of the school, ranging from ten to fifteen years of age —­too large to show the docility of the little lads, but not old enough to have attained the self-command and self-respect that come later in life.  Though he was much older than any of them, and heavier than his teacher, this class suited Jack.  The white boys all liked him, and he liked me.  We had grand times with that class.  The only way to keep them in order was to keep them very busy.  The plan of having them answer in concert was adopted with decided results.  It kept them awake and the whole school with them, for California boys have strong lungs.  Twenty boys speaking all at once, with eager excitement and flashing eyes, waked the drowsiest drone in the room.  A gentle hint was given now and then to take a little lower key.  In these lessons, Jack’s deep guttural tones came in with marked effect, and it was delightful to see how he enjoyed it all.  And the singing made his swarthy features glow with pleasure, though he rarely joined in it, having some misgiving as to the melody of his voice.

The truths of the gospel took strong hold of Jack’s mind, and his inquiries indicated a deep interest in the matter of religion.  I was therefore not surprised when, during a protracted-meeting in the town, Jack became one of the converts; but there was surprise and delight among the brethren at the class-meeting when Jack rose in his place and told what great thing the Lord had done for him, dwelling with special emphasis on the words, “I am happy, because I know Jesus takes my sins away—­I know he takes my sins away.”  His voice melted into softness, and a tear trickled down his cheek as he spoke; and when Dan Duncan, the leader, crossed over the room and grasped his hand in a burst of joy, there was a glad chorus of rejoicing Methodists over Jack White, the Piute convert.