The Deserter

The Story of a Stolen Game of Cricket

A short school story

Jackson wants to play at a village match some miles away but knows he won't be allowed by the school authorities. Then O'Hara has an idea, but it involves Jackson deserting from the Corps' exercise in Ealesbury - just for an afternoon.

Characters

Jackson	of Spence's House
Neville-Smith	an old Wrykynian
O'Hara	of Dexter's
Templar	Corps Lieutenant

Publishing Information

Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere
Plum Stones (book 11)

First published August 1905 in The Royal Magazine.

Notes and Quotes

'... played for their Varsities at Lord's.'
- played for their respective Universities (usually Oxford or Cambridge) at the MCC's ground called Lord's in London.

Chalfont St. Peter
- is a village in Buckinghamshire but probably not meant to be the one used here (see details link below).

Captain Main-waring
- there are two ways to pronounce the name Mainwaring, the other being 'Mannering'. The only way to know which is right is to ask the name's owner carefully - some are quite sensitive over it.

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Another story, The Fifteenth Man has strong similarities to this one. For more details follow the link.

See also the page on public schools for general information on life at Wrykyn.