joel had no cause to complain now that tom beresford did not stick to him, for there he was hanging over him as he crouched into as small a heap as possible into a corner of mamsie's sofa.
and there he had been ever since joel had rushed in with dr. pennell; when, not daring to trust himself up in ben's room, he had dashed for refuge to mamsie's old sofa.
tom had not wasted many words, feeling sure under similar circumstances he shouldn't like to be talked to; but he had occasionally patted joel's stubby head in a way not to be misunderstood, and once in a while joel thrust out a brown hand which tom had gripped fast.
“it's all right, old boy, i verily believe,” tom cried with sudden energy, “so brace up; what's the use of your going to pieces, anyway?”
“it's phronsie,” gasped joel, and burrowing deeper into the cushion.281
“well, i know it,” said tom, gulping down his sorrow, for he had petted phronsie a good deal; so he was feeling the blow quite sharply himself, “but you won't help matters along any, i tell you, by collapsing.”
“go out into the hall, will you, tom,” begged joel, huddling down, unwilling to listen himself, “and see if you can hear anything.”
so tom skipping out into the wide upper hall, thankful for any action, but dreading the errand, stole to the foot of the stairs, and craned his ear to catch the faintest sound from above.
there was only a little murmur, for dr. pennell was in the midst of operations, and not enough to report. thankful that it was no worse, tom skipped back. “all's quiet along the potomac.”
“ugh!” exclaimed joel, burrowing deeper. suddenly he threw himself up straight and regarded tom out of flashing eyes. “i've killed phronsie,” he cried huskily, “and you know it, and won't tell me!”
“joel pepper!” cried tom, frightened half out of his wits, and rushing to him; “lie down again,” laying a firm hand on his shoulder.
“i won't,” roared joel wildly, and shaking282 him off. “you're keeping something from me, tom.”
“you're an idiot,” declared tom, thinking it quite time to be high-handed, “a first-class, howling idiot, pepper, to act so. if you don't believe me, when i say i haven't anything to keep back from you, i'll go straight upstairs. some one will tell me.”
“hurry along,” cried joel feverishly. but tom had gotten no further than the hall, when joel howled, “come back, tom, i'll try—to—to bear it.” and tom flying back, joel was buried as far as his face went, in mamsie's cushion, sobbing as if his heart would break.
“it will disturb—them,” he said gustily, in between his sobs.
tom beresford let him cry on, and thrust his hands in his pockets, to stalk up and down the room. he longed to whistle, to give vent to his feelings; but concluding that wouldn't be understood, but be considered heartless, he held himself in check, and counted the slow minutes, for this was deadly tiresome, and beginning to get on his nerves. “i shall screech myself before long, i'm afraid.”
at last joel rolled over. “come here, do,283 tom,” and when tom got there, glad enough to be of use, joel pulled him down beside the sofa, and gripped him as only joel could. “do you mind, tom? i want to hang on to something.”
“no, indeed,” said tom heartily, vastly pleased, although he was nearly choked. “now you're behaving better.” he patted him on the back. “hark, joe! the doctor's laughing!”
they could hear it distinctly now, and as long as he lived, joel thought, he never heard a sweeter sound. he sprang to his feet, upsetting tom, who rolled over on his back to the floor.
just then in rushed polly and jasper, surrounding him, and in a minute, “oh, is tom sick?”
“no,” said tom, picking himself up grimly, “only joe's floored me, he was so glad to hear the doctor laugh.”
“oh, you poor, poor boy!” polly was mothering joel now, just as mamsie would have done; and tom looking on with all his eyes, as he thought of his own home, with neither mother nor sister, didn't hear jasper at first. so jasper pulled his arm.
“see here, beresford, you and i will go down to the library, i think.”
“all right,” said tom, allowing himself to be284 led off, though he would much have preferred remaining.
“now, joel,” said polly, after they had gone, and the petting had continued for some minutes, “you must just be a brave boy, and please mamsie, and stop crying,” for joel had been unable to stop the tears.
“i—i—didn't—see—phronsie coming,” wailed joel afresh.
“of course you didn't,” said polly, stroking his black curls. “why, joey pepper, did you think for an instant that any one blamed you?” she leaned over and set some kisses, not disturbing joel that some of them fell on his stubby nose.
“n-no,” said joel, through the rain of drops down his cheeks, “but it was phronsie, polly.” it was no use to try to check him yet, for the boy's heart was almost broken, and so polly let him cry on. but she bestowed little reassuring pats on his shaking shoulders, all the while saying the most comforting things she could think of.
“and just think, joey,” she cried suddenly, “you were the one who found dr. pennell. oh, i should think you'd be so glad!”285
“i am glad,” said joel, beginning to feel a ray of comfort.
“and how quickly you brought him, joe!” said polly, delighted at the effect of her last remark.
“did i?” said joel in a surprised way, and roused out of his crying; “i thought it was ever so long, polly.”
“i don't see how you ever did it, joel, in all this world,” declared polly positively.
joel didn't say that it was because he was a sprinter at school, he found himself equal to the job; nor did he think it of enough importance to mention how many people he had run into, leaving a great amount of vexation in his rear as he sped on.
“he was just going out of his door,” he announced simply.
“oh joey!” gasped polly. then she hugged him rapturously. “but you caught him.”
“yes, i caught him, and we jumped into his carriage; and that's all.”
“but it was something to be always proud of,” cried polly, in a transport.
joel, feeling very glad that there was something to be proud of at all in this evening's286 transactions, sat up quite straight at this, and wiped his eyes.
“now that's a good boy,” said polly encouragingly. “mamsie will be very glad.” and she ran over to get a towel, dip it in the water basin, and bring it back.
“oh, that feels so good!” said joel, with a wintry smile, as she sopped his red eyelids and poor, swollen nose.
“so it must,” said polly pitifully, “and i'm going to bring the basin here, and do it some more.” which she did; so that by the time phronsie was brought downstairs to sleep in mrs. fisher's room, joel was quite presentable.
“here they come!” announced polly radiantly, hearing the noise on the stairs, and running back to set the basin and towel in their places. “now, joey, you can see for yourself that phronsie is all right.”
and there she was, perched on dr. pennell's shoulder, to be sure, and mamsie hurrying in to her boy, and everything was just as beautiful as it could be!
“see, joel, i'm all fixed up nice,” laughed phronsie from her perch.
see, joel, i'm all fixed up nice, laughed phronsie from her perch.
joel's mouth worked dreadfully, but he saw mamsie's eyes, so he piped up bravely, “i'm so glad, phronsie.” it sounded very funnily, for it died away in his throat, and he couldn't have said another word possibly; but phronsie was sleepy, and didn't notice. and then the doctor said they must go out; so with a last glance at phronsie, to be sure that she was all right, joel went off, polly holding his hand.
the next evening they were all drawn up before the library fire; polly on the big rug with joel's head in her lap, his eyes fixed on phronsie, who was ensconced in an easy-chair, close to which grandpapa was sitting.
“tell stories, do, polly,” begged van.
“yes, do, polly,” said little dick, who had spent most of the day in trying to get near to phronsie, keeping other people very much occupied in driving him off, as she had to be very quiet. “do, polly,” he begged.
“oh, polly's tired,” said jasper, knowing that she had been with phronsie all her spare time, and looking at the brown eyes which were drooping a bit in the firelight.
“oh, no, i will,” said polly, rousing herself, and feeling that she ought not to be tired, when phronsie was getting well so fast, and everything288 was so beautiful. “i'll tell you one. let me see, what shall it be about?” and she leant her head in her hands to think a bit.
“let her off,” said jasper; “do, boys. i'll tell you one instead,” he said.
“no, we don't want yours,” said van, not very politely. “we want polly's.”
“for shame, van!” said percy, who dearly loved to reprove his brother, and never allowed the occasion to slip when he could do so.
“for shame yourself!” retorted van, flinging himself down on the rug. “you're everlastingly teasing polly to do things when she's tired to death. so there, percy whitney.”
“oh, i'll tell the story,” polly said, hastily bringing her brown head up, while phronsie began to look troubled.
“i'd like to tell a story,” said tom beresford slowly, where he sat just back of the big rug.
all the young folks turned to regard him, and van was just going to say, “oh, we don't want yours, tom,” when polly leaned forward, “oh, will you—will you, tom?” so eagerly that van hadn't the heart to object.
“yes, i will,” promised tom, nodding at her.
“well, get down on the rug, then,” said jasper,289 moving up; “the story-teller always has to have a place of honor here.”
“that so?” cried tom; “well, here goes,” and he precipitated himself at once into the midst of things.
“ow! get out,” cried van crossly, and giving him a push.
“oh vanny!” said polly reprovingly.
“well, he's so big and long,” grumbled van, who didn't fancy anybody coming between him and polly.
“i might cut off a piece of my legs,” said tom, “to oblige you, i suppose. they are rather lengthy, and that's a fact,” regarding them as they stretched out in the firelight. “i'll curl 'em up in a twist like a turk,” which he did.
“well, now,” said jasper, “we are ready. so fire ahead, beresford.”
joel, who all this time had been regarding his friend curiously, having never heard him tell a story at dr. marks' school, couldn't keep his eyes from him, but regarded him with a fixed stare, which tom was careful to avoid, by looking steadily into the fire.
“well, now, i'm not fine at expressing myself,” he began.290
“i should think not,” put in joel uncomplimentarily.
“joe, you beggar, hush up!” said jasper, with a warning pinch.
“yes, just sit on that individual, will you, jasper?” said tom, over his shoulder, “or i never will even begin.”
so, jasper promising to quench all further disturbance on joel's part, the story was taken up.
“i can only tell a plain, unvarnished tale,” said tom, “but it's one that ought to be told, and in this very spot. perhaps you don't any of you know, that in dr. marks' school it's awfully hard to be good.”
“is it any harder than in any other school, tom?” asked mrs. fisher quietly.
tom turned, to reply: “i don't know, mrs. fisher, because i haven't been at any other school. but i can't imagine a place where everything is made so hard for a boy. to begin with, there is old fox.”
“oh tom!” exclaimed phronsie, leaning forward, whereat old mr. king laid a warning hand upon the well arm. “there, there, phronsie; sit back, child;” so she obeyed. “but, grandpapa, he said there was an old fox at291 joey's school,” she declared, dreadfully excited, and lifting her face to his.
“well, and so she is, phronsie,” declared tom, whirling his long body suddenly around, thereby receiving a dig in the back from van, who considered him intruding on his space, “a fox by name, and a fox by nature; but we'll call her, for convenience, a person.”
“she's the matron,” said percy, feeling called upon to explain.
“oh!” said phronsie, drawing a long breath, “but i thought tom said she was a fox, grandpapa.”
“that's her name,” said tom, nodding at her; “jemima fox—isn't that a sweet name, phronsie?”
“i don't think it is a very sweet one, tom,” said phronsie, feeling quite badly to be obliged to say so.
“i agree with you,” said tom, while the others all laughed. “well, phronsie, she's just as far from being nice as her name is.”
“oh dear me!” exclaimed phronsie, looking quite grieved.
“but i have something nice to tell you,” said tom quickly, “so i'll hurry on, and let the other292 personages at dr. marks' slide. well,—but i want you all to understand, though”—and he wrinkled up his brows,—“that when a fellow does real, bang-up, fine things at that school, it means something. you will, won't you?” he included them all now in a sweeping glance, letting his blue eyes rest the longest on mrs. fisher's face; while phronsie broke in, “what's bang-up, grandpapa?”
“you must ask tom,” replied grandpapa, with a little laugh.
“oh, that's just schoolboy lingo,” tom made haste to say, as his face got red.
“what's lingo?” asked phronsie, more puzzled than before.
“that's—that's—oh, dear!” tom's face rivalled the firelight by this time, for color.
“phronsie, i wouldn't ask any more questions now,” said polly gently. “boys say so many things; and it isn't necessary to know now. let's listen to the story.”
“i will,” said phronsie, feeling quite relieved that it wasn't really incumbent on her to ask for explanations. so she sat back quietly in her big chair, while tom shot polly a grateful look.
“well, there are lots of chaps at our school,”293 went on tom—“i suppose there are at all schools, but at any rate we have them in a big quantity,—who are mad when they see the other boys get on.”
“oh, tom!” exclaimed polly.
“yes, they are—mad clear through,” declared tom positively. “and it's principally in athletics.” phronsie made a little movement at this word, but, remembering that she was not to ask questions, for polly had said so, she became quiet again.
“they simply can't bear that a boy gets ahead of 'em; it just knocks 'em all up.” tom was rushing on, with head thrown back and gazing into the fire.
“tom,” said joel, bounding up suddenly to take his head out of polly's lap, and to sit quite straight, “i wouldn't run on like this if i were you.”
“you hush up, pepper,” said tom coolly. “i haven't said a word about you. i shall say what i like. i tell you, it does just knock 'em all up. i know, for i've been that way myself.”
this was getting on such dangerous ground, that joel opened his mouth to remonstrate, but polly put her hand over it. “i'd let tom tell his294 story just as he wants to,” which had the effect of smothering joel's speech for the time being.
“i thought, jasper, you were going to quench joe,” observed tom, who seemed to have the power to see out of the back of his head, and now was conscious of the disturbance. “you don't seem to be much good.”
“oh, polly's doing it this time,” said jasper; “i'll take him in tow on the next offence.”
“yes, i have,” declared tom, “been that way myself. i'm going to tell you how, and then i'll feel better about it.” his ruddy face turned quite pale now, and his eyes shone.
“stop him,” howled joel, all restraint thrown to the winds, and shaking off polly's fingers.
jasper leaned forward. “i'm bound to make you keep the peace, joe,” he said, shaking his arm.
“but he's going to tell about things he ought not to,” cried joel, in an agony. “do stop him, jasper.”
mother fisher leaned forward, and fastened her black eyes on joel's face. “i think tom better go on, joel,” she said. “i want to hear it.”
that settled the matter; and joel threw himself295 down, his face buried in polly's lap, while he stuck his fingers in his ears.
“i'm going to tell you all this story,” tom was saying, “because i ought to. you won't like me very well after it, but it's got to come out. well, i might as well mention names now, since joe has got to keep still. you can't guess how he's been tormented by some of those cads, simply because he's our best tennis player, and on the football team. they've made things hum for him!” tom threw back his head, and clenched his fist where it lay in his lap. “and the rest of us boys got mad, especially at one of them. he was the ringleader, and the biggest cad and bully of them all.”
no one said a word.
“i hate to mention names; it seems awfully mean.” tom's face got fiery red again. “and yet, as you all know, why, it can't be helped. jenkins—well there, a fellow would want to be excused from speaking to him. and yet”—down fell tom's head shamefacedly—“i let him show me how he was going to play a dastardly trick on joe, the very day of the tennis tournament. i did, that's a fact.”
no one spoke; but tom could feel what might296 have been said had the thoughts all been expressed, and he burst out desperately, “i let that cad take joe's racket.”
a general rustle, as if some speech were coming, made him forestall it by plunging on, “his beautiful racket he'd been practising with for this tournament; and i not only didn't knock the scoundrel down, but i helped the thing along. i wouldn't have supposed i could do it. joe was to play with ricketson against green and me; and two minutes after it was done, i'd have given everything to have had it back on joe's table. but the boys were pouring up, and it was hidden.”
tom could get no further, but hung his head for the reaction sure to set in against him by all this household that had welcomed and entertained him so handsomely.
“has he got through? has the beggar finished?” cried joel lustily.
“yes,” said polly, in a low voice, “i think he has, joel.”
“then i want to say”—joel threw himself over by tom, his arms around him—“that he's the biggest fraud to spring such a trap on me, and plan to get off that yarn here.”297
“i didn't intend to when i came,” said tom, thinking it necessary to tell the whole truth. “i hadn't the courage.”
“pity you had now!” retorted joel. “oh, you beggar!” he laid his round cheek against tom's. “mamsie, grandpapa, polly,” his black eyes sweeping the circle, “if i were to tell you all that this chap has done for me,—why, he took me to the place where jenk hid the racket.”
“pshaw! that was nothing,” said tom curtly.
“nothing? well, i got it in time for the tournament. you saw to that. and when jenk and i were having it out in the pine grove that night, tom thought he better tell dave; though i can't say i thank you for that,” brought up joel regretfully, “for i was getting the best of jenk.”
old mr. king had held himself well in check up to this point. “how did you know, tom, my boy, that joel and er—this—”
“jenk,” furnished joel.
“yes—er—jenk, were going to settle it that night?”
“why, you see, sir,” tom, in memory of the excitement and pride over joel's prowess, so far recovered himself as to turn to answer, “joel couldn't very well finish it there, for the dormitory298 got too hot for that sort of thing; although it would have been rare good sport for all the fellows to have seen jenk flat, for he was always beating other chaps—i mean little ones, not half his size.”
“oh dear me!” breathed polly indignantly.
“yes; well, joe promised jenk he would finish it some other time; and jenk dared him, and taunted him after the tournament. he was wild with rage because joel won; and he lost his head, or he would have let joe alone.”
“i see,” exclaimed grandpapa, his eyes shining. “well, and so you sat up and watched the affair.”
“i couldn't go to bed, you know,” said tom simply.
“and he would have saved us, dave and me, if that jenk hadn't locked the door on us when he slipped in.”
“cad!” exclaimed tom, between his teeth. “he ought to have been expelled for that. and then joe shinned up the conductor—and you know the rest.”
mother fisher shivered, and leaned over involuntarily toward her boy.
“mamsie,” exclaimed joel, “you don't know299 what tom is to me, in that school. he's just royal—that's what he is!” with a resounding slap on his back.
“and i say so too,” declared mother fisher, with shining eyes.
“what?” roared tom, whirling around so suddenly that van this time got out of the way only by rolling entirely off from the rug. “mrs. fisher—you can't, after i've told you this, although i'm no-end sorry about the racket. i didn't want to tell,—fought against it, but i had to.”
“i stand by what i've said, tom,” said mrs. fisher, putting out her hand, when tom immediately laid his big brown one within it. at this, joel howled with delight, which he was unable to express enough to meet his wishes; so he plunged off to the middle of the library floor, and turned a brace of somersaults, coming up red and shining.
“i feel better now,” he said; “that's the way i used to do in the little brown house when i liked things.”
