CHAPTER VI.
INTO THE SHADOWS.
As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw severalboys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside. Theywere laughing loudly at something that was taking place there. On theoutskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure ofSpotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peeredover the heads of those in front of him.
Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks,checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress. At thesound of that voice, he turned quickly toward the boys beneath the treeand forced his way among them, pushing some of them unceremoniouslyaside.
What he saw caused a fierce look to come to his face and his freckledcheeks to flush; for in the midst of the group was Hunk Rollins, a lookof vicious pleasure on his face, holding little Jimmy Jones by the ear,which he was twisting with brutal pleasure, showing his ugly teeth ashe laughed at the tortured lad’s cries and pleadings.
“Oh, that don’t hurt any!” the bullying fellow declared, as he gaveanother twist. “What makes ye holler? It’s only fun, and you’ll like itwhen you get used to it.”
A moment later Ben reached the spot and sent the tormentor reeling witha savage thrust, at the same time snatching the sobbing cripple fromhim.
“You miserable coward!” he cried, hoarse with anger.
The cripple gave a cry and clung to him. “Don’t let him hurt me anymore, Ben!” he pleaded. “He’s pulled my hair an’ my nose, an’ ’mosttwisted my ear off. I was comin’ to meet you to tell you I ketched asquirrel in the trap.”
In sullen silence the watching boys had fallen back. Ben was facingHunk Rollins, and in his eyes there was a look that made the bullyhesitate.
“Now you’ll see a fight,” said one of the group, in an awed tone. “Hunkwill give it to him.”
Rollins had been astonished, but he knew what was expected of him, andhe began to bluster fiercely, taking a step toward Stone, who did notretreat or move.
“Who are you calling a coward? Who are you pushing?” snarled thelow-browed chap, scowling his blackest, and assuming his fiercestaspect, his huge hands clenched.
“You!” was the prompt answer. “No one but a coward and a brute wouldhurt a harmless little cripple.”
“You take care!” raged Hunk. “I won’t have you calling me names! I wantyou to understand that, too. Who are you? You’re nothing but the son ofa jail-bird!”
“Go for him, Hunk!” urged Spotty Davis, his voice making a whistlingsound through the space left by his missing teeth. “Soak him a goodone!”
“I’ll soak him if he ever puts his hands on me again,” declaredRollins, who was desirous of maintaining his reputation, yet hesitatedbefore that dangerous look on Stone’s face. “I don’t care to fight withno low fellow like him.”
“Hunk’s scared of him,” cried one of the boys, and then the othersgroaned in derision.
Stung by this, the bully roared, “I’ll show you!” and made a jump and aswinging blow at Ben. His arm was knocked aside, and Stone’s heavy fistlanded with terrible violence on his chin, sending him to the ground ina twinkling.
The boys uttered exclamations of astonishment.
With his fists clenched and his uncomely face awesome to look upon, BenStone took one step and stood over Rollins, waiting for him to rise. Itwas thus that Prof. Richardson saw them as he pushed through thegathering of boys. Without pausing, he placed himself between them, andturned on Ben.
“It has not taken you very long, Stone,” he said, in a manner that madeBen shrink and shiver, “to demonstrate beyond question that what Mr.Hayden told me about you is true. I told you it is my custom to judgeevery boy by his acts and by what he proves himself to be. For all ofyour apparently sincere promise to me a short time ago, you have thusquickly shown your true character, and I shall act on what I have seen.”
“He hit me, sir,” Hunk hastened to explain, having risen to his feet.“He came right in here and pushed me, and then he hit me.”
Ben opened his lips to justify himself. “Professor, if you’ll let meexplain——”
“I need no explanations; I have seen quite enough to satisfy me,”declared the professor coldly. “You have not reformed since the timewhen you made a vicious and brutal assault on Bernard Hayden.”
Involuntarily, Ben lifted an unsteady hand to his mutilated ear, as ifthat could somehow justify him for what had happened. His face wasashen, and the hopeless look of desperation was again in his eyes.
Upon the appearance of Prof. Richardson, many of the boys had lost notime in hurrying away; the others he now told to go home, at the sametime turning his back on Ben. The miserable lad stood there and watchedthem depart, the academy principal walking with Rollins, who, in hisown manner and to his own justification, was relating what had takenplace beneath the tree.
As Ben stood thus gazing after them, he felt a hand touch his, andheard the voice of little Jimmy at his side.
“I’m sorry,” said the lame boy, “I’m awfully sorry if I got you intoany trouble, Ben.”
“You’re not to blame,” was the husky assurance.
“Mebbe I hadn’t oughter come, but I wanted to tell y’u ’bout thesquirrel I ketched. He’s jest the handsomest feller! Hunk Rollins he’salwus plaguin’ an’ hurtin’ me when he gets a chance. My! but you didhit him hard!”
“Not half as hard as he ought to be hit!” exclaimed Ben, with suchsavageness that the lame lad was frightened.
With Jimmy clinging to his hand, they walked down the road together.The little cripple tried to cheer his companion by saying:
“You warn’t to blame; why didn’t you say you warn’t?”
“What good would it have done!” cried Ben bitterly. “The professorwouldn’t listen to me. I tried to tell him, but he stopped me.Everything and every one is against me, Jimmy. I have no friends and nochance.”
“I’m your friend,” protested the limping lad. “I think you’re jest thebest feller I ever knew.”
To Jimmy’s surprise, Ben caught him up in his strong arms and squeezedhim, laughing with a choking sound that was half a sob:
“I forgot you.”
“I know I don’t ’mount to much,” said the cripple, as he was lifted toStone’s shoulder and carried there; “but I like you jest the same. Iwant you to see my squirrel. I’ve got him in an old bird cage. I’mgoin’ to make a reg’ler cage for him, an’ I thought p’raps you’d showme how an’ help me some.”
Ben spent the greater part of the noon hour in the woodshed with littleJimmy, admiring the squirrel and explaining how a cage might be made.Mrs. Jones heard them talking and laughing, and peered out at them, herface beaming as she wiped her hands on her apron.
“Land!” she smiled; “Jimmy’s ’most crazy over that squirrel. You don’ts’pose it’ll die, do y’u?”
“Not if it can have a big cage with plenty of room to exercise,”answered Ben. “It’s a young one, and it seems to be getting tamealready.”
“Well, I’m glad. Jimmy he’s jest silly over pets. But I tell him itain’t right to keep the squirrel alwus shut up, an’ that he’d betterlet him go bimeby. Goodness! I can’t waste my time this way. I’ve gotmy han’s full to-day.”
Then she disappeared.
“Mother she thinks it ain’t jest right to keep a squirrel in a cage,”said the lame boy, with a slight cloud on his face. “What ju think,Ben?”
“Well,” said Ben, “it’s this way, Jimmy: Yesterday this little squirrelwas frolicking in the woods, running up and down the trees and over theground, playing with other squirrels and enjoying the open air and thesunshine. Now he’s confined in a cramped cage here in this dark oldwoodshed, taken from his companions and shut off from the sunshine andthe big beautiful woods. Try to put yourself in his place, Jimmy. Howwould you like it if a great giant came along, captured you, carriedyou off where you could not
see your mother or your friends, and shutyou up in a narrow dungeon with iron bars?”
Jimmy sat quite still, watching the little captive vainly nosing at thewires in search of an opening by which he might get out. As he watched,the squirrel faced him and sat up straight, its beautiful tail erect,its tiny forefeet held limp.
“Oh, see, Ben—see!” whispered the lame lad. “He’s beggin’ jest like adog; he’s askin’ me to let him go. I couldn’t keep him after that. Isha’n’t want no cage f’r him, Ben; I’m goin’ to let him go back to thewoods to find the other squirrels he uster play with.”
Together they carried the cage out into the old grove back of thehouse, where Jimmy himself opened the door. For a moment or two thecaptive shrank back in doubt, but suddenly he whisked through the doorand darted up a tree. Perched on a limb, he uttered a joyful,chittering cry.
“He’s laughing!” cried the lame boy, clapping his hands. “See how happyhe is, Ben! I’m awful glad I didn’t keep him.”
The first bell was ringing as Ben turned toward the academy.
“Why, you ain’t had no dinner!” called Jimmy, suddenly aware of thatfact.
“I didn’t want any,” truthfully declared Ben, as he vaulted a fence.“So long, Jimmy.” He waved his hand and hurried on.
He did not return to the academy, however. As the second bell beganringing, he paused on the edge of the deep, dark woods, which lay tothe north of Turkey Hill. Looking back, he could see the academy, thelake and the village. The sound of the bell, mellowed by the distance,seemed full of sadness and disappointment. When it ceased, he turnedand strode on, and the shadowy woods swallowed him.
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