CHAPTER IV.
THE ORDER OF THE BLACK STAR.
Colonel Silsbee's manner was deliberate, and his voice was very firm ashe began to speak.
"I promised your committee," he said, "to give you my decision atthis time in the matter of your proposed holiday. I will say at theoutset, that your request, if it may be considered a request, cannotbe granted. Perhaps I should leave the matter there, and refrain fromgiving you the reasons for my decision; but this is an unusual case,and I will take the unusual course of explaining my action.
"There are several good reasons for my decision to deny what you ask.In the first place, it would have been impossible to make the properarrangements between the time your petition was handed to me andthe time at which it would have been necessary to start. Moreover, Iam informed that the woods are still too damp to make it quite safefor you to spend a whole day there. Some of you are quite delicatein health, and I should not be willing to allow you thus to exposeyourselves.
"These reasons would be sufficient on which to base a refusal of yourdemand if there were no others; but there are others, and they are suchas to make a refusal necessary simply as a matter of school discipline.
"I cannot--no teacher could--receive with favor a paper couched in suchlanguage as is the one which you have presented to me this morning. Aholiday in this school is not a matter of right, but of grace. Thatmust be plainly understood. Petitions must be so worded as to implyauthority in the principal; if they are not, they certainly will notbe granted; they will not even be considered. More than that, thepresentation hereafter of such a petition as the one of this morningwill be regarded not only as a breach of courtesy, but of discipline,and will be acted upon accordingly.
"I will take this opportunity to add something more. There has beenfor some weeks a spirit of disorder prevalent among you, which must beeffectually quelled before any favors can be shown to the school as awhole. We have been very patient with you, and have tried to temperjustice with mercy. Now I desire to give you fair notice that I proposeto be master here, and that the rules of this school, and the ordersof my teachers and officers, must be obeyed to the letter. If any boychooses to dispute this point practically, we shall make it convenientto do without him at Riverpark.
"But while desiring and intending to maintain strict discipline in theschool, I desire to be not only fair and just, but magnanimous; andwhen I discover a better feeling on your part, and an honest effortto live up to your duties as gentlemen and soldiers, I shall mostassuredly meet you more than half way.
"Let this be made manifest by your conduct, and it will not benecessary for you to present petitions; it will be my pleasure toanticipate your reasonable desires for enjoyment, and to indulge themwithout the asking.
"Now you understand me. I regret that in thus speaking to you it isnecessary for me to address the school as a whole. There are manlyboys here who deserve only words of commendation. They are the moredeserving, because they have maintained a high standing in the midst ofadverse influences. I take this opportunity to thank them publicly.
"Officer of the day, you may call the classes."
The last words were addressed to the cadet-official who sat at thedesk. Then Colonel Silsbee descended from the platform, crossed theroom, and entered his office.
There was no opportunity for the petitioners to take counsel togetherconcerning the refusal of their petition until the recess for luncheonat twelve o'clock. The sandwiches were brought up, as usual, in a hugetray, and placed on the desk, and each boy took one as he passed by inthe march from the schoolroom. A minute later, in the drill-hall, thepetitioners gathered in excited groups, and discussed the situationloudly.
There was general disappointment, and not a little ill-feeling; therewere even some expressions of downright anger.
A few of the boys boldly declared their determination to take a holidayat the first opportunity, with or without leave; but for the greaternumber, the determined words and earnest manner of Colonel Silsbee hadacted as a temporary check to the formation of projects involving anybreach of the rules.
The recess was only fifteen minutes in length, and the students weresoon all back in the schoolroom, where the usual order of exercises wascarried out; but nobody remembered a day on which all the recitationshad been so poor, and everybody was glad when the afternoon session wasat an end.
At two o'clock came dinner. Drill was from three to four; after thatthe session for delinquents, and then an hour's respite before retreat.
During this interval, a half-dozen of the leading spirits of disorderlocked themselves in Fryant's room to discuss plans for "getting evenwith the old man." It seemed to be "the sense of the meeting" that aholiday should be had, regardless of the morning's refusal.
The only questions at issue were, how, when, and where the projectcould be carried out. No one was quite bold enough, as yet, to proposethat the school as a body, or any material part of it, should set outfor a holiday, purposely and deliberately, against the will of theprincipal. That would be open rebellion. But as the discussion andfeeling both waxed warmer, the approach to such an end became moreapparent.
"He's tyrannized over us long enough!" exclaimed Drake. "If we don'tshow him what our rights are, an' take 'em, we'll get to be niggerslaves before the term's done!"
"Talk about our being gentlemen and soldiers!" protested another,pompously. "We are, and more. But when oppression grows too severe,even soldiers rebel against it, and the civilized world upholds them inrebellion. I say go! I say run up the black flag! I say fight, if needbe, for liberty! I say--"
There came a knock at the door, and the impassioned orator lapsed intosudden and trembling silence; but it was only one of the delinquents,who had heard of the meeting, and desired to participate in it. He wasallowed to enter.
Not long afterward another one came, and still others, until finallythe room was full of excited and rebellious boys. The latest comer wasPlumpy.
"Plumpy," said Fryant, authoritatively, "this is a secret brotherhood,with a well-defined object. Do you desire to join the mysticfraternity?"
"If the court knows herself," answered the fat boy, "she do."
"Very well. Let's initiate him into the--the--"
"Order of the Black Star," suggested some one.
"Yes, Order of the Black Star. Now, John Porcupine Fatness deMontmorency Jones, remove all unnecessary clothing from above yourwaist."
"Will you allow me first to make my will, gentlemen? 'Let but thecommons hear this testament, which, pardon me, I do not mean to--'"
"No! no!" shouted a half-dozen boys, pouncing on him, pulling off hiscoat and vest, and opening wide the bosom of his shirt.
"Bring forth the ink indelible, and set the seal of our most nobleorder on his brawny front."
A mucilage-brush was dipped into an ink-bottle by some one, and a greatrude star was hastily daubed on the fat boy's bared and ample breast,in spite of his struggles and his squeals.
The operation served to put new ideas into the fertile mind of Drake.
"Let's have a genuine society," he said, "and have a black star for abadge, and every one that belongs to it wear it under the lapel of hiscoat, or inside his jacket."
The idea was caught up enthusiastically, and in a few moments a dozenhands were busy cutting rude stars out of paper, daubing them withblack ink, and pinning them to coats and vests. In the midst of thisoccupation the signal for retreat was heard; and with an understandingthat they should hold all matters secret, and meet again in the sameroom immediately after supper, the members of the new Order hurriedaway.
On no one in the school had Colonel Silsbee's address of the morningfallen with greater severity than on Brightly. The strong denunciationof the language of the petition had cut deeply into his sensibilities.Every boy in the school knew that he had drawn the paper; he believedthat Colonel Silsbee himself knew it.
He had of late grown partially indifferent to his suspension anddisgrace; even the stings of consc
ience were becoming somewhat dulled;but now came a thrust at his pride and vanity that not only made new,deep wounds, but set the old ones bleeding afresh. It roused withinhim a spirit of resentment that he had not felt before; it changedhis moodiness into reckless obstinacy; it gave him an excuse to takeanother long leap downward.
He had descended, by degrees, from his lofty height of six monthsbefore, one step after another, three steps at a time, until, with thislatest plunge, he found himself down among the common elements, amongignoble spirits, mixing with the lawless crowd.
He felt, indeed, the shame, the disgrace, the humiliation of it all;he suffered far more than he himself knew. But he had allowed thisinsidious disease so to sap his moral strength and weaken his force ofcharacter, that he had now neither the courage nor the will to make theattempt to climb back to manhood and self-respect.
The situation had become so manifestly serious that Harple again madethe attempt, that afternoon, to reason his misguided chum into adifferent state of mind. The good fellow was patient, persevering,tearfully earnest; but, alas! he was wholly unsuccessful. Thedemoralized student was in no mood even to listen with respect. Herepelled every kind advance with sharp impatience. He was excited andfeverish; he paced the floor nervously; he was fast losing control ofhis own will.
Harple's alarm increased rapidly and materially. He put on his cap,went downstairs, and walked out alone across the fields, trying todevise some plan of rescue for his friend. He felt that the danger wasgreat and immediate.
Brede was no less annoyed and excited about the result of the petitionthan was Brightly himself. His name had been the first one signed toit. He felt that Colonel Silsbee's denunciation had been aimed directlyat him, and it roused anger and resentment in his breast also.
Since the night of his visit to Colonel Silsbee's office, after thefight between Brightly and Belcher, his lower nature had come to thefront, and had manifested itself in a hundred ugly ways; and since thehour when Brightly's bold lie blocked his path to sweet revenge, hehad made no effort to hold his evil disposition in check. Stings ofjealousy, hurts of reproof, pangs of disappointment, had so clouded andembittered for him the passing days, that not even his fondness forflattery or pride of position could keep him longer above the leveltoward which his natural inclinations were constantly drawing him.
And now, this morning, the last straw had fallen; he could bear theburden of respectability no longer. He threw discretion and evenself-respect to the winds, and declared his readiness to take partin any rebellious plan for pleasure, no matter how desperate or howdisorderly.
So a strange thing happened. When the conspirators met in Fryant's roomthat evening, according to agreement, both Brightly and Brede werepresent with them.
Every boy wondered at that; every one knew that they were rivals andenemies, and had been since the first week they were at the schooltogether; every one knew that the exalted positions to which both hadattained were the result, in great part, of the ungenerous rivalrybetween them, of the strong determination on the part of each to outdothe other for the mere sake of outdoing; every one knew moreover, thatduring the last few weeks the feeling between them had degenerated intodownright bitterness and hate.
Yet here they were, ready to join hands with each other and theircompanions in any wild scheme for the upheaval of discipline and theinauguration of rebellion.
The door was locked, and the meeting began its secret session. The mostimportant thing that suggested itself was a grip, the fashion of which,after much discussion, was decided on. Then a password was adopted.Finally, it occurred to some one to suggest that the society shouldhave officers.
Plumpy spoke up. "I move," he said, "that Captain Brede be the ChiefHigh Muck-a-Muck of this Benighted Band of Brothers."
For once, his words were taken seriously, and by whispered votes Bredewas elected chief.
"Now," continued Plumpy, "I nominate Temporary Ex-Lieutenant Brightlyfor Grand Scribbler of the Lone Goose Quill, Great Splasher of theBlood-red Seal, Most Gorgeous Manipulator of the Golden Purse, and--"
Brightly stepped out from the crowd. "I don't want your offices," hesaid impatiently. "I'm ready to go with you any time, anywhere, and domy part; but I don't want your offices."
The zeal for electing officers suddenly died out, and exciteddiscussion ensued as to how and when the object of the organizationcould be best accomplished.
It was finally agreed that the chairman should appoint a committee offive to decide upon that matter. The rest were to hold themselves inreadiness to go, at a moment's notice, whenever the committee shouldgive the word, and to follow without question the lead of the chief.Among his five advisers Brede did not appoint Brightly.
The drum, sounding the call for the evening session, interrupted thedeliberations of the conspirators; and, one by one, they passed quietlyinto the hall and down the stairs. The short recess preceding tattoowas devoted to proselyting, and before taps sounded that night, many anink-splashed paper star was pinned in a hidden place on coat or vest.
In the school at large there was feverish excitement. Those who werenot in the secret were puzzled by the general air of mystery whichprevailed. Those who were in the conspiracy gathered in whisperinggroups, and discussed the situation.
Morning came, but the excitement had not abated,--indeed, it had grownin intensity. At the breakfast-table the teachers noted the spiritof suppressed turbulence which seemed to be in the air, and fearedtrouble. Two of them went to Colonel Silsbee as soon as the dining-roomwas clear, and gave expression to their fear. They related variousmatters which had attracted their attention during the previous day andevening, and which seemed to indicate that serious mischief was brewing.
In the mean time, in the drill-hall, down in a corner by the armory,Brede was holding a consultation with his committee. The discussion wasan animated one.
"I say to-day!" exclaimed Fryant,--"now! There's no time like thepresent; we'll never have a better chance."
"But we're not ready," protested another; "we've got no plan; we don'tknow where we're going!"
"It don't matter where we go," insisted Drake,--"anywhere to get outof this place; an' we don't want a plan,--that 'ud be too much like aregular holiday. It's a hundred times jollier to let things turn up asthey will, an' take 'em as they come. I say go!"
"The only way to decide it," said Brede, "is to vote on it. Whatever amajority of us vote to do we'll do, and we can't afford to lose anytime about it either. All you who want to take a holiday to-day say'Ay'!"
There was a chorus of ays. There was but one dissenting voice in thecommittee, and the owner of that was soon won over.
"Now, let's have it unanimous," said Fryant; "put the motion again,Brede."
The motion was put again, and was carried with a yell.
The other students, many of whom were gathered in whispering groups,or were passing rapidly from one group to another, startled by thisunusual sound, turned toward Brede and his companions to learn thecause of it. Fryant broke away from the group and started toward themiddle of the floor, gesticulating wildly.
"The time has come!" he cried. "Order of the Black Star, we goto-day!--now--ready--get your caps--follow us--come on!"
For a moment there was dead silence. Every one was too astonishedto speak or to move; the order to go had come with such startlingsuddenness. Then Brede made a dash for his cap. Others ran for theirs.There was a general movement toward the drill-hall door. Talking andshouting began again. Some one cried, "Show your stars!" and in amoment the ink-splashed paper stars were displayed outside of coatsand jackets. Plumpy produced one on which he had labored zealously thenight before, and which covered his entire breast.
Outside there was a moment's halt. Brede had turned toward his rashfollowers, many of whom were pale and trembling with excitement, andcried tragically:
"All cowards turn back! All men and soldiers follow me!"
Then, closely surrounded by the leading spirits of rebellion, he movedrapid
ly across the drill-ground toward the high board fence thatenclosed Riverpark on the south. The rest followed them like frightenedsheep.
Some went, realizing fully the enormity of their offence. Others werecarried away in the whirl of passion and excitement; and still others,reckless of results, caring nothing for either past or future, wentwithout a thought beyond the desire to go.