The Gold-Stealers A Story Of Waddy - Edward Dyson (e reader books TXT) 📗
- Author: Edward Dyson
Book online «The Gold-Stealers A Story Of Waddy - Edward Dyson (e reader books TXT) 📗». Author Edward Dyson
Undoing; For Presently Dick Detected Jacker In an Attempt To Deceive, And
Signalled 'Down!' With An Emphatic Gesture. 'Gerrout!' Was The Word
Framed By The Lips Of The Indignant Jacker. Haddon Gesticulated An Angry
Protest, And Mcknight'S Gestures And Grimaces Were Intended To Convey A
Wish That He Might Be Visited With Unspeakable Pains And Penalties If He
Were Not An Entirely Virtuous And Grievously Misjudged Small Boy.
'It'S A Lie,' Hissed Dick; 'It Was Down!
'You'Re Another--It Wasn'T!
''Twas, I Tell You!'
'Twasn'T!
'Gimme My Knife; I Don'T Play With Sharps An' Sneaks.'
'Won'T!'
Gimme It!
All Caution Had Been Forgotten By This Time, Voices Were Shrill, And Eyes
Spoke Of Battle. Dick Made At Jacker With A Threatening Fist, And Jacker,
With An Adroitness For Which He Was Famous, Met Him With A Clip On The
Shin From A Copper-Toed Boot. Then The Lads Grappled And Commenced A
Vigorous And Enthusiastic Battle In The Dirt And Amongst The Cobweb
Curtains.
In The Schoolroom Above Joel Ham, Startled From A Dreamy Drowsiness,
Heard With Wonder Fierce Voices Under His Feet, The Sounds Of Blows And
Of Bumping Heads, And Saw His Scholars All Distracted. The Master Divined
The Truth In a Very Few Minutes.
'Cann, Peterson, Moonlight,' He Called, 'Follow Me.'
He Selected A Favourite Cane From The Rack, And Strutted Out With The
Curious Boys At His Heels.
'Now Then, Peterson,' He Said, And He Paused With Artful Preoccupation To
Double His Cane Over And Under, And Critically Examine The End Thereof,
'You Are A Very Observant Youth, Peterson; You Will Tell Me How Those
Boys Got Under The School.'
'Dunno,' Said Peterson, Assuming The Expression Of An Aged Cow.
The Master Seized Him By The Collar.
'Peterson, You Have The Faculty Of Divination. I Give You Till I Have
Counted Ten To Exert It. I Am Counting, Peterson.'
Very Often The Schoolmaster'S Language Was Greek To The Scholars, But His
Meaning Was Never In doubt For A Moment.
Chapter 1 Pg 6
'Eight, Peterson, Nine.'
Peterson Slouched Along A Few Yards, And Kicked Stupidly And Resentfully
At A Loose Board.
'Might 'A' Got In There,' He Growled. 'Why Couldn'T You 'A' Asked
Moonlight?--He Don' Mind Bein' A Sneak.'
But Mr. Ham Was Down On His Knees Removing The Loose Board, And For Two
Or Three Minutes After Crouched At The Opening Like A Famished Yellow Cat
At A Rat-Hole, Awaiting His Opportunity. Meanwhile The Fight Under The
School Was Being Prosecuted With Unabated Fury. Dick And Jacker Gripped
Like Twin Bull-Terriers, Rolling And Tumbling About In The Confined
Space, Careless Of Everything But The Important Business In Hand.
Suddenly Mr. Ham Made His Spring, And A Smart Haul Brought A Leg To
Light. Another Tug, And A Second Leg Shot Forth.
'Pull, Boys!' He Cried.
Moonlight Seized The Other Limb, And A Good Tug Brought The Two Boys Out
Into The Open, Still Fighting Enthusiastically And Apparently Oblivious
Of Their Surroundings. Two Soldier Ants Never Fought With Greater
Determination Or With Such A Whole-Souled Devotion To The Cause. Over And
Over They Tumbled In The Dust, Clutching Hair, Hammering Ribs, And
Grunting And Grasping, Blind, Deaf, And Callous As Logs; And Joel Ham
Stood Above Them With The Familiar Cynical Twist On His Blotched Visage,
Twisting His Cane And Making Audible Comments, But Offering No Further
Interference.
'After You, My Boys--After You. There Is No Hurry, Haddon, I Can Wait As
You Are So Busy. Mcknight, Your Future Is Assured. The Prize Ring Is Your
Sphere: There Wealth And Glory Await You. Peterson, You See Here How
Degraded That Boy Be Comes Who Forgets Those Higher Principles Which It
Is My Earnest Effort To Instil Into The Hearts And Minds Of The Boys Of
This Depraved Township. Cann, My Boy, Behold How Brutalising Is
Ungoverned Instinct.'
But, Wearying Of The Contest, The Master Made A Sudden Descent Upon
Jacker, And Tore Him From His Enemy'S Grasp. The Effort Brought Dick To
His Feet, Panting And Still Eager For The Fray. He Could Not See An Inch
Beyond His Nose, And For A Few Moments Moved About Fiercely, Feeling For
His Foe.
'D'You Gimme Best?' He Spluttered. 'If You Don'T, Come On--I Ain'T Done
Up!' Then He Flung The Curtain Of Cobweb From His Eyes, And The Situation
Flashed Upon Him In all Its Grim Significance. For A Swift Moment He
Thought Of Flight, But The Master'S Grip Was On His Collar.
'Blowed If It Ain'T Jo,' He Murmured In His Consternation, And Yielded
Meekly, Like One For Whom Fate Had Proved Too Strong.
The Schoolmaster'S White-Lashed Eyelids Blinked Rapidly For A Second Or
So, And He Screwed His Face Into A Hard Wrinkled Grin Of Gratification.
Chapter 1 Pg 7'Yes, Ginger, My Lad,' He Said Genially, 'Jo, At Your Service--Very Much
At Your Service; And Yours, Mcknight. We Will Go Inside Now, Boys. The
Sun Is Painfully Hot, And You Are Fatigued.'
He Marched His Captives Before Him Into The School Room And Ranged Them
Against The Wall, Under The Wide-Open Wondering Eyes Of The Scholars, By
Whom Even The Most Trifling Incident Of Rebellion Was Always Welcomed
With Glee As A Break In The Dull Monotony Of Joel Ham'S Peculiar System.
But This Was No Trifling Incident, It Was A Tremendous Outrage And A
Delightful Mystery; For The Boys As They Stood There Presented To The
Amazed Classes A Strange And Amazing Spectacle, And Were Clothed In an
Original And, So Far As The Children Were Concerned, An Inexplicable
Disguise. Fighting And Tumbling About Under The School House, Haddon And
Mcknight Had Gathered Much Mud, But More Cobwebs. In Fact, They Had Wiped
Up So Many Webs That They Were Covered From Head To Foot In The Clammy
Dusty Masses. Their Hats Were Lost Early In The Encounter, And Their Hair
Was Full Of Cobwebs; Sticky Curtains Of Cobweb Hung About Their Faces,
And Swathed Them From Top To Toe In What Looked Like A Dirty Grey Fur.
Each Boy Had Cleared His Eyes Of The Thick Veil, But So Inhuman And
Unheard Of Was Their Appearance That There Was Presently A Suspicion
Amongst The Scholars That The Master Had Captured Two Previously Unknown
Specimens Of The Animal Kingdom, And Consequently Further Astonishing
Developments Might Be Looked For.
Chapter 2 Pg 8Mr. Ham, With Wise Forethought, Carefully Locked The Door And Pocketed
The Key After Disposing Of The Lads; And This Was Well, For Dick Haddon,
Fully Appreciating The Possibilities Of The Situation, Was Already
Plotting--Plotting With Every Faculty Of An Active And Inventive Mind.
The Master Faced His Prisoners, And Stood Musing Over Them Like A Pensive
But Kindly Cormorant. Mr. Joel Ham, B.A., Was A Small Thin Man With A
Deceitful Appearance Of Weakness. There Was A Peculiar Indecision About
All His Joints That Made The Certainty Of His Spring And The Vigour Of
His Grip Matters Of Wonder To All Those New Boys Who Ventured To Presume
Upon His Seeming Infirmities. He Had A Scraggy Red Neck, A Long Beak-Like
Nose, And Queer Slate-Coloured Eyes With Pale Lashes; His Hair Was Thin
And Very Fine In colour And Texture, Strangely Like That Of A Yellow Cat;
And Face, Neck, And Nose Were Mottled With Patches Of Small Purple Veins.
To-Day He Was Dressed In a Long Seedy Black Coat, A Short Seedy Black
Vest, And A Pair Of Now Moleskins, Glaringly White, And Much Too Long And
Too Large.
'Haddon,' Said The Master In a Reflective Tone, 'You Are Not Looking As
Neat As Usual. You Need Dusting. I Will Perform That Kind Office
Presently, And, Believe Me, I Will Do It Well. Jacker, I Intend To Leave
Chapter 2 Pg 9You Standing Here For A Few Moments To Cool. You May Have Noticed, Boys,
That The Youthful Form When Over-Heated Or Possessed With Unusual
Excitement Has Not That Poignant Susceptibility Which Might Be Thought
Necessary To The Adequate Appreciation Of A Judicious Lambasting. Has
That Ever Occurred To You, Mcknight?'
Jacker Shifted His Feet Uneasily, Rolled His Body, And, Knowing That
Nothing Could Aggravate His Offence, Answered Sullenly:
'Oh, Dry Up!'
Mr. Ham Grinned At The Boy In Silence For A Few Moments, And Then
Returned To His High Stool And Desk. Mr. Ham Never Made The Slightest
Effort To Maintain Before His Scholars That Dignity Which Is Supposed To
Be Essential To The Success Of A Pedagogue. In addressing The Boys He
Used Their Correct Names, Or The Nicknames Liberally Bestowed Upon Them
By Their Mates, Indiscriminately, And Showed No Resentment Whatever When
He Heard Himself Alluded To As Jo, Or Hamlet, Or The Beetle, His Most
Frequent Appellations In The Playground. He Kept A Black Bottle In His
Desk, At The Neck Of Which He Habitually Refreshed Himself Before The
Whole School; And He Addressed The Children With An Elaborate And Caustic
Levity In a Thin Shaky Voice Quite Twenty Years Too Old For Him. His
Humour Was Thrown Away Upon The Rising Generation Of Waddy, And Might
Have Been Supposed To Be The Cat-Like Pawing Of A Vicious Mind; But Joel
Ham Was Not Cruel,
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