by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IX.
LITTLE PAUL.
"You have won the race, Frank, and I congratulate you," said TonyWeston, as the Butterfly came alongside the Zephyr.
"Thank you, Tony; that is noble and generous," replied Frank.
"But it is the feeling in our club--isn't it, fellows?"
"Ay, ay, that it is!" shouted Little Paul. "Let us give them threecheers, to show the folks on shore that there are no hard feelings."
The cheers were given lustily--at least, as lustily as the exhaustedcondition of the Butterflies would permit. Each member of the defeatedclub seemed to feel it his duty to banish even the semblance of envy;and it was pleasant to observe how admirably they succeeded.
I do not wish my young readers to suppose that Tony's crew felt nodisappointment at the result; only that there were no hard feelings, nopetty jealousy. They had confidently expected to win the race, even upto the last quarter of a mile of the course; and to have that hopesuddenly dashed down, to be beaten when they felt sure of being thevictors, was regarded as no trivial misfortune. But so thoroughly hadTony schooled them in the necessity of keeping down any ill will, thatI am sure there was not a hard feeling in the club. Perhaps theydisplayed more disinterestedness in their conduct after the race thanthey really felt. If they did, it was no great harm, for their motiveswere good, and they were all struggling to feel what their words andtheir actions expressed.
"Zephyr, ahoy!" hailed Mr. Hyde, from the Sylph.
"Ay, ay, sir!"
"The prize is ready for the winner."
The oars were dropped into the water again, and the Zephyr pulled up tothe judges' boat.
"You have won the prize handsomely, Frank, and it affords me greatpleasure to present it to you," said Mr. Hyde, as he handed him a pursecontaining the prize. "After the noble expressions of kindness on thepart of your rival, I am sure the award will awaken no feeling ofexultation in the minds of the Zephyrs, and none of envy in theButterflies. I congratulate you on your victory."
Frank bowed, and thanked the schoolmaster for his hopeful words; and theButterflies gave three cheers again as he took the prize. The Zephyr wasthen brought alongside her late rival.
"Starboard oars--up!" said Frank.
"Larboard oars--up!" added Tony.
"What now, I wonder?" queried Fred Harper.
"Forward oarsman, step aboard the Butterfly," continued Frank.
"Forward oarsman, step aboard the Zephyr," said Tony.
Then the next member in each boat was passed over to the other, and soon, till the whole starboard side of the Zephyr was manned byButterflies, and the larboard side of the Butterfly by Zephyrs.
"Ready--up!" said the coxswains, as they proceeded to get under wayagain.
Thus, with the two clubs fraternally mingled, they slowly pulled towardsthe nearest shore, while the band played its sweetest strains. Thespectators still lingered; and as the boats neared the land, they weregreeted with repeated cheers. Then, side by side, they pulled slowlyalong the shore, within a few rods of the lake's bank, till they reachthe Butterflies' house, where they all landed.
And thus ended the famous boat race, over which the boys had beenthinking by day and dreaming by night for several weeks. The occasionhad passed; and if it was productive of any evil effects in the minds ofthose who engaged in it, they were more than balanced by the excellentdiscipline it afforded. They had learned to look without envy upon thosewhom superior skill or good fortune had favored, and to feel kindlytowards those over whom they had won a victory. It was a lesson whichthey would all need in the great world, where many a race is run, andwhere the conqueror is not always gentle towards the conquered--wheredefeat generates ill-will, envy, and hatred.
"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another," saidJesus--not only love one another when the sky is clear, and the watersare smooth, but when the clouds threaten, and the stormy sea lashes withits fury; not only when the arm of friendship and kindness holds us up,but when all hearts seem cold, when all hands are closed, and all facesfrown upon us. It was this divine command that the circumstances of theboat race tended to exemplify; and I am sure that both the conquerorsand the conquered were better prepared for the duty of life than if theyhad had no such experience.
I do not mean to say that every boat race is a good thing, mostespecially when it is made to be a gambling speculation by staking moneyon the result--only that this one was, because those who conducted itmade it subservient to the moral progress of the boys.
"Well, Frank, I am glad you won the race," said Tony, with a smile whichtestified to his sincerity. "Fortune favored us at the bridge, and gaveus the opportunity of winning the honors."
"And the profits too, Tony. Fifty dollars is nothing to us now," addedFred, with a laugh.
"Thank you, Tony," replied Frank. "You are so noble that you almost makeme regret we won. But, my dear fellow, you have won a greater victory inyour own heart. I can envy you the possession of such noble feelings."
"Pooh, Frank!"
"I am sure I don't value the victory, because it has been won over you."
"We trained ourselves to _feel right_ about the matter whichever way therace went."
"Your heart is so near right that you don't need much training. But itis time for us to return home."
"How about that picnic on the first of May?"
"My father has consented to it."
"So have our folks; we will have a glorious time of it. On Saturdayafternoon, if you say so we will visit Center Island, and set the Maypole."
"Agreed."
"But, Frank, school keeps--don't it?"
"Whew! does it?"
"It did last year; but the committee have talked of giving us the day. Ihope they will. Ask your father; he is one of them."
"I will. We can get the point settled before Saturday."
"I guess so."
"All aboard!"
The Zephyrs hastened on board, and in a few minutes were out of sight.The Butterfly was hauled into her berth, everything was made "snug" andtidy, and the boys hastened to their several homes. Of course it was noteasy for them to drive out of their minds the exciting events of theday, and while all of them, except Tony, were sorry they had lost therace, they had much to console them. They had won a victory overthemselves; and the consciousness of this triumph compensated for theirdisappointment. Each of them, adopting the sentiment of their heroicyoung leader, thought what a good fellow Frank Sedley was, and _tried_to feel glad that he had won.
There was one of them, however, who did not think much about it after heseparated from his companions. Other considerations claimed hisattention; and before he reached his humble home, the race was banishedfrom his mind. He had a sick father, and the family had hard work to getalong. This was Little Paul.
His mother insisted upon sending him to school while there was anythingleft to procure the necessaries of life; and as there was little for himto do at home, he was allowed to join the club, because his parents knewhow much he loved the sports on the lake, and that nothing but goodinfluences would be exerted upon him in the association.
Paul Munroe was a good boy, in every sense of the word; and though hehad never been able to do much for his parents, they regarded him nonethe less as one of their choicest blessings. As Tony expressed it,Little Paul's heart was in the right place; and it was a big heart, fullof warm blood.
His father sat in an easy-chair by the kitchen stove as he entered, anda smile played upon his pale blue lips as his eyes met the glance of hisloving son.
"Well, Paul, did you win the race?" he asked, in feeble tones.
"No, father; the Zephyrs beat. Frank Sedley rather outgeneraled Tony,and his crew were more used to pulling than we. But Frank is afirst-rate fellow."
"Isn't Tony?"
"That he is! They are both first-rate fellows; I don't know where thereare two other such fellows in the world."
"You are right, Paul; they are good boys, and we shall be sorry
to takeyou away from them."
Little Paul looked inquiringly at his father. He had more than oncebegged to be allowed to work in the Rippleton factories, that he mightearn something towards supporting the family; but his parents wouldnever consent to take him away from school and confine him in the noisy,dusty rooms of the mills. His father's words suggested the idea thatthey had consented to his request, and that he was to be allowed to workfor a living.
"'Squire Chase has been here to-day," added Mr. Munroe, sadly.
"Has he? What did he say?" asked Paul, a shade of anxiety gathering uponhis fine, manly face.
"We must leave our house, my son," replied the father, with a sigh.
"Won't he wait?"
"No."
"How did he act while he was here?"
"He was very harsh and unfeeling."
"The villain!" exclaimed Paul, with emphasis, as his check reddened withindignation.
"He is a hard man, Paul; but reproaches are of no use. The note is dueon the first of May; I cannot pay it, so we must leave the house."
"Where are we to go, father?"
"Your grandfather, who has a large farm in Maine, has written for me tocome there; and your mother and I have decided to go."
Paul looked sad at the thought of leaving the pleasant scenes of hisearly life, and bidding farewell to his cherished friends; but there wasno help for it, and he cheerfully yielded to the necessity. It was of nouse to think of moving the heart of 'Squire Chase--it was cold, hard,and impenetrable. He was a close-fisted lawyer, who had made a handsomefortune in the city by taking advantage of the distresses of others, andit was not likely that he, having thus conquered all the noblerimpulses of his nature, would have any sympathy for Mr. Munroe in hisunfortunate condition.
The poor man had bought the little place he occupied a few years beforefor seven hundred dollars--paying two hundred down, and giving his note,secured by a mortgage, for the rest. The person of whom he had purchasedthe place, whose lands joined it, had sold his estate to 'Squire Chase,to whom, also, he had transferred the mortgage. The retired lawyer wasnot content to remain quiet in his new home, and there repent of hismany sins, but immediately got up an immense land speculation, by whichhe hoped to build a village on his grounds, and thus make anotherfortune.
Mr. Munroe's little place was in his way. He wanted to run a road overthe spot where the house was located, and had proposed to buy it and theland upon which it stood. He offered seven hundred and fifty dollars forit; but it was now worth nine hundred, and Mr. Munroe refused the offer.The 'Squire was angry at the refusal, and from that time used all themeans in his power to persecute his poor neighbor.
Then sickness paralyzed the arm of Mr. Munroe, and he could no longerwork. The money he had saved to pay the note when it should become duewas expended in supporting his family. With utter ruin staring him fullin the face, he sent for 'Squire Chase, and consented to his offer; butthe malicious wretch would not give even that now; and the land was sosituated as to be of but little value except to the owner of the Chaseestate. The 'Squire was a bad neighbor, and no one wanted to get nearhim; so that Mr. Munroe could not sell to any other person.
The crafty lawyer knew that the poor man was fully in his power, and hedetermined to punish him, even to his ruin. He hated him because he wasan honest, good man; because his life, even in his humbler sphere, was aconstant reproach to him. The note would be due on the first of May,and he had determined to take possession in virtue of the mortgage.
Poor Paul shed many bitter tears upon his pillow that night; and fromthe depths of his gentle heart he prayed that God would be very near tohis father and mother in the trials and sorrows that were before them.