THAT HORNET'S NEST.
There was an indignation meeting of the boys at Bushville school, onesultry day in August. From stress of circumstances it was held at thenoon recess, in the piece of woods back of the old stone building, andon the banks of the crystal stream in which the youngsters swam andrevelled at morning, noon and night, during the long, delicious days ofsummer.
All the lads, not quite a score, belonging to the Bushville school,were present at the impromptu convention, but the proceedings werechiefly in charge of the lads, Tom Britt, Dick Culver and FredArmstrong. There were but a few months' difference in their ages, noneof which was more than fourteen years, but all were so much larger andolder than the rest that they were looked up to as leaders ineverything except study.
It cannot be denied that the three were indolent by nature, inclined torebel at authority, and their enforced attendance at school was theaffliction of their lives. They had given their teachers no end oftrouble, and more than once had combined in open rebellion againsttheir instructors. Tom's father was a trustee, and like the parents ofmany ill-trained youths, including those of Dick and Fred, he could seenothing wrong in the conduct of his son. As a consequence, disciplineat times was set at naught in the Bushville institutions, and one ofthe best teachers ever employed by the district threw up his situationin disgust, and went off without waiting to collect his month's salary.
The successor of this gentleman was Mr. Lathrop, a young man barelyturned twenty, with a beardless face, a mild blue eye, a gentle voice,and such a soft winning manner that the three leaders gave aninvoluntary sniff of contempt when they first saw him and agreed thathe would not last more than a week at the most.
"We'll let up on him, for a few days," Tom explained to some of hisfriends, "so as to give him time to get acquainted. I b'lieve inletting every fellow have a show, but he's got to walk mighty straightbetween now and the end of this week," added the youth impressively; "Iain't in favor of standing any nonsense."
A nodding of heads by Dick and Fred showed that Tom had voiced theirsentiments.
But, somehow or other, Mr. Lathrop was different from the teachers thathad preceded him. He never spoke angrily or shouted, and his first acton entering the schoolroom was to break up the long tough hickory "gad"lying on his desk and to fling it out of the window. The next thing hedid, after calling the school to order, was to tell the gaping,open-eyed children the most entertaining story to which they had everlistened. The anecdote had its moral too, for woven in and out andthrough its charming meshes was the woof of a life of heroic suffering,of trial and reward.
At its conclusion, the teacher said to the pupils that if they werestudious and transgressed no rules, he would be glad to tell themanother story the next day, if they would remain a few minutes afterthe hour of dismissal. The treat was such a rare one that all thegirls and most of the boys resolved to earn the right to enjoy it.
"I'm going to hear the yarn, too," muttered Tom Britt, "for he knowshow to tell 'em, but as for behaving myself that depends."
On the following afternoon, when five o'clock arrived (in those daysmost of the country schools opened at eight and closed at five, with anhour at noon, and not more than two weeks vacation in summer. I haveattended school on more than one Saturday, Fourth of July andChristmas), the school was all expectation. When Mr. Lathrop saw thebright eyes turned eagerly toward him, a thrill of pleasure stirred hisheart, for he felt that his was the hand to sow good seed, or this wasthe soil where it could be made to spring up and bear fruit a hundredfold.
"I am glad," said he, in his winning voice, "to know that you have donewell and earned the right to hear the best story that I can tell. Youhave been studious, obedient and careful to break no rules, and I amsure that as we become better acquainted, we shall like each other andget on well together.
"I wish I could say you had _all_ done well, but it grieves me to tellyou, what you know, that one boy has neglected his lessons, been tardyor so indifferent to my wishes that it would not be right that heshould be allowed to sit with the rest of you and listen to theincident I am about to relate. I refer to Thomas Britt. Thomas, youwill please take your books and hat and go home."
The words came like a thunderclap. No one expected it, least of allthe youth himself. Every eye was turned toward him and his faceflushed scarlet. He quickly rallied from the daze into which he wasthrown at first, and with his old swagger, looked at the teacher andreplied with an insolence that was defiance itself:
"My father is trustee, and I've as much right here as you or any oneelse, and I'm going to stay till I'm ready to go home and youcan't----" but, before he had completed his defiant sentence, theslightly built teacher was at his side and had grasped the nape of hiscoat. It seemed to the lad, that an iron vise had caught his garmentand a span of horses were pulling at him. He clutched desperately ateverything within reach and spread his legs apart and curled up histoes in the effort to hook into something that would stay proceedings,but it was in vain. Out he came from the seat, and to the awedchildren who were looking on it seemed that his body was elongated todouble its length during the process,--and he was run through the opendoor, and his hat tossed after him. Then the teacher walked quietlyback to his seat behind the desk on the platform, and without theslightest sign of flurry or mental disturbance, he told one of thesweetest and most delightful incidents to which his pupils had everlistened. He closed with the promise to give them another at the endof the week, if they continued in the good course on which they were sofairly started.
"He catched me foul," explained the indignant Tom Britt the followingday in discussing his hurried exit from the schoolroom; "if he had onlylet me know he was coming, it would be him that dove out the doorinstead of me."
The sullen youth did not receive much sympathy at first, for Mr.Lathrop was steadily winning the affections of the pupils; but Dick andFred rebelled at such quiet submission to authority, and acted sosullenly that they, too, were shut out from the privilege of listeningto the next story related by the teacher to the rest of the school. Ithad been agreed among the three boys that they should refuse to departwhen ordered to do so by the instructor, and that when he made a movetoward them, they would assail him simultaneously and rout him "horse,foot and dragoons."
But the business was conducted with such a cyclone rush that the planof campaign was entirely overturned. Before the rebels could combine,all three were out doors, so shaken up that they agreed that a newsystem of resistance would have to be adopted.
And thus it came about that at the noon recess, one day of thefollowing week, the boys of Bushville school gathered in the cool shadeof the woods to listen to the plan of the three malcontents fordestroying the authority of the school. It was mainly curiosity on thepart of the younger portion, who had little sympathy with the motivesof the leaders and were quite sure they would meet with failure.
"I've made up my mind that I won't stand it," announced Tom, after thesituation had been freely discussed; "no boy with any spirit will allowa teacher to run him out of school in the style he served me."
"What then made you let him do it?" asked little freckled-face WillHorton, from where he lay on the ground.
"Didn't I tell you he catched me foul?" demanded Tom, glaring at theurchin; "if I'd knowed what was coming things would have beendifferent."
"Dick and Fred knowed he was coming for _them_," added Will, "for hewalked clear across the schoolroom."
"You've got too much to say," retorted Dick Culver, angrily; "when wewant your advice we'll ask for it."
"Well, boys, you had better make up your minds to behave yourselves andthen there won't be any trouble," was the sensible advice of JimmyThompson, who had perched himself on a log, and was swinging his barefeet back and forth; "Mr. Lathrop is the best teacher we ever had andhe suits the rest of us first rate."
"Of course he suits all boys that ha'n't any spirit," was the crushingresponse of the leader, "but I've a plan that'll teach h
im that me andDick and Fred ain't that kind of chaps."
"How are you going to help yourself?"
After several mysterious hints and nods of the head, Tom revealed hisstupendous scheme for bringing the teacher to terms.
"You know the big hornet's nest over in Bear Hollow?"
Inasmuch as there wasn't a boy in the crowd who hadn't shied stones atthe object named (always without hitting it), no further informationwas necessary.
"Well, I'm going to put that nest in the teacher's desk, and when hecomes in, takes his seat and raises the lid, won't there be music?"
The scheme was so prodigious that for a full half minute all staredopen mouthed at their leader without speaking.
"The teacher never locks his desk at noon, so it will be easy enough toslip it in before he gets back."
"But when he opens the desk and the hornets sail out, what will becomeof _us_?" was the pertinent inquiry of Will Horton.
"Why the minute the things begin to swarm out I'll yell, and we'll allrush out doors."
"Won't the teacher do the same thing?"
"But he'll be the last and he'll catch it the worst. He'll be rightamong the critters, and they'll just go for him, so his head will swellup like a bushel basket and we'll have a week's vacation. By that timehe'll learn how to treat us fellers."
"_I_ am," was the proud reply; "come on and I'll show you."
As he spoke, Tom sprang to his feet and started on a trot toward BearHollow, with the others streaming after him.
It cannot be denied that the youth displayed considerable pluck andcoolness when he came to the test. There hung the hornet's nest fromthe lower limb of an oak, so near the ground that it could be easilyreached by one of the larger boys. It was gray in color and ofenormous size. It resembled in shape an overgrown football orwatermelon, pendant by one end. In some portions faint ridges werevisible, like the prints left by tiny wavelets on the sand. Near thebase was a circular opening about as large as an old-fashioned penny.This was the door of the hornets' residence, through which all theoccupants came and went.
The boys halted at a safe distance, and even Tom paused a few minutesto make a reconnoissance before going nearer.
"You fellows stay here, and don't any of you throw stones or yell!" hesaid, in a guarded undertone; "for if them hornets find out what is up,they'll come swarming out by the million and sting us all to death."
The promise was readily made, and Tom went forward like a hero, theeyes of all of his playmates fixed upon him. It was noticed be carrieda large silken handkerchief in his hand--one that he had secured athome for this special purpose.
He advanced stealthily until within some ten feet, when he haltedagain. With his gaze centered on the gray, oblong object, he saw oneof the dark insects suddenly crawl to view through the opening.
"I wonder if he suspects anything," thought Tom, half disposed to turnabout and run; "no--he's all right," he added, as the hornet spread hiswings, and shot off like a bullet through the air.
Still intently watching the orifice, the boy moved softly forward untildirectly under the nest. Then, with the deliberation of a veteran, hedeftly enfolded it with the large silk handkerchief, easily wrenched itloose from its support, tied the covering over the top so securely thatnot an inhabitant of the nest could possibly escape, and rejoined intriumph his companions.
"Now you'll see fun!" he exclaimed, as he led the whole party troopingin the direction of the schoolhouse; "keep mum, and don't tell any ofthe girls what's up."
It was a grand scheme and it looked as if there could be no hitch init. What compunctions the other boys might have felt against theattempt to cause pain to their teacher were forgotten in the excitementof the coming sport.
The residents of the oblong home must have been surprised, to put itmildly, when they found the house swinging along, in the grasp of somegreat giant, themselves enveloped in gloom, and the only avenue ofescape sealed up. They hummed, and buzzed and raised a tempest within,but it was in vain: they were prisoners and must remain such until theogre chose to release them.
Everything seemed to join to help the young rebel. The girls wereplaying so far from the school building, that they gave no heed to theprocession which passed into the structure. One glance told Tom thatit was without an occupant, and he strode hastily to the desk, theothers pausing near the door, ready to dash out in the event ofdisaster.
The desk was unlocked and Tom raised the lid. The nest was laid on itsside, in the middle, but it was so big that he had to displace severalbooks to make room for it. Then the knots were untied, thehandkerchief flirted free, the lid lowered, and the deed was done.
Tom joined his companions with a radiant face. "Not a word," hecautioned, "be extra good this afternoon; even I'll try to behavemyself for once, but we won't have to wait long."
"S'posin' them hornets lift the lid of the desk and come out before theteacher gets here?" suggested Will Horton.
"What are you talking about?" was the scornful question of Dick Culver;"how can a hornet raise the lid of a desk?"
"I don't mean that _one_ will do it, but, if they all join together andput their shoulders to it, they'll lift more than you think."
But this contingency was too vague to be feared. A quarter of an hourlater, Mr. Lathrop entered the building with his brisk step, biddingsuch children as he met a pleasant good afternoon, and hanging his haton the peg in the wall behind his desk, rang the bell for the childrento assemble, and took his seat in his chair on the platform.
The observant instructor quickly saw that something unusual was in thewind. There was a score of signs that he detected in the course of afew minutes, but he could have no idea what it all meant. He was onthe alert, however, and did not remain long in suspense.
The first hint was the sound of loud and angry buzzing within his desk.While wondering what it meant, and in doubt whether to investigate, heobserved a hornet emerging through the key-hole. Before it could shakeitself free, he shoved him back with his key, which was inserted andturned about, so effectually blocking the opening, that the insectswere held secure.
The teacher read the whole story, and it needed only a brief study ofTom Britt's actions to make sure that he was the guilty one.
Much to the disappointment of the boys, Mr. Lathrop seemed to find nooccasion for opening his desk. It remained closed through the wholeafternoon and, when the moment for dismissal arrived, the only one toremain was Tom Britt, who, while conducting himself fairly well, hadmade a bad failure with every recitation. His mind seemed to be toopre-occupied with some other matter to absorb book knowledge.
The boys loitered around the playground, waiting to see the end of itall. Tom sat with his hands supporting his head, and his elbow on thedesk, morose, sullen and disappointed.
"I wonder if he suspects anything," he muttered; "I don't see how hecan, for nobody told him. It's queer he has never opened his desk allthe afternoon. I never knew him to do anything like thatbefore--Gracious alive!"
Just then Tom felt as if some one had jabbed a burning needle into hisneck. Almost at the same instant came a similar dagger thrust on thetop of his head, where he always wore his hair short. Uttering a gaspof affright, he leaped from his seat, with a score of fierce hornetsbuzzing about his ears. The terrified glance around the room showedthat the teacher had slipped noiselessly out of the door, but, beforedoing so, he had raised the lid of his desk to its fullest extent.
The next moment Tom bounded through the door, striking at the insectsthat were doing painful execution about the exposed parts of his body.It was not until after a long run that he was entirely freed of themand was able to take an inventory of his wounds.
It was a lesson the lad never forgot. In the final contest between himand his teacher, he was conquered and he admitted it. Mr. Lathrop madea study of his character, and having proven himself physically hismaster, set out to acquire the moral conquest that was needed tocomplete the work. It need hardly be adde
d that he succeeded, for hewas a thoughtful, conscientious instructor of youth, who loved hiswork, and who toiled as one who knows that he must render an account ofhis stewardship to Him who is not only loving and merciful, but just.
The Jungle Fugitives: A Tale of Life and Adventure in India Page 35