Five Little Peppers at School Part 20

"Well, now, you wait a minute." The instructor, feeling that here was a chance to impress the boys with his executive ability, looked about over the table where Farnham's schoolbooks were thrown. "Got a bit of string? No--oh, yes." He pounced on a piece, and came over to Joel and the dog.

"What are you going to do, sir?" Joel hung to Sinbad with a tighter grip than ever.

"Never mind; it's not for you to question me," said the instructor, with great authority.

But Joel edged away. Visions of being expelled from Dr. Marks' school swam before his eyes, and he turned very white.

David plunged through the crowd of boys, absolutely still with the excitement. "Oh Joel," he begged hoa.r.s.ely, "let Mr. Parr do as he wants to. Mamsie would say so."

Joel turned at that. "Don't hurt him," he begged. "Don't, please, Mr.

Parr."

"I shall not hurt him," said Mr. Parr, putting the cord about the dog's neck, and holding the other end, after it was knotted fast. "I am going to tie him in the area till morning. Here you, sir," as Sinbad showed lively intentions toward his captor's legs, with a backward glance at his late master.

"Oh, if you'll let me keep him in my room, Mr. Parr," cried Joel, tumbling over to the instructor, who was executing a series of remarkable steps as he dragged Sinbad off, "I'll--I'll be just as good--just till the morning, sir. Oh, _please_, Mr. Parr--I'll study, and get my lessons better, I truly will," cried poor Joel, unable to promise anything more difficult of performance.

"You'll have to study better anyway, Joel Pepper," said Mr. Parr grimly, as he and Sinbad disappeared down the stairway. "Every boy get back to his room," was the parting command.

No need to tell Joel. He dashed through the ranks, and flung himself into his bed, dragged up the clothes well over his stubby head, and cried as if his heart would break.

"Joel--Joel--oh, Joey!" begged David hoa.r.s.ely, and running to precipitate himself by his side. But Joel only burrowed deeper and sobbed on.

And Davie, trying to keep awake, to give possible comfort, at last tumbled asleep, when Joel with a flood of fresh sorrow rolled over as near to the wall as he could get, and tried to hold in his sobs.

As soon as he dared the next morning, Joel hopped over David still asleep, and out of bed; jumped into his clothes, and ran softly downstairs. There in the area was Sinbad, who had evidently concluded to make the best of it, and accept the situation, for he was curled up in as small a compa.s.s as possible, and was even attempting a little sleep.

"I won't let him see me," said Joel to himself, "but as soon as Dr.

Marks is up"--and he glanced over at the master's house for any sign of things beginning to move for the day--"and dressed, why, I'll go and ask him--" what, he didn't dare to say, for Joel hadn't been able, with all his thinking, to devise any plan whereby Sinbad could be saved.

"But perhaps Dr. Marks will know," he kept thinking; and after a while the shades were drawn up at the red brick house across the yard, the housemaid came out to brush off the steps, and various other indications showed that the master was beginning to think of the new day and its duties.

Joel plunged across the yard. It was awful, he knew, to intrude at the master's house before breakfast. But by that time--oh, dreadful!--Sinbad would probably be beyond the help of any rescuing hand, for Mr. Parr would, without a doubt, deliver him to the garbage man to be hauled off. And Joel, with no thought of consequences to himself, plunged recklessly on.

"Is Dr. Marks up?" he demanded of the housemaid, who only stared at him, and went on with her work of sweeping off the steps. "Is Dr. Marks up?"

cried Joel, his black eyes flashing, and going halfway up.

"Yes; but what of it?" cried the housemaid airily, leaning on her broom a minute.

"Oh, I must see him," cried Joel, bounding into the hall. It was such a cry of distress that it penetrated far within the house.

"Oh my! you outrageous boy!" exclaimed the housemaid, shaking her broom at him. "You come right out."

Meantime a voice said, "What is it?" And there was Dr. Marks in dressing gown and slippers looking over the railing at the head of the stairs.

"Oh Dr. Marks, Dr. Marks!" Joel, not giving himself time to think, dashed over the stairs, to look up into the face under the iron-gray hair.

The master could scarcely conceal his amazement, but he made a brave effort at self-control.

"Why, Pepper!" he exclaimed, and there was a good deal of displeasure in face and manner; so much so that Joel's knees knocked smartly together, and everything swam before his eyes.

"Well, what did you want to see me for, Pepper?" Dr. Marks was inquiring, so Joel blurted out, "A dog, sir."

"A _dog_?" repeated Dr. Marks, and now he showed his amazement and displeasure as well. "And is this what you have interrupted me to say, at this unseasonable hour, Joel Pepper?"

"Oh!" cried Joel, and then he broke right down, and went flat on the stairs, crying as if his heart would break. And Mrs. Marks threw on her pretty blue wrapper in a dreadful tremor, and rushed out with restoratives; and the housemaid who shook her broom at Joel, ran on remorseful feet for a gla.s.s of water, and the master's whole house was in a ferment. But Dr. Marks waved them all aside. "The boy needs nothing," he said. "Come, Joel." He took his hand, all grimy and streaked, and looked at his poor, swollen eyelids and nose, over which the tears were still falling, and in a minute he had him in his own private study, with the door shut.

When he emerged a quarter-hour after, Joel was actually smiling. He had hold of the master's hand, and clutched in his other fist was a note, somewhat changed in appearance from its immaculate condition when delivered by Dr. Marks to the bearer.

"Yes, sir," Joel was saying, "I'll do it all just as you say, sir." And he ran like lightning across the yard.

The note put into the instructor's hand, made him change countenance more than once in the course of its reading. It simply said, for it was very short, that the dog was to be delivered to Joel Pepper, who was to bring it to the master's house; and although there wasn't a line or even a word to show any disapproval of his course, Mr. Parr felt, as he set about obeying it, as if somehow he had made a little mistake somewhere.

All Joel thought of, however, was to get possession of Sinbad. And when once he had the cord in his hand, he untied it with trembling fingers, Sinbad, in his transport, hampering the operation dreadfully by bobbing his head about in his violent efforts to lick Joel's face and hands, for he had about given up in despair the idea of ever seeing him again.

"He's glad to go, isn't he, Joel?" observed the instructor, to break the ice, and make conversation.

But no such effort was necessary, for Joel looked up brightly. "Isn't he, sir? Now say good-bye." At last the string was loose, and dangling to the hook in the area wall, and Joel held the dog up, and stuck out his paw.

"Good-bye," said Mr. Parr, laughing as he took it, and quite relieved to find that relations were not strained after all, as Joel, hugging his dog, sped hastily across the yard again to the master's house.

Dr. Marks never told how very ugly he found the dog, but, summoning the man who kept his garden and lawn in order, he consigned Sinbad to his care, with another note.

"Now, Joel," he said, "you know this payment comes every week out of your allowance for this dog's keeping, eh? It is clearly understood, Joel?"

"Oh, yes, sir--yes!" shouted Joel.

"Perhaps we'll be able to find a good home for him. Well, good-bye, Sinbad," said the master, as Sinbad, with the gardener's hand over his eyes, so that he could not see Joel, was marched off, Dr. Marks from the veranda charging that the note be delivered and read before leaving the dog.

"Oh, I'm going to take him home at vacation," announced Joel decidedly.

"Indeed! Well, now, perhaps your grandfather won't care for him; you must not count too much upon it, my boy." All the control in the world could not keep the master from smiling now.

"Oh, I guess he will." Joel was in no wise disturbed by the doubt.

"Well, run along to breakfast with you, Pepper," cried Dr. Marks good-humoredly, "and the next time you come over to see me, don't bring any more dogs."

So Joel, in high good spirits, and thinking how he would soon run down to the little old cobbler's where the master had sent the dog, chased off across the yard once more, and slipped in to breakfast with a terrible appet.i.te, and a manner as if nothing especial had happened the preceding night.

And all the boys rubbed their eyes, particularly as Joel and Mr. Parr seemed to be on the best of terms. And once when something was said about a dog by Mr. Harrow, who hadn't heard anything of the midnight tumult in the dormitory, and was for continuing the account of his trained pet, the other under-teacher and Joel Pepper indulged in smiles and nods perfectly mystifying to all the other people at the table, David included.

David, when he woke up, which was quite late, to find Joel gone, had been terribly frightened. But chancing to look out of the window, he saw him racing across the yard, and watching closely, he discovered that he had something in his arms, and that he turned in to the master's house.

"I can't do anything now," said Davie to himself in the greatest distress; yet somehow when he came to think of it, it seemed to be with a great deal of hope since Dr. Marks was to be appealed to. And when breakfast-time came, and with it Joel so blithe and hungry, David fell to on his own breakfast with a fine appet.i.te.

All the boys of the club, not one to be reported absent, presented themselves at Mr. King's on club night. And all the members of the "Salisbury School Club" came promptly together, with one new member, Cathie Harrison, who, at Polly's suggestion, had been voted in at the last meeting.

Alexia still had her arm in a sling; and indeed she was quite willing it should remain so, for she was in constant terror that her aunt, who had been persuaded to leave her, would insist on the return home. So Alexia begged off at every mention of the subject, as Grandpapa King and Mother Fisher were very glad to have the visit lengthened. She was as gay as ever, and to-night was quite in her element; it had been so long since she had had a good time.