Mr. Horton listened with as great an interest as even Reed could desire, and when the story was ended, said only:—
“Boys, you are perfectly excusable for this once; only remember that this is not a precedent,” but the look he gave the quiet lad whom he had learned to love, assured the boys that their teacher was in fullest sympathy with them.
From this time, Clark’s popularity in the school was very great. Even hot-headed Lee blotted from his memory that unreturned blow, the year before, and not even in the depths of his own heart did he ever again call Stanley Clark “coward.”
Before that day was over, section D had another sensation.
As usual near the close of the year, the rules were relaxed, especially in the senior class, and often some of the boys would remain in the room during part of the recess, talking over their work and surmising about the questions likely to be asked in the examinations. Half a dozen or more were busily talking about the dreaded Latin essays, when Reed came rushing upstairs, exclaiming:—
“I say, you fellows, you missed a picnic, staying in to-day. Didn’t you hear us all yelling outside?”
“Why, yes, we heard you, but it’s nothing unusual for you little chaps to be noisy,” said Hamlin, loftily. Then he added, “but if you’re very anxious to tell us what it was about, this time, we can listen, I suppose,” and with an air of patient endurance, he dropped into his seat.
Reed picked up a book and flung it at him, but he was too full of his story to pursue the mock quarrel, especially as two or three voices called out:—
“Go on, Reedy—tell us what ’twas all about.”
“Why, we were all out there on the sidewalk—a whole crowd of us,” said Reed, “when a fellow came along driving a heavy cart with the worst-looking old rackabones of a horse you ever laid eyes on. The creature didn’t look as if it had had a good meal in six months, and it was so weak that it could hardly crawl. Just before it got opposite our gate, the horse stopped, and the big brute that was driving began to lash it unmercifully—to get past us, I expect.