Fairview Boys and their Rivals/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII
THE SPELLING CONTEST
Tom Chubb was smiling all over his face at getting such a warm welcome from Bob and his friends.
"Say, fellows," he spoke, "I don't pretend to know much, but I stick to a chum."
"Good for you!" cried Sammy.
"There's a fellow you don't want to let stick to you," spoke Bob.
He pointed to Jed Burr, who was up to his usual trick of meddling with the affairs of others. Two little fellows were tossing a croquet ball to each other. Jed stood about half way between them, jumping up in the air, and trying to stop the ball.
"No, I don't like his looks one bit," said Tom.
Jed looked at Tom. He always had fun, as he called it, with green scholars. He made no move towards Tom, however, for he thought that Bob and the others had warned the fat boy against him. Besides that, Tom did not look as if he would mind one of Jed's smart slaps on the back any more than he would a fly. Then again, it looked to Jed as if it would not be easy to pull the fat boy over with his famous hand-shake trick.
"I guess he'll leave me alone," grinned Tom.
"Well, look out for him, anyway," warned Frank.
"See that, now!" cried Sammy.
Benny Lane sat on the grass near by, watching some girls skipping rope. The little crippled lad placed his crutch by his side. Suddenly Jed stooped down and picked it up. Swinging it as he would a club, he struck with all his might at the croquet ball three feet above his head.
Crack! went the ball, stopped in its flight, and falling to the ground.
Snap! echoed the crutch end, and went flying straight through the air, striking a little boy about twenty feet away.
The lad was playing "Duck on the Rock," and was nearly knocked over. The crutch end struck his cheek, scratching and bruising it, and he gave a cry of pain. Then, seeing the cause of his hurt, he raised the brick he had been playing with, and hurled it at Jed with an angry cry.
"Good!" said Sammy, as the missile landed on Jed's stomach, and sent him reeling back.
The fat boy tried to get out of the way, but Jed stumbled and went flat. His feet swung out, and down came Tom, right on top of him.
"Hi! get off!" roared Jed.
"I can't—I'm too fat," declared Tom.
"Ouch! you're heavy."
"Can't help it. Don't wiggle so—you'll tip me over."
"Help!" whined Jed, all out of breath. "Oh, take him off!"
"Yes, I can't lift myself," chuckled Tom.
Frank, laughing, pulled Tom to his feet. Jed groaned as if a big load had been lifted from him. He started to get up. But his misery was not ended yet.
The little fellow he had hit with the crutch end had a sister, who also attended the school. She was a regular spitfire in temper. Now she came running up to Jed.
"You great big ape, you!" she cried. "Striking my little brother!" And she grabbed Jed by the hair and held on. "You—hit—my—lit-tle—brother, did you!"
"It was an accident," gasped Jed.
"Take that—and that! and that!"
Jed roared like a whipped calf. At each word she spoke, the little miss gave him a hard box on the ears.
By this time every boy and girl on the playground had gathered at the spot.
"Oh, goody! goody!" cried some little girls, clapping their hands in glee.
"You let go my hair!" blubbered Jed, making a pretty picture to look at.
"And that!" cried the girl, giving him a last cuff, as he ran off.
"Cow-ard! cow-ard!" shouted all the little fellows, as Jed, in shame and disgrace, sneaked away. He left his cap behind him, and was afraid to come back for it.
"Tom," said Sammy, slapping him on the back, "you fell down just in time."
"Sorry, but I'm so fat, you know!" grinned Tom, and everybody laughed.
Jed Burr was grumpy all the rest of that day. He kept away from the games at recess. Bob noticed him and two or three of his favorite chums talking together in a mysterious way.
"Tell you, Frank," he said, a little later, "Jed looks pretty ugly at us."
"Oh, he'll get over it," replied Frank, lightly.
"One of Jed's friends hinted to me to-day that we'd better look out."
"Pshaw, Jed Burr is just squelched," said Sammy.
The seat the teacher gave Tom was not very comfortable for him. Bob had an end desk, and gave it up to Tom till the teacher could arrange for some other. Bob took the desk of a scholar who was absent.
The next morning was announced for a spelling contest. This meant high marks for those who spelled best, and there was a great deal of talk and excitement over it.
"Spelling is about all I know," said Tom, the next morning, as he and Bob and the others wended their way to school.
"Good at it, are you?" asked Frank.
"Ought to be. My father wouldn't get me my bicycle last year until I had the whole spelling book perfect from end to end. Say, you'll just see me shine to-day."
After recess, the teacher named those who were to do the spelling. Jed Burr was absent, but two or three of his chums were on the list.
"Alphabet," "ardent," "alder," "animal," "beauty," "blanket"—there were no mistakes so far. Miss Smith gave out "cote."
"C-o-a-t," said Sammy, proudly.
"Next."
"C-o-t-e," spelled Bob.
Everybody laughed at this.
"Correct," said the teacher, "I should have explained that the word meant a pigeon-house."
There were a lot of misses after that. There was a great deal of fun, too, for some comical errors were made. One boy spelled knock "noq." Another made "kwal" out of quail, and a pert little girl lisped out "sqwirm" when Miss Smith gave out the word "worm."
When the contest was over, Tom, two of Jed's closest chums, and Bob received high marks. Tom was older than most of those in the class, and it was not wondered at that he did so well. Bob was always at the head of his class. The great surprise was that the friends of Jed, who like him were put down as very backward scholars, got high marks.
Bob noticed that after the spelling was over Miss Williams went all through the papers in her desk. She acted quite thoughtful and serious. After the dinner hour, just before school commenced that afternoon, a little girl came out to the playground and spoke to him.
"Miss Williams wants to see you, Bob Bouncer," she said.
"I wonder what for?" spoke Bob.
He found Miss Williams alone in the schoolroom.
"Close the door. Bob," she said, as he entered. "Sit down," she added, as he obeyed her and came up to the desk.
The school teacher looked very serious. Bob wondered what it all meant. He sat waiting for her to speak to him.
"Bob," said Miss Williams, after quite a pause, "you did very well in your spelling to-day."
"Yes, ma'am," replied Bob. "I tried to. I did the best I could."
"Did you have any help, Bob?" Miss Williams asked, looking straight into Bob's face.
"Why—I don't know what you mean. Miss Williams," said Bob. "Frank and I went over a lot of words at home, last night."
"I mean, you had no key, no idea of what words I was going to give out?" asked the teacher.
"Oh, dear, no! How could I?"
Miss Williams paused again. It seemed hard for her to go on, but she finally said:
"Bob, I had two lists of words. One I had copied to send to a sister who is a teacher in the next township. Both were in my desk when I left the school last night."
"Yes, ma'am," replied Bob.
"This noon I found one of them missing."
"Why, who could have taken it?" said Bob.
"I am sorry," replied Miss Williams, "but I found it in your desk."
"In my desk?" cried Bob.
"Yes, Bob."
"When?"
"Just now. I searched all the desks. It was in yours, Bob," went on Miss Williams, and her voice shook a little.
"I think a great deal of you, and I do not wish to misjudge you, but you must explain this."
"Why, how can I?" spoke Bob. "I don't know anything about the list."
"Have you any idea how it came in your desk?"
"Why—yes, I have"
A sudden thought had come into Bob's mind. It was a dreadful thought, too. He almost turned pale, he was so upset. Just like a flash a quick idea made him almost gasp.
"Speak out, Bob," urged Miss Williams, but Bob was silent. He hung his head and tried to think out a great muddle in his mind.
"If you know anything about the missing list. Bob," went on his teacher, "you must certainly tell me. If you suspect any one, it is right you should say so."
"Miss Williams," replied Bob, making up his mind and looking up now, "I could make a guess, but I won't do it till I am sure I am right."
"Bob," said Miss Williams, "a week from Monday the school board meets. It is my duty to tell them what has happened. You know as well as I do that they will suspend or expel a scholar for using a key to any of the lessons."
"But I haven't used any key. I never heard of the list until this minute," declared Bob.
"But you know who did take it. You will have to tell me whom to suspect, or I shall report to the board. That is all."
Bob left the schoolroom without another word.
"It's too bad!" he said, almost angrily, as he reached the outside. "I can guess who did it—and it's too bad for him, too," added Bob Bouncer, gloomily.