Fairview Boys at Camp Mystery/Chapter 1
Fairview Boys at Camp Mystery
CHAPTER I
THE EARTHQUAKE
"There's Jed Burr!"
"Coming back to school; eh? Then he can't be suspended any more."
"No, he isn't. But I wish he was. There's sure to be a lot of trouble now, and I was thinking how much more fun we could have with him away."
Three boys stood talking together in the school yard, where many children were waiting for the final bell to ring to call them to their studies. The three boys were looking at a larger lad, who was walking slowly along the gravel path.
"He looks to be the same bully as ever," said Bob Bouncer, one of the three boys.
"I guess he is, too," added Frank Haven. "Being suspended can't have changed him much."
"Well, if he tries any of his mean tricks on me," spoke Sammy Brown, "I know what I'll do!"
"What?" asked Frank, as he turned about to face the larger lad, so as to be ready, in case of any sudden attack, of the kind for which Jed Burr had a reputation. "What'll you do, Sammy?"
"I'll have him arrested! I'm not going to stand for any more of his games!"
"I'm with you!" agreed Bob. "But maybe we could play a trick on him first. He's played so many mean ones on us."
"Now don't start anything," advised Frank, who was more quiet than either of his two chums. "If we begin, the blame will be on us. "We'll let Jed alone if he lets us."
"He doesn't seem to be going to do anything," added Sammy. "Maybe he's going to behave better this term."
"I hope so," returned Frank. "Well, let's go in. Doesn't our room look dandy, since they fixed it up after the fire?"
"I should say so!" cried Sammy. "And Miss Williams brought a fine lot of pictures for the walls. It's more like the parlor at home than a classroom."
"Yes, and Miss Williams isn't like some teachers, either," went on Frank. "She's as kind as can be."
The three boys strolled toward the schoolhouse, which had opened for the Fall term after some delay, caused by a fire. Now the building, in some parts, was altogether new, and all the rooms had been redecorated and painted. The structure had also been made larger.
"Well, I'm glad, in some ways, that school's begun again," said Sammy. "Though vacation was lots of fun."
"Yes, we can have some good times in school," agreed Frank.
"And there's that clubroom your father fixed up in the barn for us," put in Sammy. "That sure was good of him, Frank. We can have fun there, if we can't at school. And I'm going to do a lot of training in our club gymnasium, too, this winter."
"Huh! You train!" laughed Frank. "First we know you'll be off to the mountains, looking for more buried treasure."
"Aw, you're always casting that up!" grumbled Sammy. "Still, you must give Bob credit for finding your father's jewelry that the tramp hid down in the schoolhouse well."
"That's right," agreed Frank. "And you found miser Dolby's pocketbook. Oh, say, look! There goes Jed into the principal's office! I guess something must be going to happen."
"I know all about it!" exclaimed a voice back of the three boys. They turned quickly, to see Nellie Somers.
"Tell us about it!" begged Sammy. He and his chums so much wanted to know the story of the suspended boy coming back, that they did not mind asking a girl about it.
"Jed has promised to be a better boy," said Nellie, glad that she had a chance to give some information. "The school board considered his case, after he took the spelling list out of Miss William's desk, and said he couldn't come back until he promised to be good. At first Jed wouldn't, but he finally did, and he has to apologize to the whole school this morning. Then he can be in his class again."
"Oh ho!" cried Sammy. "So that's what makes Jed so quiet!"
"No wonder he didn't try any tricks," added Frank.
"He sure will feel mean to have to get up before the whole school," added Bob Bouncer. "Come on in. It's almost time for the last bell."
"Good-bye!" cried Nellie, as she ran on to join her girl friends.
It was the first day of the new term, and there was more or less confusion. And since it was the first day, no one wanted to be late. Also the talk of Jed's apology had spread, and everyone wanted to see what would happen.
Into the school trooped the boys and girls, laughing and talking. Many looked about to see the changes made since the fire. As Sammy, Frank and Bob started up a short flight of steps to their room, they were startled to hear a banging noise above them. They looked up, and saw Johnnie Jones, one of the fattest little chaps in the school, start to roll down. He had stumbled at the top step, and had fallen head over heels.
"Look out!" cried Bob.
"Hold fast!" advised Sammy.
"Catch him!" called Frank, and this was the best advice of all. "Get together," went on Frank to his chums, "and we'll hold him when he gets here."
They were now about half-way up the flight of steps, and, forming themselves into a solid body, as though about to stop a rush in a football game, they braced themselves to catch fat Johnnie.
With a bump and a bounce he landed against them, and in another moment Frank had set the little fellow on his feet again.
"There you are, Johnnie!" said Frank, while Sammy and Bob brushed the dust from his clothes. "You aren't hurt; are you?"
Johnnie gasped once or twice, opened his mouth as though to howl, and then, thinking better of it, closed his lips again.
"No, I'm not hurt!" he said bravely.
"He's too fat to get hurt!" laughed Bob. "You're like a rubber ball; aren't you, Johnnie?"
"I—I guess so," answered the little fellow, "but I don't want to bounce down stairs again!"
The three chums laughed at him as he started up the stairs once more, and they kept close behind him, but he did not fall again.
Into their classroom went Bob, Sammy and Frank. Other boys and girls were already there, and more came in. Miss Williams was there to meet them with a smile. She was a very pretty school-teacher, and her pupils loved her.
Soon the final bell rang, and then the children from the different rooms marched into the one, big main hall, or auditorium, where the morning exercises were held. There were many new pupils present this first day of the term.
There was singing, the reading of the Bible, and prayers, and then Mr. Tetlow, the principal of the school, greeted those present. He spoke of the fire, and what had happened at it, and mentioned the delay in opening the school. He welcomed all who had now come, and said he hoped they would all study hard to make up for lost time.
"And now," went on the principal, "I have something not so pleasant to say. But it has to be done, and it may be for the good of all of us. One of our pupils was suspended last term for doing something wrong. We all do wrong sometimes, but if we are sorry for it, and try not to do it again, we should be forgiven.
"And so I hope when you hear Jed Burr say that he is sorry, you will all forgive him, and be friends with him again. Now Jed, let's get it over with," and he smiled at the former bully, who sat in a front seat. The principal wanted to make it as easy as he could for the lad.
Jed was very red in the face as he shuffled up to the platform. He hung down his head, and no one could doubt but that his punishment was hard. He stood for a moment before all the school, getting very red in the face.
"Well," said Mr. Tetlow, kindly, "go on, Jed. Just a few words, to tell us you are sorry."
"I—I—er—I done wrong," stammered poor Jed, "and I'm sorry for it!"
The principal stepped up beside him.
"That is enough," he said. "You did very well, Jed. Now we will let bygones be bygones. You may all go to your classes."
Sammy, Bob and Frank, with the others, marched out. The little scene in which Jed, their former enemy, had taken part, had made them do some hard thinking. They were glad they had not been called on to stand up and apologize to the whole school.
Soon lessons were under way once more. Miss Williams gave a little talk to the pupils in her room, explaining the new work that was to be taken up that Fall and Winter.
"It will be harder than that which you had before the fire," she said, "but you know we have to go ahead in this world. It will not do to stand still. I will help you all I can.
"You will notice that I have hung some pictures on the walls. They are to help you in your lessons, for it is sometimes easy to understand a thing when we see a picture of it. I have other pictures to bring when we need them."
Sammy Brown suddenly thought of something. He raised his hand to show that he wished to speak.
"What is it?" asked Miss Williams.
"We've got some pictures in our clubroom," said Sammy. "I could bring them. There's a football game picture, and a lot of baseball players, and a man hunting, and"
Sammy saw a smile on Miss William's face, and paused.
"That's very nice of you, Sammy," she said, kindly, "and if we need that sort of pictures you may bring them. But I'm afraid our lessons won't be about baseball or football. You'll get enough of those games out of school.
"Now we will begin on the geography lesson. I want you to look at this picture over here. It shows"
But Miss Williams did not say what the picture showed, for at that moment there was a low, deep rumbling that seemed to go all through the school. The building shook and trembled. Then the rumble grew to a roaring sound, and the building vibrated still more. The windows rattled as if the glass would break.
Several girls screamed. The boys leaped from their desks.
"It's another fire!" yelled Sammy.
"It's an explosion!" shouted Bob.
"No! It's an earthquake!" exclaimed Frank. "Come on, everybody! Get out before the school falls on us!" and he made a rush for the door.
"Stop!" commanded Miss Williams sharply. "Boys, you are forgetting yourselves. Let the girls go first!"
And, while the rumbling continued, and the building still shook, the boys held back, while the girls rushed from the room.