The Island School — page 127: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

104 “T will scrape the holes a bit so that we can take the screws out with our fingers and then replace the bar- Groby, I reckon, will visit us in the course of the day, and it will not do for him to suspect that we have a means of exit.” The bar was put back, and they had their whole time upon their hands. It was a puzzle to know what to do, but boys are very fertile in inventing games, and Ganthony, Terry, and Felton succeeded in amusing themselves for an hour, while Morse sat by the window thinking. He was sorry he had not been able to communicate with Jim again ere he was confined, but hoped to be able to do so ere the day was out. The morning passed slowly, but it came to an end at last, and shortly after twelve o’clock, Mr. Groby, © with Romeo behind him _ bearing a tray, entered. “Your dinner,” he said. “It is the usual fare, brought to you by the desire of Miss Farrell. It was the intention of Mrs. Farrell to put you on prison rations for a day or so, but her daughter’s pleadings, united to mine, led to your receiving food as usual.” Romeo stood behind him with a repressed grin upon his face. Nigger-like, he looked upon anything out of the usual line as something extremely comical. Morse said, “We are obliged to Miss Farrell,” purposely excluding Mr. Groby, because he did not believe they owed him anything. “Put the tray down on that desk, Romeo,” said Mr. Groby, curtly. “ Boys, you have a quarter of an hour to eat your dinner in. Romeo will wait for the tray. And mind, you dog, that you see none of them escape, and lock the door on leaving. Bring the key to my private room.” “Your private room?” said Romeo, staring at him vacantly. “Tt was Mr. Farrell’s before he went away,” was the brief reply, and the successor to the absent school- master left the room, drawing the door to with a jerk after him. “Tt kine o’ chokes me to hear ob him private room,” said Romeo, “and it ‘nuff to make a nigger sick to see de airs he gib himself. And don’t you belieb nuffin’ "bout missus puttin’ you on de bread and water,” he added. “She know nufiin’ ’bout it. It was his deposal, but Miss Eveline, hearing ob it, come along on de rampage and, she say it not to be. De way she comb de hair ob dat Groby was a real treat.” “Combed his hair °” exclaimed Terry, innocently. “ Kettleforiacally, in a way,” explained Romeo. “Not wif a comb, but jess make it stand out straight wif her tongue. He was in de hall by de door when she bounce right at him and say, ‘ Massa Groby, what you mean by starving de boys in redition to you oder inflamies P” THE ISLAND SCHOOL. “Were those her very words ?” asked Felton, wink- ing at Terry. : ““Her bery words,’ replied Romeo. “Me take a metal note and obserwation ob dem. He look more like a fool dan my ole grandfather Macbef, when he was a-jawin’ me, while he feel ’bout de kitchen fender for de poker and got hold ob de hot end ob it. ‘Miss Eveline,’ say dat Groby. chap, ‘I’m orfally sorry if you not approbe ob dis receeding ob mine. I do it for missypline and de good ob de school. But if you wish, I quite willmg——’ At dis: pint ob de con- sultation she cut him short—kinder snapped him nose and arf him head orf. ‘Massa Groby,’ she say, ‘I resist on dem boys habin’ de usual vittles. If you try to starbe dem again, perhaps you/hear ob it from a corker you rase expect.’ ” ‘“‘She said quarter, of course?” quietly interposed Morse. | “Sumfin’ in dat way,” assented Romeo. “ Owing to my habin’ a refective edification, some ob dem words reglar cokernuts for me to crack. . Habin’ | rejuiced ebery hair ob him head to a state ob de broom bristles, she go away wif all de ‘dignity ob a queen, leabing him more dan flabbygastered.” Approving comments on the matter of the story were uttered by the boys, and Terry especially com- plimented Romeo on his lucidity of utterance. Morse meanwhile was writing a few words on a slip of paper. The narrative told and the writing done, the boys fell upon their dinner and speedily disposed of it. As Romeo was turning over the corners of the cloth upon the tray, Morse asked him to listen attentively for a moment. “You know, Romeo,” he said, “‘ that ever since we crossed the island together that we look upon you as” a friend—as one of us?” “Sure, Massa Morse,” responded Romeo, “me mortifiedly proud to hear dat. It warm de ole hearts ob my fader Hamlet, and Macbef.” “Well, as we look upon you as a friend,” continued Morse, “ we feel that we can trust you. Now, here is a short note I wish you to give to Gordon as soon as you can, but it must be done secretly. You under- stand ?” “You mean me to gib it to him when’ nobody dere P” “You are to get into the post-office unobserved, and out again unseen, 1f you can. There may be a message to bring back, or a note. You will not de- liver either to anybody but myself, will you ?” ‘““Not for a cask ob gold sovrens,” said Romeo. ‘Massa Morse, me being remoted up to de position ob a frien’, I *bout de most trusswordy man vou find in de place. Put dat down in de note-book, Massa Morse.” Nodding his head in a sagacious manner, Romeo 900 (el @) mn 2 CS (SE @) mn