The Island School — page 255: what you’re looking at

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

212 she will have a job to get here. If she comes by the overland route, as [hope she will, she runs a chance of being seized by Spanish brigands.” This thought gave him considerable satisfaction and a sense of relief. The second letter, however, en- lightened him as to the personality of the middle- aged woman referred to. Tt will better serve our purpose to give this letter verbatim ; ‘ir. FARRELL: ‘© Sir,—It having come to my knowledge that you have started your island school for the sole purpose of filling your pockets with money, and that you eventually intend to peli all the boys to the Moors in Algiers as slaves, I feel it my duty, in the interests of my nephew Oscar, to take a trip to theisland of Fermentera to verify this information, or to prove it to be false. My medical man has also recom- mended me to take a sea voyage or visit the Continent, to recruit my health. Iam therefore enabled to kill two birds with one stone. ** Yours faithfully, *¢ HLEGANTINE DIBBLE. “ P.S.—Should my information be correct. I shall take . measures to have you arrested and punished.” The feelings of Mr. Farrell, as he read this peculiar epistle, cannot be described. Indignation, fear, and a conviction that he was about to be made ridicu- lous, struggled for the mastery. In a voice that stilled the hubbub of the room, he roared out: *¢ Dibble !” The owner of this name nearly jumped out of his boots with fright. He, too, had received a letter from his aunt, in which she expressed a hope that it would reach him ‘ before he was sold into nigger slavery,” an enigmatical sentence to him, that, in Yankee par- lance, made him “ squirm.” Knowing nothing of the report of which she had given Mr. Farrell particulars, poor Dibble knew not what to make of the allusion to slavery. He feared it was the intention of his aunt to have him sold somewhere where that infamous Institution was in force. In his heart of hearts he fully believed her capable of it. | As he was not able to reply for the moment, Mr. Farrell roared out again : “Dibble! are you deaf 2” *‘ No-o-0-o, sir!” was the stammering reply. “Then come here.” Dibble went there, which was at the upper end of the room furthest from the door of Morse’s laboratory. Mr. Farrell had conceived such a deep respect for that place that he kept now as far away from it as possible. “ { have received a letter from your aunt,” said Mr. Farrell, eyeing the hapless boy viciously. **S0 ha-ve-e I, sir,” said Dibble. ““{ have nothing to do with your letters,” said Mr. Farrell, viciously ; ‘I spoke of one I had received.” “ Ve-9-s, sir.” THE ISLAND SCHOOL. “Yes, sir, indeed! And a very nice letter it is. What sort of a woman is your aunt ?” Dibble reflected a moment, and then replied : ** Pretty warm, sir.” - An angry gesture from the schoolmaster startled him. He hastened to add: “More than warm, sir. A hot’un!” ‘What do you mean by that?” again thundered Mr. Farrell. ““She’s down on everybody, sir,” gasped the unhappy Dibble. “ She’s the terror of the place where she lives. She even makes the butcher’s boy tremble when he comes for orders, sir.” This seemed to be to Dibble about the strongest piece of evidence he could offer of his aunt’s terror- inspiring powers. Mr. Farrell also appeared to think the information of importance. | “Your aunt is coming here,” he said, “and she threatens me with violence, because she hears I have an idea of selling you for a slave. Did you send that falsehood to her ?” PES isi? ‘No, sir,’ answered the astonished Dibble. never dreamt of such a thing.” ‘‘ She has been imposed upon; but that is no reason why she should come here to annoy me. I trust it is only a threat. Jtesume your seat.” Dibble went back to his seat, muttering, as he settled into it: ‘He may think she won’t come, but if she says she is coming, she will be here before long. If she made up her mind to walk across the Atlantic, she would do it.” | | From this little episode arose a yearning among the boys for the coming of Dibble’s aunt. life at the school had settled down, and there was no excitement, although there was undoubted enjoyment. All fear of a further visit from the wild man sub- ae - sided, for it was believed that, ere he had freed himself — from the trap, he must have done himself considerable injury. The probability was that he had crawled away tosome distant hole—his lair, and there, like an injured rat, pined away and died. Chorker resumed his post as master boatman, and the boys went down each morning for their swim, although the water was getting somewhat chilly, and Martin and the rest of the men were busy cutting down timber, and sawing it in preparation for the building of new workshops. Believing that all peril was past, Mr. Farrell had determined on carrying on the school, but henceforth in the castle. There was a ghostliness about it that he did not quite like, and he was especially interested, in @ tremulous way, in the chambers Morse had been unable to open, and for a century, at least, had never been opened at all. But the castle was cheap, 500 (@( @) NIC CS Of @ ) )