The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

22 not b* : bad idea to climb a tree; then perhaps, his range of vision being more extended, he would be able to see some- thing of the truant tykes, | Accordingly he ascended a young oak, the trunk of which was thickly covered with ivy. | No dogs could be seen, but he sudden- ly became aware of footsteps and voices approaching. Now the London oy had heard terrible tales of the horrible punish- ments inflicted by the bloated aristo- cracy of this land upon small boys, poachers, stick-gatherers, and other hardy trespassers. The idea flashed through his mind swift as lightning that the approaching individuals were two gamekeepers in the employ of the tyrannical proprietor of the wood—that they had heard him calling the dogs, and, therefore, would immediately imprison him for poaching, or perhaps some crime of greater magni- tude. The first law of Nature—self-preser- vation—was obeyed immediately. He crouched among the ivy that clus- tered about the fork of the trunk so as to completely conceal himself. The voices approached nearer and nearer. “Surely they can’t be gamekeepers,” thought the boy. ‘“ Why, they are not talking about me |” That was quite true. Any thing or body appeared to be the theme of their conversation, though it seemed they had some kind of game in view. Harry listened more attentively. “Qld Whackley is rich enough for a Jew,” said one, “ And ever so much stingier,” replied the other. “I did the petition dodge up there once; widow and six children burnt out, and all that sort of thing. I’m blest if he did’t send it back, say- ing that he believed I was an impostor, and he’d a good mind to send for the peelers.” ‘That, of course, didn’t suit your book ?” THE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? «IT ghould say not. Well, young lively, who thinks he can play billiards, owes me twenty pounds; and as he cant pay, and won’t——” The speaker dropped his voice to a whisper, and Harry could only catch a few disjointed words. | ‘In his bed-room—good plan—we collar—all the blame on him—splendid swag.” | _ “Why, they must bethieves,” thought the boy; “and they mean to rob Doctor Whackley.” — He waited till the men had passed out of sight, then slid down from the tree, and hurried back to Lexicon College. Just on the outskirts of the town he saw. Doctor Franz Moeritz, the German — professor. Recognizing in him some one high in authority at the academy, Harry stopped him and hurriedly told him what he had just heard. “Good boy,” exclaimed the professor, “T vill gif you a great reward von day. I vill lehren (teach) you ye science of mathematics for nzchts (nothing ).” “Thank you, sir,” responded Harry, who, however, had but a very vague idea as to what his reward was to be. “You shall say nothing, goot boy, nothing at all of that you haf said to me. No one shall know, and ze tief shall be caught. Goot boy, here is a schelling for you. Now go, and hold your tongue; if you cannot, give some oder boy sixpence, and he shall hold it for you.” | | Harry laughed at the kind-hearted professor as he hurried back to the college, Then the boy bethought him of the dogs. It would never do to go back and in- form Mr. Marsham that he had lost them. Another effort must be made to find the truant animals, Accordingly, he walked back to the wood, and after some little time dis- covered them half-buried in the earth, in a large hole they had pawed out, in @ vain endeavour to unearth a rabbit. Go NOC (S(O) mn