登陆注册
15453200000003

第3章 CHAPTER I THE COWARD(3)

In ever deepening dejection the discussion proceeded until at length Mop came forward with a daring suggestion.

"Say, boys, let's wait until noon. He won't notice anything. We can easily fool him."This brought no comfort to Larry, however, whose previous virtues would only render this lapse the more conspicuous. A suggestion of Joe's turned the scale.

"Dat woodchuck," he said, "he's got one hole on de hill by dere.

He's big feller. We dron heem out."

"Come on, let's," cried Mop. "It will be awful fun to drown the beggar out.""Guess we can't do much this morning, anyway," said Ben, philosophically making the best of a bad job. "Let's go, Larry."And much against his will, but seeing no way out of the dilemma, Larry agreed.

They explored the woodchuck hole, failing to drown out that cunning subterranean architect who apparently had provided lines of retreat for just such emergencies as confronted him now. Wearied of the woodchuck, they ranged the bush seeking and finding the nests of bluejays and of woodpeckers, and in a gravel pit those of the sand martens. Joe led them to the haunts of the woodcock, but that shy bird they failed to glimpse. Long before the noon hour they felt the need of sustenance and found that Larry's lunch divided among the four went but a small way in satisfying their pangs of hunger.

The other three, carefree and unconcerned for what the future might hold, roamed the woods during the afternoon, but to Larry what in other circumstances would have been a day of unalloyed joy, brought him only a present misery and a dread for the future. The question of school for the afternoon was only mentioned to be dismissed.

They were too dirty and muddy to venture into the presence of the master. Consequently the obvious course was to wait until four o'clock when joining the other children they might slip home unnoticed.

The afternoon soon began to lag. The woods had lost their first glamour. Their games grew to be burdensome. They were weary and hungry, and becoming correspondingly brittle in temper. Already Nemesis was on their trail. Sick at heart and weighted with forebodings, Larry listened to the plans of the other boys by which they expected to elude the consequences of their truancy. In the discussion of their plans Larry took no part. They offered him no hope. He knew that if he were prepared to lie, as they had cheerfully decided, his simple word would carry him through at home. But there the difficulty arose. Was he willing to lie? He had never lied to his mother in all his life. He visualised her face as she listened to him recounting his falsified tale of the day's doings and unconsciously he groaned aloud.

"What's the matter with you, Larry?" inquired Mop, noticing his pale face.

"Oh, nothing; it's getting a little cold, I guess.""Cold!" laughed Mop. "I guess you're getting scared all right."To this Larry made no reply. He was too miserable, too tired to explain his state of mind. He was doubtful whether he could explain to Mop or to Joe his unwillingness to lie to his mother.

"It don't take much to scare you anyway," said Mop with an ugly grin.

The situation was not without its anxieties to Mop, for while he felt fairly confident as to his ability to meet successfully his mother's cross examination, there was always a possibility of his father's taking a hand, and that filled him with a real dismay.

For Mr. Sam Cheatley, the village butcher, was a man of violent temper, hasty in his judgments and merciless in his punishment.

There was a possibility of unhappy consequences for Mop in spite of his practiced ability in deception. Hence his nerves were set a-jangling, and his temper, never very certain, was rather on edge.

The pale face of the little boy annoyed him, and the little whimsical smile which never quite left his face confronted him like an insult.

"You're scared," reiterated Mop with increasing contempt, "and you know you're scared. You ain't got any spunk anyway. You ain't got the spunk of a louse." With a quick grip he caught the boy by the collar (he was almost twice Larry's size), and with a jerk landed him on his back in a brush heap. The fall brought Larry no physical hurt, but the laughter of Joe and especially of big Ben, who in his eyes was something of a hero, wounded and humiliated him. The little smile, however, did not leave his face and he picked himself up and settled his coat about his collar.

"You ain't no good anyway," continued Mop, with the native instinct of the bully to worry his victim. "You can't play nothin' and you can't lick nobody in the whole school."Both of these charges Larry felt were true. He was not fond of games and never had he experienced a desire to win fame as a fighter.

"Aw, let him alone, can't you, Mop?" said big Ben. "He ain't hurtin' you none.""Hurtin' me," cried Mop, who for some unaccountable reason had worked himself into a rage. "He couldn't hurt me if he tried. Icould lick him on my knees with one hand behind my back. I believe Joe there could lick him with one hand tied behind his back.""I bet he can't," said Ben, measuring Larry with his eye and desiring to defend him from this degrading accusation. "I bet he'd put up a pretty fine scrap," continued Ben, "if he had to."Larry's heart warmed to his champion.

"Yes, if he had to," replied Mop with a sneer. "But he would never have to. He wouldn't fight a flea. Joe can lick him with one hand, can't you, Joe?""I donno. I don' want fight me," said Joe.

"No, I know you don't want to, but you could, couldn't you?"persisted Mop. Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Ha, I told you so.

Hurrah for my man," cried Mop, clapping Joe on the back and pushing him toward Larry.

同类推荐
  • 念佛三昧

    念佛三昧

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛说大集会正法经

    佛说大集会正法经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 昙无德律部杂羯磨

    昙无德律部杂羯磨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 词徵

    词徵

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 眼科秘诀

    眼科秘诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 通玄真经缵义

    通玄真经缵义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 踮起脚尖的那些年

    踮起脚尖的那些年

    一位少年从农村慢慢成长到城市上学工作的一段扑朔迷离的故事经历
  • 芩萱的重生记事

    芩萱的重生记事

    重生回前世自己十六岁的日子,即将成为自己继母的害死自己母亲的女人,冷漠甚至提防着自己的父亲,以及身边人蠢蠢欲动的心思,姜芩萱可谓前有虎后有狼。但是她姜芩萱会被打倒吗?显然不会,有了重新再来的一次机会,昔日的爱人、亲人、朋友,她又怎么会看不透她们的心思呢?身为豪门的千金,不是她的错,却为什么总是有嫉恨她的人出现并且一次次陷害自己。她们只看见了豪门千金身份的高贵,却没有注意到这身份背后的悲哀。姜芩萱只想如何应对这一系列明枪暗箭,报完仇,过自己想要的悠闲生活。PS:可以求下推荐与收藏么?~\(≧▽≦)/~小手轻轻一点就可以啦,我的推荐与收藏实在是太少了,拜托了各位亲们(づ ̄3 ̄)づ╭?~
  • 镜子的守护

    镜子的守护

    大学的世界总是有许多传奇色彩,也有许多灵异故事,也有爱恨情仇,我有一篇故事想分享给大家,如果有兴趣的话就看这篇故事镜子的守护............
  • 独自爱慕的神明

    独自爱慕的神明

    若木炽烈燃遍的古极渊,神明邂逅了他的缘,从此跌入深渊。深雪覆盖的古极渊,神明舍去了神格,唤醒了一颗冰冻的心。化作灰烬的古极渊,神明因一念仁慈,解救了一具破碎的灵魂。思之念之,慕之恋之,被神明眷顾的心,幸是不幸。我沉睡在湛蓝的秘境之海,任深雪无言寂然湮没。遗忘,曾经经受的所有磨难。感到,我迟缓的灵魂仿佛变得无比蔚蓝,眼睑,指尖上,栖息着无数清冽的星辰。于这方颠倒的世界,左永远是右,阴影永远是光晖简单同时复杂、幼稚同时深沉、热闹同时宁和。天空犹如海洋,海洋仿若天空,无边又无际。在皎洁的月光下,我阖上双眸,再一次爱上你。我在这里,永远爱你。
  • 与天不灭

    与天不灭

    在这世上,所有至爱之人都离我而去,凌云一无所有。放弃尊严,放弃骄傲,放弃不甘!唯一拥有的,就是无限的机会,因为我像老天爷那般,永远不死不灭!永远有再来一次的机会!没有天赋又如何,那就自己去摸索修行之道,身死千次万次又何妨?踩着荆棘,踏上通天之路!与天不灭!
  • 太玄界域传

    太玄界域传

    太玄界域,无数的传说在此诞生。在这里,有移山倒海的巨魔,有翱翔九天的神兽,还有无数追求长生的修士。
  • 快穿之男神你肿么那么难追

    快穿之男神你肿么那么难追

    你是谁?为什么我总感觉我们好像认识很久了?随衣面露不解的看着男子。男人倾城一笑,缓缓走向她,伸出修长的手指,挑起随衣的下巴,略为沙哑的声音在她耳边响起:”女人,这就是你的搭讪方式吗?还真是“男人停顿一秒,”可爱。“说完潇洒的转身离去。随衣呢喃:”搭讪?谁会闲的无聊去搭讪你啊!!但是“随衣手放在心口,那里在微微的刺痛。”为什么感觉好疼,你到底是谁?“
  • 一千零一夜情话

    一千零一夜情话

    爱就这样静静地发生了,再还没来得及说:“我爱你”的时候,他走了,而她却已经掉入了这个巨大的爱的漩涡---夜!每一夜,都是的她都在想念着他。她用文字记录下了这份刻骨铭心的爱。每日每夜想对他说,却还没有来得及说的话!
  • 三月凌空

    三月凌空

    三月凌空,天下大乱。古老的预言过去了百年,一切太平。当各门各派觉得无事的时候,巨大的灾难却悄然而至。赵策是蓬莱紫云宗最后的传人,过惯散人生活的他也被卷入了战争中。树欲静而风不止,有些时候,你并不能置身事外,大家都是局中人。