Cheer Boys Cheer: The Boys' Journal, No. 62 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

28 “And, seeing that wouldn’t bring me round, they’d call old Vogel in, and he’d puff some of his. *baccy in my face, and I should jump up like a squirrel !’’ added Bob, with a broad grin. “But old Vogel isn’t here to do that,’ said Elsie; “ and, as Mr.-Wil- liams is away, too, I suppose that’s why they haven’t put tea in the common-room. -I peeped in and saw they hadn’t. Hence this honour.” To the sound of the sergeant’s hardly Caruso-like tones, Bob did good work among the dainties pressed upon him by his hostess. Mindful of his duties, and not being a shirker, he was soon on his feet again and off to change. His room looked on to the garden, but it also commanded a good view of the playground. And the play- ground just now was very lively. {Ignoring the hoarse shouts of Ser- geant Hollis, the drill instructor, the Hillites were crowding round a couple of their fellows engaged in hot dispute. Bob was not at all surprised to find that Sergeant Hollis’s commands fell on deaf ears. It seemed to be the way here for people set in authority to have no authority. The boys, in the mass, were no better and no worse. than any other boys; but, as they found that nothing painful happened to them if they took their time about obeying commands, they naturally took their time. The sergeant, like all old soldiers, loved order and discipline, with the consequence that, though, like every- body else at the Hill House, he was paid well for his services, he regarded this particular afternoon as the black spot of his week. “Fall in, please! Fall in! Do you ’ear me, young gentlemen—fall in!” They heard him all right, but there it ended. The dispute be- tween Bencraft and Biggleswade was far more interesting. Bencraft had told Biggleswade he was a young slug for siding with Smith, because it had been agreed to take united action against Smith. Biggleswade had retorted that Smith was a jolly good chap, and that it was a dirty, rotten thing to set on him like that. Ben- craft had then made a point by ask- ing Biggleswade why he had not ex- pressed this view when the meeting was held, and Biggleswade, not knowing what to reply, had said that Bencraft was a cad to chuck his book at Smith when Smith hadn’t touched hin. This seemed to Biggleswade rather a happy answer. After all, Smith hadn’t touched anyone when Ben- craft slung that drawing-book at his head. | “* But I said I'd start it, and I had to,” retorted Bencraft. Both disputants were now very red in the face, and the crowd that had- gathered was pushing them closer and closer together. It was at this point that Bob first observed the scerie from his window. The feeling against Smith being still one of deadly hatred, the CHEER BOYS CHEER. general. hope was that Bencraft would set about Biggleswade and punch his head for helping Smith. But although Bencraft was a head taller than Biggleswade, he was well aware of the latter’s extreme willing- ness to take on anybody who wanted arow. He had never known Biggles- wade to tackle a senior, but he had watched him demolish half a dozen fellows of his own age and size. At last somebody gave Biggles- wade a push that sent him flying into Bencraft. ““Where are you coming to?” de- manded Bencraft, pushing Biggles- wade back. Angered by the two pushes, Biggleswade clenched his fist and hit Bencraft on the second button of the waistcoat, and Bencraft, jump- ing forward, seized Biggleswade by the throat and forced him right through the crowd. “Fall in, gents., please—fall in!” pleaded Sergeant Hollis. “Go on, Bencraft—slay the young brute!” bawled a voice, and amid a ‘chorus of shouts, Bencraft released Biggleswade and stood over him, breathing hard. “Say any more, and I’ll jolly well lick you!” he obseryed. But he did not want to lick Biggleswade, and rather thought the latter had had enough. It appeared that Biggleswade was in two minds about what to do next, and possibly the incident would have ended there, had not some kind friend given him another shove into Bencraft. This time, Bencraft received him with a clean, open- handed smack across the cheek, and Biggleswade replied by pounding Bencraft on the nose. It was a pound, as one might say, with sixteen full ounces in it, for his fist caught Ben- craft on the point of the nose, and the effect was disconcerting, for the nose is a very sensitive organ. A blow over the nostrils will. still the tantrums of a horse, and a bull is led by a rope attached to a ring in his nose, because he is sensitive in that quarter. Beneraft reeled back, but not far as the fellows were thick about him. A senior called out: “Go on, Benny! Don’t let a kid like that whack you!” At this Bencraft woke up and let fly a hail of blows at Biggleswade. Weight and height will tell, and for a moment Biggleswade was smothered. He retreated, but he could not get away further than the ring that had been formed permitted him, and finding that he had his back to a human wall, hit out wildly. Most of his blows fell on the air, or on Bencraft’s arms, but one reached Beneraft’s eye and made him blink. “ Give ‘em room,” shouted Pearce, plshing the fellows back as the com- batants paused for breath, and stood eyeing one another fiercely. Bob Smith was, of course, chang- ing as rapidly as possible in order to go down and restore order with the least possible delay. But for all that, he couldn’t help going to the window at intervals to see how matters were progressing, and as Bencraft and Biggleswade fell to again, as a lover - of the fistic art, he couldn’t help stopping there to see how they shaped. : e could tell at a glance that neither knew anything about boxing, otherwise Bencrait, with his longer arms, would have kept Biggleswade from getting in close enough to hit him, while Biggleswade, with his superior agility, would have done more ducking and dodging, and got in more shrewd body blows instead™ of always trying to reach Bencraft’s face. With science non-existent, and defence at a discount, the two, at any rate, succeeded in supplying sport for the behoiders, for they hit each other constantly, and butcher’s work was evident on each face—for Biggleswade had hit Bencraft’s nose again, and Bencraft had got all his weight into a driving blow that cut Biggleswade’s upper lip—when a totally unexpected interruption occurred. “Stop this! How dare you? Stop this at once, I say!” At the shrill, familiar tones, the fighters dropped their hands; and doubtless they were glad to. As for the boys forming the ring, they turned to find Elsie Wittering sur- veying them with flashing eyes. “‘T am ashamed of you all!” cried the girl. ‘Fancy fighting and mak- ing all this noise when father and mother are ill! Go to your drill at once.” She stood her ground, looking at them imperiously. “Fall in, gents, please—fall in!” croaked Sergeant Hollis, and they fell in like lambs. “Take them down to the field, will you, sergeant?” said Elsie. “* Certainly, miss,” replied the old soldier, going down the line with alacrity and arranging the boys in order of height with none too gentle a hand. And when Bob came down, he walked through silent spaces till he reached the cricket-field. He found it necessary to say very little during drill, for the inevitable reaction that follows excitement had set m, and the most unruly spirits were willing to work quietly. > The same temper obtained at pre- paration, and the fellows, after Elsie’s rebuke, went to bed with a docility that was unusual with them. So ended Bob’s duty day, and when he turned in to the empty common- room after his solitary supper—for Vogelhasset and Williams were mak- ing a thorough half-day off of it— and sank into an easy-chair, for the first time since his sojourn at the Hill House began, this particular apartment seemed to him a real haven of rest. And, this being a time suitable for calm reflection, he took out his mother’s letter and read it through again. With the result that he did not. go to bed feeling particularly happy: (To be continued next Tuesday.) oO aa) \ATAIAYAYA) = (efayinn)