Luck and Pluck 21

Luck and Pluck 21

CHAPTER XV.

 

MRS. OAKLEY'S NOTE.

 

 

John opened the note, little suspecting the nature of its contents. It

was as follows:--

 

"JOHN OAKLEY:--I have made an arrangement with my brother to have

you board with him for the present. As you and Benjamin find it so

difficult to agree, it will be much better that you should live

apart. If you had not treated him so brutally I should not be under

the necessity of sending you away from home. I hope you will give my

brother no trouble, but will follow his directions. He understands

what course I wish him to pursue with you. If he reports favorably of

you, I will send for you to return at a proper time."

 

"JANE OAKLEY."

 

"P. S. I will forward your trunk by express, early next week."

 

John read this cold and unjust letter with mingled anger and dismay.

It was hard to have all the blame of his quarrel with Ben thrown upon

him, when Ben had been the aggressor, and he had only contended for

his just rights. So he was to be exiled from home on Ben's account.

He could not help thinking how happily his father and he used to

live together before the present Mrs. Oakley came to the farm as

house-keeper. And now she and her son had taken possession, and he

was turned adrift. What would his father have thought, could he have

foreseen what would happen so soon after his death!

 

These thoughts, and others not less disturbing, passed through John's

mind as he read his stepmother's letter. Mr. Huxter's eyes were fixed

upon his face in cruel exultation, for he imagined the nature of John's

feelings, and enjoyed his sorrow.

 

"Well, Oakley, what do you say to that?" he demanded.

 

"I don't know what to say," said John.

 

"No, I presume not. The fact is, you haven't got anything to say in the

matter. My sister is your natural guardian, and she has sent you to me

to manage. She says you're rather a tough subject; but I reckon I can

manage you. You'll find me a little harder to deal with than a woman, I

can tell you that."

 

John did not reply. Indeed, he hardly knew what Mr. Huxter had been

saying. So many thoughts crowded in upon his mind with regard to the

sudden change in his position that he paid little attention to what

was said.

 

"Is this the only business on which Mrs. Oakley sent me?" he asked, at

length.

 

"It's enough, isn't it?" demanded Mr. Huxter, with a laugh. "So you

hadn't the least idea what was the object of your expedition?"

 

"No, I had not," said John, indignantly. "I had no suspicion that it

was only a trap."

 

"I knew you hadn't," said Mr. Huxter, laughing with evident enjoyment.

"You were pretty well taken in, hey?"

 

"I was taken in," said John, shortly.

 

"Sister Jane was pretty cute. She knew you'd be making a fuss, if you

knew. I told her that once I got you here there wouldn't be any more

trouble. So now you know all about it, and you may as well settle down

to staying here."

 

Mrs. Huxter, to whom all this was news, listened with earnest

attention. She was a good-hearted woman, and she couldn't help pitying

John. She liked her sister-in-law, now Mrs. Oakley, no better than John

did, and was very thankful when, after a two years' residence under her

roof, she had obtained a position as house-keeper at a distance. She

readily came to the conclusion that John had been harshly and unjustly

treated, and she could not forbear expressing her sympathy.

 

"I did not know you were going to remain with us, Mr. Oakley," she

said. "I'll try to make you comfortable as long as you stay."

 

"Thank you, Mrs. Huxter," said John, gratefully; for he could

understand the kindness which led her to speak.

 

"You needn't mister him," said Mr. Huxter, roughly. "It's ridiculous to

call such a boy 'Mr.'; it'll make him put on airs worse than ever."

 

"I do not know his first name," said Mrs. Huxter.

 

"My name is John," said our hero.

 

"Then I will call you so, if you are willing."

 

"If he is willing! Don't make a fool of yourself, Mrs. Huxter. It makes

no difference whether he is willing or not."

 

"I shall be glad to have you call me John," said our hero, without

regarding Mr. Huxter's brutal speech.

 

John rose from the table. He had not eaten much, for Mr. Huxter's

coarseness, and the note from his stepmother, had taken away his

appetite.

 

"Won't you have something more, John?" asked Mrs. Huxter. "You've eaten

very little."

 

"No, thank you. I don't feel much appetite this morning."

 

He took his hat, and was about to leave the house by the back door

which led out of the kitchen.

 

"Where are you going, Oakley?" demanded Mr. Huxter.

 

"I am going out for a walk," said John, shortly.

 

Mr. Huxter hesitated whether to obey the dictates of the petty tyranny

which impelled him to forbid John to go out, but finally decided not to

interfere at present. He contented himself, therefore, with saying:--

 

"I expect you to return within an hour."

 

John made no reply, but his manly spirit revolted against such

contemptible despotism. He did not recognize Mr. Huxter's authority,

and did not mean to. He resolved to take an independent stand at once,

and return when he pleased, and no sooner. I wish it to be distinctly

understood that John did not expect, at his present age, to enjoy all

the privileges of a grown man. He was always respectful to rightful

authority, but he considered that Mr. Huxter's authority was not

rightful, and that his commands ought to have no weight with him. Mr.

Huxter did not know the character with which he had to deal. He did not

know that John could be as firm under some circumstances, as he was

compliant in others. If he had known him better he might have felt less

confident of triumphing over him.

 

When he left the room Huxter turned to his wife, and said, harshly:--

 

"I've got something to say to you, Mrs. Huxter. You needn't trouble

yourself to take that boy's part. He is a proud-spirited young rascal,

and he needs taking down."

 

"He seems to me a very good sort of boy," said his wife.

 

"That shows what a good judge you are," said Mr. Huxter, with a sneer.

"He's a young bully, and was all the time fighting with Ben."

 

"I always thought Ben inclined to be a bully," said Mrs. Huxter.

 

"Well, he is a proud young upstart," admitted his uncle, who had not

forgiven Ben's disdain. "Got some of the Brayton blood in him. But the

other's just as bad. It's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

However, wife," pursued Mr. Huxter, with a change of tone, "it's

likely to be a good thing for us. We're to have six dollars a week for

boarding young Oakley."

 

"That's very good pay. I really think we ought to make him

comfortable."

 

"He won't get much favor from me. I promised Jane I'd break his proud

spirit, and I'm going to do it. I shall set him to work next week in

the shop."

 

"Set him to work while we are getting six dollars a week for his

board!" exclaimed Mrs. Huxter, in astonishment.

 

"Yes, that's what Jane told me to do."

 

"But his work alone will more than pay his board."

 

"All the better for us."

 

"But I don't think, Mr. Huxter, you have the right to do it."

 

"That shows how little you know about it. Isn't Jane his guardian?"

 

"Does she agree to the arrangement?"

 

"Of course she does. She told me I might do it."

 

"And she will be willing to pay his board besides?"

 

"Yes. You see I represented to her that now she was a rich woman she

ought to do something for her only brother, and that's the way she's

going to do it. It's a good thing for both of us. She gets rid of a

troublesome young rascal, and I get handsomely paid for taking charge

of him. It's a very simple arrangement."

 

"I can't seem to think it's right," said Mrs. Huxter, slowly.

 

"Then you're a fool," said Mr. Huxter, not very politely.

 

"I'm afraid there'll be trouble," thought Mrs. Huxter, nervously, but

she did not reply.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XVI.

 

MR. HUXTER MAKES A DISCOVERY, AND SO DOES JOHN.

 

 

John felt that he was in a difficult situation, and he went out, not so

much for a walk, as to gain time to consider what he should do under

the circumstances. He guessed without much difficulty the reason which

had led to his banishment. Mrs. Oakley did not like him, he was aware,