THE REFORMED TOPOVERS AT BEECH HILL.
When Tom Topover heard the cheers, he had made his way into the
standing-room. He had evidently expected to find his turbulent
subordinate, Bent Fillwing, there; and he had opened his mouth to give
him a severe rating. But when he saw the students of the school gathered
around in solid phalanx, he started back, and looked as though he had
seen the world suddenly come to an end.
He had slept like a log; and he had not the remotest suspicion that the
Lily was not at anchor off Cannon's Point, where he had left her the
night before. A remarkable change had taken place in the situation, and
he could not account for it. He saw that the Lily was at the wharf; and
there was the boat-house; and on the edge of the wharf stood the
principal, looking as smiling as though no case of discipline ever
troubled him.
Nim Splugger and Jack Dumper had been awakened by the tramp of the boys
on deck, and were at the heels of the chief when he went up the
companion-way to the standing-room. They were quite as much astonished
as Tom. In fact, all three of them were utterly confounded by the
situation. If they had been dreaming, in their heavy slumber, of the
theatre and circus,—visits to which had been confidently promised to
them,—they awoke to a terrible certainty that the fun was all over.
The principal said nothing for a couple of minutes, in order to allow
Tom and his companions to take it all in, and gather up their ideas.
Then he stepped down from the wharf, and took a stand on the rail of the
schooner.
"Good-morning, Captain Topover; for I understand that you are the
commander of this schooner," the principal began, with mock solemnity.
"We learned that you had arrived this morning, in your fine craft; and
we have turned out to give you a fitting reception. When great men come
to Beech Hill, we do our best to receive them with suitable honors.
"On your return from your cruise in the Lily, it gives us great pleasure
to welcome you. We hardly expected to see you so soon; and your arrival
at this early hour deprives the students of the pleasure of meeting you
on the lake in the Sylph, in which they were preparing to receive you
some time in the course of the day.
"We congratulate you on the happy circumstance that you have brought the
Lily back in good condition, and we have no doubt you have enjoyed your
excursion very much. We understand that you have enforced discipline on
board of the schooner; and, as you were sailing under sealed orders, you
have kept your own counsel. For myself, I may say that I have received
the sixty dollars which was the sinews of the trip."
"I didn't steal that money," blubbered Tom, as he looked at the
principal, and realized that all the students, even to Bent, Kidd, and
Pell, who were seen among them, were laughing at him, and enjoying the
scene to their hearts' content.
"My dear Captain Topover, no one has accused you of stealing it!"
exclaimed the principal. "You sailed under sealed orders, and you did
not even tell your companions in the enterprise where you got that
money. This was all very proper, for it takes away from the dignity of a
commander to be too familiar with his subordinates. We look upon you as
a mighty man, and we hardly expect you to be more communicative to us."
Tom seemed to be a little bothered at the allusion to the money, and he
began to feel in his vest-pocket for the bills. He had not shown them to
his companions; and they could not have known any thing about the money,
except the hint he had given them that he was provided with funds. The
roll of bills had been in his pocket when he went to sleep: it was not
there now. And the principal was talking about the amount, which he had
not mentioned, to the whole school. It looked very strange to him now
that he had time to collect his thoughts. He could not explain it.
At this point of the interview, the breakfast-bell rang at the door of
the mansion.
"It is a happy circumstance that you arrived just in time for our
morning meal, and we shall take great pleasure in escorting you to the
banquet hall. You must have an appetite after the labors of the night,
most of which you have spent in your berth," continued Captain Gildrock.
"March to the house by twos, and open ranks in the middle to receive our
distinguished guests on this occasion."
The students doubled up, and marched ashore. In the middle of the
column, in single file, the three rebels were placed. Tom did not know
what to make of it. If the principal or Bates had taken him by the
collar, and pitched him on the deck, he could have comprehended it. If
he was disposed to rebel, he could not do so in the face of the ridicule
that was in process of being heaped upon him. He took his place in the
line, and the column marched to the house.
The teachers and others had collected on the lawn, aware that something
unusual had transpired; and they could not help joining in the general
laugh, when they saw in the procession the three runaways marching to
the mansion. At the table all took their usual places, and the lake
voyagers were hungry enough to do excellent justice to the meal set
before them.
While they were at breakfast, Bates moved the Lily back to her moorings,
fished up the anchor, and put the craft in her usual neat trim. Nothing
was said at the table about the escapade of the Topover party; and,
though the students kept an eye on the chief, the principal hardly
glanced at him. While he was still at the head of the table, a servant
brought in the morning mail. As the party rose from their seats, the
captain handed the letters to those to whom they were directed. Among
several belonging to himself, he opened one. He read for a moment, and
then rapped on the table.
"Here is a letter from a gentleman who was here to see me yesterday;
and, as it explains a great mystery, I will read a portion of it to you,
as it relates to the sinews of the late cruise of the Lily. 'On my
return from Beech Hill last evening, I went to the office of the Van
Ness House to pay my bill, for I intended to go home by the evening
train; but I found I had not a dollar in my pocket. I had a roll of
bills in my vest-pocket, which, to the best of my remembrance, contained
sixty dollars. I have not the least idea where I lost it. Possibly, I
dropped it in your grounds. If so, and you happen to find it, please
give me credit for the amount, or send a check to me at my residence;
for I borrowed enough to get home with.'
"Now, thanks to the honesty of Captain Topover, late commander of the
Lily in her cruise to, but not from, Cannon's Point, I am enabled, to
return this money to its rightful owner," continued the principal. "It
has been placed in my hands for safe keeping, and I did not expect to
find the owner of it so soon."
"Who placed it in your hands for safe keeping?" asked Tom, rather
impudently.
"I think we will follow your example,—sail under sealed orders, and keep
our own counsel," replied Captain Gildrock. "At any rate, none of the
money will be spent for theatre and circus, and none for hotel-bills on
our account."
The students laughed heartily at the discomfiture of Tom Topover.
Captain Gildrock had told the three penitents not to mention the manner
in which the money had been obtained, or that they had handed it to him.
He did not care to have Tom pick a quarrel with Bent on account of it.
This part of the adventure remained concealed from all, and Tom could
not explain it; though he suspected that his three renegade companions
had done some things which they did not explain.
The students went to their studies, and the rebels were surprised that
nothing more was said to them. The only penalty to which they were
subjected was that the windows were covered with bars again, in the
rooms of Tom, Nim, and Jack Dumper. The others were truly sorry for the
part they had played in the scrape, and no punishment awaited them. But
the ridicule to which the three guilty ones were subjected, proved to be
a very salutary medicine for their complaint.
"You went back on me, Bent Fillwing," said Tom Topover, in the evening,
when they were alone on the lawn.
"And you went back on the whole of us," retorted Bent.
"I did? Not a bit of it! If you hadn't deserted me, I would have done
all I promised. What do you mean by saying that I went back on you? Tom
Topover never went back on any fellow in his life."
"Bosh!" sneered Bent. "When you got sleepy, you anchored the schooner
and went to sleep. I call that going back on us in the worst possible
manner. You haven't brains enough to manage any affair, Tom Topover. You
are as vain as a bantam rooster, and you put on airs enough to fit out a
sergeant at a country muster."
"None of your lip, Bent Fillwing. If you talk like that, I'll bat you
over the head. I don't let any fellow talk to me like that," said Tom,
doubling up his fists.
"You will let me tell you the truth; or I will tell you, whether you let
me or not. If you want to bat me over the head, I will show you, in one
second after you have done it, how long you are when you are spread out
on the ground. I repeat, that you are a vain pup, and no fellow can
trust you. When Kidd and Pell and I had the watch below, what did you do
on deck? You gave up the battle, and went to sleep. In the morning, when
we ought to have been below Burlington, and out of sight of people who
know us, we were fast to the anchor, only four miles from the mouth of
the river. I had no confidence in you, and I gave it up. I wouldn't
trust you to lead a farrow hen to water."
"You and I will have to settle this business, Bent Fillwing," muttered
Tom.
"Why don't you settle it now, if you want to. If you wish to know how
long you are, I can make a plan of you on the ground in the twinkling of
an eye. Then you acted as though you were the commander of a big
man-of-war, when you were nothing but a sick puppy. No fellow could
stand it when you began to lord it over him. If we had not brought the
schooner back, the Sylph would have captured us; and then the fun would
have been all over. It was no use to think of doing any thing, after you
had lost four hours of the time we ought to have used in getting to a
safe part of the lake."
"How did old Gildrock get that sixty dollars?" asked Tom, finding it was
useless to bully Bent. He was too ready to be hit, and to return the
compliment.
"Don't you suppose he went down to your berth after you came into
Beechwater, and took it from your pocket?" asked Bent, laughing.
Tom did not believe he had done so. But he could get nothing out of him
or the other penitents, and he had to give it up. Perhaps he will know
some day, but it is still a great mystery to him.
Captain Gildrock said it was a great misfortune to Tom, that he had
found that roll of bills. The money had, no doubt, tempted him to plan
the excursion in the Lily, on the spur of the moment. He would not have
thought of such a thing, if the "sinews" had not been obtained by
accident.
Up to this time, Tom had been doing very well. He observed all the
rules, and learned his lessons. In the shop he was particularly
attentive to his work. For some time before the long vacation the
students had been engaged in building the engine for the proposed
steamer, which was to be about half the size of the Sylph. Tom was
employed on this work, and his lessons related to the natural forces
employed to obtain steam-power. He was interested in this subject, and
he read with attention all his text-book contained in relation to it.
In a few weeks, when it was seen that Tom and his associates in the
cruise of the Lily were doing as well as they knew how, the bars were
removed from their windows, and the doors were not locked at night. All
of them were allowed to visit their parents, and to spend Sunday with
them; but they did not value the privilege very highly, and preferred to
spend most of the time at Beech Hill.
Tom became a skilful machinist in time, though he never entirely
recovered from the faults of his disposition. He was kept busy at the
school during his three years; and he gave but little trouble, on the
whole, though he sometimes had an outbreak which worked off the bad
blood for the time. The people of Genverres were astonished at the fact,
when they realized it, that the Topovers had been reformed, and were
doing their duty in the institution. It was a merciful thing to them as
well as to the boys, for they had suffered a great deal from their
pranks and depredations.
Mrs. Sankland had occasion to look back to the fire in her house as a
godsend; for it had called the attention of the people to her wants, and
she was supplied with all the work she could do.
About the time Tom Topover graduated, and took a place to run a
stationary engine, his father died; and he did his full share in
supporting the family. The school had made a new man of him, as a school
of no other kind could have done.
A little later in the season, the keel of the steam-yacht was laid down
in the sheds built for the accommodation of the Lily. The wood-workers
among the students labored on her all winter, and had enough to do;
while those in the metalshops finished the engine.
In the following spring, as soon as the weather was suitable for going
out on the lake, classes in boat-sailing were organized, under the
instruction of Matt Randolph and Dory Dornwood, who continued in service
as captains of the Lily and the Goldwing; and all hands made a practical
use of the phrase they had so often heard, "Ready, about!" as they
learned the art of "sailing the boat."
_OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS._
THE BOAT-BUILDER SERIES.
To be completed in Six Volumes. Illustrated.
Per Vol., $1.25.
1. =ALL ADRIFT;=
Or, The Goldwing Club.
2. =SNUG HARBOR;=
Or, The Champlain Mechanics.
3. =SQUARE AND COMPASS;=
Or, Building the House.
4. =STEM TO STERN;=
Or, Building the Boat.
5. =ALL TAUT;=
Or, Rigging the Boat.
6. =READY ABOUT;=
Or, Sailing the Boat.
The series will include in successive volumes the whole art of
boat-building, boat-rigging, boat-managing, and probably how to make the
ownership of a boat pay. A great deal of useful information will be
given in this Boat-Building series, and in each book a very interesting
story is sure to be interwoven with the information. Every reader will
be interested at once in "Dory," the hero of "All Adrift," and one of
the characters to be retained in the future volumes of the series; at
least there are already several of his recently made friends who do not
want to lose sight of him, and this will be the case of pretty much
every boy who makes his acquaintance in "All Adrift."
WOODVILLE STORIES.
Uniform with Library for Young People. Six vols. 16mo. Illustrated.
Per vol., $1.25.
1. =RICH AND HUMBLE;=
Or, The Mission of Bertha Grant.
2. =IN SCHOOL AND OUT;=
Or, The Conquest of Richard Grant.
3. =WATCH AND WAIT;=
Or, The Young Fugitives.
4.= WORK AND WIN;=
Or, Noddy Newman on a Cruise.
5. =HOPE AND HAVE;=
Or, Fanny Grant among the Indians.
6. =HASTE AND WASTE;=
Or, The Young Pilot of Lake Champlain.
Though we are not so young as we once were, we relished these stories
almost as much as the boys and girls for whom they were written. They
were really refreshing even to us. There is much in them which is
calculated to inspire a generous, healthy ambition, and to make
distasteful all reading tending to stimulate base desires.—_Fitchburg
Reveille._
THE LAKE SHORE SERIES.
Six volumes. Illustrated. In neat box. Per vol., $1.25.
1. =THROUGH BY DAYLIGHT;=
Or, The Young Engineer of the Lake Shore Railroad.
2. =LIGHTNING EXPRESS;=
Or, The Rival Academies.
3. =ON TIME;=
Or, The Young Captain of the Ucayga Steamer.
4. =SWITCH OFF;=
Or, The War of the Students.
5. =BRAKE-UP;=
Or, The Young Peacemakers.
6. =BEAR AND FORBEAR;=
Or, The Young Skipper of Lake Ucayga.
"Oliver Optic" is one of the most fascinating writers for youth, and
withal one of the best to be found in this or any past age. Troops of
young people hang over his vivid pages, and not one of them ever learned
to be mean, ignoble, cowardly, selfish, or to yield to any vice from
anything they ever read from his pen.—_Providence Press._
YACHT CLUB SERIES.
Uniform with the ever popular "Boat Club," Series, Completed
in six vols. 16mo. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50.
1. =LITTLE BOBTAIL;=
Or, The Wreck of the Penobscot.
2. =THE YACHT CLUB;=
Or, The Young Boat-Builders.
3. =MONEY-MAKER;=
Or, The Victory of the Basilisk.
4. =THE COMING WAVE;=
Or, The Treasure of High Rock.
6. =THE DORCAS CLUB;=
Or, Our Girls Afloat.
6. =OCEAN BORN;=
Or, The Cruise of the Clubs.
The series has this peculiarity, that all of its constituent volumes are
independent of one another, and therefore each story is complete in
itself. "Oliver Optic" is perhaps the favorite author of the boys and
girls of this country, and he seems destined to enjoy an endless
popularity. He deserves his success, for he makes very interesting
stories, and inculcates none but the best sentiments; and the "Yacht
Club" is no exception to this rule.—_New Haven Jour. and Courier._
THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES.
Six Volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50.
1. =GOING WEST;=
Or, The Perils of a Poor Boy.
2. =OUT WEST;=
Or, Roughing it on the Great Lakes.
3. =LAKE BREEZES;=
Or, The Cruise of the Sylvania.
4. =GOING SOUTH;=
Or, Yachting on the Atlantic Coast.
5. =DOWN SOUTH;=
Or, Yacht Adventures in Florida. (In Press.)
6. =UP THE RIVER;=
Or, Yachting on the Mississippi. (In Press.)
This is the latest series of books issued by this popular writer, and
deals with Life on the Great Lakes, for which a careful study was made
by the author in a summer tour of the immense water sources of America.
The story, which carries the same hero through the six books of the
series, is always entertaining, novel scenes and varied incidents giving
a constantly changing, yet always attractive aspect to the narrative.
"Oliver Optic" has written nothing better.
FAMOUS "BOAT-CLUB" SERIES.
Library for Young People. Six volumes, handsomely illustrated.
Per volume, $1.25.
1. =THE BOAT CLUB;=
Or, The Bunkers of Rippleton.
2. =ALL ABOARD;=
Or, Life on the Lake.
3. =NOW OR NEVER;=
Or, The Adventures of Bobby Bright.
4. =TRY AGAIN;=
Or, The Trials and Triumphs of Harry West.
5. =POOR AND PROUD;=
Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redburn.
6. =LITTLE BY LITTLE;=
Or, The Cruise of the Flyaway.
This is the first series of books written for the young by "Oliver
Optic." It laid the foundation for his fame as the first of authors in
which the young delight, and gained for him the title of the Prince of
Story-Tellers. The six books are varied in incident and plot, but all
are entertaining and original.
THE ONWARD AND UPWARD SERIES.
Complete in six volumes. Illustrated. In neat box.
Per volume, $1.25.
1. =FIELD AND FOREST;=
Or, The Fortunes of a Farmer.
2. =PLANE AND PLANK;=
Or, The Mishaps of a Mechanic.
3. =DESK AND DEBIT;=
Or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk.
4. =CRINGLE AND CROSS-TREE;=
Or, The Sea Swashes of a Sailor.
5. =BIVOUAC AND BATTLE;=
Or, The Struggles of a Soldier.
6. =SEA AND SHORE;=
Or, The Tramps of a Traveller.
Paul Farringford, the hero of these tales, is, like most of this
author's heroes, a young man of high spirit, and of high aims and
correct principles, appearing in the different volumes as a farmer, a
captain, a bookkeeper, a soldier, a sailor, and a traveller. In all of
them the hero meets with very exciting adventures, told in the graphic
style for which the author is famous.—_Native._
THE STARRY FLAG SERIES.
Six volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.25.
1. =THE STARRY FLAG;=
Or, The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann.
2. =BREAKING AWAY;=
Or, The Fortunes of a Student.
3. =SEEK AND FIND;=
Or, The Adventures of a Smart Boy.
4. =FREAKS OF FORTUNE;=
Or, Half Round the World.
5. =MAKE OR BREAK;=
Or, The Rich Man's Daughter.
6. =DOWN THE RIVER;=
Or, Buck Bradford and the Tyrants.
Mr. Adams, the celebrated and popular writer, familiarly known as
"Oliver Optic," seems to have inexhaustible funds for weaving together
the virtues of life; and notwithstanding he has written scores of books,
the same freshness and novelty runs through them all. Some people think
the sensational element predominates. Perhaps it does. But a book for
young people needs this; and so long as good sentiments are inculcated
such books ought to be read.—_Pittsburg Gazette._
YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.
SECOND SERIES.
A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo.
Illustrated by Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others.
Per volume, $1.50.
1. =UP THE BALTIC;=
Or, Young America in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
2. =NORTHERN LANDS;=
Or, Young America in Russia and Prussia.
3. =CROSS AND CRESCENT;=
Or, Young America in Turkey and Greece.
4. =SUNNY SHORES;=
Or, Young America in Italy and Austria.
5. =VINE AND OLIVE;=
Or, Young America in Spain and Portugal.
6. =ISLES OF THE SEA;=
Or, Young America Homeward Bound.
"Oliver Optic" is a _nom de plume_ that is known and loved by almost
every boy of intelligence in the land. We have seen a highly
intellectual and world-weary man, a cynic whose heart was somewhat
imbittered by its large experience of human nature, take up one of
Oliver Optic's books and read it at a sitting, neglecting his work in
yielding to the fascination of the pages. When a mature and exceedingly
well-informed mind, long despoiled of all its freshness, can thus find
pleasure in a book for boys, no additional words of recommendation are
needed.—_Sunday Times._
YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.
FIRST SERIES.
A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo.
Illustrated by Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others.
Per volume, $1.50.
1. =OUTWARD BOUND;=
Or, Young America Afloat.
2. =SHAMROCK AND THISTLE;=
Or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland.
3. =RED CROSS;=
Or, Young America in England and Wales.
4. =DIKES AND DITCHES;=
Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium.
5. =PALACE AND COTTAGE;=
Or, Young America in France and Switzerland.
6. =DOWN THE RHINE;=
Or, Young America in Germany.
The story from its inception and through the twelve volumes (see _Second
Series_), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted,
concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea, is not only
correct in every particular, but is told in a captivating style. "Oliver
Optic" will continue to be the boy's friend, and his pleasant books will
continue to be read by thousands of American boys. What a fine holiday
present either or both series of "Young America Abroad" would be for a
young friend! It would make a little library highly prized by the
recipient, and would not be an expensive one.—_Providence Press._
ARMY AND NAVY STORIES.
Six Volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50.
1. =THE SOLDIER BOY;=
Or, Tom Somers in the Army.
2. =THE SAILOR BOY;=
Or, Jack Somers in the Navy.
3. =THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT;=
Or, Adventures of an Army Officer.
4. =THE YANKEE MIDDY;=
Or, Adventures of a Navy Officer.
5. =FIGHTING JOE;=
Or, The Fortunes of a Staff Officer.
6. =BRAVE OLD SALT;=
Or, Life on the Quarter-Deck.
This series of six volumes recounts the adventures of two brothers, Tom
and Jack Somers, one in the army, the other in the navy, in the great
civil war. The romantic narratives of the fortunes and exploits of the
brothers are thrilling in the extreme. Historical accuracy in the
recital of the great events of that period is strictly followed, and the
result is not only a library of entertaining volumes, but also the best
history of the civil war for young people ever written.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber's Note
Corrections have been made for missing punctuation and obvious printer's
errors.
Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.
Italicized words and phrases in the text version are presented by
surrounding the text with underscores.
Bold words and phrases in the text version are presented by surrounding
the text with equals signs.