THE YOUNG TRAVELLERS.
The Sabbath came, and a fine autumnal day it was. Oscar's thoughts
were with Alfred, and the boys whose acquaintance he had made the
afternoon previous; but there was little chance for him to join them in
their walks on that day. He could not absent himself from church or
the Sunday-school, without his parents' knowledge; and Mr. Preston had
always decidedly objected to letting the children stroll about the
streets on the Sabbath. Oscar felt so uneasy, however, that in the
afternoon, a little while before meeting-time, he left the house slyly,
while his father was upstairs, and walked around to Alfred's. But he
saw nothing of the boys, and was in his accustomed seat in the church
when the afternoon services commenced.
The next morning, Oscar rose earlier than usual, and as soon as he
could despatch his breakfast, he hurried over to the hotel. The
travellers had concluded to defer their journey one day longer, that
they might have a better opportunity to see Boston; and when Oscar
approached them, they were trying to persuade Alfred to stay away from
school, and accompany them in their rambles. They immediately extended
the same invitation to Oscar. Both he and Alfred felt very much
inclined to accede to their proposition, but they were pretty sure that
it would be useless to ask their parents' consent to absent themselves
from school for such a purpose. The point to be settled was, whether
it would be safe to play truant for the day. Seeing that they
hesitated, the oldest boy, whose name was Joseph, began to urge the
matter still more earnestly.
"What are you afraid of?" he said; "come along, it's no killing affair
to stay away from school just for one day. You can manage so that
nobody will know it; and if they should find it out, it won't make any
difference a hundred years hence. Come, now, I 'll tell you what I 'll
do; if you two will go around with us to-day, I 'll give you a quarter
of a dollar apiece."
Oscar and Alfred, after some little hesitation, yielded to their
request, and the four boys started on their tramp. It was not without
many misgivings, however, that Oscar decided to accompany them. With
him, the chances of detection were much greater than with Alfred. No
brothers of the latter attended school, to notice and report his
absence. With Oscar, the case was different, and he did not see
exactly how his truancy was to be concealed from his parents and
teachers. But as Alfred was going with the boys, he finally concluded
that he, too, would run the risk for at least half a day, and trust to
luck to escape punishment.
It was decided to go over to the neighboring city of Charlestown,
first, and visit the Monument and Navy-Yard, both of which the young
strangers were quite anxious to see. Joseph, the oldest and most
forward, began to be on quite intimate terms with Oscar and Alfred. He
threw off every restraint, and laughed and talked with them just as if
they were old acquaintances. One thing very noticeable about him, was
his profanity. Neither Alfred nor Oscar, I am sorry to say, was
entirely free from this wicked and disgusting habit; but they had made
so little advance in this vice, compared with their new friend, that
even they were slightly shocked by the frequent and often startling
oaths of Joseph.
The younger lad, whose name was Stephen, appeared to be quite unlike
his brother. Though sociable, he was less gay and more reserved than
Joseph, but he seemed to be much interested in the novel sights that
met his eye at every step.
On their way, the boys came to a cellar which was occupied by a dealer
in fruits and other refreshments. Around the entrance were arranged
numerous boxes of oranges, apples, nuts, candy, and similar articles,
to tempt the passer-by to stop and purchase. The owner was not in
sight, and Joseph, as he passed along, boldly helped himself from one
of the boxes, taking a good hand-full of walnuts. On looking around, a
moment after, he saw a man running up the cellar steps, and concluded
that he, too, had better quicken his pace. He accordingly started on a
brisk run, the other boys joining in his flight. The man, who happened
to witness the theft from the back part of the cellar, soon saw that
pursuit would be useless, and contented himself with shaking his fist,
and uttering some anathemas which were inaudible to those for whom they
were intended.
"That was a pretty narrow escape, was n't it?" said Joseph, after they
had got a safe distance from the man.
"It was so," replied Alfred; "and it was lucky for you that he did n't
catch you."
"Why, what do you suppose he would have done?"
"He would have taken you up for stealing, I guess, for he looked mad
enough to do anything," said Alfred.
"Stealing? Pooh, a man must be a fool to make such a fuss about a
cent's-worth of nuts," replied Joseph.
"I knew a boy," said Oscar, "who stole a cake of maple sugar from one
of these stands, and his father had to pay two or three dollars to get
him out of the scrape."
"I would n't have done it," said Joseph; "I 'd have gone to jail
first--that 's just my pluck."
"But the boy did n't do it--it was his father that paid the money,"
added Oscar.
"O, then, I suppose the boy was n't to blame," said Joseph, with all
seriousness; as though he really believed that somebody was to blame,
not for stealing the maple sugar, but for satisfying the man who had
been injured by the theft.
They were now upon one of the bridges which cross Charles River, and
connect the cities of Boston and Charlestown. After passing half-way
over, they stopped a few minutes to gaze at the scene spread out around
them. Oscar and Alfred pointed out to the strangers the various
objects of interest, and they then continued their walk without
interruption until they reached the Monument grounds, on Bunker Hill.
After examining the noble granite shaft which commemorates the first
great battle of the American Revolution, they threw themselves down
upon the grass, to contemplate at their leisure the fine panorama which
this hill affords on a clear day.
After lingering half an hour around the Monument, they turned their
steps towards the Navy-Yard. On reaching it, they found a soldier
slowly pacing back and forth, in front of the gate-way; but he made no
objection to their entering. Joseph and Stephen, who had never before
visited an establishment of this kind, were first struck by the extent
of the yard, and the air of order and neatness which seemed everywhere
to prevail. They gazed with curiosity upon the long rows of iron
cannons interspersed with pyramids of cannon-balls, piled up in exact
order, which were spread out upon the parks. Then their wonder was
excited by the dry-dock, with its smooth granite walls, its massive
gates, and its capacious area, sufficient to float the largest frigate.
The lofty ship-houses in which vessels are constructed, and the long
stone rope-walk, with its curious machinery, also attracted their
attention. So interested were they in these things, that nearly two
hours elapsed before they started for home.
On their way back to the hotel, Joseph entertained Alfred and Oscar
with some incidents of his life. His mother, he said, died when he was
quite young. His father went to sea as the captain of a ship, two
years before, and had never been heard from. He had rich relatives,
who wanted him to go to West Point and be a cadet, but he did not like
to study, and had persuaded them to let him and Stephen go and live
with their uncle at the west, who had no boys of his own, and wanted
somebody to help him to manage his immense farm. Such, in brief, was
Joseph's story.
On their return route, the boys were careful to avoid passing by the
cellar from which Joseph had stolen the nuts. With all his pluck and
bravery, he did not care about meeting the man whose displeasure he had
excited a few hours before.
It was twelve o'clock before the boys reached the hotel. Oscar, during
the latter part of the walk, had been unusually silent. He was
thinking how he should manage to conceal his truancy, but he could not
hit upon any satisfactory plan. The more he reflected upon the matter,
the more he was troubled and perplexed about it. He might possibly
hide his mis-spent forenoon from his parents, but how should he explain
his absence to his teachers? He could not tell. He decided, however,
to see his brothers before they should get home from school, and, if
they had noticed his absence, to prevail upon them to say nothing about
it.
"You 'll be back again after dinner, Oscar?" said Alfred, as his friend
started for home.
"Yes," replied Oscar, with some hesitation; "I 'll see you before
school-time."
"School-time? You don't intend to go to school this afternoon, do
you?" inquired Alfred.
Oscar did not reply, but hastened homeward. He soon found Ralph and
George, but as neither of them spoke of his absence from school, he
concluded that they were ignorant of it, and he therefore made no
allusion to the subject.
After dinner, Oscar had about half an hour to spend with Alfred; for he
felt so uneasy in his mind, that he had decided not to absent himself
from school in the afternoon. He had gone but a short distance when he
met his comrade, who had started in pursuit of him.
"Well," said Alfred, "we 've been taken in nicely, that's a fact."
"Taken in--what do you mean?" inquired Oscar.
"Why, by those young scamps that we 've been showing around town."
"I thought they told great stories," said Oscar; "but what have you
found out about them?"
"I 've found out that they are the greatest liars I ever came
across--or at least that the oldest fellow is," replied Alfred; and he
then went on to relate what transpired immediately after Oscar left
them, on their return from Charlestown. The landlord, it seems,
requested the two strange boys to step into one of the parlors; and
Alfred, not understanding the order, accompanied them. They found two
men seated there, the sight of whom seemed anything but pleasant to
Joseph and Stephen. These men were their fathers--for the boys were
not brothers, and Joseph's account of their past life and future
prospects was entirely false. They had run away from home, and the
money which they had so profusely spent, Joseph stole from his father.
The men, who had been put to much trouble in hunting up their wayward
sons, did not greet them very cordially. They looked stern and
offended, but said little. Joseph was obliged to deliver up his money
to his father, and they immediately made preparations for returning
home by the afternoon train.
"Well," said Oscar, when Alfred had concluded his story, "I did n't
believe all that boy said, at the time, but I thought I would n't say
so."
"Nor I, neither," said Alfred. "I guess he did n't expect his father's
ship would arrive so suddenly, when he tried to stuff us up so."
"Did your father know you went off with them in the forenoon?" inquired
Oscar.
"Yes, but he did n't care much about it. He told me I must go to
school this afternoon, and not stay away again without leave."
The rules of the school required a written note of excuse from the
parents, in case of absence. Neither of the boys was furnished with
such an excuse, and after a little consultation, they concluded that
their chances of escaping punishment would be greatest, if they should
frankly confess how they had been duped and led astray by the young
rogues whose acquaintance they had so suddenly and imprudently formed.
They supposed that the peculiar circumstances of the case, coupled with
a voluntary confession, might excite some degree of sympathy, rather
than displeasure, towards them. To make the matter doubly sure, it was
arranged that Alfred should speak to the master about the matter before
school commenced.
When the boys reached the school-room, they found the master already at
his desk. He listened with interest to Alfred's story of the runaways,
and was evidently pleased that he had so frankly confessed his fault.
As the hour for commencing the afternoon session had arrived, he told
Alfred and Oscar they might stop after school, and he would take their
case into consideration.
The afternoon passed away, without any unusual occurrence. When school
was dismissed, the teacher called Alfred and Oscar to his desk, and
gave them some excellent advice in regard to forming acquaintances, and
yielding to the solicitations of evil associates. He told them that
the deception which had been practiced upon them, should serve as a
lesson to them hereafter. They should not form sudden acquaintances
with strange and unknown boys, but should choose their associates from
among those whom they knew to be of good habits. He also earnestly
cautioned them against yielding to the enticements of those who would
persuade them to do wrong. He told them that whenever they laid the
blame of their faults upon others, they made a sad confession of their
own moral weakness. They must often encounter temptations, and evil
examples and influences, even if they took pains to avoid them; but
they were not obliged to yield to these influences. They must learn to
resist temptation, or they would speedily be swept away before it.
Having faithfully pointed out their error and danger, the teacher
dismissed the boys. They listened respectfully to his advice, and,
when they were beyond his hearing, chuckled over their escape from a
species of admonition that might have proved far more feeling and
affecting, if not more salutary, than the kindly-meant reproof which
had been administered to them. The leniency of the teacher, however,
must be attributed to his not fully understanding the character of
their offence; for Alfred had so artfully represented the facts of the
case, as to make their truancy appear in a milder light than it
deserved to be regarded.