Bert lay in bed with the remains of a satisfactory if simple repast
on a tray at his side. He was feeling a little languid, but aside
from that quite his usual self. The Doctor had diagnosed his case as
nervous exhaustion following excitement, overexertion and a chill,
and had mixed him a dark brown, nasty tasting concoction in a tumbler
and sentenced him to bed for the rest of the day. Ben had been dosed
thoroughly, but had not been put to bed, and so had gone down to his
supper like any ordinary person.
Bert could hear the fellows pushing the chairs away from the tables in
the dining-room below, and a moment after there was a knock at the door
and Lanny, Small and Kid came in. Kid pounced on the foot of the bed
with a whoop of glee and was sternly reprimanded by Lanny.
“Don’t you know how to behave when a fellow’s sick, Kid?” Lanny
demanded. “Get off there and sit in a chair.” Kid grinned unabashed and
took the Morris chair. “I sneaked an apple for you, Bert; want it?”
continued Lanny.
“You bet!” Bert hid it under his pillow for future reference.
“How are you feeling now?” asked Small.
“Fine and dandy,” said Bert.
“You’re going to get the mug for winning the race,” piped Kid
jubilantly. “Mr. Crane asked Ben if he wanted to protest the race and
Ben said no, he didn’t, and Mr. Crane said then he’d give you the mug
and Ben said he hoped he would.”
“The Doctor said your behavior was a credit to the school,” said Lanny,
with a grin. “You’d have thought to hear him that he’d told you just
what to do.”
“Small says he thinks Ben meant you to win the race,” said Kid. “He
says Ben didn’t finish on purpose. I guess he forgot about it.”
“No, he didn’t,” Lanny defended. “I saw him. He just meant that Bert
was to cross and be the winner. You can say what you like about Ben,
but he――he’s fair and square!”
“Treason! Treason!” exclaimed Kid, kicking his feet up. “Lanny’s
deserted to the enemy!”
“No, I haven’t,” responded Lanny, “but――but I’ve got to tell you
something.” He paused and glanced a bit shamefacedly at the others.
“When――I came up to the room after we got back Waters said, ‘Lanny, I
wish you’d pull these boots off,’ and I――I didn’t think anything about
it――really I didn’t!――and so I――I pulled them off!” He ended a trifle
defiantly. There was silence. Bert nodded thoughtfully, Small looked a
little embarrassed and Kid began to whistle softly through his teeth.
At last,
“I――I shacked, too,” muttered Small. “George Waters――”
“Me too!” piped Kid. “I wanted to. I’m tired of not having anything to
do and having the fellows pretend not to see me and――and all that!” And
Kid’s countenance dared them to do their worst!
“I feel that way too,” said Lanny. “After all, I guess it doesn’t do us
youngsters any harm to――to wait on the older fellows a bit, Bert. Maybe
it――it’s good whatdoyoucallit――discipline.”
“Yes, and when we are upper grade fellows somebody will have to do it
for us,” added Kid blithely.
“I think you’re right,” said Bert. “You see, it makes a difference
whether you like a fellow or not whether you want to do things for him,
you know. I――I didn’t like some of the big fellows at first. I do now.
I like them all. I――I guess shacking isn’t going to hurt us, fellows.”
“Besides,” began Small, “we showed them that we――”
There was a knock at the door, Bert cried “Come!” and Nan put her head
in.
“Mamma said I might come up and see how you are, Bert,” she announced.
“May I come in?”
“Of course,” said Bert. “Kid, give Nan that chair.”
Kid obeyed with a flourish. Nan seemed just a wee bit disappointed at
finding Bert was not going to be an interesting invalid for a few days.
After his condition had been discussed and it was quite apparent that
he would be up and about the next morning, Nan exclaimed; “Just think!
We’re all here, the Junior Four. We might have a meeting, Lanny!”
Lanny grinned sheepishly. “I guess there won’t be any more meetings,
Nan. It’s all off!” Whereupon they explained to her and Nan was quite
cast down.
“Just when we had such a beautiful society!” she grieved.
“Well, we don’t have to bust up the Junior Four,” said Kid. “Let’s keep
it going.”
“What’s the use?” asked Small.
“Lovely!” cried Nan, clapping her hands. “We’ll just find a new――new
purpose!”
“What?” asked Small.
“Why, let me see.” Nan frowned thoughtfully for a moment. Then, “I
know!” she exclaimed. “Good fellowship!”
“Good fellowship!” echoed Bert.
“Good fellowship!” cried Lanny.
“Here’s to the Junior Four!” shouted Kid. “Long may it wave!” He seized
a half-empty tumbler from Bert’s tray and flourished it. “One for all
and all for one!”
The next evening Bert and Ben sat on opposite sides of the study table
in Number 5. Ben, raising his eyes from his book, glanced across at his
roommate.
“Bert,” he said casually, “I wish you’d find my Latin dictionary for
me.”
Bert laid his pencil on the volume before him and pushed back his
chair. “All right,” he said cheerfully. The dictionary was on the
mantel and he crossed the room and got it, laying it at Ben’s elbow.
“There you are, Ben.”
“Thanks.” Ben raised his head again and smiled up at the other. “How is
it going?” he asked.
“Hard,” replied Bert, casting a rueful glance at his book.
“Well, I’ll be through here in about ten minutes and then I’ll help you
with it.”