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.