This suggestion made such an impression on Nat, that for a long time he set a watch upon his lips, and was desperately accurate, for Mr. Bhaer judged rightly, that love of him would be more powerful with Nat that fear for himself. But alas! one sad day Nat was off his guard, and when peppery Emil threatened to thrash him, if it was he who had run over his garden and broken down his best hills of corn, Nat declared he didn"t, and then was ashamed to own up that he did do it, when Jack was chasing him the night before.
He thought no one would find it out, but Tommy happened to see him, and when Emil spoke of it a day or two later, Tommy gave his evidence, and Mr. Bhaer heard it. School was over, and they were all standing about in the hall, and Mr. Bhaer had just set down on the straw settee to enjoy his frolic with Teddy; but when he heard Tommy and saw Nat turn scarlet, and look at him with a frightened face, he put the little boy down, saying, "Go to thy mother, bubchen, I will come soon," and taking Nat by the hand led him into the school and shut the door.
The boys looked at one another in silence for a minute, then Tommy slipped out and peeping in at the half-closed blinds, beheld a sight that quite bewildered him. Mr. Bhaer had just taken down the long rule that hung over his desk, so seldom used that it was covered with dust.
"My eye! He"s going to come down heavy on Nat this time. Wish I hadn"t told," thought good-natured Tommy, for to be feruled was the deepest disgrace at this school.
"You remember what I told you last time?" said Mr. Bhaer, sorrowfully, not angrily.
"Yes; but please don"t make me, I can"t bear it," cried Nat, backing up against the door with both hands behind him, and a face full of distress.
"Why don"t he up and take it like a man? I would," thought Tommy, though his heart beat fast at the sight.
"I shall keep my word, and you must remember to tell the truth. Obey me, Nat, take this and give me six good strokes."
Tommy was so staggered by this last speech that he nearly tumbled down the bank, but saved himself, and hung onto the window ledge, staring in with eyes as round as the stuffed owl"s on the chimney-piece.
Nat took the rule, for when Mr. Bhaer spoke in that tone everyone obeyed him, and, looking as scared and guilty as if about to stab his master, he gave two feeble blows on the broad hand held out to him. Then he stopped and looked up half-blind with tears, but Mr. Bhaer said steadily:
"Go on, and strike harder."
As if seeing that it must be done, and eager to have the hard task soon over, Nat drew his sleeve across his eyes and gave two more quick hard strokes that reddened the hand, yet hurt the giver more.
"Isn"t that enough?" he asked in a breathless sort of tone.
"Two more," was all the answer, and he gave them, hardly seeing where they fell, then threw the rule all across the room, and hugging the kind hand in both his own, laid his face down on it sobbing out in a pa.s.sion of love, and shame, and penitence:
"I will remember! Oh! I will!"
Then Mr. Bhaer put an arm about him, and said in a tone as compa.s.sionate as it had just now been firm:
"I think you will. Ask the dear G.o.d to help you, and try to spare us both another scene like this."
Tommy saw no more, for he crept back to the hall, looking so excited and sober that the boys crowded round him to ask what was being done to Nat.
In a most impressive whisper Tommy told them, and they looked as if the sky was about to fall, for this reversing the order of things almost took their breath away.
"He made me do the same thing once," said Emil, as if confessing a crime of the deepest dye.
"And you hit him? dear old Father Bhaer? By thunder, I"d just like to see you do it now!" said Ned, collaring Emil in a fit of righteous wrath.
"It was ever so long ago. I"d rather have my head cut off than do it now," and Emil mildly laid Ned on his back instead of cuffing him, as he would have felt it his duty to do on any less solemn occasion.
"How could you?" said Demi, appalled at the idea.
"I was hopping mad at the time, and thought I shouldn"t mind a bit, rather like it perhaps. But when I"d hit uncle one good crack, everything he had ever done for me came into my head all at once somehow, and I couldn"t go on. No sir! If he"d laid me down and walked on me, I wouldn"t have minded, I felt so mean," and Emil gave himself a good thump in the chest to express his sense of remorse for the past.
"Nat"s crying like anything, and feels no end sorry, so don"t let"s say a word about it; will we?" said tender-hearted Tommy.
"Of course we won"t, but it"s awful to tell lies," and Demi looked as if he found the awfulness much increased when the punishment fell not upon the sinner, but his best Uncle Fritz.
"Suppose we all clear out, so Nat can cut upstairs if he wants to,"
proposed Franz, and led the way to the barn, their refuge in troublous times.
Nat did not come to dinner, but Mrs. Jo took some up to him, and said a tender word, which did him good, though he could not look at her. By and by the lads playing outside heard the violin, and said among themselves: "He"s all right now." He was all right, but felt shy about going down, till opening his door to slip away into the woods, he found Daisy sitting on the stairs with neither work nor doll, only her little handkerchief in her hand, as if she had been mourning for her captive friend.
"I"m going to walk; want to come?" asked Nat, trying to look as if nothing was the matter, yet feeling very grateful for her silent sympathy, because he fancied everyone must look upon him as a wretch.
"Oh yes!" and Daisy ran for her hat, proud to be chosen as a companion by one of the big boys.
The others saw them go, but no one followed, for boys have a great deal more delicacy than they get credit for, and the lads instinctively felt that, when in disgrace, gentle little Daisy was their most congenial friend.
The walk did Nat good, and he came home quieter than usual, but looking cheerful again, and hung all over with daisy-chains made by his little playmate while he lay on the gra.s.s and told her stories.
No one said a word about the scene of the morning, but its effect was all the more lasting for that reason, perhaps. Nat tried his very best, and found much help, not only from the earnest little prayers he prayed to his Friend in heaven, but also in the patient care of the earthly friend whose kind hand he never touched without remembering that it had willingly borne pain for his sake.
CHAPTER V. PATTYPANS
"What"s the matter, Daisy?"
"The boys won"t let me play with them."
"Why not?"
"They say girls can"t play football."
"They can, for I"ve done it!" and Mrs. Bhaer laughed at the remembrance of certain youthful frolics.
"I know I can play; Demi and I used to, and have nice times, but he won"t let me now because the other boys laugh at him," and Daisy looked deeply grieved at her brother"s hardness of heart.
"On the whole, I think he is right, deary. It"s all very well when you two are alone, but it is too rough a game for you with a dozen boys; so I"d find some nice little play for myself."
"I"m tired of playing alone!" and Daisy"s tone was very mournful.
"I"ll play with you by and by, but just now I must fly about and get things ready for a trip into town. You shall go with me and see mamma, and if you like you can stay with her."
"I should like to go and see her and Baby Josy, but I"d rather come back, please. Demi would miss me, and I love to be here, Aunty."
"You can"t get on without your Demi, can you?" and Aunt Jo looked as if she quite understood the love of the little girl for her only brother.
""Course I can"t; we"re twins, and so we love each other more than other people," answered Daisy, with a brightening face, for she considered being a twin one of the highest honors she could ever receive.
"Now, what will you do with your little self while I fly around?" asked Mrs. Bhaer, who was whisking piles of linen into a wardrobe with great rapidity.
"I don"t know, I"m tired of dolls and things; I wish you"d make up a new play for me, Aunty Jo," said Daisy, swinging listlessly on the door.
"I shall have to think of a brand new one, and it will take me some time; so suppose you go down and see what Asia has got for your lunch,"