THE FIGHT AT DAME EUROPA'S SCHOOL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 176, 22 June 1871, Page 7

THE FIGHT AT DAME EUROPA'S SCHOOL.

(Concluded.) "A friend of yours, you said, my dear ? Perhaps that was the ' Sheffield Slasher,' who told my fag Mark that he had made your arms strong enough to throw a ball or a stone more than a hundred yards." " Come, come," interposed the Dame, " I can't listen to such angry words. You five monitors must settle the matter quietly among yourselves ; but no fighting, mind. The day for that sort of thing is quite gone by." And the old lady toddled off, and left the boy's alone.

" I wouldn't press it, Bill, if I were you," said John, in his deep gruff voice, looking out of his shop window on the other side of the water. " I think it's rather hard lines for Louis, I do, indeed." " Always ready to oblidge you, my dear John," said William ; and so the new boy's claim to the garden was withdrawn.

"What shall I do now, Mark?" asked William, turning to his friend. " It seems to me that there is an end to it all."

" Not a bit," was the reply. " Louis is still as savage as a bear. He'll break out directly — you see if he don't."

" I have been grossly insulted," began Louis at last, in a towering passion, " and I shall not be satisfied unless William promises me never to make any such underhand attempts to get the better of me again." " Tell him to be hanged," whispered Mark.

" You be no," said William, recollecting himself, " I never use bad language. My friend," he continued, " I cannot promise you anything of the kind."

"Then I shall lick you till you do, you psalm-singing humbug," said Louis.

" Come on," said William, lifting up his hand, as if to command his cause to Heaven, and looking sanctimoniously out of the whites of his eyes. And it was well for him that Louis did not take him at his word : for, while one hand was lifted up, the other was encumbered with a bundle of good books, which he was carrying to his summrr-house, audit would not have required much to knock him down. But Louis did not feel quite well. He had taken a blue pill that morning, and he put off the attack, therefore, till he should meet his adversary again.

Meanwhile, by Mark's advice, William ran off to the Brummagem bruiser, who put him up to all the latest dodges, and exercised him in the noble art to such good purposes that ou his first encouuter wit'i Louis utter breakfast the nexc morning he hit out a crushing blow from his shoulder and knocked his enemy down. Louis was soon on his legs again, and he too did execution with his fists; but he was clearly over-matched, and at the end of the first round had been punished pretty severely.

'• Hot work, isn't it, my boy ?" said William, chaffing him as he mopped the perspiration from his teaming forehead. " This is what you call the Baptism of fire, I suppose, aye?" Then he wrote borne to his mother, on the back of a half penny post card, so that all the letter-carriers might see how pious he was : — " Dear Mamma, I am fighting for my Fatherland, as you know I call my garden. It is a fine name, and creates sympathy. Glorious news ! Aided by Providence, I have hit Louis in the eye. Thou may'st imagine his feelings. What wonderful events has Heaven thus brought about! Your affectionate son, William," Then he sang a hymn, and went on with the second round. Meanwhile the other monitors looked on, not knowing exactly what to do. " Oughtn't I to interfere ? " asked John, addressing one of his favourite fags. "No," said Billy, who was head fag, and twisted Johnnie round his finder. " You just sit where you are. You will only make a mess of it, and offend both of them. Give out that you are a ' neutral.' " " Neutral ! " growled John, I hate neutrals. It seems to me a coldblooded cowardly thing to sit by and see two big fellows smash each other all to pieces about nothing at all. They are both iv the wrong, and they ought not to fight. Let me go in at them." " No, no " said Bobby, a clever fairhaired boy, who kept John's accounts, and took care of his money. " You really can't afford it ; and besides, you've got no clothes to go in. There is not a fellow in the school who wouldn't laugh at you, if you stood up in his garden. Sit still and grind away, old chap, and make some more money, and be thankful that you live on an island, and can take things easily." " Well," said John sulkily, " I don't half like it, though certainly my clothes are not very respectable, and there is no time to mend them. But look here, Bob: I mean to go across aud help to sponge the poor beggars if they get mauled."

" You may do that, and welcome," replied Bobby. '"You will make no enemies that way, and it may cost you, perhaps, eighteen pence in ointment and plaster. But bless you, Johnnie, if you were to rig yourself out well

enough to hold your own against Louis or William, you would have to fork out a ten pound note or more. "

John went on with his work in rather a grumpy humour, for he had always been looked up to as the leading boy in the school, and he did not like to play second fiddle. He felt sure that if he had been half so natty and well got up as he used to be, he might have stopped the fight in a moment. Eor the next half-hour he cursed Billy and Bobby, and all the other little sneaks who had wormed themselves into favour with him by teaching him to save money. " Hang the money ! " growled Johnnie to himself; " I'd give up half my shop to get my old prestige back again." But it was too late now. Nevertheless he had his own way about sponging, and certainly he did behave well there. At the end of every round that was fought, be got across the stream, and bathed poor Louis's head, for he wanted help the most, and gave him sherry and water out of his own flask. " I am so very sorry for you, my dear Louis," said he, as the boy, more dead than alive, struggled up to his feet again.

"Thank you kindly, John," said Louis, but, he added, looking somewhat reproachfully at his friend, " why don't you separate us? Don't you see that this great brute is to many for me ? I had no idea that he could light like that."

" What can Ido i" said John. " You began it, you know, and you really must fight it out. I have no power." "So it seems," replied Louis. " Ah, there was a time — well, thank you kindly, John, for — the sticking-plaster."

" Come on !" shouted William, thirsting for more blood. " Vive la Guerre !" cried poor Louis, rushing blindly at his foe. Well and nobly he fought, but he could not stand his ground, When he did hit, indeed, he hit to some purpose; but seldom could he reach out far enough to do much damage. Foot by foot and yard by yard he gave way, till nt last he was forced to take refuge in his arbour, from the window of which he threw stones at his euemy, to keep him back from following.

Louis was plainly in the wrong. He ought to have calculated the other boy's strength before attacking him, and he deserved a licking for his rashnes. But he had had his licking now; and when William, who talked so big about his peaceable disposition, and declared that he only wanted to defend his " fatherland," chased him right across the garden, trampling over beds and borders in his way, and swore he would break down his beautiful summer house, and bring Louis on his knees, everybody felt that the other monitors ought to interfere. But not a foot would they soir. Aleck looked on from a safe distance, wondering which of the combatants would be tired first. Joseph stood shivering with affright not daring to say a word, lest William should turn round upon him, and thrash him again ; and John sat in his shop, grinding away like a nigger at a new rudder and a pair of oars which he was cutting out for Louis's boat, in case he wanted to take advantage of the brook — for which service Louis would pay him handsomely and William abuse him cordially.

"I can't kelp it," said John, apologetically, " I'll make a rudder and some oars for you too, and a boat besides, if you will pay me we well."

" But I don't want one," answered William angrily. I have got no water to float it in, as you very well know ;" by which it will appear that John did not make many friends by his neutrality. "And just look here," continued William, "do you know where these cuts on my forehead came from % Why, from stones which you piicheA across the water for Louis to throw at me." " Can't help it Bill ; it is the law of neutrality." "Neutrality, indeed! I call it brutality." And so William went across the garden again, leaving Johnnie at his work — of which, however, he began to feel thoroughly ashamed. "Come and help a fellow, John," cried Louis in despair, from his arbour. " I don't ask you to remeihber the days we have spont in here together, when you have been sick of your own shop. But you might do something for me, now/that I am in such a desperate fix, and; don't know which way to turn." "I am very sorry, Louis," said John, but what can I do % It is no pleasure to me to see you thrashed. On the contrary, it would pay me much better to have a near neighbour well off and cheerful thaa crushed and miserable. Wiry dont you give in, Louis'? It is of no mortal use to go on. He will make friends directly if you will give back the two little strips of garden ; and if you don't, he will only smash your arbour by pieces, or keep you shut up there all dinner time, and starve you out. Give ia, old fellow. There's no disgrace in it. Everybody says how pluckily you have fought." " Give in !" sneered Louis, "that is all the comfort you have for a fellow, is it? Give in? way, would you give in, if that great brute was in front of your shop, swearing he'd break it down? No disgrace, indeed ! No, I don't think there is auy disgrace in anything that I have done ; but, though my dear, dear arbour, that I have spent so many weeks in building, should be pulled down about my ears, and every flower in my garden be rooted up, I would not change plaices with you,

John, sitting there sleek and safe — no not for all the gold that ever wa^ coined ! Give in, indeed ! Mo i Bleu ! that I should ever have hea<- 1 such a word as that come across our little stream !"

So Johnnie began to discover that, if lookers-on see the most of the game, they do not always get the most enjoyment out of it. But the bell now rang for dinner, and he followed the rest of the boys with some anxiety, not being quite easy in his mind as to the account he would have to give Mrs Europa of what had been going on. " Louis and William are very late to-day," observed the dame, when dinner was half over. " Does anyone know where they are ? " And then bit by bit she learned from some of the boys sitting near her the whole story. " And pray, John, why did you not separate them ?" demanded the dame. " Please, ma'am," answered Johnnie, "I was a neutral." " A what, sir ?" said she. " A neutral, ma'am." "Just precisely what you had no business to be," she returned. " You were placed in authority in order that you might act, not that you might stand aloof from acting. Any baby can do that. I might as well have made little George here a monitor, if I had meant him to have nothing to do. Neutral, indeed! Neutral is just a five name for coward. Besides, there is no such thing. You must take one side or the other, do what you will. Now, which side did you take, I wonder?"

A titter ran round the room, and the little boys began to whisper to one another something which appeared iv their small estimation an excellent joke. It was good fun to them to see a monitor badgered, even if they should get paid out for it afterwards. " What are you saying?" s<iid the Dame. Both sides, aye ? Well, and how did you manage that, Master John ?"

There was more tittering and whispering aud shuffling about on fie forms, and then a chorus of voices said, " Please, 'tn, he sucked to both of them." •

"Just what ' neutrals ' always do," said Mrs. Europa; "sucked up to both, I suppose, and pleased neither. Ah, no doubt" she continued, gradually gathering information, " offended Louis by always preaching at him that he was in the wrong ; and offended vVilliam, by supplying Louis with stones. Now, I you tell what it is, John. I have lon<r watched your career with pain, and have seen how you are content to sacrifice everything — duty, and influence, and honour, — for the sake of putting by a few paltry shillings. You have been badly advised. You have chosen to have about you a set of fags, who are no credit to ! anybody, simply because they make better bargains for you in the things you sell to the other boys ; and now you see the consequence. If such fellows as Ben and Hugh had beeu your fags, you know very well this disgraceful scene would never have taken place at all. You would have been sufficiently well-trained and wellequipped to command the respect of the other monitors, and the two rivals would not have dared to come to blows. There was a time, when, if you so much ! as held up your finger tho whole school j would tremble. Nobody trembles now. Nobody caves one farthing; what you think or say. And why ? Because you have grown a sloven and a screw, ! aud boys despise both the one and the other. You ought to have prevented the fight frotn the very first. Failing this, you ouojht, in conjunction with the other monitors, to have stepped in. the moment the boys had proved their relative strength, and struck a fair balance between them. Instead of doing so, you sit coolly in your shop, supplying the means of carrying on ' the fight, and coining a few wretched coppers out of your school-fellows' blows and wounds. You have been a ' bad friend to both of them. Well, some d.iy, perhaps, you may want friends yourself. When you do, I hope you ui.iy find them. Take care that William, the peaceable unaqressive boy, does not contrive (as I fully believe he will contrive) to get a footing on the' river, whore he can keep a boat, and j then one fine morning take your pretty island by surprise." | "It was Louis' own fault, ma'am," uru;ed John. "He began it all. William was only defending his Fatherland." " Defending his G-ranlmotherland !" retorted the Dame contemptuously. "It looks vory like self-defence, to chase a boy half across the playground j and threaten to kick down hi? arbour. Very like self-defence, to train hard for six months, and then propose something which is certain to create a row. And although Louis has been in the wrong, he has also been severely punished, and it is tine that he should be relieved. What ! are those who make mistakes never to be helped out of them ? Is it any tlie j less incumbent on bhe strong to protect i the weak, because the weak has got ! himself into a mess by his own fault ? I However there is some excuse for William, who is half mad with the fever of success ; but there is no excuse for you, who have sat still in cold blood and looked on. You have abused the trust committed to you as one of the five monitors of this school. " Please, 'm," said a chorus of little boys together, " ulease, 'm, do

let him off this time. He was so kind to Louis and William when they were bad. He brought them water, and bathed their faces, and stopp-'d the Weeding, and did all sorts of things fof them. Please, 'm,.let him ofF."

" Well," said the Dame, much affected, " kindness to the wounded shall plead his cause this once, and I will think of some punishment less severe. For I have hopes of Johnnie even yet, that he will rise to a sense of high position in the school, and learn that duties cannot be coolly ignored because they are disagreeable ; that he who shirks the responsibility of doing right does in very deed and truth do wrong; that the true test of greatness is the ability to grapple with great difficulties; that it is but a sorry thing to boast of bravery and skill and power, if just at the very instant when your are called upon to act your resources fail you, and you whine out the miserable excuse that 'you don't exactly see how you can intefere.' If, indeed, such an excuse ba allowed to stand — if it be really true that the head and champion of the school is thoroughly beaten by circumstances — utterly at a loss, at some critical moment, what is the right thing to do — let him confess at once that he is unequal to his place — that he is not the boy we took him f or — that his courage has been overrated and his reputation as a hero too cheaply earned ; that for all his vaunted influence with others he is to weak to stay an unrighteous strife — to avert a storm of cruel savage blows — to spare the infliction of wounds which will lie gaping and unhealed for long years to come, bearing on their ghastly face a bitter hatred for the foe that dealt them, and contempt for the 'neutral' friend who looked calmly on."