Henry shot a magnificent stag with great antlers a few days later, and
mounting the head he presented it to Mr. Pennypacker. But on the
following day the master looked very grave and Henry and Paul tried to
guess the cause. Henry heard that Ross had arrived the night before from
the nearest settlement a hundred miles away, but had stayed only an
hour, going to their second nearest neighbor distant one hundred and
fifty miles. He brought news of some kind which only Mr. Ware, Mr.
Upton, the teacher and three or four others knew. These were not ready
to speak and Paul and Henry were well aware that nothing on earth could
make them do so until they thought the time was fit.
It was a long, long morning. Henry had before him a map of the Empire of
Muscovy but he saw little there. Instead there came between him and the
page a vision of the beaver dam and the pool above it, now covered with
a sheet of ice, and of the salt spring where the deer came to drink, and
of a sheltered valley in which a herd of elk rested every night.
Mr. Pennypacker was singularly quiet that morning. It was his custom to
call up his pupils and make them recite in a loud voice, but the hours
passed and there were no recitations.
Pages:
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117