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"Huh! he can do it himself well enough," said Hughie, "and I tell you what, I only wish I could do it." "I'll show you," said Jessac, shyly, but for the first time in his life Hughie's courage failed, and though he would have given much to be able to make his feet twinkle through the mazes of the Highland reel, he could not bring himself to accept teaching from Jessac.
Hughie's close checking was beginning to chafe him, for his team in their practice had learned to depend unduly upon him. Noticing Dan's change in the disposition of his men, Hughie moved up two of his centers nearer to the Front defense. "Get into their way," he said "and give the master a clear field."
It'll nick any knife in the school"; and Hughie dived into his pocket and pulled out his knife with a handful of boy's treasures. "Hullo!" said Foxy, snatching a half-dollar from Hughie's hand, "whose is that?" "Here, you, give me that! That's not mine," cried Hughie. "Whose is it, then?" "I don't know. I guess it's mother's. I found it on the kitchen floor, and I know it's mother's."
"Do you know, Hughie," he said, and the fire in his eyes seemed to burn into Hughie's, "do you know what sort of woman you have for a mother? And do you know that if you should live to be a hundred years, and devoted every day of your life to the doing of her pleasure, you could not repay the debt you owe her? Be a man, Hughie.
For fully fifteen minutes the ball was kept in the Twentieth territory, and only the steady coolness of Craven and Johnnie Big Duncan, backed by Hughie's persistent checking of the Front captain and the magnificent steadiness of Thomas in goal, saved the game. At length, as the fury of the charge began to expend itself a little, Craven got his chance.
For ten minutes the boys stood going over again the various incidents in the recent dramatic scene, extolling the virtues of Ranald, Don, and Thomas in turn, and imitating, with screams of laughter, Hughie's gulps and splashings while he was fighting for his life.
The words of his prayer fell meaningless upon Hughie's English ears, but the boy's heart quivered in response to the agony of entreaty in the pleading tones, and he rose from his knees awed and subdued. There was no word spoken for some moments after the prayer. With people like the Finches it was considered to be an insult to the Almighty to depart from "the Presence" with any unseemly haste.
"But," ventured Hughie, timidly, "won't God forgive? Won't he ever forget?" The old man looked at him, leaning upon his hoe. "Yes, he will forgive. But for those who have had great privileges, and who have sinned against light I will not say." The fear deepened in Hughie's heart.
By the most strenuous exertions he started the game going with the first fall of snow, but it was difficult to work up any enthusiasm for the game in the face of Foxy's very determined and weighty opposition, backed by the master's lazy indifference. For, in spite of Hughie's contempt and open sneers, Foxy had determined to reopen his store with new and glowing attractions.
I watched until a track of blood streaked down Hughie's pock-marked face. Then I ran home and told Anna. "Ma!" I yelled breathlessly, "they're killin' Hughie Thornton!" Jamie threw his work down and accompanied Anna over the little garden patches to the wall that protected the field. Through the gap they went and found poor Hughie in bad shape. He was crying and he cried like a brass band.
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