THE RECALL.

Hankerings after a gun--A plan--Jim Oakley's gun--A dispute--An open
rupture--The broken gun--Going home mad--A call from Clinton--The
toiler--Summons home--Disappointment--Bad feeling between Oscar and
Jerry--How they slept--Remarks about their appearance at the breakfast
table--Borrowing trouble--Another visit proposed--Jerry's explosion of
anger--His imprudence--Confinement down cellar--An unhappy day--"Making
up" at night--A duty neglected--Inquiries about the gun--Starting for
home--A pleasant drive--The stage-coach--The cars--Luncheon--Half
an hour in Portland--The Boston train--A spark in the eye--Pain and
inflammation--Boston--Ralph's surprise--Welcome home--The eye-stone--The
intruder removed.


CHAPTER XX.

DOWNWARD PROGRESS.

Oscar's dread of going to school--Unsuccessful pleas--Oscar at
school--His indifference to his studies--A "talent for missing"--A
reproof--Kicking a cap--Whistler's generosity--Benny Wright--Oscar's
bad conduct--Regarded as incorrigible--The tobacco spittle--Oscar's
denial--Betrayed by his breath--A successful search--The teacher's
rebuke--The new copy--Its effect--A note for Oscar's father--What it led
to--Concealment of real feelings--Bridget's complaint--The puddle on the
kitchen floor--Oscar's story--Conflicting reports--A new flare-up--The
truth of the matter--Bridget's departure--Examination day--The
medals--The certificate for the High School--A refusal--Bitter fruits of