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together。 So of course I have to stand by Jeff；〃 he pleaded with a smile。
〃You were in the rebel army？〃 The words slipped out before the
schoolmaster could stop them。
〃In the Confederate army；〃 Chunn corrected quietly。
Webber flushed at the rebuke。 〃That is what I meant to say。〃
〃I leave to…morrow for Alaska。 It would be pleasant to know before I
go that Jeff is out of his trouble。〃
〃I'm afraid Jeff always will be in trouble。 He is a most insubordinate
boy；〃 the principal answered coldly。
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〃Are you sure you quite understand him？〃
〃He is not difficult to understand。〃 Webber； resenting the interference
of the Southerner as an intrusion； disposed of the matter in a sentence。 〃I'll
look into this matter carefully； Mr。 Chunn。〃
Webber called immediately at the office of Edward B。 Merrill；
president of the tramway company and of the First National Bank。 It
happened that the vice…president of the bank was a school director； also
that the funds of the district were kept in the First National。 The
schoolteacher did not admit that he had come to ingratiate himself with the
powers that ruled his future； but he was naturally pleased to come in direct
touch with such a man as Merrill。
The financier was urbane and spent nearly half an hour of his valuable
time with the principal。 When the latter rose to go they shook hands。 The
two understood each other thoroughly。
〃You may depend upon me to do my duty； Mr。 Merrill； painful though
such a course may be to me。〃
〃I am very glad to have met you； Mr。 Webber。 It is a source of
satisfaction to me that our educational system is in the care of men of your
stamp。 I leave this matter with confidence entirely in your hands。 Do what
you think best。〃
His confidence was justified。 After school opened next morning Jeff
was called up and publicly thrashed for playing truant。 As a prelude to the
corporal punishment the principal delivered a lecture。 He alluded to the
details of the fight gravely； with selective discrimination； giving young
Farnum to understand that he had reached the end of his rope。 If any more
such brutal affairs were reported to him he would be punished severely。
The boy took the flogging in silence。 He had learned to set his teeth
and take punishment without whimpering。 From the hardest whipping
Webber had ever given he went to his seat with a white； set face that stared
straight in front of him。 Young as he was； he knew it had not been fair and
his outraged soul cried out at the injustice of it。 The principal had seized
upon the truancy as an excuse to let him escape from an investigation of
the cause of the fight。 Ned Merrill got off because his father was a rich
man and powerful in the city。 He； Jeff； was whipped because he was an
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THE VISION SPLENDID
outcast and had dared lift his hand against one of his betters。
And there was no redress。 It was simply the way of the world。
Jeff and his mother were down that afternoon to see their new friend
off in the _City of Skook。_ Captain Chunn found a chance to draw the boy
aside for a question。
〃Is it all right with Mr。 Webber？ What did he do？〃
〃Oh； he gave me a jawing；〃 the boy answered。
The little man nodded。 〃I reckoned that was what he would do。 Be a
good boy； Jeff。 I never knew a man more honorable than your father。 Run
straight； son。〃
〃Yes； sir；〃 the lad promised； a lump in his throat。
It was more than ten years before he saw Captain Chunn again。
PART 2
As an urchin Jeff had taken things as they came without understanding
causes。 Thoughts had come to him in flashes； without any orderly
sequence； often illogically。 As a gangling boy he still took for granted the
hard knocks of a world he did not attempt to synthesize。
Even his mother looked upon him as 〃queer。〃 She worried plaintively
because he was so careless about his clothes and because his fondness for
the outdoors sometimes led him to play truant。 Constantly she set before
him as a model his cousin； James； who was a good…looking boy； polite；
always well dressed； with a shrewd idea of how to get along easily。
〃Why can't you be like Cousin James？ He isn't always in trouble；〃 she
would urge in her tired way。
It was quite true that the younger cousin was more of a general
favorite than harum…scarum Jeff； but the mother might as well have asked
her boy to be like Socrates。 It was not that he could not learn or that he did
not want to study。 He simply did not fit into the school groove。 Its routine
of work and discipline； its tendency to stifle individuality； to run all
children through the same hopper like grist through a mill； put a clamp
upon his spirits and his imagination。 Even thus early he was a rebel。
Jeff scrambled up through the grades in haphazard fashion until he
reached the seventh。 Here his teacher made a discovery。 She was a faded
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little woman of fifty； but she had that loving insight to which all children
respond。 Under her guidance for one year the boy blossomed。 His odd
literary fancy for Don Quixote； for Scott's poems and romances she
encouraged； quietly eliminating the dime novels he had read
indiscriminately with these。 She broke through the shell of his shyness to
find out that his diffidence was not sulkiness nor his independence
impudence。
The boy was a dreamer。 He lived largely in a world of his own； where
Quentin Durward and Philip Farnum and Robert E。 Lee were enshrined as
heroes。 From it he would emerge all hot for action； for adventure。 Into his
games then he would throw a poetic imagination that transfigured them。
Outwardly he lived merely in that boys' world made to his hand。 He
adopted its shibboleths； fought when he must； went through the annual
routine of marbles； tops； kites； hop scotch； and baseball。 From his fellows
he guarded jealously the knowledge of even the existence of his secret
world of fancy。
His progress through the grades