Peter Clenott

Excerpt from The Great Bonanza: Illustrated Narrative of Adventure and Discovery in Gold Mining, Silver Mining, Among the Raftsmen, in the Oil Regions, Whaling, Hunting, Fishing and Fighting It was nine o'clock, and the bell of the Riverport Academy had summoned its motley throng of boys and girls from their favorite play-ground, the sandy knoll in front. Mr. Stone, the principal, seated himself at his desk on the high platform and struck his little bell sharply: instantly the girls ceased their smiles, their flirting of gay head-ribbons and glossy curls, and the furtive whispers, which sought to finish the communication interrupted by the school-bell; the boys braced themselves sharply back in their seats, folded their arms, and were silent. "Boys, answer to your names," said the principal, as the lady assistant opened the register, and in clear, distinct tones read oft the surnames of the boy scholars. "Appleton, Ames, Amory, Bearse, Barry, Boyd - Boyd? -" The first five names had been promptly answered by the monosyllable "Here;" but as the principal heard the sixth name repeated, without an answer, he frowned angrily, and made a gesture; the reader understood, and all was silence. "How long has Edward Boyd been absent, Miss Nye?" "This is the third half day, sir," answered the lady. "Is your cousin sick, Amory?" The question was asked of a tall, pale lad, the son of the guardian of the absent scholar, - for Edward Boyd was an orphan, the only son of a sea captain, who had amassed much wealth only to die, leaving his motherless boy to the guardianship of Squire Amory - a grasping and unamiable man. It was well known among the villagers that the dead father's wealth had been unable to secure either comfort or a happy home for his child among his envious relations. "He started for school yesterday morning with Sam Nevins, and hasn't been home since, sir," said Stephen Amory, with a slight sneer. "Father thinks he has gone to see his grandfather at Concord." At that moment came a sharp knock at the outer door: the monitor answered the summons, and soon returned, followed by one of the constables of the town, who spoke a few words to the master in a grave tone. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.