Evening star., 1924-09-14
THE OWLS HOUSE
A Thrilling Adventure Story
Bv CrOSbie Garstin

to learn that Ortho was in Devon
with Pyramus and that he was to go
to school in his stead.
E1s feelings were mixed. If Ortho
mad had bad time he would undoubt-
edly have worse, but on the other
mana. ne would learn to read and
could pick other peoples brains
like Penaluna- He rode to Helston
with his mother, grimly silent all the
way, steeling himself to bear the rods
Tor Bosula's sake. But Ortho, by the
dramatic manner of his exit, had
achieved popularity when 1T was no
longer of any use to him. Eli stepped
In at the right moment to receive
the goodly heritage.
Was he not own brother to the
hero who had tricked Rufus into
sltcing himself across the leg and
followed up this triumph by pummel-
ing seven bells out of the detested
usher and flooring him in his own
classroom? The story had lost moth
ing in the mouths Of the spectators.
half-minute scramble between a
sodden hulk of man and a terrified
boy had swollen into a Homeric con-
test as full of incident as the Seven
Years War, lasting half an hour
and ending in Rufus lying on the
floor, splitting blood and imploring
mercy. Eli entered the school sur
rounded by a warm nimbus of re-
fected glory and took Ortho's place
at the bottom of the lowest form.
That he was the criminals brother
did not endear him to Rufus, who
gave him the benefit of his acid
tongue from early form to dewy eve,
but beyond abuse the usher did not
go. Eli was not tall. but he was
exceptionally sturdy and Rufus had
not forgotten a certain affair. He
Io
better than savages-reared among
smugglers and moormen-utterIy un-
disciplined no saying what
they might do murder one,
even. He kept his stick for the
discipled smaller fry and picked his
tongue for Eli. Eli did not mind
the sarcasm in the least. His mental
hide was far too thick to feel the
prick-and anyhow it was only talk.
One half-holiday bird's-nesting in
Penrose woods, he came upon the
redoubtable Burnadick similarly en-
gagged and they compared eggs. In
the midst of the discussion d. bailin
appeared on the scene and they had to
run for it. The bailiff produced dogs
and the pair were forced to make a
wide detour via Praze and Lanner
Vean. Returning by Helston Mill,
they met with a party of town louts
who having no love for the gram
mar scholards," threw stones. A
brush ensued, Eli acquitting himself
with credit. The upshot of all this
was that they reached school seven
minutes late for roll call and were
rewarded with a thrashing. Drawn
together by common pain and ad-
venture, the two were henceforth in
separable, forming a combination
which no boy or party of boys dared
gainsay. With Rufus sting drawn
and the great Burnadick his ally Eli
found school life tolerable. He did
not enjoy it; the food was insufficient.
the restraint burdensome, but it was
by no means as bad as he had ex-
pected. By constant repetition he was
getting a parrot-like fuency with
his tables and he seldom made a bad
mistake in spelling-providing the
word was not of more than one
syllable.
At the Owls House in the mean
while economy was still the rage.
Teresa's first step was to send the
cattle off to market. In vain did
Bohemia expostulate, pointing out
that the stock had not yet come to
condition and further there was no
market 1t was useless. Teresa would
not listen to reason; into PenZance
they went and were sold for a song.
After them she pitched pigs, poultry.
goats and the dun pony. Her second
step was to discharge the second hand.
Davy. Once more Bohemia protested.
He could hardly keep the place going
as it was, he said. The moor was
creeping in to right and left the barn
thatch tumbling, the banks were
down, the gates falling to pieces. He
could not be expected to be in more
than two places at once. Teresa re-
piled with more sound than sense and
a shouting match ensued, ending in
Teresa screaming that she was
mistress and that if Bohemia didn't
shut his mouth and obey orders she'd
pack him after Davy.