CHAPTER XIX
NEGOTIATIONS END
Much against his will, and very much opposed to the mild method proposedby Doctor Meredith, Professor Skeel wrote and posted the followingbulletin:
"Members of the Freshman Latin Class will assemble in the gymnasium at once, at the request of Doctor Meredith, to receive a personal communication from him.
"BURTON SKEEL."
It did not take long for it to be discovered, for some student or otherwas always on the alert for notices, athletic or otherwise, posted onthe common bulletin board.
Bert Wilson was the first Freshman to know of it, and he darted off,post-haste, to tell Tom, who was in his room with Jack.
"I say, Tom!" exclaimed Bert. "Come on! Something doing in the strike!"
"How?"
Bert told of the notice, and soon the board was surrounded by a curiousthrong of students. From his window, where he was still in communicationwith Professor Skeel, Doctor Meredith saw the throng.
"There, you see!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "They are interested atonce. They will listen to reason, surely. I wish you would come inperson, and tell them that if they will recite to you the double lesson,you will impose no more."
"But I refuse to make any such agreement as that. And I don't believethey will listen to reason. Moreover, I shall have something to say toyou after the meeting," snapped Professor Skeel.
"Very well. See, they are filing off to the gymnasium now. I will soongo there to speak to them."
Tom and his chums were indeed hurrying to the athletic building, andtongues were freely wagging on the way.
"What do you suppose is up?" asked George Abbot.
"Don't know," replied Jack shortly.
"Doctor Meredith is going to take a hand," commented Luke Fosdick.
"And he'll listen to reason," spoke Tom. "But, even if he requests itwe're not going to knuckle down to Skeel; are we?"
"Surely not," came in a chorus.
"The strike ends when he stops imposing double lessons on us for noreason at all, but because he is ugly," went on Tom. "How about that?"
"We're with you!"
"And if he doesn't give in," proceeded our hero, "we'll----"
"Burn Skeel in effigy, after we hang him!" came the cry from some one.
"That's it," assented Tom, glad to see that his chums were with him.
They filed into the gymnasium, and the buzz of talk continued until someone announced that Doctor Meredith and Professor Skeel were approaching.
"Ah, young gentlemen, good afternoon!" greeted the head master, as hewalked in and took his stand on the platform, where the secretaries andofficers of the various athletic committees presided, when there was aclass or school session. Professor Skeel, with a grim look in his face,followed, and sat down.
"I am informed that you are on a strike," began Doctor Meredith. "Veryinteresting, I'm sure--I mean of course it is altogether wrong," headded hastily. "You should have tried arbitration first. However, sinceyou have decided to strike, I am glad to be able to speak to you--toreason with you.
"I understand that you object to having to do a double lesson as apunishment. Now I dislike to have a strike in the school, and, though Ido not, for one minute, admit that you are in the right, I wish to know,if Professor Skeel agrees to give out no more double lessons, will youreturn to your class?"
"I will make no such agreement!" shouted the irate instructor.
"Then the strike is still on!" exclaimed Tom, springing to his feet.
"Silence!" stormed Professor Skeel.
Doctor Meredith held up his hand. The commotion that had started, atonce ceased.
"I will hear what Fairfield has to say," spoke the head master, quietly.
"We have stood all we can," went on Tom. "We do not think ProfessorSkeel treats us fairly. We protested once, and----"
"By an anonymous letter!" broke in the Latin teacher.
"Yes, that was hardly right," commented the doctor, gently.
"It was the best way we could think of," spoke Tom. "We wanted bettertreatment. We want it yet, and we are going to get it, or we willcontinue to refuse to recite to Professor Skeel. We will continue tostrike."
"Strong words," said the head master. "But may I ask how you came tohit on--er this--er--rather novel form of rebellion? I am anxious toknow," and he prepared to make some notes in a book. Professor Skeelfairly snorted with rage.
"It began from the very first," explained Tom, and he went over thedifferent steps in their trouble with the unpopular professor. "Now wecan stand it no longer. We will leave school, if necessary, to gain ourrights."
Doctor Meredith looked surprised at this. The loss of the Freshman Latinclass would mean a serious blow to the finances of the institution oflearning. Still he would have done his duty in the face of this if hesaw it clearly. But he was not at all in sympathy with the methods ofProfessor Skeel, and the boys probably realized this.
"And so we struck," ended Tom, concluding the history of the rebellion.
"And it is my duty to end this strike," declared the head master. "I askyou to return to your recitation in Professor Skeel's room, and I--er--Ihave no doubt but what matters will adjust themselves."
"We will not--we feel that we cannot--return and end the strike, unlesswe receive some assurance that we will be treated like gentlemen, andnot imposed upon in the matter of lessons," declared Tom.
"That's right!" chorused the others.
"Silence!" commanded the professor, but he was not in command now, andthe lads realized it. "Then you will remain on strike?" asked DoctorMeredith, as if surprised that his request had not been complied with.
"We must, sir," replied Tom respectfully.
"Then--er--then this ends the negotiations, I presume, young gentlemen,"spoke the doctor, rather sorrowfully. "I shall have to consider whatfurther will be done."
"We're ahead--so far," commented Tom to his chums as they filed out.
"I knew it would end this way," spoke Professor Skeel to DoctorMeredith. "You will have to be firmer. You must take the most stringentmeasures possible."
"What would you suggest?" asked the head master, evidently at a loss. Infact he was thinking more of writing the paper on the strike than he wasof ending it.
"I will tell you my plan," spoke Professor Skeel, as he followed thedoctor into his study.