Who Is The Hero?
Gregory J Christiano

 

THE HERO
by Gregory J. Christiano



“Wasn’t he a hero, Pop?”
“Who my boy – Napoleon?” asked Mr. Wills, looking up from his newspaper.
“No, Pop; Tom Flowers,” answered Henry.
“Why, what has Tom Flowers done to earn that distinction? asked his father.
“Why, he took Arthur Raymond’s part in the fight yesterday with Chub, and Chub was a lot bigger than him.”
“But I thought fighting was forbidden at school now, Henry,” said the gentleman. His son looked down blushing slightly.
“That’s right, Pop,” he said; “but the boys can’t get on without fighting.”
“Really,” said his father, dryly, “I wasn’t aware they were so quarrelsome.”
“Hey, Pop, now you’re laughing at me,” said Henry. “But if a fella calls you names, what are you to do?”
“According to you, I guess, poke him in the nose,” said Mr. Wills.
“Yea, there’s nothing else you can do, unless you want to be called a coward,” said Henry; “and I do hate cowards,” he added. “I wish Arthur hadn’t walked away, instead of fighting Chub, yesterday.”
“The Arthur Raymond thinks it possible for the kids to live without fighting, I suppose,” said Mr. Wills.
“Well, you see, Pop, fighting has been forbidden since that business with Larry Martin,” said Henry; “and Raymond said he wouldn’t break the rules. It was very cowardly of him, because we weren’t in the playground or even near the school at all!”

“What had Chub done to Arthur that demanded that should fight?” asked Mr. Wills.
“He called him a liar and Arthur should’ve knocked him down right away. He could’ve done it easily; but, instead of that, he said he could prove he wasn’t a liar.”
“And did he?” asked his Pop.
“He’s going to bring the proof tomorrow morning; but, of course, the guys don’t care because he didn’t fight.”
“And does Raymond know this?”
“Yea, Pop. We told him what we should do if he refused to fight, but he stuck to it that it wasn’t right to break the rules and walked off, and then Tommy Flowers pitched in and hit Chub. Raymond was disgraced.”

“Disgraced, you call it?” Well I think he did the honorable thing,” said Mr. Wills.
“Oh, Pops!” exclaimed Henry.
“I mean what I say. I call him a true hero,” said his father warmly.
“But, Pop, all the boys said it was so cowardly of him not to fight Chub.”
“But you say he wasn’t afraid of Chub – could have beaten him easily; and yet he braved going against all the kids and not break the rules.”
“Then you don’t think he was a coward, Pop?” said Henry.
“I hope, my boy, you’ll be brave enough to stand by him, though all the rest might think differently,” said Mr. Wills. “To stand by those who have dared to do what’s right, in spite of all opposition, is true bravery; and I hope you stick by him. It will be much harder than to act the part of Tom Flowers.”

For some time after his father left him, Henry sat thinking over what had been said, and decided to stand by his friend Arthur Raymond; but he didn’t know how difficult this would be until the next day.

As he was going to school the next morning, Tom Flowers overtook him. He was patting himself on the back saying what a great fight it was and how Arthur Raymond was a blatant coward. Henry wanted to say something in defense of his friend – something of what his father had said the night before; but somehow he couldn’t get the words out. But when Arthur came in sight and the rest of the boys turned away, he went over and met him.

“Have you brought the proof you said you would?” asked Henry, wanting to say something.
“Yes, I have it in my pocket,” said Arthur, but sighed as he spoke, for two other boys had passed and ignored him completely. It wasn’t easy to bear this silent contempt of his schoolmates, although he was upheld by the consciousness of having done what was right.
“Henry, you’d better join the rest,” he said, a little bitterly. “They mean to brand me, I can see it.”
“Are you sorry you didn’t wallop Chub?” asked Henry, “You might do it, you know. Even now you could walk up to him, show him the proof and then punch him. You’re not afraid of him, are you? You’re stronger than Flowers.”

“No, I’m not afraid of him,” said Arthur. “But I’m not going to fight when it’s against school rules; it isn’t right, and besides, I could get expelled. If I get the chance, I’ll let everybody see I’m not a coward, but it won’t be by fighting.”

By this time they had reached the school and went in; but Henry receives several threatening glances from his companions as he passed to his desk. During school-time the quarrel wasn’t mentioned; but no sooner had they got into the playground then Henry was overwhelmed with reproaches. “What business had you to speak to Arthur Raymond?” said one.
“You’re just another sneak like he is,” blurted another.
“if you talk to him again we’ll brand you too,” said a third. And this threat was taken up and echoed by all the rest.

Henry had never yet been treated so badly as this, and he was by no means inclined to accept, especially when he glanced across the playground and saw Arthur sitting by himself with a book in his hand. To be shut out of all the games and ignored was very hard to bear; but Henry remembered his father’s words, and moreover, he could not help admiring Arthur’s action, although it brought no glory, but a great deal of annoyance. So he said boldly, “Now look here. Arthur isn’t a coward, as you guys make out. My father said it was brave of him to stick it out and do the right thing; and I’ll stand by him even if you guys don’t. So get that straight, huh.”

As if a bomb-shell had suddenly exploded in the midst of them, the boys could scarcely have looked more astonished.
“Wills is sure to do as we tell him,” had been the unanimous belief until now, and that he should suddenly dare their wrath was almost past belief. They thought they could tease and worry him into compliance with their wishes; but they were sorely mistaken.

Henry had begun to think for himself, and he found that his companions’ opinion of things was not always to be relied upon; and, seeing what was right, he determined to act upon it. “Arthur is no coward,” he repeated, “and I’m gonna stand by him.”

“Oh! Let him go,” said one, in a tone of assumed disgust. “Flowers is our hero. He kept the honor of the school.”

Flowers wasn’t likely to forget this accolade nor let the others forget it either. He harangued everybody and on the slightest provocation threatened to fight, and still managed to keep up the ill feeling toward Arthur Raymond, whose quarrel h had defend. A kid’s opinion is slow to change especially in the case of cowardice and hero-worship; and their present hero, Flowers, was by no means willing to resign his place, although some of the boys could not but respect the way in which Henry and Arthur be behaved, and were more than half convinced that they were in the right, if they had only been courageous enough to admit it!

But one day, as the old sore subject was again being discussed, on their way home from school, they saw a car barreling down the street, while just below a group of children were slowly crossing, under the escort of a deaf woman.

“Look! The children!” gasped Henry.
“Flowers, help them, she can’t hear the car coming,” shouted two or three boys. But Flowers drew back, pale with alarm at the thought of exposing himself to realdanger. At the same moment Arthur threw down his bookbag and dashed forward into the road, just in time to snatch several of the children and push the old lady out of the way of the onrushing vehicle. He was clipped on his arm and hurled to the pavement several yards beyond; but managed to save the children and their escort. He wasn’t hurt too badly, and the car sped away without slowing down or stopping!

His companions were frightened when they saw this dangerous situation. Everyone else had frozen in fear, but Arthur acted quickly and decisively without any regard for his own safety. His schoolmate gathered around him with great admiration, helping him to his feet.
“Arthur, forgive us,” said one, “we’ve made a terrible mistake accusing you of being a coward.” They all crowded around him praising his courage and patting him on the back. Henry looked most triumphant, “Now who’s the hero,” he asked, “Flowers who did the fighting, or Arthur, who did what was right?”

The boys were well pleased to change their heroes. Many of them changed their opinions too, and Henry was almost as highly thought of as Arthur himself, for standing by him when all the rest declared him a coward; and, from that day to do what’s right In the face of all opposition became the settled principle of many in the school.


THE END



The Hero
by Gregory J. Christiano
Copyright © January, 2005, Gregory J. Christiano


 

 

Copyright © 2005 Gregory J Christiano
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