The sparing of the rod

A short story by me.

“Spare the rod, sir,” begged Featherstone, hopefully.

“I take no pleasure in this, Featherstone,” said the Headmaster, “but this is the third time you’ve been sent to see me in as many weeks, and I fear sparing the rod will not deter you from getting yourself sent to me again next week.”

“Oh, it will, sir, I promise it will,” pleaded young Cuthbert Featherstone, doing his utmost to simulate a reformed character.

As much as the Headmaster wanted to believe him, he knew enough about boys of Featherstone’s type not to. It was true that he took no pleasure in administering the cane, and looked upon it as a regrettable but necessary evil. Still, he thought, perhaps there is another way.

“Look here, Featherstone,” he said, narrowing his eyes at the seemingly repentant boy, “you will not receive six of the best, as I originally intended. You have given an assurance that there will be no future offence on your part, and I am prepared to take you at your word, but mark me well, boy, one more incident this term and I will have you shot. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir, thank you, sir,” gabbled the relieved and delighted Featherstone, who had more or less stopped listening after the words “will not receive six of the best”.

“I shall expect your behaviour to be exemplary for the rest of the term; not a foot wrong, mind.”

“Yes, sir,” responded Featherstone, nodding vigorously.

The very next week, Featherstone was observed behaving suspiciously, by Mister Bodge the school caretaker. He was removing the nuts from the front wheels of his house master’s car at the time, and the consequences of his efforts were pretty much what he was hoping for. The caretaker’s failure to report the matter immediately was not due to complacency, but, rather, a tactical move. There was bad blood between Mister Bodge and the house master, so he was quite happy to let events run their course as far as the missing wheel nuts were concerned. Also, having been the victim of Featherstone’s tricks himself on several occasions, and recognizing a golden opportunity to settle the score, he reasoned that to delay his report and let Featherstone be responsible for actual damage, rather than just the intending of it, would land him in considerably hotter water.

The caretaker’s information was duly noted, and he was asked to make no further mention of it elsewhere. The Housemaster was reimbursed by the school for the damage to his car, and persuaded to let the matter rest. Featherstone, who had started to let himself believe he had got away with it, spent the days leading up to the following weekend feeling rather pleased with himself. It was on the Monday that Featherstone, while leaving morning assembly, hands in pockets and whistling cheerfully, was shot dead by an unknown assassin.