The Red Cloud chief., 1879-09-11

ISsa k44SA ~
their education. Elizabeth Esiza felt
TIA, every thing should ne expected 81
them-they ought 20 take advantage
from the family mistakes Every ncw
method that came up uas;red upon ,ae
little boys They hsd been taagh, spell.
ing by al the different systems and
were Jus; able 20 re.d when Mr.. Peter
kin learned ,ha; /; was 20 con siter-d
bes, that children should not; be
tsugh, 10 read till they we're ten years
old.
Mr.. Peterkin WAS in despair. Per
haps IL their books were taken from
them even then. they might forget uhs,
thew had learned. Bot no, the evil WAS
done, the brain bad received certain I'm
pressions that could not be blurred
over.
This VA long ago, however. The
little boys hai since entered the public
school. They went also To = gymnasi-
UNI, and . whiting school, and joined
q class in music. and another in dane
ing; they went 10 some afternoon lee
lures for children, when there was no
other school, and belonged To = walking
club. Still Mr.. Peterkin was disss;is-
fed by the slowness of their progress.
he visited the schools himself, and found
that they did no. lead their classes. Il
seemed 20 him 8 great deal Of time was
spent in things that were not instruct
i've, such IS putting on and taking OF
their India rubber boots.
Elizabeth Eliza proposed that they
should be taken from school and taught
by Agamemnon from the encyclopedia.
The rest Of the family might help in the
education At all hours Of the day. Sol
ONION John could take up the Latin
grammar, and she could give lesson in
French.
The little boys were enchanted with
the plan, only they did not want TO have
the study-hours all the time.
Mr.. Peterkin, however, had n mag
nifcent idea, that they should make
their life one grand Object Lesson.
They should begin At breakfast, aad
study every thing put upon the table
the material Of which il was made, and
where it came from. In the study OF
the letter A, Agamemuon had embraced
the study OF music, and from one meal
they might gain instruction enough for
a day.
ave shall nave the assistance" said
Mr.. PeteIkin, "of Agamemnon with his
encyclopedia"
Agamemnon modestly suggested that
he had not yet got out Of A, and in their
first breskfss, every thing would there
fore have To begin with A..
"That would be impossible" said
Mr.. Pe,erkin. "There is Amanda,
who will wait on table, To start
with ~
ave could have am and-eggs," sug-
gested Solomon John.
Mrs. Peterkin was distressed. IL was
hard enough To think Of any thing for
breakfast, and impossible il il had To
begin with one letter.
Elizabeth Eliza thought it would no,
be necessary. All they were 10 do wa
to ask questions, as in examination pa
pers, and find their W rs they
could. They could still apply To the
encyclopedia, even il il were not in Aga
memnOn's alphabetical course.
Mr.. Peterkin suggested a great vari.
ETY.. One day they would study the bot
any of the breakfast table, another day
its natural history. The study Of butter
would include that Of the cow. Even
that of the butter-dish would bring in
geology. The little boys were charmed
at the idea of learning pottery from the
cream-ju jug, and they were promised a
potter's wheel directly.
"You see, my DEAR" said Mr.. Peter
kin TO his wife, "before many weeks,
we shall be drinking our milk from jugs
made by our children"
Elizabeth Eliza hoped for a thorough
study.
"Yes," said Mr.. Peterkin, "we might
begin with botany. That would be near
TO Agamemnon alphabetically. We
ought TO find ont the botany Of butter.
On what does the COW feed?"
The little boys were eager to 60 out
and see.
" If she eats clover" said Mr.. Peter.
kin, "w shall expect the botany of the
clover"
The little boys insisted that they were
to begin the next day; that very even
ing they should 60 out and study the
COW.
Mrs. Peterkin sighed, and decided
she would order a simple breakfast.
The little boys took their notebooks
and pencils, and clambered upon the
fence, where they seated themselves in a
row.
For there we're three little boys. So
it was now supposed. They were al
ways coming in or going out, and it
had been difficult to count them, and
nobody was very sure how maay there
were.
There they sat, however, on the fence,
looking at the COW. She looked at them
with large eyes. "She won't eat" they
cried, "while we are looking at herr"
So they turned about, and pretended TO
look into the street, and seated them
selves that way, turning their heads
back to see the COW.
Snow she is nibbling a clover"
"No, that is q bit of sorrel."
Its whole handful of grass!"
What kind of GRASP" they exclaim-
ed.
1t was very hard, sitting with their
backs to the COW, and pretending TO the
cow that they were looking into the
street, and vet to be looking at the COW
all the time. and finding out what she
WAS eating; and the upper rail of the
| renee WAS UtEEOW duu u lltllc SudIp. IL
was very high, too, for some additional
rails had been put on to prevent the
cow from jumping into the garden or
street.
Suddenly, looking out into the hazy
twilight, Elizabeth Eliza saw six legs
and six India rubber boots in the air,
and the little boys disappeared.
"They are tossed by the COW! The
little boys are tossed by the GOVT" she
exclaimed.
Mrs. Peterkin rushed for the window,
but tainted on the way. Solomon John
and Elizabeth Eliza we're hurrying to
the door, but stopped. not knowing
what to do next. Mrs. Peterkin recov-
cred herself with a supreme effort, and
sent them to the rescue.
But what could they do? The
fence had been made so high,
to keep the GOV out, that nobody
could get in. The boy thst did the
milking had gone off with the key of the
outei gate, and perhaps with the key of