Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-02-21

up, and eat your breakfast, -or you We
got hard days work before you"
Bangs went out into the parlor and
presently Paddy appeared, wearing the
suit of clothes which Bangs had pur-
chased on the previous day, and carry
ing his shirt collar in his hand.
bad luck to it," exclaimed Paddy,
throwing it on the floor. 1T cuts me
f'roat."
Bangs ordered him to put it on. Pad
dy demured. He said he was willing to
wear it on Sundays, but he thought that
seven days week of it was "crowdin'
der limit"
mo collar, no breakfast, !" said Bangs
at last and that carried the point.
1t is only fair to say that Paddy, prop
erly dressed, and with his mouth closed.
was good-loolsing youth HIS skin
was unusually white, despite his out-of-
door life, and his face was thin to
match his figure which was like lit
tie man on stills. But his features
were strong and his eyes bright and
steady. Altogether he had a good
head for student, if there had been
anything in it. IIisgreat strength lent
certain grace TO his movements
though one would have expected him
to be as awkward as a young calf.
II is impossible within the limits Of
this narrative 20 describe the educa-
tional process To which Paddy was sub
jected. Naturally he did not learn
much on the first day, but Harry Bangs
did. Those of us who have had the adj
vantages OF early training do not real
ize what its total absence implies.
PacS~ had -avcr been student. He
had studied just enough to get an idea
of the vast number Of things which
one can know. He had general no
ton that somebody knew them all, but
he had never considered the possibility
of the existence Of n person who did
not know any of them.
We forget, sometimes, that infinity
is just as long one way as it is the
other. 1t is as hard to grasp the real
meaning Of nothing as it is 10 under
stand everything.
That was what was the matter with
The education Of Paddy O'Toole 1t
was impossible to get back to the place
where il ought 10 beh in. 1t is al very
well to talk of beginning a chld's edu-
cation with that of his grandfather,
but what are you going to do if the old
gentleman is dead?
In the course Of week Bangs had
not found anything to teach Paddy.
because there was always something
which he ought TO learn before that
And SO at random he started him on
English grammar. Now, merciful
Providence, which sends the muups
and things Of that kind to us at an age
when we are unable tC comprehend
the horror of them, has wisely made
the same provision in regard to the adj
vent o. grammar into our lives. There
ase exceptions, Of course, and every
body must have an idea how very had
ar adult ease Of humps would be. Inn
agine grammar, then, at the age Of
seventeen-an age when most Of us
have had il, and forgotten all about il.
Paddy O'Toole thought that he was
going To die of it. He contracted it
from man named Brown. They say
that Brown in private life was not
worse than his neighbors. 1t is only
when we tackle his grammar that we
perceive how much of the old Satan
NHS ~ AAhl utAtAA N0ulAt itAhN III ~
general way, though he had M recol-
lection Of having learned. An account
of baseball game in a newspaper was
moderately clear To him. But Brown
was not nearly SO lucid as a modern
sporting writer
Just read the first part of this till
you get an idea of what he's talking
about" said Bangs, laying the book
before his pupil, and when get back
you can tell me about t."
And Paddy honestly tried to do It,
lie worked his shirt collar off in the
first ten minutes, and his coat and
waistcoat soon followed.
I'm take fall out o dis gillie." he
said, apostrophizing Brown, IF it
breaks me back"
AT the end of an hour the dryness of
the subject had impair ted thirst to
him which water couldn't quench. And
there was nothing else 70 be had.
Bangs was liberal in every other way,
but he would not hear Of mixed ale or
any other deleterious beverages. lie
had given his man James strict orders
TO deny Paddy all such things Paddy
had not suffered from this absti-