The San Francisco call., 1904-11-06


he had any too much strength for his
size But Bill an Jack hadn't started
in TO school yet They never did till
after the others had got nicely started.
Then they came in an kept the whole
class back till they got ready 10 bust
up the school. but when l see him a
comm along with my boys, not lookin'
much bigger or older than Jimmie, l
just made UP my mind that he was
gOin' TO teach out the term If anything
I could do would help him 10 do ii, an
I was pretty sure 1 could do sOmethin'.
I waved 10 the boys (Jim hadn't got
away with all the ccOkies) an they all
climbed over the fence. l shook hands
with the teacher an then gave 'em all
q cookie apiece. an that boy looked as
pleased as our boys did We was
standin' there taIkin', an Jim had just
thrown down the last shock when see
a mouse run across the ground under
where the shock had been. The teach
er saw il an quicker'n l ever thought
he could move he'd dropped on the
ground in front of it an caught it. He
looked up at me from where he was
kneeIin' an says. This is a new one
I never saw this kind before An then
he went on to tell an show all about
the little thing, that laid tremblin' in
his hands. I could see the boys was
interested, an specially Frankie,
whose eyes just shone, as the little
teacher went on to tell how the mice
lived in the summer an winter. about
their nests, an what they lived on, an
how their enemies chased EN-. an be-
fore he got through, the whole plan for
breakin' UP the carryin' -out scheme
came to me. The boys hadn't talked
much on the way home. Didn't have
anything to say 10 the teacher, an he
felt little shy at goin' 10 a new place.
but now, the three were as friendly as
could be, an We all had a jolly time as
We went home TO supper on the big
Wagonload Of corn.
AT supper an after supper 1 KEEP
him a-talkin' on outdoor things, an he
seemed to know all about how things
lived an I could see palmer than ever
just how he was goin' TO win his way
through that term Of school.
The next day after he an Jim had
started for town, 1 get Jimmie TO tell
in about the carryin' -out the year be-
fore He didn't see IT nor Frankie
either, cause they had the mumps
then, but he knew all about it, an it
was just as I thought Bill Wood an
Jack Smith always came late in the
mornin' an il the teacher said any
thing, they sassed him, an finally they
got all the other boys to help carry
him out an to keep him cut for one
day. That broke up the school Jim
ME said that those biggest boys was
goin' TO start a week from the next
Monday, an so 1 arranged my plans
The next week I told Jimmie an
Frankie together to ask all the boys
in school that was thirteen or over TO
come to our house on Friday. night TO
make candy, an 1 sent a note TO the
teacher, too, askin' him. I didn't tell
Jimmie that I asked the boys so they
could get acquainted with the teacher,
-,
'em away. They was all glad enough
TO come. Ever since Jimnie's birth
day he'd had more visitors, an the boys
always seemed TO think l was different
from their own folks. OF course / was,
but their folks ought to have had sense
enough not to let 'em find il out 1t
don't pay TO let your boys get to think
in you amt quite SO good TO 'em as
somebody else's folks is TO them But
most Of the other folks never thought
anything about tryin' to keep the boys
at home, an was glad enough to get
'em of out Of the way.
They all came, every last one Of 'em.
on Friday night, an the teacher, too,
but they shut up like clans, an so did
he. They didn't have much TO say till
we got to maxim candy an then / got
him to tellin' about how different kinds
Of sugar is made. The boys got kind o.
interested, an when he switched off
from that an began tellin' 'em about
some fun he had one spring maxim
maple sugar in the big woods over be-
yond the county-seat where the wolves
still howl at night, an the farmers
can't keep sheep at all, on account of
'em. I saw he had the boys where l
wanted EN- Pretty soon he mentioned
the birds in the woods in sugar-makin'
time, an I broke right in. / hated TO
spoil his story, but this was just the
chance wanted. asked some kind O.
foolish questions. You know a man
never feels Ike tellin' a woman any
thing until she shows how big a fool
she can be by askin' questions that
don't mean anything, an then he ex-
plains in a toplofty way. Well,
wanted the boys to combine with the
teacher answerin' me. an I got just
what 1 wanted. for they all begun to
talk at once, an went on namin' birds
that stayed all winter, an got all
worked up Then I got 'em switched
off 10 somethin' else, an the teacher
got started on that, an they were all
breakin' in an askin' questions. an
generally feelin' good an friendly
when l sprung my PLAN
Says /, Why, these are all new
things to me- An TO most OF us,
guess Why can't we have a little club
10 meet here Friday rf~h+~ ~ +oI1-