CHAPTER VIII

And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

--Hiawatha.

TORPENHOW was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

'It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,' said he; 'but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.'

'It's off my hands at any rate.... Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there? That should make between eleven and twelve pages of valuable misinformation. Heigho!' Torpenhow shuffled the writing together and hummed--

Young lambs to sell, young lambs to sell, If I'd as much money as I could tell, I never would cry, Young lambs to sell!

Dick entered, self-conscious and a little defiant, but in the best of tempers with all the world.

'Back at last?' said Torpenhow.

'More or less. What have you been doing?'

'Work. Dickie, you behave as though the Bank of England were behind you. Here's Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday gone and you haven't done a line. It's scandalous.'

'The notions come and go, my children--they come and go like our 'baccy,' he answered, filling his pipe. 'Moreover,' he stooped to thrust a spill into the grate, 'Apollo does not always stretch his---- Oh, confound your clumsy jests, Nilghai!'

'This is not the place to preach the theory of direct inspiration,' said the Nilghai, returning Torpenhow's large and workmanlike bellows to their nail on the wall. 'We believe in cobblers' wax. La!--where you sit down.' What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What was to be sold?
2. Who was humming?
3. And what else at the time?
4. What?
5. Did Hiawatha have any friends?
6. How many?
7. Name one?
8. What does he do?
9. And the other?
10. Is he weak?
11. Who came in?
12. Was he in a good mood?
13. How many days had he not written anything?
14. Which days?
15. Who came to play a game?
16. What game?
17. What did they discuss?
18. How many sheets were of bad information?
19. What did he put in his pipe?
20. Where did the bellows go?
Answer: 1. Young lambs.
2. Torpenhow
3. shuffled
4. The writing
5. Yes
6. Two
7. Chibiabos
8. A musician
9. Kwasind.
10. A very strong man
11. Dick
12. The best.
13. Three
14. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
15. The Nilghai.
16. Chess.
17. Tactics
18. Eleven to twelve.
19. 'baccy,'
20. To their nail on the wall

Long long ago, there lived two girls named Emily and Tina. Both of them had long black hair and blue eyes. One day while they were playing in the back yard , Emily heard a tinkling sound. She jumped up. "Listen," she told her twin. They listened. The noise came again. This time Tina heard it. She sat up. "It came from over there," She whispered, looking at the zinnias far away. They came near to find it out. Then something flew out, making the same tinkling sound they had heard before. The children looked at one another. "Was it a bee?" asked Tina. "I don't think so," replied Emily. "Do bees make a sound like bells?" "Let's call it the Tinkle Bee anyway," said Tina. Emily nodded, listening with a little difficulty. What had made that noise? The next day, Emily and Tina brought their cookies outside. Tina took her plate by the zinnias. Suddenly she caught something. "Emily!" she called. "I've got the Tinkle Bee!" Emily rushed over. They sat down on the grass. Tina opened her hand very carefully. There was that sound! Something was shining in Tina's hand. They smiled. Then Emily cried, "It's a fairy !" Tina looked down at it in her hand. It looked like a girl. A _ girl with wings! Tina dropped it before she noticed that a wing was torn . The little fairy could not fly away so she took a piece of grass out of the ground and sat on it. Emily and Tina were surprised at what they saw. The fairy turned to Emily and said, "Hello, I am Marabella." Then she said again, "Marabella the Fairy." Emily smiled. "I'm Emily," she said. Tina said, "I'm Tina. Are you really a fairy?" "Oh, yes!" replied Marabella. "I've always been a fairy." What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What made a tinkling sound?
2. What was the fairy's name?
3. What did Tina and Emily have in common?
4. Were they related?
Answer: 1. "It's a fairy !"
2. Hello, I am Marabella.
3. Both of them had long black hair and blue eyes.
4. unknown

CHAPTER IX.

THE UNIFORM.

When Jip Collins and those who had befriended him arrived at the point nearest Ninety-four's house, on their way to the Thirty-fourth Street Ferry, Seth halted to take leave of his companions, and knowing what he was about to do, Dan urged that he be allowed to accompany him.

"You're goin' down to get your uniform on, an' I want to see it the very first thing."

"So you shall, Dan; but I'd rather you wouldn't come with me now, 'cause there was nothin' said about my bringin' anybody. Keep on with Bill an' Jip, an' I'll go over to our room jest as soon as I get through at the engine-house."

This did not please Master Roberts; but Bill Dean urged that Seth was in the right, and was very emphatic in the assertion that it would "be 'way off color to shove in" at such a time.

Therefore Dan ceased to insist, although it was with a very ill grace that he accepted the situation.

As a matter of course, once such a conversation was started, it became necessary to explain to Jip what important business called Seth away, and he said with a sigh:

"I'm glad you're playin' in such luck, Seth, for you're mighty square. I s'posed after what I'd done nobody would let me come 'round their houses, an' as for my gettin' into any Department, why there never'll be a show of such a thing as that."

"Now don't you get down in the dumps, Jip, 'cause you'll soon pull up where you was before. All that's needed is to go on straight from this out, an' show people you're sorry for meddlin' in such crooked business." What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Did someone demand to see a uniform?
2. Who?
3. Who was he talking to?
4. Did Dan like his response?
5. Anyone else not happy?
6. Who?
7. What other person is mentioned by name?
8. What did he think?
9. Was he adamant about it?
10. Where were they headed at the start?
11. Did someone depart before they got there?
Answer:
1. yes
2. Dan
3. Seth
4. no
5. yes
6. Master Roberts
7. Bill
8. that Seth was in the right
9. yes
10. the Thirty-fourth Street Ferry
11. unknown