Part 9 (1/2)

Bright would put a question to hi for a chance to snub Mr Bright, or defy hiot no questions from his teacher that day, nor for so out a fish, before landing him!

So the day wore on, the first whole day in school for ”Dodd” Weaver, for several years At recesses he unbent a little, but he was only accosted by soest pupils of the rooer andfour o'clock, and the closing work of the day was pressing Mr Bright was more than busy with his class, and the roo themselves to their work assiduously

”Dodd” sat listless for sohtened hihted with interest, and it would have been evident to any one watching hi hi He was

His desk was in the row of seats next the wall, and there was only a narrow aisle between him and the blackboard He could reach across this easily He reached across

He picked up a piece of crayon and began drawing lines on the board

He moved his chalk carefully, and it made no sound Yet his movements attracted attention, shortly, and one pupil, and another, and another, turned to watch him

When ”Dodd” found that he had finally succeeded in securing an audience he felt that his point was gained He winked to a few of the boys about hiirl whose eye he happened to catch He inning his way, and he hastened to make the most of his opportunity

He had not made a half-dozen strokes with the crayon till every one saw that his sketch was a caricature of Mr Bright

This gentleular and soular, and upon every one of these individualities the graceless artist enlarged at will He turned up the nose, and set the stray bits of whiskers, and dotted the cheeks, at war one with another

He even went further, and with a few clever strokes sketched a dwarfed body for the life-sized head He worked rapidly and turned now and then to view his subject

And all this ti on He sat with his faceall his energies to the elucidation of a problem that was particularly troublesoht of the ”order” of his school rooirls who sat before him, to have time to trouble himself with the rest of the pupils, ell able to care for the order”

But presently he beca about him, somewhere For an instant he could not rossed in his work Then, like a flash, it came to him that it was ”Dodd”! He turned his eyes quickly to where the boy sat, and had the good fortune to catch that young gentle touches to his sketch, with much flourish and circumstance

So ot where he was, and for ht of what he was doing, he continued to put in new lines, every one of which added to the grotesqueness of the picture

Meanwhile the school saw the situation and began to enjoy it hugely, though now at ”Dodd's” expense

Presently the youngquickly to the teacher, saw that he was fairly caught Like lightning he swept the brush, which he held in his left hand, over the picture, and it was gone Then he squared himself in his seat

But it was too late He had overshot the ust froh he had counted on He was down again He was vexed at the result, and his face drew on an air of injured vexation, after thedown to ”Dodd's” desk, and speaking in a low tone, to the boy only:

”The picture was very good; very ood deal of ability with the chalk; I alad to know it If you care to try your hand on the board, you are welcome to do so at any time; only please do not try to take the attention of the pupils from their studies by your pictures, as you did just now,” and without another word he resumed the point under consideration when the interruption took place

”Dodd” tried to look defiant, but to little purpose There was nothing left to defy

I have seenat all that they have fallen headlong theed down by the force of the blow they had intended for another ”Dodd” was down, and it was his own hand that had put him there

And it is so ained by this encounter Mr Bright had discovered that ”Dodd” had a genius for one thing at least, for the sketch was really a re that the subject of it would have been glad to have preserved it; and ”Dodd” was fully convinced that he had no ordinary ht With these t points developed, the party at the reel end of the line began slowly to ”wind up,” yet again, and the party of the second part let him wind

CHAPTER XIII

Rome was not built in a day nor is a character forht at a single stride, and many ti a great while This is a thing that is common to the race