Part 7 (1/2)

I like Robert Burns and think his ”To Mary in Heaven” is his finest poehland Mary” So I suppose these critics will look atakin to pity in the look, and say: ”Don't you wish you could?” Years ago some one planted trees about my house for shade, and selected poplar Now the roots of these trees invade the cellar and the cistern, and prove theether a nuisance Of course, I can cut out the trees, but then I should have no shade That ht just as well have planted elnorance, planted poplars, and here am I, years afterward, in a state of perturbation about the safety of cellar and cistern on account of those pesky roots I do wish that man had taken a course in arboriculture before he planted those trees It ht have saved me a deal of bother, and been no worse for hiraph-albue of development, we became interested in another sort of literary composition It was a book in which we recorded the names of our favorite book, author, poem, stateshout an entire page That experience was really valuable and caused us to do so It would be well, I think, to use such a book as that in the exaht come upon one of the books nohich I set down the record ofif not valuable information

If I were called upon to name my favorite flower now I'd scarcely knohat to say In one mood I'd certainly say lily-of-the-valley, but in another ht say the rose I do wonder if, in those books back yonder, I ever said sunflower, dandelion, dahlia, fuchsia, or daisy If I should find that I said heliotrope, I'd giveone of these books in my school, and some boy should na probleet him converted to the lily-of-the-valley, and I really do not know quite how I should proceed It ht not help him much for me to ask him: ”Don't you wish you could?” If I should let hiht name that flower as the line of least resistance to rade, with the mental reservation that the sunflower is the ratify ress toward the lily-of-the-valley, nor yet for the salvation of his soul

I have a boy of e to ask hiain I a a dilemma Dilemmas are quite plentiful hereabouts I ard him as an asset or a liability But, that is not the worst ofto decide whether his father is an asset or a liability We o over our books some day so as to find out which of us is in debt to the other I know that I owe hi their debts to their children, and I' whether I shall be able to cancel that debt, to his present and ultimate satisfaction I'd be decidedly unco good” because I had failed to pay that debt When I was a lad they used to say that I was stubborn, but thatto collect a debt I take so that the folks at home credit me with the virtue of perseverance, and I wish they had used the milder hen I was a boy

There is a picture show just around the corner, and I'ht nohether to follow the crowd to that show or sit here and read Ruskin's ”Sesao to see the picture film I'll probably see an exhibition of cowboy equestrian dexterity, with a ”happy ever after” finale, andup to date But, if I spend the evening with Ruskin, I shall have soo about my work to-morrow So here is another dilemma, and there is no one to decide the ent is not the fun that some folks try to et on unless I subscribe to Sa has vital breath Through endless tis apart To please his solitary heart”

CHAPTER XXVI

RABBIT PEDAGOGY

As I think back overhow lad to think that I have not a single one to my discredit, but that see the character of s; but, in the y, my practice cannot be made to square with my theory In fact, I find, upon reflection, that I have been teaching intelad the officers of ical practice If they did, they would certainly take action against me, and in that case I cannot see what adequate defense I could offer Being a schoolnorance, for such a plea as that ate my license

So I shall just keep quiet and look as nearly wise as possible It is e it has taken me to see the error of my practice If I had asked one of my boys he could have told ot the new desks in our school, back home, our teacher seein state, and became quite aniainst the possible offender In the course of his sulphury ren punishment upon the base miscreant who should dare use his penknife on one of those desks His address was equal to a course in ”Paradise Lost,” nor was it without its effect upon the audience Every boy in the room felt in his pocket to an to wonder just where he would find the whetstone when he went hoer for school to close for the day that weour knives Henceforth wood-carving was a part of the regular order in our school, but it was done without special supervision Of course, each boy could prove an alibi when his own desk was under investigation It would not be seeive a verbatim report of the conversations of us boys e assembled at our rendezvous after school Suffice it to say that the teacher's ears must have burned The consensus of opinion was that, if the teacher didn't want the desks carved, he should not have told us to carve them We seemed to think that he had said, in substance, that he kneere a gang of young rascallions, and that, if he didn't intiuilty of some foresting penknives; and the trick was done We were ever open to suggestions

We had another teacher whose pet aversion was ized to hi one of his eloquent orations upon this engaging theme His vituperative vocabulary seemed unlimited, inexhaustible, and cumulative He raved, and ranted, and exuded epithets with the ality It seemed to us that he didn't care much what he said, if he could only say it rapidly and forcibly In the very midst of an eloquent period another match head would explode under his foot, and that seemed to answer the purpose of an encore The class in arithmetic did not recite that afternoon

There was no time for arithmetic when uilty that I was adood show on a free pass The next day, of course, the Gatling guns resuirls screeched as they walked toward the water-pail to get a drink; we boys studied our geography lesson with faces garbed in a look of innocence and wonder; ourwhat had become of all the matches; and the teacher--but the less said of hiestion to set us in th by the going

One day the teacher became somewhat facetious and recounted a red-pepper episode in the school of his boyhood That was enough for us; and the next day, in our school, was a day long to be remembered

I recall in the school reader the story of ”Meddlesome Matty” Her naot the better of her, and she reoes on to say:

”Poor eyes, and nose, and ot further in Sincerely she repented”

Barring the element of repentance, the red pepper was equally provocative of results in our school

I certainly cannot lay clairee of docility, for, in spite of all the experiences of my boyhood, I fell into the evil ways of ested to ainst intoxicants, and thus made them curious That's why I a drink as , match heads, and red pepper

I have coy The tar-baby story that Joel Chandler Harris has given us abundantly proves my statement The rabbit had so often outwitted the fox that, in desperation, the latter fixed up a tar-baby and set it up in the road for the benefit of the rabbit In his efforts to discipline the tar-baby for ireat discoy shi+nes forth in the following dialogue:

W'en Brer Fox fine Brer Rabbit ood, en he roll on de groun' en laff Biot you dis time, Brer Rabbit,” sezee ”Maybe I ain't, but I speck I is You been runnin' roun' here sassin' attertime, but I speck you done come ter de een' er de row You bin cuttin' up yo' capers en bouncin' 'roun' in dis neighborhood ontwel you co En den youer allers soot no bizness,” sez Brer Fox, sezee ”Who ax you fer ter come en strike up a'quaintance wid dish yer Tar-Baby? En who stuck you up dar whar you is? nobody in de roun' worril You des tuck en jam yo'se'f on dat Tar-Baby widout watin' fer enny invite,” sez Brer Fox, sezee, ”en dar you is, en dar you'll stay twel I fixes up a bresh-pile and fires her up, kaze I'wineter bobby-cue you dis day, sho,” sez Brer Fox, sezee

Den Brer Rabbit talk hty 'umble

”I don't keer w'at you do widme in dat brier-patch Roas'me in dat brier-patch,” sezee

”Hit's so much trouble fer ter kindle a fier,” sez Brer Fox, sezee, ”dat I speck I'll hatter hang you,” sezee

”Hang h as you please, Brer Fox,” sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ”but do fer de Lord's sake don't fling ot no string,” sez Brer Fos, sezee, ”en now I speck I'll hatter drown you,” sezee

”Drown me des ez deep ez you please, Brer Fox,” sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ”but do don't fling h,” sez Brer Fox, sezee, ”en now I speck I'll hatter skin you,” sezee