"Thank you, Maisie, I do hope you'll excuse me. That boy cuts me up so I lose myself, and jest bile over." Turning to her son: "Go back to your seat and behave yourself. If you're sent home again, I'll skin you alive. Your daddy was a loafer, and I'll kill you afore I'll let you foller in his steps."

She shook hands cordially with Miss Latham, and walked toward the door with the parting shot: "If you're sent home again, I'll bury you so deep the Lord won't find you!" And she was gone.

Tom walked sullenly to his seat, ever and anon rubbing his nose with his sleeve. Dink Dabney, who was next to Curley Harris, whispered:

"If I knows what I'm talkin' about, I spec' Tom would be powerful more comf'table if he wuz standin'." Whereat Curley laughed, and the teacher rapped to start anew the interrupted lesson.

Gilbert, being the newest scholar, was placed at the foot of the class. The system permitting the pupil correctly answering a missed question to "move up one," or two or more, according to the number of failures, was in vogue at Miss Latham's school.