Whilomville Stories

e piteously ignorant belief that orators were thus made. By process of school law, unfortunate boys and girls were dragged up to address their fellow-scholars in the literature

in it rapidly at their classmates, did not undergo a single pang. The plan operated mainly to

ed such penalty from its inmates. He preferred to dwell in a less classic shade rather than venture into a domain where he was obliged to p

babble something which none of them understood. This was to make them orators. If it had been ordere

f victims, but his time was none the less inevitable. "Tanner

rove into his mind the incomprehensible l

ague, hal

league

me, he might have been frightened that half a league was fifty miles; but he struggled manfully with the valley of death an

nown to his family that a dreadful disease was upon him, and was

tt was away from home, and the mother of the boy was alarmed beyond measure at Jimmie's cur

r until they were lobster-red. She also

ll. With an air of martyrdom he endured a perfect downpour of mother

om and looked at picture-books, only complaining of pain when

miraculously delivered from the arms of disease,

ol from the doctor's buggy. The other children, notably those who had already passed over the mountain of distress, looked at him with glee, seeing in him another lamb brought to butchery. Seated at his desk in the school-room, Jimmie sometimes remembered with dreadful distinctness every line of "The Charge of the Lig

real pain, he would have been glad. But steadily, inexorably, the minutes marched on

ad come a stillness, in which, nevertheless, one could feel the complacence of the little pupils who had alr

rise and scorn to the insinuation of the honorable member from North Glenmorganshire that the loyalty of the Irish regiments in her Majesty's service could be questioned. To what purpose, then, he asked, had the blood of Irishmen flowed on a hundred fields? To what purpose had Irishmen gone to their death with bravery and devotion in every part of the world where the victorious flag of England had been carried? If the honorable member for North Gl

honorable member for North Glenmorganshire. But Johnnie was not angry. He was only in haste.

t she would be Queen of the May. The child represented there a perfect picture of unnecessary sufferi

nly expressing peasant parentage, calmly spoke

would talk forever about destiny. If the school-house had taken fire he thought that he would have felt simply re

s way to the stage. Parts of him seemed to be of lead, and at the same time parts of him seemed to be light as air, detached. His face had gone as pale as had been the face of Susie Timm

UDDENLY SAID,

d, made an inarticulate soun

f a

aid the tea

f a

said the

epeated Jim

alf a league, hal

d looked wretched

" he muttered-"

this phrase indefinitely, so after a

gue," respo

pened book before her

the valle

e t

she co

ie s

he valley

he-the

al upon the teacher, and breathl

d with indignation to

he six

apped

this cruel display. They were no bette

tarted o

, half a league, h

y of death rode

forward-

e," suggested the

ie. He was about to die of the

ad all gone grandly out of his

ampant. She looked at the miserable w

n," she commanded. "And be prepared to speak it next F

could not have overjoyed him more. He fled back to his seat without hearing the low-toned gibes of his schoolmates. He gave no though

boy named Zimmerman, who was the next victim of education. Jimmie, of course, did not know that on this day there