CHAPTER III

THE SKETCHING CLASS

THE Naturalist often went out with the young artists in the afternoon to keep the cows away, and he sometimes whiled away the time with a pencil and sketch block. The haunted house to the south of the village, with its splendid approach and its hidden stairways, was very attractive to him and he steered the class in that direction as frequently as he dared. The lake also made a pretty picture, especially in the autumn. Nellie was considered the best artist.

PRISONERS' BASE

This game was introduced by the Naturalist because he himself liked it, and it became so popular as to practically annihilate all other field sports for a time. Amy and Victoria were the champion runners; it was against the rule to have them both on the same side. Even the Principal was tempted to indulge in this sport, for he was a very fair runner and a good dodger. When he played, the Naturalist opposed him. Shades of red cheeks and streaming hair

and dancing eyes and broken shoestrings-prisoners' base does beat all the games!

THE RUNAWAY

One of Nettie's special friends kept a saddlehorse that had been a racer and he very kindly offered it to the Naturalist to exercise while he was away. The trial trip came after a spell of wet weather, and there was not even a stiff bit handy. When maximum speed had been reached and the ride had attained all the proportions of a full-fledged race, a curve in the road appeared and then the saddle girth broke!

Without bit, without stirrup, without the secret word of command, without even the horse's name, the misguided rider clung helplessly to his mount in imminent peril of being flung into the top of any one of the young trees that bordered the highway. In the midst of the sublime, he thought of the ridiculous. He remembered when his youngest brother was proudly riding a pet calf through the orchard, when all of a sudden the calf made for an opening in the wire fence which would most certainly not admit both the calf and its rather overgrown rider. It was then that the proud look was humbled and con

sternation spread over the face of his brother, who realized that his case was hopeless.

After the horse had finished his little run, he became as docile as a lamb, and trotted back to his stable as calmly as a blind wheel-horse. And the Naturalist followed his example.

AN APRIL FOOL PARTY

One of the day pupils, of which there was quite a number at the school, gave a party at her home on the evening of the first of April, and many of the young people of the town were present. The party began with vocal and instrumental music and ended with games and refreshments. Tricks of various kinds were prominently featured, so that the guests became more and more suspicious. Even the innocent looking chocolate drops were found to contain quinine and the cake was full of cotton. The Naturalist never forgot the delicate attention shown him by the hostess, who offered him expurgated dainties from her own hand, accompanied by a kindly and knowing wink.

THE MOTHER GOOSE PARTY

The Judge lived in a big house at the northern end of the village near the road to the lake. His daughter

was a good manager: she even managed the Judge. The young folks met there one evening for a good, sociable time, and a prize was offered to the one who could repeat from memory the largest number of Mother Goose rhymes. Strange to say, the Judge's daughter won the prize. But she was a sweet, lovable girl and no one wished to take it from her.

THE MAJOR'S WIFE

The Major was a tall, dignified, placid man; while his wife was auburn-haired, vivacious, and quick at repartee. The two daughters were well known at school, the younger one resembling her father and the older one being the very image of her mother. It was only natural that a quarrel with the older daughter should reach the mother without much delay, and this was where young Mr. H— made his mistake. After that, no matter what he did was frowned upon by the Major's wife, who flaunted his name across every threshold in town. The young man was quite athletic and proud of his jumps, so he essayed one day to jump the barbed-wire fence into the Major's yard when he was sure the Major's wife was looking. The start was fair and the prospect good, but a projecting wire caught him by the

seat of the trousers as he was gracefully descending into the yard and rendered him seatless. This brought out the Major's wife in high glee and she laughed and gossiped about the incident for the next six months. She was so overcome with joy that she actually agreed to mend the young fellow's trousers when he had the effrontery to request it.

A TRIP TO WASHINGTON

During the Easter holidays, about thirty of the pupils and teachers went to Washington to see the sights and to hear Paderewski. They located at the old Howard House, on the Avenue, within easy reach of all the public buildings, which they examined pretty thoroughly during their stay. No man from Cook's was ever more active than the Naturalist. Morning, afternoon, and night, he was on the go with his party, which was welcomed everywhere and given many privileges.

When they visited the White House on one of the President's receiving days, they were awed and much discouraged by the long line ahead of them until a courier came for the "Special Delegation to see the President" and escorted them past the waiting hosts to the very head of the column. Cleveland received