o
make fun of him. Tommy had prepared an elegant and impressive speech for
the occasion, but when the minute came, it all went out of his head, and
he just said, straight from his kindly boyish heart,

"Here, old fellow, we all wanted to give you something to kind of pay
for what happened awhile ago, and to show how much we liked you for
being such a trump. Please take it, and have a jolly good time with it."

Dan was so surprised he could only get as red as the little box, and
mutter, "Thanky, boys!" as he fumbled to open it. But when he saw
what was inside, his face lighted up, and he seized the long desired
treasure, saying so enthusiastically that every one was satisfied,
though is language was anything but polished,

"What a stunner! I say, you fellows are regular bricks to give me this;
it's just what I wanted. Give us your paw, Tommy."

Many paws were given, and heartily shaken, for the boys were charmed
with Dan's pleasure, and crowded round him to shake hands and expatiate
on the beauties of their gift. In the midst of this pleasant chatter,
Dan's eye went to Mrs. Jo, who stood outside the group enjoying the
scene with all her heart.

"No, I had nothing to do with it. The boys got it up all themselves,"
she said, answering the grateful look that seemed to thank her for
that happy moment. Dan smiled, and said, in a tone that only she could
understand,

"It's you all the same;" and making his way through the boys, he held
out his hand first to her and then to the good Professor, who was
beaming benevolently on his flock.

He thanked them both with the silent, hearty squeeze he gave the kind
hands that had held him up, and led him into the safe refuge of a happy
home. Not a word was spoken, but they felt all he would say, and little
Teddy expressed his pleasure for them as he leaned from his father's arm
to hug the boy, and say, in his baby way,

"My dood Danny! everybody loves him now."

"Come here, show off your spy-glass, Dan, and let us see some of your
magnified pollywogs and annymalcumisms as you call 'em," said Jack, who
felt so uncomfortable during this scene that he would have slipped away
if Emil had not kept him.

"So I will, take a squint at that and see what you think of it," said
Dan, glad to show off his precious microscope.

He held it over a beetle that happened to be lying on the table, and
Jack bent down to take his squint, but looked up with an amazed face,
saying,

"My eye! wha