fast to his father's hand, and half-hoping he was in
earnest, felt a pang of disappointment when he replied:

"I'm afraid it's too late, Mr. Garrison. My school-days are past;
except so far as I may be able to live them over with this little chap
here. I will leave him with you now; do your best with him. He can learn
well enough when he likes, but he is just as fond of fun as any
youngster of his age." Then giving Bert an affectionate pat on the
shoulder, and whispering in his ear, "Now, be a man, Bert," Mr. Lloyd
went away, and Bert followed Mr. Garrison up to the desk, where his
name, age, and address were duly entered in the register book.

The next business was to assign him a seat. A few questions as to what
he knew showed that his proper place was in the junior class of all, and
there accordingly Mr. Garrison led him. A vacancy was found for him in a
long range of seats, extending from the door almost up to the desk, and
he was bidden sit down beside a boy who had been eyeing him with lively
curiosity from the moment of his entrance into the room. So soon as Mr.
Garrison went away, this boy opened fire upon the new-comer.

"Say, sonny, whats yer name?" he asked, with unhesitating abruptness.

Bert looked the questioner all over before replying. He was a short,
stout, stubble-haired chap, evidently a year or two older than himself,
with a broad, good-humoured face, and the inspection being, upon the
whole, satisfactory, Bert replied, very pleasantly:

"Bert Lloyd--and what's yours?"

Ignoring the question put to him, the other boy gave a sort of grunt
that might be taken as an expression of approval of his new schoolmate's
name, and then said:

"Guess you don't live down our way; never seen you before, that I know
of."

"I live in Fort Street. Where do you live?" replied Bert, giving
question for question.

"I'm a West-ender," said the other, meaning that his home was in the
western part of the city.

"But whats your name?" asked Bert again.

"Oh, my name's Frank Bowser," was the careless reply. "But everybody
calls me 'Shorty,' and you may as well, too."

"All right," said Bert. And the two began to feel quite good friends at
once.

As the morning passed, and Bert came to feel more at home, he took in
the details of his surroundings. Mr. Garrison's school consisted of some
fifty boys, ranging in age from sixteen downward, Bert being about the
youngest of them all. They all belonged to the better