the fourth day John sought the principal. "If it is necessary to tell
the name of the boy who had my knife before I can return to school, I
will tell," he anxiously said.

"It certainly is necessary."

And John told.

There was great excitement in the graduating class. The traditions of
centuries had been broken. One of their number had become a tattler.
John resumed his school work, systematically and obviously shunned by
the other boys.

But Donald reflected over the incident. "After all," he thought, "John
did the bravest thing. It would have been easier to appear heroic and to
sacrifice his mother for the sake of a boy who needed to be punished."

The next day Donald sought John, accompanied him to school, and showed
the class that he regarded John as a hero instead of a tell-tale.

The boys divided into two camps, some following Donald's example, and
others loudly denouncing him.

[Illustration]

Donald's sponsorship of John cost him the presidential election just as
he had foreseen, but he knew that he had lived up to the best within him
and he was satisfied.

As he climbed into bed at the end of the day upon which he had been
defeated and yet had gained a great victory, his mother tucked the
covers closely around him, kissed him good-night, and lowered the light.
Then she bent over him again and kissed him once more and whispered,

"My brave little knight."

A NEGRO EXPLORER AT THE NORTH POLE

MATTHEW A. HENSON

"Matthew A. Henson, my Negro assistant, has been with me in one capacity
or another since my second trip to Nicaragua in 1887. I have taken him
on each and all of my expeditions, except the first, and also without
exception on each of my farthest sledge trips. This position I have
given him primarily because of his adaptability and fitness for the work
and secondly on account of his loyalty. He is a better dog driver and
can handle a sledge better than any man living, except some of the best
Esquimo hunters themselves.

"Robert E. Peary, Rear Admiral, U. S. N."

Exactly 40 deg. below zero when we pushed the sledges up to the curled-up
dogs and started them off over rough ice covered with deep soft snow. It
was like walking in loose granulated sugar. Indeed I might compare the
snow of the Arctic to the granules of sugar, without their saccharine
sweetness, but with freezing cold instead; you cannot make snowballs of
it, for it is too thoroughly congealed