"He must go to our mountain college at once; the school has just
opened," she said. So they heard all about the school and its
opportunities. When she had finished Steve spoke up:

"Is all that jes' fer mountain boys lack me?" This seemed beyond
belief, but they assured him it was.

Raymond had greatly enjoyed demonstrating the mysteries of the
telephone, electric lights and various contrivances of his own to so
totally unenlightened and yet so appreciative an intelligence as
Steve's, while the quaint mountain speech interested and amused him
exceedingly. So when Mr. Polk and the boy took leave of the Coltons
for the night Raymond secured a promise that Steve might attend school
with him next day. Mr. Polk would be busy making arrangements for the
few days' holiday which would be necessary to take Steve back to the
mountains and place him in school.

Promptly next morning Raymond arrived at Mr. Polk's rooms for Steve
and the boys started off together like two comrades. It was Steve's
first day in a schoolroom, and eye and ear were on the alert, taking
in everything.

He was well dressed and with his intelligent face the other boys
noted nothing unusual until the noon hour when Raymond introduced his
new specimen with keen relish. He had no unkind intentions in the sly
winks he gave chosen comrades, but these aroused the curiosity of his
fellows, and when Steve began to talk the boys awoke to lively
possibilities. One after another began to ask questions.

"What did you do for fun down at Hollow Hut?" asked one.

"We uns didn't do nothin' fer fun, 'cep'in' hunt cotton tails, foxes
an' coons," answered the boy.

"Didn't you play football?" asked some one else.

"I nuver hearn tell of it," said Steve.

"Du tell," returned another boy, venturing to fall a little into the
stranger's vernacular.

"Didn't you ever play tennis, shinny or baseball?" persisted some one
else, and Steve replied politely "that nobody ever hearn o' them
things in Hollow Hut."

The boys then began to venture more boldly into imitations of Steve's
speech while some got behind him and doubled up in silent laughter.
Raymond looked on, feeling himself the hero of the day in having
furnished such a comedy.

Suddenly Steve turned, perhaps with some intuition of what was going
on, and with swift comprehension knew that he was being made fun of.
His face on the instant was electrified with wrath. He drew himself
up, and clenched his hands. T