en dogs and bears.

"Well, bears, then," said the governor petulantly, "and I aint going to be
it any more."

The discomfited lecturer insisted on resigning, and Charlie took the
floor. He knew his old and beloved "pammerrammer" by heart, and he began
promptly where the governor left off.

"Here are some bears in a melon-patch. There's a picture of Westminster
Abbey, and here's a boy lifting a girl over a fence, and here's a flag
from Europe, and here's one from some part of Asia or some other place."

In the midst of Charlie's glib description there was a crash. The plank,
_alias_ the reserved seats, did not have a firm support. Its weakness had
been noticed, but not remedied.

"Who's the one to fix the bench?" inquired Sid.

"The governor," replied Wort.

But the governor was not one who believed in Aunt Stanshy's motto, "Do
to-day's things to-day." She was trying to impress it on Charlie, but she
could not be expected to stamp every mind in the club with the necessity
of the injunction.

"One boy is enough for me," she would say.

The plank had remained firm as long as it could, but several wriggling
children were too much even for the patience of a plank, and--down it
went! Little May Waters dropped at the feet of Charlie as he was busily
"'splaining." He gallantly picked her up and tried to comfort her, and
various members of the club rushed to the rescue of other ladies. It was
concluded now to adjourn the "pammerrammer."

"Man down in the yard!" called out Wort, who was "sentinel" when he had
nothing else to do. Wort looked over the edge of the window-sill. About
all he could see was an old hat, and a very bad hat at that.

"Let's sprinkle him! We can say we only saw a hat," and immediately
scraping up with his foot a quantity of hay-seed, he liberally sprinkled
the seedy hat. It was like unto like.

"Now look here," said Sid, "that was mean. If your father wore an old hat,
how would you like to have a feller sprinkle hay-seed on it?"

Sid had a good deal of the gentleman about him.

"There he comes! There he comes! Put!" said Wort. A foot-step could be
plainly heard on the stairs, and Wort started for the closet, again
saying, "Put!"

"I am not going to run," said the governor, with his usual resoluteness.

"Nor I," said Sid.

"Nor I," said Charlie.

"Nor I," said Billy.

Others declared the same. They all stood their ground, or floor, rather.
The noise on the stairs was continued, and so