er, clearer still,
Woods echo to the strain."

Then John Larkin said: "Let us pray." He closed his eyes, and began an
earnest supplication at the throne of grace. But it might have been
better for him and the school, if he had kept his eyes open while he
offered his petition, and thus obeyed the Bible command: "Watch and
pray." When he closed his eyes the little imps in divers parts of the
room saw their chance for mischief, and were quick to embrace it.

A Sneath boy put his straw hat on the head of a boy next him, and then
knocked it off with no gentle blow. This angered the other youngster
and he hit back with his clenched fist. So they had it back and forth,
to the amusement of all the chaps around them. Another boy got
possession of a pin--a rather scarce article in that neighborhood--and
at one of the most fervent parts of the preacher's prayer stuck it into
the lad sitting in front of him. The punctured youth gave a yell which
could not be construed into an Amen on account of the petition. It
raised the lad off his seat, and made him jump forward with an impetus
which was both amusing and pathetic. The hurt of the pin seemed to
swallow up every feeling save that of distress, and he "boo-hooed"
aloud.

Such proceedings made Brother Larkin bring his prayer to an abrupt
conclusion, and Viola LeMonde hurried to the sobbing child, and tried
to comfort him.

After the devotions the school was divided into classes. John Larkin
took the adults of both sexes; Viola LeMonde, the larger girls;
Henrietta Harvey, the smaller; George LeMonde, the older boys; and
Stella Nebeker, the younger.

These teachers that day occupied places of responsibility which taxed
every particle of their skill, ingenuity, tact, patience and
forbearance. Many of those sitting around them could not read or write
a word. So first they had to be taught words and sentences. Their
knowledge of the Bible was pitifully small. Yet they possessed the
redeeming feature of wanting to learn, and most of them showed an eager
desire to improve their minds.

Let us, as unbidden guests, in spirit sit down in Viola LeMonde's class
and listen to what is said. These girls' minds were bright but
undeveloped. It was their teacher's object to educate--lead out--her
pupils' intellects into the broad fields of Scriptural knowledge.

"Girls," said Viola, "we are going to study the book, copies of which
we are holding in our hands. It is called the Bible. Let m