e of ball, we used to choose everybody on
the playground before we chose George; and if there were enough without
him we used to leave him out. Thus he was unhappy in school and out of
school.

5. There is nothing which makes a person enjoy play so well as to study
hard. When recess was over, and the rest of the boys returned, fresh and
vigorous, to their studies, George might be seen lagging and moping along
to his seat. Sometimes he would be asleep in school; sometimes he would
pass his time in catching flies, and penning them up in little holes,
which he cut in his seat; and sometimes, when the preceptor's back was
turned, he would throw a paper ball across the room.

6. When the class was called up to recite, George would come drowsily
along, looking as mean and ashamed as though he were going to be whipped.
The rest of the class stepped up to the recitation with alacrity, and
appeared happy and contented. When it came George's turn to recite, he
would be so long in doing it, and make such blunders, that all most
heartily wished him out of the class.

7. At last, George went with his class to enter college. Though he passed
a very poor examination, he was admitted with the rest; for those who
examined him thought it was possible that the reason why he did not answer
questions better was because he was frightened. Now came hard times for
poor George. In college there is not much mercy shown to bad scholars; and
George had neglected his studies so long that he could not now keep up
with his class, let him try ever so hard.

8. He could, without much difficulty, get along in the academy, where
there were only two or three boys of his own class to laugh at him. But
now he had to go into a large recitation room, filled with students from
all parts of the country. In the presence of all these, he must rise and
recite to a professor. Poor fellow! He paid dearly for his idleness.

9. You would have pitied him if you could have seen him trembling in his
scat, every moment expecting to be called upon to recite. And when he was
called upon, he would stand up and take what the class called a "dead
set;" that is, he could not recite at all. Sometimes he would make such
ludicrous blunders that the whole class would burst into a laugh. Such are
the applauses an idler gets. He was wretched, of course. He had been idle
so long that he hardly knew how to apply his mind to study. All the good
scholars avoided him; they were ashame