or little Pepper now, as he stood without flinching,
waiting for me to perform my great feat. I raised the crossbow amid the
breathless silence of the crowded audience--consisting of seven boys and
three girls, exclusive of Kitty Collins, who insisted on paying her way in
with a clothespin. I raised the crossbow, I repeat. Twang! went the
whipcord; but, alas! instead of hitting the apple, the arrow flew right
into Pepper Whitcomb's mouth, which happened to be open at the time, and
destroyed my aim.

9. I shall never be able to banish that awful moment from my memory.
Pepper's roar, expressive of astonishment, indignation, and pain, is still
ringing in my ears. I looked upon him as a corpse, and, glancing not far
into the dreary future, pictured myself led forth to execution in the
presence of the very same spectators then assembled.

10. Luckily, poor Pepper was not seriously hurt; but Grandfather Nutter,
appearing in the midst of the confusion (attracted by the howls of young
Tell), issued an injunction against all theatricals thereafter, and the
place was closed; not, however, without a farewell speech from me, in
which I said that this would have been the proudest moment of my life if I
hadn't hit Pepper Whitcomb in the mouth. Whereupon the audience (assisted,
I am glad to state, by Pepper) cried, "Hear! hear!"

11. I then attributed the accident to Pepper himself, whose mouth, being
open at the instant I fired, acted upon the arrow much after the fashion
of a whirlpool, and drew in the fatal shaft. I was about to explain how a
comparatively small maelstrom could suck in the largest ship, when the
curtain fell of its own accord, amid the shouts of the audience.

12. This was my last appearance on any stage. It was some time, though,
before I heard the end of the William Tell business. Malicious little boys
who hadn't been allowed to buy tickets to my theater used to cry out after
me in the street,-"'Who killed Cock Robin?'"

DEFINITIONS.--l. Con'clave, a private meeting. 2. Man-a-ge'ri-al, of or
pertaining to a manager. 4. De-duct'ing, taking away, subtracting. 5.
Ca-reer', course of action. 8. Au'di-ence, an assembly of hearers. 9.
Ex-e-cu'tion, a putting to death by law. 10. In-junc'tion, a command. 11.
At-trib'ut-ed, assigned, charged. Mael'strom (pro, mal'strum), a
whirlpool.

NOTE.--The Revised Fifth Reader of this Series contains
the portion of "William Tell" probably alluded to. See
McGuffey's Fifth