so they tried it; but when Margaret found that only
a few seemed to know the words, she said, "Wait!" Lifting her arm with a
pretty, imperative gesture, and taking a piece of chalk from the box on
her desk, she went to the new blackboard that stretched its shining
black length around the room.

The school was breathlessly watching the graceful movement of the
beautiful hand and arm over the smooth surface, leaving behind it the
clear, perfect script. Such wonderful writing they had never seen; such
perfect, easy curves and twirls. Every eye in the room was fastened on
her, every breath was held as they watched and spelled out the words one
by one. "Gee!" said Bud, softly, under his breath, nor knew that he had
spoken, but no one else moved.

"Now," she said, "let us sing," and when they started off again
Margaret's strong, clear soprano leading, every voice in the room
growled out the words and tried to get in step with the tune.

They had gone thus through two verses when Jed seemed to think it was
about time to start something. Things were going altogether too smoothly
for an untried teacher, if she _was_ handsome and unabashed. If they
went on like this the scholars would lose all respect for him. So, being
quite able to sing a clear tenor, he nevertheless puckered his lips
impertinently, drew his brows in an ominous frown, and began to whistle
a somewhat erratic accompaniment to the song. He watched the teacher
closely, expecting to see the color flame in her cheeks, the anger flash
in her eyes; he had tried this trick on other teachers and it always
worked. He gave the wink to Timothy, and he too left off his glorious
bass and began to whistle.

But instead of the anger and annoyance they expected, Margaret turned
appreciative eyes toward the two back seats, nodding her head a trifle
and smiling with her eyes as she sang; and when the verse was done she
held up her hand for silence and said:

"Why, boys, that's beautiful! Let's try that verse once more, and you
two whistle the accompaniment a little stronger in the chorus; or how
would it do if you just came in on the chorus? I believe that would be
more effective. Let's try the first verse that way; you boys sing during
the verse and then whistle the chorus just as you did now. We really
need your voices in the verse part, they are so strong and splendid.
Let's try it now." And she started off again, the two big astonished
fellows meekly doing as they were t