o the barn, and lay down on the hay to read. Uncle
Benny recommended to them that one should read aloud to the others, so
as to improve his voice, and enable each to set the other right, if a
mistake were made. When the weather became too cold for these readings
in the barn, they went into the kitchen, there being no other room in
the house in which a fire was kept up.

One November morning there came on a heavy rain that lasted all day,
with an east wind so cold as to make the barn a very uncomfortable
reading-room, so the boys adjourned to the kitchen, and huddled around
the stove. But as the rain drove all the rest of the family into the
house, there was so great an assembly in what was, at the best of times,
a very small room, that Mrs. Spangler became quite irritable at having
so many in her way. She was that day trying out lard, and wanted the
stove all to herself. In her ill-humor at being so crowded up, she
managed to let the lard burn; and at this she became so vexed that she
told Tony, with Joe and Bill, to go out,--she couldn't have them in her
way any longer.

They accordingly went back to the barn, and lay down in the hay,
covering themselves with a couple of horse-blankets. These were not very
nice things for one to have so close to his nose, as they smelt
prodigiously strong of the horses; but farmers' boys are used to such
perfumes, and they kept the little fellows so warm that they were quite
glad to escape the crowd and discomfort of the kitchen. These became at
last so great, that even Uncle Benny, seeing that he was not wanted
there just then, got up and went over to the barn also. There he found
Tony reading aloud from a newspaper that had been left at the house by a
pedler a few days before. Tony was reading about the election, and how
much one set of our people were rejoicing over the result.

As Uncle Benny came into the barn, Tony called out, "Uncle Benny, the
President's elected,--did you know it?"

"O yes, I knew it,--but what President do you mean?" responded Uncle
Benny.

"Why, President Lincoln. He was a poor boy like me, you know."

"But can you tell me, boys," asked Uncle Benny, "who will be President
in the year 1900?"

"Dear me, Uncle Benny," replied Tony, "how should we know?"

"Well, I can tell," responded the old man.

The boys were a good deal surprised at hearing these words, and at once
sat up in the hay.

"Who is he?" demanded Tony.

"Well," replied Uncle Benny, "he