so
thortful that most any body couldn't understand it, an so no more
until Ive thort again.

"Yours thortfully
TIMOTHEUS SIMPKINS."

"Poor Timotheus," said Helen Dayton.

"And why 'poor Timotheus'?" asked Professor Marden. "With his stock of
egotism, I think the fellow must be happier than the average man. I know
of no one who considers himself the only thinker in the universe, except
this young Simpkins. He must, indeed, be supremely happy."

"And the joke is," said Jotham, "that he received a small sum for the
article, and a personal letter from the editor. The money, (I believe it
was the immense sum of two dollars,) pleased Timotheus, but the letter
puzzled him extremely. He considered the article to be a serious, as well
as a lofty effort, whereas the editor evidently supposed it to be
humorous, and believed the unique spelling to be a part of the fun.
Timotheus told my father that 'the money showed that his "literatoor" was
wuth something but that the editor man must be dull ter think that it was
anything but a tremenjous hefty comp'sition.'

"Old Mr. Simpkins considers Timotheus a prodigy, and seems to feel
contempt for his elder son, Joel, who as he expressed it, 'ain't
intellectooal like Timotheus,' and Joel usually retaliates by saying,
'It's lucky one son er the Simpkins family has got jest plain common
sense.'

"The paper is not published in our town," continued Jotham, "it is a
county paper, and its editor and publisher lives in a distant village, so
that, unacquainted with the Simpkins family, he supposed Timotheus to be a
would-be humorist, little dreaming that he was offending a genius, by
seeing fun where fun was not intended."

"Timotheus, however, had the joy of feeling that his literary work had a
market value," said Professor Marden, with a laugh.

Randy and Helen were much amused, but although Aunt Marcia's eyes
twinkled, she said,

"Poor boy! I wonder when and how he will outgrow his egotism? There surely
is no chance for him to learn until he is made to realize how little he
knows, and who would care to attempt the task of opening his eyes?"

"There are a plenty of persons in our town," said Jotham, "who have
repeatedly tried to enlighten him, but they have been obliged to
relinquish the effort. It is useless to tell him that talented people
think it necessary to obtain a fine education. He only insists that he is
a genius, and that there is nothing left for him to l