ers would make
up the remaining half.

"I have two scholars for the school," said Mr. Weston, "and if Mr. Potts,
who intends to have a private tutor for his son, is willing to give a
quarter of the sum needed, I'm sure I'll do the same."

"Three cheers for three quarters!" squeaked old Nate Burnham, from a seat
in the corner, and in the midst of the din old Sandy McLeod arose and
thumped his cane upon the floor for order.

"I'll gie the remainin' quarter, an' add ten dollars to't that my Margaret
sent, sayin' in her gentle way, 'It may gie some added comfort to the
place wherever 'tis chosen.'"

Wild applause greeted this characteristic speech. Sandy's eyes twinkled as
he sat down and he remarked to his next neighbor, "That mon Boyden has a
scowl that wad sour meelk."

After much discussion, it was decided that a large, vacant farm-house,
centrally located, could be purchased and fitted for a schoolhouse at a
less expense than the building of a new structure would incur, and in
spite of Josiah Boyden's fuming and Nate Burnham's chuckling, in spite of
much murmuring on the part of a few frugal minded farmers, the moneyed
element carried the day, and under the twinkling stars the triumphant
members of that assemblage took their homeward way, filled with the joy of
victory.

The money pledged was as promptly paid, and work upon the building was
commenced at once, and when September arrived it stood ready to receive
the scholars, a better schoolhouse than the average country village could
boast.

One of the first to inspect it was Mrs. Sophrony Hodgkins. It would have
made her very unhappy to have had its good points described to her and
have been unable to say,

"Oh, yes, I know, I saw it fust."

Accordingly on the day that school was to open, she made an early start
and before any pupils thought of arriving she had inspected every part of
the building, decided that she approved of it in every particular, and
had sallied forth to describe it to all her friends.

As she sped along the road, a brisk, bustling figure, the little squirrels
raced along the wall, sure that she intended to capture them; but one less
timid than his mates, sat upon his little haunches on an old stump, and
chattered and scolded as she passed as if offended by the stir which she
was making.

A slouching figure leaned upon the top rail of the fence at the side of
the road and its attitude, together with the singular expression of the
fa