"But we have
managed to supply ourselves with a layout--I--that is--I mean we have
provided ourselves with some of the simpler articles of most
importance; and with these, for the time being, we keep our little
pupils' hands and minds not unprofitably employed. For instance, the
ivory disks of various colors--which you see arranged upon the table
as the pupils have left them--serve very successfully to elucidate the
arithmetical processes of numeration, addition, and subtraction; and
the more intelligent children are taught to observe that the disks of
varying colors are varyingly numbered--white, 1; red, 5, and blue,
10--and so are encouraged to identify a concrete arbitrary figure with
an abstract thought."

"That's something new in kindergartening, Mr. Charles," said Hart's
aunt; "and it's as good as it can be. I mean to put it right into use
in our kindergarten at home. Do you get the disks at the places where
they sell kindergarten supplies?"

"Really, madam, I cannot tell you," Santa Fe said. "You see, we
ordered what would be needed through an agent East, and these came
along. I must warn you, however, that they are expensive," Hart said,
remembering what them chips had cost him, one time and another, he
allowed to himself Charley was right and they was about as expensive
as they could be!

"Our other little appliances, madam," Santa Fe went on, "are just our
own makeshift imitations of what you are familiar with--building-blocks,
and alphabet-blocks, and dissected pictures, and that sort of thing.
Our local carpenter made the blocks for us, and we put on the lettering
ourselves--as, indeed, its poor quality shows. The dissected pictures I
am rather proud of, because Mrs. Charles may be said to have invented
them." (It really was the Hen who'd made 'em, it turned out.) "The
method is simple enough when you have thought of it, of course--and no
doubt I value my wife's work unduly because I take so much pride in
all that she does. You see, she just pasted pictures from the
illustrated papers on boards; and then Mr. Williams--our carpenter, you
know--sawed the boards into little pieces. And there you are!"

"Now that _was_ bright of her!" said Hart's aunt. "If you don't mind,
I'll put one of the pictures together myself right now. I want to see
how it looks, made that home-fashioned way."

"I fear that our time is getting a little short, madam," said Santa
Fe, in a hurry. "I've got my sermon to finish this af