ise.'"

Peleg laughed and said: "I remember those verses myself. He taught them
to me. Does he rap your knuckles with his ferrule?"

"Sometimes he uses a ferrule, but more often he stands there by one of
the windows making a pen, and out of the corners of his eyes watches
every one of the eighteen scholars. He always has a stout hickory in his
hand or under his arm. The other day there was a disturbance on one of
the benches, and without waiting to find who was guilty he laid his
hickory across the backs of every one of us."

"So you have your share, too, do you?"

"Indeed I do. But the strangest part was day before yesterday, when
Schoolmaster Hargrave chased Return Sharp. Return would rather go
fishing or swimming or hunting any day than go to school. He says he
does not care for learning."

"He is a stout, burly fellow. I suppose a beating does not trouble him
much?"

"That's the strange part of it," laughed Daniel gleefully. "He doesn't
seem to mind one at all. The other afternoon when the boys had been
called in from recess, Return ducked around the corner of the house and
began to run. Master Hargrave spied him, and, spitting on both his
hands, he grasped his hickory and sallied forth to catch him. Return saw
him coming and took to his heels. Every one in the school was out there
in front of the schoolhouse watching the sport. We were ready to dodge
back into our seats, but we wanted to see the race."

"What did he do? Did the master get him?"

"Return took a circuit and started for the meadow, and in a little while
he was of course coming back toward the schoolhouse. Master Hargrave was
gaining upon him at every jump, and just as Return cleared the fence
Master Hargrave let him have it with the hickory. For once in his life
Return made haste, I can tell you. He was not very long in reaching the
ground from the top of that fence! The schoolmaster was on the other
side, and as he saw that all the scholars were watching him he jumped
over the fence and started after Return faster than ever. I would not
have believed that he could run so fast. Return looked back to see how
near the schoolmaster was, and just then he stumbled and fell, and
Master Hargrave was so close behind that he, too, stumbled over Return
and then tumbled to the ground. Return jumped up and took a back track,
but the Master was after him in a minute, and before he got halfway to
the schoolhouse he had caught up with him, and at every jump