ee Rutherford Livin'stone names onto a President of
these States? I ain't never goin' to disgrace them names, that I
ain't."

But Milly, mindful of the prejudices of her relatives, and of the
objections which she foresaw from both sides of the family, found it
needful to decline the compliment. In order to avoid hurting the boy's
pride, however, she went about it most diplomatically.

"Do you not think, Jim," she said, "that it would be a good thing for
you to call yourself by the name of Washington, the first and greatest
of our Presidents?"

"Jim George Washington, Miss Milly?" answered the lad. "Well, that
would sound nice; but, you see, I wanted to put the compliment on
_you_, an' to show what lots of gratitude I've got for you an' your
folks, Miss Milly."

"The best compliment you could pay to me, and to my care for you, Jim,
would be to show yourself in any way worthy of bearing the name of that
great and good man," said Milly, non-plussed how to carry her point,
and still not to wound her charge. "And," she continued, "that name
might always prove a reminder to you of the truth and uprightness, the
bravery and self-control, which distinguished him."

"Miss Milly," Jim broke forth, irrelevantly, it would seem, "you know
Bill gets time for lots of readin' an' studyin' down at the office.
When Mr. Edward don't have any thin' for him to do, an' he might be
just loafin' round, he's doin' his 'rithmetic, or his jography or
spellin', an', if he wants a bit of help, Mr. Edward gives it to him,
if he ain't _too_ busy just then; so Bill, he's comin' on with his
learnin' heaps faster than me; he's gettin' splendid at figgers, an' he
reads the paper, too, on'y Mr. Edward, he don't like him to read the
murders an' the hangin's, and them _very_ interestin' things; but Bill
read the other day in the paper how a man said George Washington had a
big temper, an' could get as mad--as mad as any thin'. But Bill, he
said he'd heard Mr. Edward an' some other gentleman talkin' 'bout how
folks was always tryin' now to be upsettin' of hist'ry; an' Bill says
he reckons that 'bout George Washington was just another upsettin', an'
him an' me ain't goin' to believe it."

"That's right, Jim, keep your faith in Washington, and show that you do
so by adopting his name," said Milly.

Do not let it be thought that Milly slighted the Father of her country,
by thus turning over to him the "compliment" she declined for herself
and her famil