REBELLION


The mother's breakdown was not allowed to stop the Boy's education. Both
father and older brother were determined on this. They would use the
schools at home now.

He was sent to the County Academy in the fall. The Boy didn't like it.
After the easy life with the kindly old monks at St. Thomas, this
academy was not only cheap and coarse and uninteresting, but the teacher
had no sense. He gave lessons so long and hard it was impossible to
memorize them.

The Boy complained to the teacher. A lesson of the same length was
promptly given again. The rebel showed the teacher he was wrong by
failing to know it.

"I'll thrash you, sir!" was the stern answer.

The Boy would not take that from such a fool. He rose in his wrath, went
home and poured out the indignant story of his wrongs.

The father was a man of few words, but the long silence which followed
gave a feeling of vague uneasiness. He was never dictatorial to his
children, but meant what he said. His voice was quiet and persuasive
when he finally spoke.

"Of course, my son, you will have to choose for yourself whether you
will work with your hands only, or with your head and hands. You can't
be an idler, I need more cotton pickers. You don't like school, try the