Miss Margaret's predecessor had painstakingly trained his reading-
classes in the Art of Gesticulation in Public Speaking, and Miss
Margaret found the results of his labors so entertaining that she
had never been able to bring herself to suppress the monstrosity.

"I don't like them gestures," sulkily retorted Absalom.

"Never mind the gestures," Miss Margaret consoled him--which
indifference on her part seemed high treason to the well-trained
class.

"I'll hear you read, now, the list of synonyms you found in these
two poems," she added. "Lizzie may read first."

While the class rapidly leafed their readers to find their lists
of synonyms, Miss Margaret looked up and spoke to Tillie,
reminding her gently that that composition would not be written by
half-past three if she did not hasten her work.

Tillie blushed with embarrassment at being caught in an idleness
that had to be reproved, and resolutely bent all her powers to her
task.

She looked about the room for a subject. The walls were adorned
with the print portraits of "great men,"--former State
superintendents of public instruction in Pennsylvania,--and with
highly colored chromo portraits of Washington, Lincoln, Grant, and
Garfield. Then there were a number of framed mottos: "Education
rules in America," "Rely on yourself," "God is our hope," "Dare to