“Did you get punished?”

“Awful,” said Dick.

“What for?”

“For indulgin’ in a little harmless amoosement,” said Dick.  “You see the boy that was sittin’ next to me fell asleep, which I considered improper in school-time; so I thought I’d help the teacher a little by wakin’ him up.  So I took a pin and stuck into him; but I guess it went a little too far, for he screeched awful.  The teacher found out what it was that made him holler, and whipped me with a ruler till I was black and blue.  I thought ’twas about time to take a vacation; so that’s the last time I went to school.”

“You didn’t learn to read in that time, of course?”

“No,” said Dick; “but I was a newsboy a little while; so I learned a little, just so’s to find out what the news was.  Sometimes I didn’t read straight and called the wrong news.  One mornin’ I asked another boy what the paper said, and he told me the King of Africa was dead.  I thought it was all right till folks began to laugh.”

“Well, Dick, if you’ll only study well, you won’t be liable to make such mistakes.”

“I hope so,” said Dick.  “My friend Horace Greeley told me the other day that he’d get me to take his place now and then when he was off makin’ speeches if my edication hadn’t been neglected.”

“I must find a good piece for you to begin on,” said Fosdick, looking over the paper.

“Find an easy one,” said Dick, “with words of one story.”

Fosdick at length found a piece which he thought would answer.  He discovered on trial that Dick had not exaggerated his deficiencies.  Words of two syllables he seldom pronounced right, and was much surprised when he was told how “through” was sounded.

“Seems to me it’s throwin’ away letters to use all them,” he said.

“How would you spell it?” asked his young teacher.

“T-h-r-u,” said Dick.

“Well,” said Fosdick, “there’s a good many other words that are spelt with more letters than they need to have.  But it’s the fashion, and we must follow it.”

But if Dick was ignorant, he was quick, and had an excellent capacity.  Moreover he had perseverance, and was not easily discouraged.  He had made up his mind he must know more, and was not disposed to complain of the difficulty of his task.  Fosdick had occasion to laugh more than once at his ludicrous mistakes; but Dick laughed too, and on the whole both were quite interested in the lesson.

At the end of an hour and a half the boys stopped for the evening.

“You’re learning fast, Dick,” said Fosdick.  “At this rate you will soon learn to read well.”

“Will I?” asked Dick with an expression of satisfaction.  “I’m glad of that.  I don’t want to be ignorant.  I didn’t use to care, but I do now.  I want to grow up ’spectable.”

“So do I, Dick.  We will both help each other, and I am sure we can accomplish something.  But I am beginning to feel sleepy.”