Ned, the son of Webb

ght not to be spent in the woods, and it must not be. I wish, however, to say something more. Your education mus

ed look on his face. "I think so, too. I don't care to b

u need, but you must not forget the wise saying of the immortal Franklin, that going fishing mean

ething better'n suckers and bullheads. Ther

u are to employ a part of each day among your books. I especially wish you to

s with it, awfully, at School Number Sixty-eight. I had

rd an indication of the old gentleman's hobby. He was a distinguished member of the Historical Society; of the Antediluvian Research Association; of the Paleontological; the Paleozoic, and of several other brilliant scientif

g-tackle for you. You may pick out all you want of it, if you'll only let the guns alone. I

s! I guess I know where to dig 'em. What I'm

e had been getting orders from his wife. "You'd better fight shy

many times, last vacation. She's better broken in now. I've driven h

"She kicked one buggy into the midd

ke a look at the fishing-tackle. It was in a closet of one of the up-stairs

as he stared into it. "Why, grandmother,

mplements employed by civilised and uncivilised tribes for catching fish. It isn't sorted very well, but that other

Do you know, the other day, I went to see the Kent

dfather could buy her at auction, he'd stow her

d. "I'll come and pick it out by a

r take a ride to Green Lake? It's only a mile

markable antiquities in the closet. Then he was down-stairs again, but he was not

e things which they advertise as popular books for boys, for instance. I find that even where they are more or less historical in character, they are also perniciously imaginative, often presenti

ld Erica's a Norway girl. I c

ifficult tongue of the Vikings and Berserkers? That is wonderful! Th

" said Ned. "Are you going

e lower shelves an exceedingly promising or portentous volume. He was a strong man, an

That's a bo

e of some dust that flew from t

," said his

e title-page, of cours

OF THE

CHWEINFURTH

slat

TZ VON PL

lustra

ishe

M & WEST

and Cop

9

ed memora

0 pp

k at every picture in it while I'm here. I guess no

ANY SCHOOL-BOO

ather. "I believe them to be sufficiently accurate,

ts. I'll go right into it. Tell you what, grand

the eagerness with which Ned began to turn ov

d times whereof we have as yet discovered very l

oters,-I'd like to see one of their battles. They blew horns all the

re delighted with Ned's enthusiasm. "You

e carriage-horses were in their stalls, waiting for orders. All that Ned saw, therefore, on his arrival, were a brace of very young colts, four Devon calves, as handsome as pictures, and one three-year-old sorrel filly. She was in the hands of a groom, and instead o

w time, one of these days. Temper? Well, I don't

gh, and they were full of intelligence. S

to the mare, now. She's askin' the nam

d back Ned. "Nanny's looking fine

She's ready. I was goin'

turned her pretty head to look at him, as he walked around her, and he was aware of a curious notion that she was now and then

metimes she objects to a saddle. The blanket and su

re enough,"

embered him, she seemed to be disposed to treat him politely. She even cran

"Put your fut in me hand and I'll g

moment more he was on Nanny's back

te for ye. Ave she wants to go, though, i

Ned. "I'll jus

how to ride. As for Nanny, she appeared to be set on springs, and her progress to the gate

into the road. Pat was no longer needed, for the yard gate w

out for fun the day. She's full o'

s is better than being sh

thoughtfully. "The ould grandmother'd give him the house and all, and the grandfather's

t at her own gait, a kind of springing, ela

or next day, and see if there's any fishing. Sometimes they didn't bite worth a cent, last year. I'll find a bo

rent that she appreciated their admiration. Two or three times, indeed, she induced Ned to make a mild, restraining pull upo

ought. "If she wants to speed it, I'l

of a mile, however, there was a narrow lane that left the highway on the right, though not at right angles.

thought Ned. "I won

irled gaily into it. Ned at once drew upon his bridle in an attempt to guide her back into the highway. Up went her heels a little viciously, and her easy

g!" exclaimed Ned, clingin

right on into th

er. The trees at the roadside seemed to go flashing

r, apparently somewhat irregular in shape. There were

eauties of nature. He could not have done so, for it seemed to him that Nanny was not even giving him time to thi

OT SIT STI

ans and purposes, and she carried out her own concep

h grass, and the little waves came rippling in smili

colt, and it was plain that only

me down side by side at the margin, and the water was only a few inches above her silken fetlocks when she

r the gracefully bowing head of the playful Nanny,

had accomplished her p

rrectly be said to land in water, was fully four feet deep. He went into it head first, heels up, hat

the shore, recapturing his floating hat on the way, t

. She neighed very kindly, drank some lake water, and then she lift

p. "Oh, but ain't I glad I lighted on something soft! It wasn't

, as to being ridden, and she as much as said so when he went to get hold of her bridle, intending to lead her to a neighbouring log and remount. He did n

've got to foot it home. Nanny'll get there before I do, too, unless sh

not at all like the kind of fellow

, anyhow, and Ned was not now, by any means, the nobby-looking young man from the city that he had been when he rode away that morning. Even more than before, when h

p's had a

fore anything serious occurred. Then, indeed, he sudde

mother and Pat and old Mrs. Emmons and Uncle Jack. More people be

ore they were in front of him, and all around him, saying all sorts of t

If you wasn't so wet, I'd hug you! We thought the c

ut she fired me over her head i

he is,-the beauty! That was for thryin' to

pull much,

ing him all over, critic

y, I'm glad the critter projected you into soft w

doesn't shrink with wetting. My hat'll be a

ed her head over his shoulder to gaze affectionately at the family gathering

's just the joke she played on the b

s grandfather, "come r

rs. Emmons, "or I'd make him some pepper tea; but hi

knows I can swim. Father won't car

village boys came hurrying to join it, and to inquire how it was that Nanny made out to throw Ned into Green Lake. T

ng him,"

clean over

oin' a mil

ed, I'd ha' braced

'd ha' ro

Nanny broke away from Pat, and cantered on to the barn-yard. The gate from that into the paddock w

e of her," remarked Pat. "I'm thinkin' I'd b