The Second Chance

e scold and

y too muc

ore and ne

man by

Sidney say

a boy a

t man on ea

with him

Whitco

l she got into the girls' hall, where the long row of "store" coats,

ticularly antagonistic, and she hung her mother's cut-dow

for home, Pearl walked into the principal's room, a

ngly and asked curtl

ool, if you please,

ed, none too gently, for i

l said, "but I want

don't know things, but want to. We're short of that kind. We've plenty of people here wh

infectious laugh that wo

I was ten, but I should be able to learn a whole lot, for I'm going to come as long as this dress lasts anyway, and I've got sateen sleeves to put on over it past the elbows to save it, for tha

III's geography, forgot that he had just made up his mind to quit teaching. He saw nothing but a little

hand impulsivel

said, "you'r

of the Magna Charta, drawing such a vivid picture of King John's

sly, as he opened the stove door to get a coal for

a list of things that he couldn't do, and then they goes to him, and says they: 'Sign this, yer Highness;' and he takes the paper and wi

y that, Pearlie?"

ich he did very bad-mannered, and flung it back at them and says he: 'There now, bad cess to yez, small good it'll do yez, for I'm the King,' says he, 'an' I'll do as I blame please, so I will. The King can do no wrong,' says he. 'Well, then,' says one of them, foldin' up the Magna Charta and puttin' it away careful in his breast pocket, 'the King can't break his word, I guess,' and wid that he winks at the rest of them, and they says, says they: 'That's one on you, yer Majesty!' But they couldn't put him in good humour, and they do say, Ma, that when the company was gone that that man

der dear," said Mrs. Watson, wishing to give Pearl's stor

s, too, Ma!"

asked Danny, who had

y for certain," said the father gravely. "T

it up with a fine blending of charity and orthodoxy by saying: "Wel

etting a chance to be somebody. Pearl was the happiest little girl in the world. Every night she brought home faithfully what she had learned at school, at le

th was a bad lot, and Mrs. Watson declared that if she "had aknowed all this before, she would never ha' called Mary, Mary

, were their daily guests, and were discussed with the freedom and interest with

as the teacher and no-fair-to-try-over. The result of this was that Teddy Watson, Class V; Billy Watson, Class III; Tommy and Jimmy Watson, Class IIA; Patsey and

s outburst of learning, and at Pearlie's suggestion even he was beginning to learn! He filled pages

there some of yer friends ye'd like to w

touch with his friends down e

y, but I'm thinkin' me sister Katie is alive. Katie was me ol

e like, Pa?"

ell game. It looked rale easy at first sight, and me father expected to make a bunch o' money, but instead o' that, he lost all he had on him, and his watch, and so he came to Katie and told her what had happened. Well, sir, they say

tone, giving him a significant look which, interpreted, meant that

looks struck her, and what he reminded her of. I mind she said a rang o' tang would lose friends if he changed faces with him,

e to her and see how sh

care if I do," he

so it really was a very pleasant and alluring picture she drew of how John Watson had prospered since coming west,

n too prosperous. The childer have been gettin' on so well, and we're all

a Banshee in the family two generations back, so it was not to

or something to happen

from "down

depend on the mails-they were like as not to open your letter and keep your stamp! So she came, carrying her t

who had all his previous training on the subject of courtesy to strangers seriou

I got your letter. I always did want to come to Manitoba, but Bill, that's my man, John, he was

?" Bugsey as

gasped. "Well, I s

ad!" Bugsey

d an explanation

cause then you could c

Mary was

ad my Uncle Bill is dead, cos it would be an

ckly and looked anxiously a

"they're all rig

red cheerfully, "as far as

lipped something under the edge of her plate, and it was only the keen eyes of Danny, sitting beside her, that saw what had hap

her teeth!" he c

wear them when I go out. They're real good-lookin' teeth, but they're no good to chew with. There must be something wrong with them. M

the second table, came aro

ployed; "she can take them out if they ache, and let them ache as much as they've'

who look as old when they are twenty-five as they will ever look. She was dress

y Uncle Bill die

d, and launched away into an elabora

en?" Mary asked, before Pearl c

d: 'Mother's still dead, isn't she? and she's just as dead as she ever was, isn't she? Well, then, I'll stick to my crape,' says I; and besides, I knew all along that Bill was goin' sooner or later. He thought sometimes that he was gettin' better, but, land! you couldn't fool me, him coughin' that dreadful holl

and glad, weren't you

l apologized as best

; for he had great sperrits, and could argue somethin' surprisin' and grand. 'You're a good girl, Katie,' was the last words he ever said. I never was no hand to make a big palaver, so just as soon as the funeral was over I went right on with my sewin' and finished up everything I had in the house, for I needed the money to pay the expenses; and, besides, I made the first payment on the stone-it's a lovely one, John, cost me $300, but I don'

ind you, when I made him overalls I always had to put a piece of stuff out on the woodpile to fade

uld he, auntie?" Jimmy asked, making

s wife answered proudly. "

asked, his mind still turn

. "If there's a quiet field up in heaven, with elm-trees around it," she said at last; "elm-trees filled with singin' birds, a field that slopes down maybe to

city lik

d the swel

natured man never lived. So I think, Tommy, that your Uncle Bill is ploughin' down on the lower eighty, where maybe the marsh marigolds and buttercups bloom all the year around-there's a

there's a stranger in for a meal. Now, Jane, let's git the children to bed. Mary and Pearl, you do the dishes. Hustle, you young lads, git off your boots now and scoot for bed. I never could bear

wered, without removing his eye

thinkin'?" she d

le Bill must be up there...ploughin

her head gravely: "Mind you, John," she said,

ohn's when the children decided that something would have to

used to noises as Ma is, and this talk about her nerves bein' all unstrung is just plain silly-and as for her not sleepin' at nights, she sleeps as sound as any of us. She says

face was dirty just after I had washed it,

hem had some special

a

a Charta," Tommy said

hn

came immens

. "Let her dare to not," said Jimmy gravely, "a

er was found, and Pearl spread it on the floor. Mrs. Watson and Aunt Kate had gone downtown, s

ate Sh

nd remember them to do them, and much

others, and everybody

e following by-laws were recommended to

for us to do. We kep the wood-box full long before we ever saw you, also waterpail and other errings. 6. Don't make remarks on freckles. We have them, and don't care, freckles is honourable. (This was Jimmy's contribution.) 7. Don't always say you won't live long,

raised that she was

lded up, without rece

t, suspected at once that the ch

been up to now, while we

Mrs. Watson asked the child

"We've been drawing up a list of t

, and had got to the place where she

here,"

d. "It's Charta, Aunt Kate," she w

r about it. P

her the document, and she retired

e and get out my catapult, will you?

r children, said that it was just like some one pulling a trunk across the room on a bare floor to see how they would like it in this corner, and then, when they get it over here, they don't like it a bit, so they pull it back again; "and besides that," Pearl said, "she whistles comin' back and grinds her teeth, a

as very solicitous about

aid. "I heard every hour but si

ck last night, Auntie?" Pear

ou get to the age of me and your mother, I tell you, it's different

he clock?" Pearl said.

Pearl. What's queer abo

u could hear it when it's stopped," and for once Aunt Kate, u

e pleasant hour as they had done before she came. The next morning she handed Pearl the

W. She

ly, as she showed it to the children,

we get some of them things,

ood, she wouldn't ea

pwicks, or somet

at's not right. Don't talk l