"I KIN GET 'EM YERE, EF YER WANTS."
"Now, wait, children!" said Miss North, with emphasis amounting almost to severity. "Our answers are getting wild—very wild. And I do not wish to hear anything more about pins or needles or hat-pins or knitting-needles. I should like to see you all very straight in your seats."
There was a tremendous effort at straightening up, whereupon Miss North proceeded to make a few valuable suggestions in regard to the treatment of the eyes.
"Now," said Miss North, as if she were propounding a theory of rare and striking originality, "who can tell me another part of the body?"
The pause was long; they were evidently feeling somewhat sore over their last setback.
"Well?" encouraged Miss North.
"Yer laigs," mumbled a stuffy voice from the back of the room.
"Yes, your legs, Samuel; that is quite right. And perhaps you can tell me what your legs are for, Samuel. But wait; we will think before answering."
"Ter se' down with," answered Samuel comfortably.
"No, Samuel; you evidently did not think; they are for nothing of the kind," returned Miss North shortly.
Trusty's hand was waving with unmistakable interest. Miss North was painfully aware that he must be encouraged.
"Well, Trusty," she ventured, "what are your legs for?"
"Ter hole yer feet on!" shouted Trusty, in a perfect spasm of joyous interest.
Miss North essayed to collect her thoughts.
"Well, hardly, hardly for—that alone, are they, Trusty? Tell me what else they are for."
But Trusty failed to find any other use to which he could put the legs, and Miss North again took the floor; whereupon Trusty's interest immediately subsided.
Later on, she attempted, somewhat cautiously, to draw him out once more; but the day went on, and not once again did Trusty deign to come to the front.
The next morning Miss Doane was at school early. She had been working for some moments at her desk in the Assembly Room, when she became aware that again an unusual sort of demonstration was taking place in the outside hall. To the hall Miss Doane went; and there, once more, she was met by the large colored man and the small colored boy.
"Jes 'blige ter 'ply de same kine o' coaxin', Miss! Whup 'im all de way yere! Ain't I, Trusty?"
Poor Trusty appeared almost too spent even to reply; and Miss Doane looked at him and suggested that he go to his seat and rest.
"M-m-m—ain' gwine no seat 'n' res'!" he growled.
His father intervened: "Yer see, Miss? Yer see? He's de hard-haidedes' chile I'se got, an' dat's de trufe. Come 'long, now, boy; jes come 'long, now!" And, without ceremony, Trusty was lifted with a firm hand and transported through the Assembly Room to his seat, where he was deposited with a thump.
Miss North looked up in mild surprise.
"Why, Trusty! Good morning!"
Trusty's response was a thing of conjecture.
"And so you are back at school again; and aren't you glad, after all, to come back to this nice school?"
"M-m-m—school nuthin'!" was the unexpectedly prompt response.
"Yer'll fine 'im mighty wearisome, I 'spec', Miss," put in the parent. "But whup 'im! Dat's all I kin say. Whup 'im all de time; an' me 'n' 'Mandy'll wuk on 'im nights 'n' mawnin's."
Miss North looked at the diminutive object but half filling his seat, and caught her breath.
Another day of alternate gloom and occasional spasmodic interest on Trusty's part, another day of doubts and fears in his behalf on the part of Miss North.
That night, just as he was about to scuffle disconsolately behind the others from the room, picturing, no doubt, some of the joys which were awaiting him at home, she called him back. Ezekiel stood by her desk, wondering why she had called him, too.
"Trusty," she began, "wouldn't you like to come to school to-morrow morning with Ezekiel?"
Trusty looked up doubtfully, and Ezekiel looked up, not just comprehending.
"You live near each other, don't you?"
"No'm," Ezekiel's tone wavered anxiously. "No'm, we don't live nare each udder, Miss No'th; Trusty he live clare way down de road."
He stopped, meditating; then his face seemed to clear somewhat of its burden of thought. "But I reckon—I kin git 'im yere, ef yer wants, Miss No'th; yas'm, I—I kin git 'im yere, ef yer wants, 'cuz I kin go af' 'im an' git 'im. Yas'm, I kin ca'y 'im ter school, Miss No'th!"
Trusty looked a bit doubtful as to whether he should entirely fall in with the plan, and Miss North made haste to readjust herself.
"No'm, 'tain' no trouble, Miss No'th; no'm. I kin ca'y 'im ter school ter-morrer, cyan't I, Trusty?"
Trusty still appeared to be doubting heavily; but Ezekiel's assurances continued to ring warmly, as they moved on toward the door and disappeared into the hall.
It was still early the next morning when Miss North worked alone in the school-room. Slowly the door opened. Slowly two small figures pushed their way awkwardly into the room. Miss North looked up.
"Why, Ezekiel! And Trusty!"
They came in softly, hand in hand, and stood before her desk, Trusty passive, Ezekiel glowing shyly with pride and pleasure.
"Hyeah's Trusty, Miss No'th," he explained briefly.
"I see. Why, how—how very nice! And so nice and early! Why, Trusty, aren't you glad you could get here so early?"
Trusty seemed hardly ready to commit himself just yet, but began to look shyly pleased, too. Ezekiel, still holding him by the hand, looked down protectingly.
