The people fairly howled.
"Includin' you, eh, Patrick?" shouted an Englishman, above the uproar of laughter.
The address held everyone's attention, and at its close, both Lord Kelwin and Mr. Clayton were loudly applauded.
"This closes our programme," said John Harding. "We hope ye'll talk an' have a good time, an' look about the room ter see what the children of the school have been doin'. Then the women folks will feed yer cake an' coffee."
This announcement, too, was applauded.
Mrs. Murphy, belle of the back East barn raisings, separated herself from the company. She came upon a good-sized play house, neatly painted and papered. It was furnished tastefully with little woven rugs, wire furniture, and crocheted window curtains. Over different articles, were placed the names of the children who had made them. Mrs. Murphy stood in amazed admiration, for her own children had been among the most skilled workers. She found simple garments, neatly made, and here and there bits of sewing, clumsy, and botched in some cases, because baby fingers had been at work.
The teacher joined Mrs. Murphy, who said to her:
"You don't say, schoolma'am, as you learns the young uns to do sich things as this?"
"Yes. Don't you like it?"
"Like it! I should say! Why, fust I know, they'll be makin' their own cloes, an' their pap's an' mine!"