“Such trash! Such foolishness!” he shouted, swinging the stick in the air. “There must be a stop put to this, I tell you! Such goings on in a regular woodshed! Out with you!” He was like a furious savage.
“Look out! He harms people when he is so angry,” shouted Karsten from the hole.
All the spectators ran for the door, tumbling and scrambling over each other. I retired as hastily as possible through the hole, and darted out of the carriage-house door; and up the hill sprang spectators and actors in a wild rush.
All the rest of the day Otto went rummaging and ransacking around in the woodshed and scolding over wicked children, the foolishness of the world, and the misery of having green wood to cut up.
He was in a bad humor over the affair the whole summer, and will surely never forget it.
The next day at school, all the spectators came to us and wanted their money back. I thought that was mean, but, anyway, they didn’t get it; for of course we had immediately spent it on lemon-drops.
FOOTNOTES:
[4] National Song of Norway. (“Yes, we love this land.”)
XIII
A DAY AT SCHOOL
Sometimes it is rather pleasant to go to school; a little tedious, oh yes, but often jolly good fun.