But the governor was not one who believed in Aunt Stanshy’s motto, “Do to-day’s things to-day.” She was trying to impress it on Charlie, but she could not be expected to stamp every mind in the club with the necessity of the injunction.
“One boy is enough for me,” she would say.
The plank had remained firm as long as it could, but several wriggling children were too much even for the patience of a plank, and—down it went! Little May Waters dropped at the feet of Charlie as he was busily “‘splaining.” He gallantly picked her up and tried to comfort her, and various members of the club rushed to the rescue of other ladies. It was concluded now to adjourn the “pammerrammer.”
“Man down in the yard!” called out Wort, who was “sentinel” when he had nothing else to do. Wort looked over the edge of the window-sill. About all he could see was an old hat, and a very bad hat at that.
“Let’s sprinkle him! We can say we only saw a hat,” and immediately scraping up with his foot a quantity of hay-seed, he liberally sprinkled the seedy hat. It was like unto like.
“Now look here,” said Sid, “that was mean. If your father wore an old hat, how would you like to have a feller sprinkle hay-seed on it?”
Sid had a good deal of the gentleman about him.
“There he comes! There he comes! Put!” said Wort. A foot-step could be plainly heard on the stairs, and Wort started for the closet, again saying, “Put!”
“I am not going to run,” said the governor, with his usual resoluteness.
“Nor I,” said Sid.