“And do you not want God to take care of father and mother, and yourself, to-night?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then ask him as you ought.” And with that soft hand upon my head all earthly visions vanished, and I repeated the oft-said prayer, with all of childhood’s earnestness, and its simple, trusting faith.
I rose, got in the bed, received mother’s good-night kiss, and, as I closed my eyes, Queen Mab’s grey gnat coachman drove his atomic team across my nose, and Lulie, models, savages, Cassell, Miss Gertrude, and crestfallen Prank Paning, all danced before me, and danced me to sleep.
[CHAPTER V.]
On the morning succeeding the day described in the last chapter, father startled me very much at the breakfast table, by asking:
“John, how would you like to commence school? you are getting too old to be playing all the time.”
“Oh, ever so much!” I replied, eagerly, watching his face closely, to see if he was in earnest. “Ned Cheyleigh began last session, and I can read and spell as well as he can now, so it will be easy for me to keep up.”
“Well, I saw Miss Hester Weck about it yesterday, and she said she would be very glad to take you, so you can get ready to start to-morrow morning.”