It was a long time before he ceased to bear the nickname of “England’s fly.”
CHAPTER XVI
WHEN THE COMMITTEE MEN CAME
The second new book that was purchased in honor of the First Room was a history of the United States. This was quite a grown-up history with its three hundred pages besides the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. There were maps and pictures. There were even detailed maps of many battles. There were “chronological reviews,” which consisted of long lists of dates, each with its proper event attached. They were recited at express train speed as follows:
1607. Jamestown was founded.
1609. Hudson discovered the Hudson River.
1610. The starving time.
1619. The first legislative assembly in America was convened in Virginia.
The book was not interesting, but it was well written. Ella’s heart was won by the first sentence. This read, “The honor of the discovery of America belongs to Christopher Columbus as an individual, and to Spain as a nation.” The swing, the balance of the words pleased her. She did not know whether it was good or bad, but she did know that she liked it and liked to say it over and over.
The first draft of her composition on “Printing” read, “The honor of inventing printing belongs to Gutenberg as an individual and to Germany as a nation.” But she decided that it was not quite fair to borrow the sound of a whole sentence from some one else; so she compromised by taking half of it.
At the end of the second day’s use of the book, she came home quite in despair.