"Johnny has stated it very well," said Mr. Le Bras, smiling. "If you saw a fire for the first time, Sue, you would be very anxious to know what produced the heat and the bright light; but because you have seen the phenomenon so often, ever since you can remember, you never think to ask the cause of it."
CHAPTER II.
THE "ILLUSTRATED LECTURE."
Something happened the next day to disturb Johnny's naturally good spirits. When he got home from school at noon, Sue met him at the door with,—
"Something has happened to make you feel awful bad, Johnny. It came this morning in a letter; and mamma said I might prepare your mind for it, but I mustn't tell you right out in the first place."
Mr. Le Bras, who was in the sitting-room when Sue made this announcement, began to laugh heartily.
"Well, well, Sue!" he said: "if your mother heard how well you tell bad news, I am afraid she would not trust you to do it again. Why, you have given Johnny a regular bomb-shell to begin with!"
"I guess it isn't any thing so bad as you pretend, Sue, since father is laughing at it," replied Johnny cheerfully, although his face had fallen considerably before his father began to laugh.
"I'll bet you," said Sue, looking quite disturbed at her father's interference in her news-telling, "that he's only laughing so as not to let you think it's so bad as it is: but now he's begun, he can tell it to you his own self; though mother said I might."
Sue went off into the dining-room, where Kate was, with tears in her eyes, and something very like a pout about her mouth.