Board.—“Take care, young man; you will become a hopeless prodigal if you don’t look better after your means.”
How long this kind of thing might have gone on it is impossible to tell; but it was put an end to by a little boy coming out of the school, and taking the School Board by the ear, saying—
“What are you idling your time here for, sir? be off into school at once.”
“Oh dear, sir! please, sir,” whined the board, as he piped, or rather pipeclayed, his eye, “I won’t do it any more, sir. Let me off this time, sir; ah, you might, sir!”
PRATING AND RATING.
The boy let the board go, and it immediately walked its chalks into school, wiping its eyes with the towel. He then turned to our heroes, and said politely—
“These School Boards are a perfect nuisance, what with the power of rating they have got, and the power of prating they assume, things are coming to a pretty pass.”
In this our heroes thoroughly agreed with him.
“Perhaps you would like to step in and see our mode of tuition.”
They were quite proud at the idea of being treated as visitors, like the grown-up ladies and gentlemen who came to their own school, and said they would like it very much, so the boy led the way to the building.