“And ‘splains’ the sums and makes the fractions easy.”

Here Benny heaved a sigh.

“I don’t like riffemtic; but Ned says, ‘Benny,

Be brave, my lad, and try.’”

“He has long patience, and he’s very clever.

Why, once he made a cart,

And once he made a trap that caught a sparrow,

And ’cause it hurt my heart

“To see the wild thing flutter, he soon freed it,

And smiled when off it fled;