"Tenths. In counting money, you know, or anything. How much is tenths?"
"Oh, you haven't got to that yet; it is away over in the arithmetic."
"But, I tell you, I've got to get at it right away—it's necessary. I don't want it in the arithmetic; I want to do it."
Which was and always would be the marked difference between this boy's and girl's education. She learned a thing because it was in the book; he learned a thing in order to use it.
"What do you want of tenths, anyhow? Why can't you wait until you get there?"
"'Cause things that they ought to be helping to do can't wait till I've got there. I need to use one of them right away. Come, tell me about them."
"Well," said Winny, "where's your slate? Here are six-tenths, made so—6/10."
Tode looked with eager yet bewildered eyes. What had that figure six on top of that figure ten, to do with Mr. Birge's earnest appeal to all who called themselves by the name of Christian to make one-tenth of their money holy to the Lord?
"What's one-tenth then?" he said at last, hoping that this was something which would look less puzzling.
"Why, this is one tenth." And Winny made a very graceful one, and a neat ten, and drew a prim bewildering little line between them.