Next morning, on the way to school, he was reciting Casabianca for practice. He tried it on the Purple Crackles that flew in the fields by the blackberry bushes; the little Gold Finches that swayed on the grasses; and the topknotted Kingbirds on the telegraph wires overhead.
And he thought he was getting on pretty well with "The boy stood on the burning deck," when a voice took the second line right out of his mouth:
"Eating peanuts by the peck!!!!!"
Angrily he turned, and there were Fatty Hamm and Reddy Toms, Dicky Means too, and Lizzie Fizzletree, all making faces at him and mocking him with funny gestures. Surely no teacher ever taught gestures like those.
They began it all over again, reciting together. And this is the piece they made of it--you never would have recognized poor Casabianca at all:
"The boy stood on the burning deck
Eating peanuts by the peck.
His father called, he would not go
Because he loved his peanuts so!!!"
"Stop," yelled Jehosophat, "that isn't it at all."
"'Tis, too," shouted Fatty and the others together, and they repeated in one breath, as fast as they could:
"'Sfathercalled andewouldn'tgo
Causeeloved 'ispeanutsso."
Yes, every time Jehosophat tried to tell them what it really was, they kept shouting in singsong voices, faster and faster: