I thought 'twas about time to take a vacation;
so that's the last time I went to school."
"You didn't learn to read in that time, of course?"
"No," said Dick; "but I was a newsboy a little while; so I learned a
little, just so's to find out what the news was. Sometimes I didn't
read straight and called the wrong news. One mornin' I asked another
boy what the paper said, and he told me the King of Africa was dead.
I thought it was all right till folks began to laugh."
"Well, Dick, if you'll only study well, you won't be liable to make
such mistakes."
"I hope so," said Dick. "My friend Horace Greeley told me the other
day that he'd get me to take his place now and then when he was off
makin' speeches if my edication hadn't been neglected."
"I must find a good piece for you to begin on," said Fosdick,
looking over the paper.
"Find an easy one," said Dick, "with words of one story."
Fosdick at length found a piece which he thought would answer. He
discovered on trial that Dick had not exaggerated his deficiencies.
Words of two syllables he seldom pronounced right, and was much
surprised when he was told how "through" was sounded.
"Seems to me it's throwin' away letters to use all them," he said.
"How would you spell it?" asked his young teacher.
"T-h-r-u," said Dick.
"Well," said Fosdick, "there's a good many other words that are
spelt with more letters than they need to have.
Pages:
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117