Peter would never take the trouble to learn the Multiplication Table. He
always looked at the printed card when he did his sums, until his
teacher caught him at it, and took the card away. Then he fell to making
marks on his slate, and counting on his fingers, but it did no good.
Poor Peter was kept in every day.
Look at him nearly tearing his hair out over five times seven. If he
finds that hard, what will he do with eight times eight, which you know
is a stumbling-block to all little folks?
It is recess, and he sits alone in the school-room. He hears through the
open window the merry shouts of the boys. They are playing base ball,
and he knows his side will be beaten without his help—for I am sorry to
say, Peter plays games better than he does sums.
The tears roll down his cheeks, and he mutters, “I wish arithmetic had
never been heard of.”
Take heart, Peter, and try again. Such great men as Macaulay and Sir
Walter Scott did not like figures when they were little boys—yet see
what perseverance did for them.
[Illustration: PETER KEPT IN.]