"Come, come," again, and then,--
"Tut, tut!"
And all-of-a-sudden Fatty let go of his coat, and Jehosophat found
himself on his feet and on his way to the platform.
He wanted to take a little of the glass of water that stood by the
Presidentboardeducation--just one little sip--for his throat felt so
dry and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. But he couldn't.
He made the fine bow all right, and Mother looked at Father as much as
to say,--
[Illustration: "But then Jehosophat just had to look at Fatty, and
Fatty had just put a peanut up to his mouth--as a sort of a signal, I
guess--"]
"There, I knew our boy could do it."
And wonderfully he got through the first line,--"The boy stood on the
burning deck."
But then he just had to look at Fatty, and Fatty had just put a peanut
up to his mouth--as a sort of signal, I guess.
"The boy stood on the burning deck," repeated Jehosophat, forgetting
the next line, and so having to stick to the first. He couldn't think
of anything but Fatty's grinning mouth and that peanut.
"The boy stood on the burning deck," he called, louder than before.
"The boy stood on the burning deck," still louder.
"Yes, yes, my little man," said the Presidentboardeducation, still
with that smile that Jehosophat hated so, and before he knew it he was
shouting right back at the spectacles:--
"Eating peanuts by the peck.
His father called 'e wouldngo
_Causehelovedispeanutsso!"_
Yes sir, he shouted the last line oh, so loud, like a little bull,
right in the Presidentboardeducation's face. And the
Presidentboardeducation was so startled that he almost knocked the
pitcher of water off the table. And the teacher's glasses fell off her
nose, and she seemed to be unable to find them in her embarrassment--and
then--the whole audience roared till the walls of the little Red
Schoolhouse echoed to their laughter, and Jehosophat saw Fatty slapping
his fat legs in delight.
Meanwhile, Jehosophat wasn't losing any time. He just hurried to the
window, climbed up on the seat, then on the sill, and dropped on the
soft grass below, and ran up the road towards home, just as fast as he
could travel.