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“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.

He hadn’t gone far when he heard someone calling,–

“Hey, Sonny!”

He turned with relief.

There was the Toyman, his long legs fast catching up with the runaway. And the same old smile was on the Toyman’s face.

And when the long legs had caught up with the short ones, the Toyman put his arm around the boy’s shoulders, and they walked along like–well, like two old chums.

What was finest, too, was that he never mentioned the cause of Jehosophat’s trouble and embarrassment, which is what no really true friend ever should do.

At last Jehosophat asked,–

“Where we goin’?”

“Let’s go fishin’–I hate speeches,” the Toyman replied.

“I made a silly, a fool of myself, didn’t I?” said Jehosophat.

“Not by a long sight,” the Toyman replied. “You see, sonny,” he went on to explain, very soberly, “that’s an old piece of yours and out of date. Now they’re making new arrangements and editions of books and po’try all the time. They just change with the times. And yours is a heap better than the old piece, anyway you look at it.”

Jehosophat wasn’t quite so sure. But, anyway, they had a great time “fishin’.”