to some of his speculations,
and tried to give him a better idea of business talent than mere
sharpness in overreaching his neighbors. Now and then Jack made a bad
bargain, and felt worse about it than about any failure in lessons or
conduct, and took his revenge on the next innocent customer who came
along. His account-book was a curiosity; and his quickness at figures
quite remarkable. Mr. Bhaer praised him for this, and tried to make his
sense of honesty and honor as quick; and, by and by, when Jack found
that he could not get on without these virtues, he owned that his
teacher was right.

Cricket and football the boys had of course; but, after the stirring
accounts of these games in the immortal "Tom Brown at Rugby," no feeble
female pen may venture to do more than respectfully allude to them.

Emil spent his holidays on the river or the pond, and drilled the elder
lads for a race with certain town boys, who now and then invaded
their territory. The race duly came off, but as it ended in a general
shipwreck, it was not mentioned in public; and the Commodore had serious
thoughts of retiring to a desert island, so disgusted was he with his
kind for a time. No desert island being convenient, he was forced
to remain among his friends, and found consolation in building a
boat-house.

The little girls indulged in the usual plays of their age, improving
upon them somewhat as their lively fancies suggested. The chief and
most absorbing play was called "Mrs. Shakespeare Smith;" the name
was provided by Aunt Jo, but the trials of the poor lady were quite
original. Daisy was Mrs. S. S., and Nan by turns her daughter or a
neighbor, Mrs. Giddygaddy.

No pen can describe the adventures of these ladies, for in one short
afternoon their family was the scene of births, marriages, deaths,
floods, earthquakes, tea-parties, and balloon ascensions. Millions of
miles did these energetic women travel, dressed in hats and habits never
seen before by mortal eye, perched on the bed, driving the posts like
mettlesome steeds, and bouncing up and down till their heads spun. Fits
and fires were the pet afflictions, with a general massacre now and then
by way of change. Nan was never tired of inventing fresh combinations,
and Daisy followed her leader with blind admiration. Poor Teddy was a
frequent victim, and was often rescued from real danger, for the excited
ladies were apt to forget that he was not of the same stuff their
longsuffering