of his mistake.

"Will you explain how you did it? You may go to the blackboard, and
perform the operation once more, explaining as you go along, for the
benefit of Ephraim Higgins, and any others who guessed at the answer.
Ephraim, I want you to give particular attention, so that you can do
yourself more credit next time. Now Harry, proceed."

Our hero explained the sum in a plain, straightforward way, for he
thoroughly understood it.

"Very well," said the schoolmaster, for this, rather than teacher, is
the country name of the office. "Now, Ephraim, do you think you can
explain it?"

"I don't know, sir," said Ephraim, dubiously.

"Suppose you try. You may take the same sum."

Ephraim advanced to the board with reluctance, for he was not ambitious,
and had strong doubts about his competence for the task.

"Put down 625."

Ephraim did so.

"Now extract the square root. What do you do first?"

"Divide it into two figures each."

"Divide it into periods of two figures each, I suppose you mean. Well,
what will be the first period?"

"Sixty-two," answered Ephraim.

"And what will be the second?"

"I don't see but one other figure."

"Nor I. You have made a mistake. Harry, show to point it off."

Harry Walton did so.

"Now what do you do next?"

"Divide the first figure by three."

"What do you do that for?"

Ephraim didn't know. It was only a guess of his, because he knew that
the first figure of the answer was two, and this would result from
dividing the first figure by three.

"To bring the answer," he replied.

"And I suppose you divide the next period by five, for the same reason,
don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"You may take your seat, sir. You are an ornament to the class, and you
may become a great mathematician, if you live to the age of Methuselah.
I rather think it will take about nine hundred years for you to reach
that, point."

The boys laughed. They always relish a joke at the expense of a
companion, especially when perpetrated by the teacher.

"Your method of extracting the square root is very original. You didn't
find it in any arithmetic, did you?"

"No, sir."

"So I thought. You'd better take out a patent for it. The next boy may
go to the board."

I have given a specimen of Mr. Burbank's method of conducting the
school, but do not propose to enter into further details at present. It
will doubtless recall to some of my readers experiences of their own,
as the school I am