ever got such an idea," he said, smiling a
little, and he looked so friendly and not at all angry, that Sarah
even managed a faint, watery smile in response. "Boys and girls are
never expelled from school except for very serious reasons. You've
made a little mistake, that's all and I'll show you where you were
wrong in just a minute. Sometimes we want our own way so much, we
can't see how we can be wrong."

Sarah blushed a little, but nodded honestly.

"Well, you see, as soon as you found out that Miss Ames didn't like
snakes in her class room, you should have stopped right there," said
Mr. Oliver decidedly. "You disobeyed Miss Ames and all this trouble
came from that. If she said her class room was no place for snakes
and mice--you brought mice one day, didn't you?--that should have
settled the question for you."

"But how will the children ever learn about snakes?" asked Sarah
earnestly.

"They'll learn, if they are interested," answered Mr. Oliver. "You
can't force anyone to adopt your likes and dislikes, you know,
Sarah. Rosemary may like to sew and you may say you 'hate' to touch
a needle, but do you make yourself into an ardent needlewoman,
simply because Rosemary enjoys sewing? Don't you see? I'm afraid
you'll have to give Miss Ames and me your promise that you will not
bring any more snakes, alive or dead, or any other animal to
school."

Sarah promised slowly, her eyes on the dead snake.

"He was such a lovely specimen," she mourned. "I s'pose maybe he was
valuable."

"I tell you what to do, Sarah," said Mr. Oliver quickly. "You don't
know Mr. Martin, do you? He teaches biology in the high school and
I must take you up to his room some day and let you see the
'specimens' he has. He has a menagerie that fills one side of a
large room. Whenever you find something you can't resist, you bring
it here to me in the office and I'll turn it over to Mr. Martin. In
that way your class room won't be upset and Mr. Martin will likely
gain some valuable additions to his collection. Don't you think that
is a good plan?"

Sarah said she thought it was, and then, as the noon bell rang
throughout the building, Mr. Oliver shook hands with her and told
her that if she ever needed advice or help to come directly to him.
He promised, too, to speak to Miss Ames and tell her that no more
snakes or other lively "specimens" would be brought into her room by
Sarah. He opened the door for her and she was free.

She sped alon