chool, sir," was his laconic reply.

"But how is it that you learn to write so much better at school than the
other boys?"

"I don't know, sir!" and he never said a more truthful thing than he did
in this reply. For really he did not know how it was. He did not try
very hard to be a good penman. He did many other things well, which did
not cost him very much effort. It was easy for him to get the "knack" of
holding his pen and cutting letters. He would do it with an ease and
grace that we can only describe by saying it was Nat-like. It is another
instance, also, of the advantage of that principle or habit, which he
early cultivated, of _doing things well_. As one of his companions said,

"He can turn his hand to any thing."

One evening in October, when the harvest moon was emphatically "the
empress of the night," and lads and lasses thought it was just the
season for mirth and frolic, the boys received an invitation to a party
on the following evening.

"Shall you go?" inquired Charlie, when they were in the attic study.

"I should like to go, but I hardly think I shall. I want to finish this
book, and I can read half of it in the time I should spend at the
party."

"As little time as we get to study," added Charlie, "is worth all we can
make of it; and Dr. Franklin says in those rules, 'lose no time.' I
shall not go."

"I don't think that all time spent in such a social way can be called
'lost,' for it is good for a person to go to such places sometimes. But
I think I shall decide with you _not to go_. I suppose that some of the
fellows will turn up their noses, and call us 'literary gentlemen,' as
Oliver did the other day."

"Yes; and Sam said to me yesterday as I met him when I was going home to
dinner, 'fore I'd work in the factory, Charlie, and never know any
thing. You look as if you come out of a cotton-bale. I'll bet if your
father should plant you, you'd come up cotton,' and a whole mess of
lingo besides."

"And what did you say to him?" asked Nat.

"Not much of any thing. I just said, 'if I don't look quite as well as
you do, I think I know how to behave as well,' and passed on."

That Nat met with a good many discouraging circumstances, must not be
denied. It was trying to him occasionally to see other boys situated
much more favorably, having enough and to spare; and now and then a
fling, such as the foregoing, harrowed up his feelings somewhat. He was
obliged to forego the pleasure of many s