XXII. Chasing the Fox 210
XXIII. Called To Account 222
XXIV. An Apology 229
XXV. King's Base and a Spelling-lesson 238
XXVI. Unclaimed Top-strings 243
XXVII. The Last Day of School, and The Last
Chapter of the Story 252

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ILLUSTRATIONS

"Not there, not there, my child!" Frontispiece

FACING PAGE
Jack amusing the small boys with stories of
hunting, fishing, and frontier adventure 44

"Cousin Sukey," said little Columbus, "I want to
ask a favor of you" 120

Bob Holliday carries home his friend 258

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THE HOOSIER SCHOOL-BOY

CHAPTER I

THE NEW SCHOLAR

While the larger boys in the village school of Greenbank were having a
game of "three old cat" before school-time, there appeared on the
playground a strange boy, carrying two books, a slate, and an atlas
under his arm.

He was evidently from the country, for he wore a suit of brown jeans, or
woollen homespun, made up in the natural color of the "black" sheep, as
we call it. He shyly sidled up to the school-house door, and looked
doubtfully at the boys who were playing, watching the familiar game as
though he had never seen it before.

The boys who had the "paddles" were standing on three bases, while three
others stood each behind a base and tossed the ball around the triangle
from one hole or base to another. The new-comer soon perceived that, if
one with a paddle, or bat, struck at the ball and missed it, and the
ball was caught directly, or "at the first bounce," he gave up his bat
to the one who had "caught him out." When the ball was struck, it was
called a "tick," and when there was a tick, all the batters were obliged
to run one base to the left, and then the ball thrown between a batter
and the base to which he was running "crossed him out," and obliged him
to give up his "paddle" to the one who threw the ball.

"Four old cat," "two old cat," and "five old cat" are, as everybody
knows, played in the same way, the number of bases or holes increasing
with the ad