g school. The teacher
looked on and pretended to smile, but Pony did not smile; he kept his
teeth shut, and walked stiffly through the door, and straight home,
without speaking to any one. That was the way to do when you left school
in the Boy's Town, for then the boys would know you were in earnest; and
none of them would try to speak to you, either; they would respect you
too much.

Pony's mother knew that he had left school as soon as she saw him bringing
home his books, but she only looked sorry and did not say anything. She
must have told his father about it when he came to dinner, though, for
as soon as they sat down at the table his father began to ask what the
trouble was. Pony answered very haughtily, and said that old Archer had
put him back into the second reader, and he was not going to stand it, and
he had left school.

"Then," said his father, "you expect to stay in the second reader the rest
of your life?"

This was something that Pony had never thought of before; but he said he
did not care, and he was not going to have old Archer put him back,
anyway, and he began to cry.

It was then that his mother showed herself a good mother, if ever she was
one, and said she thought it was a shame to put Pony back and mortify him
before the other boys, and she knew that it must just have happened that
he did not read very well that afternoon because he was sick, or
something, for usually he read perfectly.

His father said, "My dear girl, my dear girl!" and his mother hushed up
and did not say anything more; but Pony could see what she thought, and he
accused old Archer of always putting on him and always trying to mortify
him.

"That's all very well," said his father, "but I think we ought to give him
one more trial; and I advise you to take your books back again this
afternoon, and read so well that he will put you into the fourth reader
to-morrow morning."

Pony understood that his father was just making fun about the fourth
reader, but was in earnest about his going back to school; and he left the
table and threw himself on the lounge, with his face down, and cried. He
said he was sick, and his head ached, and he could not go to school; his
father said that he hoped his headache would wear off in the course of
the afternoon, but if he was worse they would have the doctor when he came
home from school.

Then he took his hat and went out of the front door to go up town, and
Pony screamed out, "Well, I'