acher. Give me a stick, please."

"Here's my old riding-whip," said Flossy, producing it from the
wood-box. Things were tucked away in very queer places at Mrs.
Eastman's.

Susy tied a string about her waist for a girdle, stuck the whip into it,
and began to march the floor with great dignity.

"Now school has begun. You must all come in, and bow 'way down to the
ground, and say, 'O, respected teacher, grant us knowledge.' They are
very polite in India.--All but Prudy, she may stay behind and play
truant."

The three pupils came forward, touched their foreheads to the floor, and
repeated the sentence as directed, Johnny rendering it,--

"O, respectful Susy Parlin, don't you whip me!"--at the same time
turning a somerset.

"I forgot one thing," said the teacher, as her obedient pupils stood
upright again, with flushed faces. "You ought to have brought me a
present, every one of you, such as a fig of tobacco rolled up in a
banana leaf, or--"

"We didn't know you chewed," said Florence, laughing.

"Now you take your seats. No, not there! On the floor! What do you
suppose? You're in India, children. There are mats on the floor (we'll
pretend)."

The children seated themselves.

"O, we ought to say a prayer to the Muse; but I can't remember what it
is. No matter. Multiplication Table comes next. Mother says it's just
the same thing in India that it is in America."

The school repeated part of the table, making very absurd mistakes
intentionally. Susy walked the floor like a general. "Angeline, please
look up some more palm-leaf fans, and some splinters of wood."

Angeline was the soul of good nature, and left her baking to hunt in the
meal-room for the fans.

"A pretty kind of school!" growled Johnny. "Don't they do anything out
there in Hindoo but just fan themselves?"

"O, we pretend these fans are green, just off the trees. We are studying
arithmetic, all so fast, and ciphering on these leaves with
reeds--(that's our splinters). Indian boys don't know what slates are.
They think these leaves are good enough. They come off of the tallest
palm trees. Fans don't grow in this country. Where did you ever see a
leaf as broad as this?"

"Poh, plenty of 'em in Kennebec County!" said Johnny, confidently.

"Now," said the teacher, after a few moments of mock arithmetic, "now
I've looked at my watch, and find it's seven o'clock. How _conscionable_
late! And that Drop of Honey hasn't come to school yet! Joggo, yo