Three of them, by time the Doc
got here. Great old summer afternoon that was! But bless
your heart, we couldn't keep the Perfessor abed long. Next
day he was out lookin' fer his poetry books, an' first thing
you know he had us all rounded up an' was preachin' good
literature at us like any evangelist. I guess we all fell
asleep over his poetry, so then he started on readin' that
`Treasure Island' story to us, wasn't it, Mother? By hickory,
we none of us fell asleep over that. He started the kids
readin' so they been at it ever since, and Dick's top boy at
school now. Teacher says she never saw such a boy for
readin'. That's what Perfessor done for us! Well, tell us
'bout yerself, Miss McGill. Is there any good books we ought
to read? I used to pine for some o' that feller Shakespeare
my father used to talk about so much, but Perfessor always
'lowed it was over my head!"
It gave me quite a thrill to hear all this about Mifflin. I
could readily imagine the masterful little man captivating the
simple-hearted Pratts with his eloquence and earnestness. And
the story of the mill pond had its meaning, too. Little
Redbeard was no mere wandering crank--he was a real man, cool
and steady of brain, with the earmarks of a hero.
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