"That was well done," said Miss Ruth, "and I hope the cruel fellow
profited by the lesson you gave him. I don't think I'm naturally
vindictive, but when I see a man beating a horse I find myself wishing
I was strong enough to snatch the whip from him and lay it well about
his own shoulders. But come, boys, the fire is down to coals--just right
for popping corn. Sammy, you know the way to the kitchen. Ask Lovina for
the corn-popper and a dish, and, Roy, you'll find a paper bag full of
corn in the cupboard yonder. Quick, now, and we'll have the dish piled
by the time Susie and Mollie are back from meeting."
"Haven't we had a gay old time," said Roy, on the way home, "and ain't
you glad I put you up to coming, Sam Ray?" And Sammy admitted that he
was.
* * * * *
"Now, girls and boys," said Miss Ruth, on the next Wednesday afternoon,
"I am going to take you on a long journey,--in fancy, I mean,--over the
hills and plains and valleys, to the country of the Far West, with its
rolling prairies and big fields of wheat and corn. You shall be set down
in a green meadow, with a stream running through it, shallow and clear
at this time of year, but a little later, when the September rains have
filled it, rushing along full of deep, muddy water.
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