to play forfeits in a queer educational fashion. First of all Mr.
Stevens left the room, presumably to think. When he came in again he
went over to Miss Conklin and asked her to spell "forgive." After a
moment's pause she spelt it correctly. He retired slowly, and on his
return stopped again in front of Miss Conklin with the word
"reconciliation." She withstood the test triumphantly. Annoyed
apparently with the pains she took, Mr. Stevens, on his next entrance,
turned to a pretty, quiet girl named Miss Black, and gave her
"stranger," with a glance at Bancroft, which spread a laugh among the
boys. Miss Black began with "strai," and was not allowed to go on, for
Mr. Stevens at once offered his arm, and led her into the passage.
"What takes place outside?" asked Bancroft confidentially of the girl
sitting nearest to him, who happened to be Miss Jessie Stevens. She
replied with surprise:
"I guess they kiss each other!"
"Ah!--Now I understand," he said to himself, and from that moment
followed the proceedings with more interest. He soon found that
successive pairs called each other out in turn, and he had begun to tire
of the game, when Miss Jessie Stevens stopped before him and pertly gave
the word "friendship." Of course he spelt it wrongly, and accompanied
her outside the door. As he kissed her cheek, she drew away her head
quickly:
"I only called you out to give you a chance of kissin' Loo Conklin."
He thought it wiser not to reply to this, and contented himself with
thanking her as they entered the room. He paused before Miss Conklin,
and gave her "bumpkin," adding, by way of explanation, "a rude country
fellow." She spelt it cheerfully, without the "p." When the mistake was
made plain to her, which took some little time, she accepted his arm,
and went with him into the passage. He kissed her more than once,
murmuring, "At last, Miss Loo!" She replied seriously:
"See here! You're goin' to get into a fuss with Seth Stevens if you call
me out often. And he's the strongest of them all. You ain't afraid? O.K.
|