She was disappointed, but not discouraged.
"Now, William," she admonished, "I'm going to read you another
piece, and I want you to tell me about it, when I get through.
Pay strict attention."
"Yas 'm," he readily agreed.
She chose an article describing the keen sense of smell in
animals. Miss Minerva was not an entertaining reader and the
words were long and fairly incomprehensible to the little boy
sitting patiently at her side.
Again his thoughts wandered, though every now and then he caught
a word or two.
"What animals have the keenest sense of smell, William?" was her
query at the conclusion of her reading.
"Billy goats," was Billy's answer without the slightest
hesitation.
"You have goats on the brain," she said in anger. "I did not
read one word about billy goats."
"Well, if 'taint a billy goat," he replied, "I do' know what 'tis
'thout it's a skunk."
"I bought you a little primer this morning," she remarked after
a short silence, "and I want you to say a lesson every day.
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