The Mornin'-Glory Girl

								

“Doh, re, mi, fah, soh, la, ti, doh,” sang the children in faint
uncertain tones.
“Put some sunshine into your voices children,” admonished Nell.
“Now then,



    Dough when Mother bakes the bread,

    Me when I catch you sleepy head,

    Ray when the sun shines on your bed,

    Saw when you work in the back woodshed.”
Some of the voices were cracked and others badly out of tune. Moses
Wopp’s voice, loudest of all, sounded like a foghorn and the windows
fairly rattled in their frames. Nell motioned him to her desk. She
thought by occupying his attention elsewhere the music lesson might
proceed with more melody and less noise. Moses had developed his
stentorian tones at home, by the lusty singing of Hallelujah hymns
under the strict supervision of his mother.
“What’s matter’s Gordon?” he enquired anxiously.
“Sharpen these pencils, Moses, please, for the drawing lesson.”
Moses sat down to the task; but fearing his education was being
interfered with, looked up from time to time and added a hoarse phrase
to the general tumult. He caught Betty’s eye and significantly
squinted his own right optic to remind her of Job, whereon Betty’s
voice trailed off into a half-suppressed chuckle.
Before school was dismissed Mannel Rodd, after earnest solicitation on
the part of an older sister, was induced to mount the platform, where
he shyly and with every evidence of stage fright recited,



    “Here I stand upon this stage

    A pretty little figger,

    And if the girls don’t love me now

    They will when I am bigger.”
As the children left the school-house, Betty was met by Job. He
appeared to be headed for a point at an angle of about forty-five
degrees from his mistress, but it was only his corner-wise way of
walking, caused by his defective eye. Notwithstanding his seemingly
erratic course he reached Betty’s side and thrust his head into the
pocket of her small pinafore. He found there what put him into high
good humor. Gaily he strutted after his little mistress. Bringing up
the rear came Moses shuffling along, accompanied by Jethro. He took
from his pocket a huge bun.
“S’tup,” he commanded. Jethro immediately sat up on his hind legs.
“Aw Mosey,” cried Betty, “give it to him in two pieces an’ make him
twict as happy.”
“Naw Nosey,” he retorted, “there ain’t no bun to break in two, the
dorg is outside the bun already.”
The bun in question must have had great dynamic force, the tail of
Jethro bearing evidence to the internal power generated.

CHAPTER IV.
WASH-DAY AT MRS. WOPP’S.

“As the door creaketh on his hinges, so the slugger turneth on his
bed.” Liza Wopp’s voice was compelling in its significance. Through
the rose-lit dreams of Moses, the sound and the awful words were like
the threatenings of an approaching storm.
“Yeh Mar, I’m comin’.”
Moses’ teeth chattered. It was not cold, but wash-day meant to the