twirling them fiercely. From the little platform that was his throne he
glared down at the unabashed Andy. In his other hand he flourished the
long black ruler threateningly.

He pointed a terrible finger towards two desks, about four feet apart,
at one side of the room. The desk nearest to the wall had its top split
clear across, and one corner was splintered off.

"Did you break that desk?" demanded the pedagogue.

Andy's lips puckered slightly in a comical twist. He had a vivid
imagination, and the shattered desk suggested an exciting and
pleasurable moment in the near past. Some one chuckled at the rear of
the room. Andy's face broke into an irrepressible smile.

"Order!" roared the schoolmaster, bringing down the ruler with a loud
bang. "Young man, I asked you: did you break that desk?"

"Yes, sir, I'm afraid I smashed it," said Andy in a rather subdued tone.
"It was an accident."

"He was only fooling, teacher!" in an excited lisp spoke up little Tod
Smith, the youngest pupil in the school. "He broke the desk, but--say,
teacher! he did it--yes, sir, Andy did the double somersault, just like
a real circus actor, and landed square on both feet!"

The eyes of Andy's diminutive champion and admirer sparkled like
diamonds. A murmur of delight and sympathy went the rounds of the
schoolroom.