the ground.

Finally, when he was seen one day to throw away his faithful old pipe,
heavy betters hastened to "hedge" as well as they might.

Besides, as one of the boys truthfully observed, "He couldn't begin to
wag a jaw along with that Frenchman."

But, like many other young men, he could talk quite eloquently with his
eyes, and as the language of the eyes is always direct, and purely
grammatical, Miss Brown understood everything they said, and, to her
great horror, once or twice barely escaped talking back.

The poor little teacher was about to make the whole matter a subject of
special prayer, when a knock at the door startled her.

She answered it, and beheld the homely features of the judge.

"I just come in to talk a little matter that's been botherin' me some
time. Ye'll pardon me ef I talk a little plain?" said he.

"Certainly," replied the teacher, wondering if he, too, had joined her
persecutors.

"Thank ye," said the judge, looking relieved. "It's all right. I've got
darters to hum ez big ez you be, an' I want to talk to yer ez ef yer was
one uv 'em."

The judge looked uncertain for a moment, and then proceeded: