"That boy'll be off to College too," he said, -- "after his
brother."

"He'll not be likely to go after anything wrong," said Mrs.
Landholm.

"No --that's pretty certain. Well, I'll do all I can for him!"

"Whatever he undertakes I think he'll succeed in," the mother
went on remarking.

"I think so too. He always did, from a child. It's his
character. There's a sharp edge to Rufus's metal, -- but I
think Winthrop's is the best stuff. Well I ain't ashamed of
either one on 'em!"

Winthrop took the school. He found it numbering some thirty
heads or more. That is, it would count so many, though in some
instances the heads were merely nominal. There were all sorts,
from boys of fifteen and sixteen that wanted to learn the
Multiplication table, down to little bits of girls that did
not know A, B, and C. Rough heads, with thoughts as matted as
their hair; lank heads, that reminded one irresistibly of
_blocks;_ and one fiery red shock, all of whose ideas seemed to
be standing on end and ready to fly away, so little hold had
they upon either knowledge, wit, or experience. And every one
of these wanted different handling, and every one called for
diligent study and patient painstaking. There were often fine
parts to be found under that rough and untrained state of