buttons held up a folded paper behind his slate, intimating that it was
intended for me. The paper was passed skillfully from desk to desk until
it reached my hands. On opening the scrap, I found that it contained
a small piece of molasses candy in an extremely humid state. This was
certainly kind. I nodded my acknowledgments and hastily slipped the
delicacy into my mouth. In a second I felt my tongue grow red-hot with
cayenne pepper.

My face must have assumed a comical expression, for the boy in the
olive-green jacket gave an hysterical laugh, for which he was instantly
punished by Mr. Grimshaw. I swallowed the fiery candy, though it brought
the water to my eyes, and managed to look so unconcerned that I was
the only pupil in the form who escaped questioning as to the cause of
Marden's misdemeanor. C. Marden was his name.

Nothing else occurred that morning to interrupt the exercises, excepting
that a boy in the reading class threw us all into convulsions by calling
Absalom A-bol'-som "Abolsom, O my son Abolsom!" I laughed as loud as
anyone, but I am not so sure that I shouldn't have pronounced it Abolsom
myself.

At recess several of the scholars came to my desk and shook hands with
me, Mr. Grimshaw having previously introduced me to Phil Adams, charging
him to see that I got into no trouble. My new acquaintances suggested
that we should go to the playground. We were no sooner out-of-doors than
the boy with the red hair thrust his way through the crowd and placed
himself at my side.

"I say, youngster, if you're comin' to this school you've got to toe the
mark."