But it wasn't alone the demonstration that, strange as it might
seem, it was possible for a man to get his living by his wits
(though that has done much to produce great men) as it was the
actual exercise of teaching. Remember the big boys on the back
seats, where the apple-cores and the spit-balls come from. The
school-director that hired you gave you a searching look-over and
said: "M-well-l-l, I'm afraid you haint hardly qualified for our
school - oh, that's all right, sir; that's all right. Your
'stiff-kit' is first-rate, and you got good recommends, good
recommends; but I was thinkin' - well, I tell you. Might's well
out with it first as last. I d' know's I ort to say so, but this
here district No. 34 is a poot' tol'able hard school to teach.
Ya-uss. A poot-ty tol'able hard school to teach. Now, that's jist
the plumb facts in the matter. We've had four try it this winter
a'ready. One of 'em stuck it out four weeks - I jimminy! he had
grit, that feller had. The balance of 'em didn't take so long to
make up their minds. Well, now, if you're a mind to try it - I was
goin' to say you didn't look to me like you had the heft.

Like to have you the worst way. Now, if you want to back out . . . .
Well, all right. Monday mornin', eh? Well, you got my sympathies."

I believe that some have tried to figure out that St. Martin of
Tours, ought to be the patron saint of the United States. One of
his feast-days falls on July 4, and his colors are red, white and
blue. But I rather prefer, myself, the Boanerges, the two sons of
Zebedee. When asked: "Are ye able to drink of this cup?" they
answered: "We are able." They didn't in the least know what it was;
but they knew they were able for anything that anybody else was,
and, perhaps, able for a little more. At any rate, they were