Humbleby, the Presidentboardofeducation, and all the County Trustees,
and the proud parents from near and from far. You could see a long
line of buggies and surries and carryalls lined against the fence.

Then the signal was given, and the Teacher took her pointer and rose,
and the scholars smoothed their sashes, or their hair, and rose, too;
and one and all sang,--

"My country, 'tis of thee."

Then there were more songs by Theentireschool and pieces by the
scholars. Lizzie Fizzletree tried one all about flowers. "The Fringed
Gentian," it was called, and it was very pretty. But when Lizzie got
through with it, Jehosophat didn't think it was so beautiful. She
recited it something like this:

"Dear flo'wr so cal'm and pu're and bri'ght That op'nest in' the
qu'i-et nig'ht."

And as she recited it she made gestures in all directions, first to
one side, then to the other, just such floppy gestures as Ole Man
Scarecrow would have made. That is, sometimes they looked like that,
and sometimes her arms looked like the arms of a windmill. And her
frizzy pigtails swished around with her arms--just like the sails of a
windmill that had suddenly gone mad. The people started to titter, and
Jehosophat started to giggle with them, when suddenly he thought of
his own plight, and little shivers ran up and down his back, and his
face felt very flushed and warm.

Then there were more songs by "Theentireschool"--and more pieces. My,