Creative Books

Shaw, and danced before him, saying, eagerly, "Was n't it
splendid? Did n't he do well? May n't he have his velocipede
now?"
"Capital, Tom; you 'll be an orator yet. Learn another piece like
that, and I 'll come and hear you speak it. Are you ready for your
velocipede, hey?"
Polly was right; and Tom owned that "the governor" was kind, did
like him and had n't entirely forgotten his promise. The boy turned
red with pleasure, and picked at the buttons on his jacket, while
listening to this unexpected praise; but when he spoke, he looked
straight up in his father's face, while his own shone with pleasure,
as he answered, in one breath, "Thankee, sir. I 'll do it, sir. Guess I
am, sir!"
"Very good; then look out for your new horse tomorrow, sir." And
Mr. Shaw stroked the fuzzy red head with a kind hand, feeling a
fatherly pleasure in the conviction that there was something in his
boy after all.
Tom got his velocipede next day, named it Black Auster, in
memory of the horse in "The Battle of Lake Regillus," and came to
grief as soon as he began to ride his new steed.


Pages:
85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109