The wet wood in the stove sizzled and stewed and made a smoke;
and in the midst of Tip's fifth trial on an example which was puzzling
him terribly, he was called on to split some kindlings.
"This instant!--I won't wait a minute!" Kitty said in a provokingly
commanding tone; and Tip went at it sullenly, saying, with every spiteful
drive of his axe through the pine board which he had picked up, "It's no
use; I _cant_ do that sum, and I ain't going to try. I don't know
anything, and never will. I've done it over fifty times, and twisted it
every way I can think of. There's no sense to it, any way,--sixteen
sheep _stood him in_ two dollars apiece. What does that mean, I'd like to
know? He had forty sheep and twenty-five cows. I know it all by heart;
but I can't do it, and that's the whole of it. I wish his sheep had
choked to death, and his old cows run away, before I ever heard of them.
I'll go over it just once more." (Tip was back by the kitchen window now,
with his slate and book.) "Let's see: twenty-five cows at thirty-four
dollars apiece;" and he worked away in nervous haste, until he came to
"stood him in.
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