FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13369, 26 December 1906, Page 9

FOR THE CHILDREN.

TH MULTIPLICATION TABLE. 1 UK little boy had been learning his multiplication table, and his cleverness, tip* to the .. stage of ten times, extorted commendation from his lady teacher, congratulations fromo pa. incredulity from the two servants. Now,/ and again in calculating, say, seven time* ? he made a slip, to lie quickly rectified ; ; ten ■ times itself ho looked upon as a lark, ft diversion, a pastime; ho could close his eyes and say the ton times; he felt pretty \ certain ho could say the ten times correctly standing on his head. If tho educational system of the country could but begin and finish with the ten timet, of the multiplication table— ' "We must press forward," said Miss Andrews. at the school, cheerfully. "Wo must not think of remaining still. Every day. » must add something to our knowledge, ami every day Elbows off tho desk, please." ''I can sent! my memory back," remarked 5 pa at home, "to tho tirao when I was a little chap of about your »z<\ and 1 ran recollect how eager 1 was to 'earn every- ■: thing." "Don't you goitneyin' yourself 100 much. Master Fred," warned the two maids. "You reel these answers off quick enough, no . doubt; but whether you give the answers right or not is a question. ' Pride gootli before a fall'—don't forget that." < . Other branches of learning had to be explored. ... s True, there were figures attached to most of them, constituting an undeniable draA- 1 *; back. Tho class smiled when told that, off the coast, of Cornwall, there were small spots on tho map called the- Scilly Isle a nd even Miss Andrews, the assistant mistress, allowed her features to relax, as one who had half a mind to make a joke, but this was spoilt by the circumstance that you had to recollect how many miles they were from 5 the mainland. (i Stephen, ' said the teacher definitely, camo before John. John came after Stephen. Why do you 'keep on saying that Stephen came after John?" Lets pretend he did," suggested the lit-..-, tle boy. And perceived at once, from "the shocked expression, that his recommendation was not likely to be adopted. Ho wondered, at times, how many Miss An drowses there were. The one in school V hours he knew very well; he had some acquaintance! with tho one who met him occasionally in the street entirely different ; person—another he had encountered in the ' cemetery where he had gone with an armful ot flowers. ». > ' „ It was when the trouble came about. thirteen tunes that he began to suspect there might be. yet another Miss Andrews—a Miss Andrews severe to the utmost point of severity, contemptuous, perhaps. 'Thirteen times one are thirteen, thirteen times two are twenty-six, thirteen times three are thirty-nine, thirteen times four are fifty-two— ' ' : ■ - J he walls of the schoolroom made the id if- - ference. With them around him he- grew nervous with the dreadful knowledge that'f ..!£? . wo "'d come when his turn arrived. "Thirteen times one are thirteen, thirteen times two are—" ■ Ihe map of England gave him no clue; the inkpot declined to prompt; the large, blank white collar of the boy in front of nim resembled his memory. ... "I* iftv-nino," he blurted out. "I am very.much afraid," said the deliberate voice of Miss Andrews, "that, roi arc only doing this on purpose to annoy nn--1 shall give you one more chance to" morrow. .Only one more chance. The little hoy said the table that'evennig at lea to the two maids, who held the book securely, and th*\v had to confess grudgingly that lie made no mistake H" ' went out on the lawn. and. instead of playing a game of croquet against himjelf ' walked up and down reciting the entire Mft up to thirteen times twenty; he could not help saving t,, himself that his mother, wore she .-till alive, would ha\o expressed astonishment at his cleverness. He went to tied at eight, and so soon as the maid, wrth 0 an admonition to go to sleep immediately, '■= had closed the door, he sat up, and, imihimself rcw * VOice ' I'" 1 questions to A troubled night— a night made tin of Miss Andrews demanding from him thirteen Union ono thousand four hundred and seven-ty-one; of giving- the answer as eight, and answer. ° hiui^l£ to give, any other

As ho entered the schoolroom on the folJo wing moraini, his bare knees knocked each other, and p °. detected an aloofness in the greeting of Miss Andrews. He went through some preliminary work Miss Wftlls* th *", r ? 1 ™' grammar wit , . Wells, gaming fair success. At eleven o chxk— sums—sum* and Miss Andrews' > •• Thfrtn y! ■ H * he W his breath, Thirteen times —ho prayed for the figure two or the figure ton (neither had yet been given)—' thirteen times fifteen?" He closed his eyes, drew a deep breath an .i r ?- C an answer with a hopeless gasp. ' Capital, capital!" cried Miss Andrews in genuine tones of approval. "Knew you could do it if you tried. Now von sifj't have a good mark for that, and' I've a great mind to give you & kiss."