"I _know_ she didn't come home with us," said Sallie, stamping her foot
to give emphasis to the words.
"And I _know_ she did," declared Bobby, equally emphatically, "for me
and her played tag."
"Why don't you say she and I played tag?" asked Nick, impatient with
both the children.
"'Cause it was me and her," insisted Bobby.
"What a dunce-head!" exclaimed his sister; "that was _last_ night when
you played tag, and you tumbled over into the ditch and bellered like
the big baby you are."
"I remember that he did that last night," said Nick, hoping to help the
two to settle the dispute.
"I know I done that last night, but this afternoon I done it too. I fall
into the ditch every night and beller; I do it on purpose to fool them
that are chasing me."
Nick found he could gain nothing; but he believed the sister was right
and the brother wrong, as afterward proved to be the case.
There were no more houses between his own home and the school building,
and Nick resumed his dog trot, never halting until he came in front of a
little whitewashed cottage just beyond the stone school-house.
The latter stood at the cross roads, and the cottage to the left was
where the teacher, Mr. Layton, an old bachelor, lived with his two
maiden sisters.
Mr. Layton, although strict to severity in the school-room, was a
kind-hearted man and was fond of the Ribsam children, for they were
bright, cheerful, and obedient, and never gave him any trouble, as did
some of his other pupils.
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