TALKS WITH A KID BROTHER
Under the circumstances you might think she would blame it upon his "evil companions" who brought him home, and who stayed to help her. But she did not. She just stood there stunned and broken-hearted and kept saying, as she fanned him, "Why, he's the pride and ambition of the family—the pride and ambition of the family," and all that, and told them how she had always trusted her boy—and all that. It was a ghastly scene and they only perspired worse than the drunken man, and made no reply. Perhaps they were thinking
Why, what's the matter, Dick? Am I taking too much of your time? You want to speak to me about something? Well, fire away; it's your turn now. Won a prize—and you want to break it gently? No? What is it, then? Anything to do with that cigarette you're tearing to bits?
What?… So that's it!… Go on.… Out with it.… And you took too much.… Summoned before the faculty this afternoon, eh?… And they are to give you their decision to-morrow … um.
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