208 Old Bays on the Farm 



DULLNESS AT FIGUEES A SIGN OF GENIUS 



I was always dull at figures and I recall that my 

 dearest schoolboy friend was so afflicted. We were 

 indeed, far, far from being human adding ma- 

 chines. Some say it 's a sign of genius, but I never 

 knew a teacher who was willing to recognise that 

 theory as truth. Our teacher termed such a con- 

 dition, dullness or stupidity, and we two fre- 

 quently wore the "Dunce's Cap," a long, cornu- 

 copia-shaped affair with the word, *' Dunce," in 

 big black letters across the front. I knew a 

 farmer, in other days, who used to say, regarding 

 his son, that it was never safe to send him to town 

 with a load of wheat unless the price was an even 

 dollar. My chum and I were almost in that class 

 in so far as *'cipherin* " was concerned. And 

 I have to admit, too, that I have never gotten 

 over a faculty that developed in me in early life — 

 that of mutilating the English language without 

 hesitation. I believe there are many people so 

 afflicted. 



But what cared we for the ** Dunce's Cap"? 

 Cares sat lightly indeed, on our schoolboy brows. 

 All the troubles that infested our lesson hours 

 were forgotten when school was dismissed, and, 

 carefree, we cut all the capers and played the 

 games of happy childhood. 



In those good old school days the copy-book 

 head-lines were all written in by the teacher and, 

 in the very early days, with a quill pen. Beside 



