THE COUNTRY, BOY 47 



di-ew pictures and took music lessons, while 

 the other boys worked, and because Father was 

 so well educated and I was foot in the class and 

 still taller than the rest in the same class; but 

 they never took into account that regardless 

 of height we were of the same age. Finally 

 "Aunty" McMillan got up a musical concert 

 by her pupils, the proceeds to go to buy a new 

 organ for the church. She played the old 

 organ in the church ; she could do that, as it was 

 slow time and plain music. I was to play first 

 in the big musical. I came first on the program, 

 and there's where the error of her life was 

 made, as in coming to the Town Hall after 

 milking the cows I got the numbers that she 

 had put on my nails late in the afternoon wet, 

 and they had blurred and slipped, and I didn't 

 notice it until she led me out and seated me; 

 then she backed into the wings and spoke in 

 low tone, "Watch your nails carefully." It 

 was the first public appearance I ever made. 

 Naturally, a fellow gets a little rattled, and 

 when I looked at my hands, the numbers were 

 most all gone. She yelled, "Look at your 

 nails," so I finally said, "My numbers have 

 slipped," and the audience in general, and my 



