He bragged a good deal about what he could do , but seldom did any thing to prove it , was not brave , and a little given to tale-telling . He was apt to bully the small boys , and flatter the big ones , and without being at all bad , was just the sort of fellow who could very easily be led astray . George Cole had been spoilt by an over-indulgent mother , who stuffed him with sweetmeats till he was sick , and then thought him too delicate to study , so that at twelve years old , he was a pale , puffy boy , dull , fretful , and lazy . A friend persuaded her to send him to Plumfield , and there he soon got waked up , for sweet things were seldom allowed , much exercise required , and study made so pleasant , that Stuffy was gently lured along , till he quite amazed his anxious mamma by his improvement , and convinced her that there was really something remarkable in Plumfield air . Billy Ward was what the Scotch tenderly call an `` innocent , '' for though thirteen years old , he was like a child of six . He had been an unusually intelligent boy , and his father had hurried him on too fast , giving him all sorts of hard lessons , keeping at his books six hours a day , and expecting him to absorb knowledge as a Strasburg goose does the food crammed down its throat . He thought he was doing his duty , but he nearly killed the boy , for a fever gave the poor child a sad holiday , and when he recovered , the overtasked brain gave out , and Billy 's mind was like a slate over which a sponge has passed , leaving it blank . It was a terrible lesson to his ambitious father ; he could not bear the sight of his promising child , changed to a feeble idiot , and he sent him away to Plumfield , scarcely hoping that he could be helped , but sure that he would be kindly treated . Quite docile and harmless was Billy , and it was pitiful to see how hard he tried to learn , as if groping dimly after the lost knowledge which had cost him so much . Day after day , he pored over the alphabet , proudly said A and B , and thought that he knew them , but on the morrow they were gone , and all the work was to be done over again . Mr. Bhaer had infinite patience with him , and kept on in spite of the apparent hopelessness of the task , not caring for book lessons , but trying gently to clear away the mists from the darkened mind , and give it back intelligence enough to make the boy less a burden and an affliction . Mrs. Bhaer strengthened his health by every aid she could invent , and the boys all pitied and were kind to him . He did not like their active plays , but would sit for hours watching the doves , would dig holes for Teddy till even that ardent grubber was satisfied , or follow Silas , the man , from place to place seeing him work , for honest Si was very good to him , and though he forgot his letters Billy remembered friendly faces . Tommy Bangs was the scapegrace of the school , and the most trying scapegrace that ever lived . As full of mischief as a monkey , yet so good-hearted that one could not help forgiving his tricks ; so scatter-brained that words went by him like the wind , yet so penitent for every misdeed , that it was impossible to keep sober when he vowed tremendous vows of reformation , or proposed all sorts of queer punishments to be inflicted upon himself . Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer lived in a state of preparation for any mishap , from the breaking of Tommy 's own neck , to the blowing up of the entire family with gunpowder ; and Nursey had a particular drawer in which she kept bandages , plasters , and salves for his especial use , for Tommy was always being brought in half dead ; but nothing ever killed him , and he arose from every downfall with redoubled vigor . The first day he came , he chopped the top off one finger in the hay-cutter , and during the week , fell from the shed roof , was chased by an angry hen who tried to pick his out because he examined her chickens , got run away with , and had his ears boxed violent by Asia , who caught him luxuriously skimming a pan of cream with half a stolen pie . Undaunted , however , by any failures or rebuffs , this indomitable youth went on amusing himself with all sorts of tricks till no one felt safe . If he did not know his lessons , he always had some droll excuse to offer , and as he was usually clever at his books , and as bright as a button in composing answers when he did not know them , he go on pretty well at school . But out of school , Ye gods and little fishes !
how XXXXX did carouse !
Bangs Billy Nursey Strasburg Tommy grubber hours misdeed old sweetmeats