First word I knew was lion , 'cause I was always goin ' to see old Jubal in his cage . Father was real proud when I read it right off . I can draw one , too . '' Ben proceeded to depict an animal intended to represent his lost friend ; but Jubal would not have recognized his portrait , since it looked much more like Sancho than the king of the forest . The children admired it immensely , however , and Ben gave them a lesson in natural history which was so interesting that it kept them busy and happy till bedtime ; for the boy described what he had seen in such lively language , and illustrated in such a droll way , it was no wonder they were charmed . CHAPTER VII NEW FRIENDS TROT IN Next day Ben ran off to his work with Quackenbos 's `` Elementary History of the United States '' in his pocket , and the Squire 's cows had ample time to breakfast on way-side grass before they were put into their pasture . Even then the pleasant lesson was not ended , for Ben had an errand to town ; and all the way he read busily , tumbling over the hard words , and leaving bits which he did not understand to be explained at night by Bab . At `` The First Settlements '' he had to stop , for the schoolhouse was reached , and the book must be returned . The maple-tree closet was easily found , and a little surprise hidden under the flat stone ; for Ben paid two sticks of red and white candy for the privilege of taking books from the new library . When recess came , great was the rejoicing of the children over their unexpected treat , for Mrs. Moss had few pennies to spare for sweets , and , somehow , this candy tasted particularly nice , bought out of grateful Ben 's solitary dime . The little girls shared their goodies with their favorite mates , but said nothing about the new arrangement , fearing it would be spoilt if generally known . They told their mother , however , and she gave them leave to lend their books and encourage Ben to love learning all they could . She also proposed that they should drop patch-work , and help her make some blue shirts for Ben . Mrs. Barton had given her the materials , and she thought it would be an excellent lesson in needle-work as well as a useful gift to Ben , -- who , boy-like , never troubled himself as to what he should wear when his one suit of clothes gave out . Wednesday afternoon was the sewing time ; so the two little B 's worked busily at a pair of shirt-sleeves , sitting on their bench in the doorway , while the rusty needles creaked in and out , and the childish voices sang school-songs , with frequent stoppages for lively chatter . For a week , Ben worked away bravely , and never shirked nor complained , although Pat put many a hard or disagreeable job upon him , and chores grew more and more distasteful . His only comfort was the knowledge that Mrs. Moss and the Squire were satisfied with him ; his only pleasure the lessons he learned while driving the cows , and recited in the evening when the three children met under the lilacs to `` play school . '' He had no thought of studying when he began , and hardly knew that he was doing it as he pored over the different books he took from the library . But the little girls tried him with all they Possessed , and he was mortified to find how ignorant he was . He never owned it in words , but gladly accepted all the bits of knowledge they offered from their small store ; getting Betty to hear him spell `` just for fun ; '' agreeing to draw Bab all the bears and tigers she wanted if she would show him how to do sums on the flags , and often beguiled his lonely labors by trying to chant the multiplication table as they did .
When Tuesday night came round , the Squire paid him a dollar , said he was `` a likely boy , '' and might stay another XXXXX if he chose .
Betty First Moss Sancho States VII needle-work school-songs shirt-sleeves week