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 Tommy did carouse ! He wound fat Asia up in her own clothes line against the post , and left here there to fume and scold for half an hour one busy Monday morning . He dropped a hot cent down Mary Ann 's back as that pretty maid was waiting at table one day when there were gentlemen to dinner , whereat the poor girl upset the soup and rushed out of the room in dismay , leaving the family to think that she had gone mad . He fixed a pail of water up in a tree , with a bit of ribbon fastened to the handle , and when Daisy , attracted by the gay streamer , tried to pull it down , she got a douche bath that spoiled her clean frock and hurt her little feelings very much . He put rough white pebbles in the sugar-bowl when his grandmother came to tea , and the poor old lady wondered why they did n't melt in her cup , but was too polite to say anything . He passed around snuff in church so that five of the boys sneezed with such violence they had to go out . He dug paths in winter time , and then privately watered them so that people should tumble down . He drove poor Silas nearly wild by hanging his big boots in conspicuous places , for his feet were enormous , and he was very much ashamed of them . He persuaded confiding little Dolly to tie a thread to one of his loose teeth , and leave the string hanging from his mouth when he went to sleep , so that Tommy could pull it out without his feeling the dreaded operation .
But the tooth would n't come at the first tweak , and poor XXXXX woke up in great anguish of spirit , and lost all faith in Tommy from that day forth .
Billy Dolly Silas Ye hay-cutter hour misdeed morning scapegrace snuff