"If your boy hasn't any checkers I'll give him half of mine," I added with a gulp. With an elaborate flourish the General drew out a stiffly starched pocket handkerchief and blew his nose. "That's a handsome offer and I'll repeat it without fail," he said. Then he shook hands again and marched down the hill with his gold-headed stick tapping the ground. "Now you'll come and trot home, I reckon," said President, when he had disappeared. But the spirit of revolt had lifted its head within me, for through a cleft in the future, I saw myself already as the president of the Great South Midland and Atlantic Railroad, with a jingling bunch of seals and a gold-headed stick. "I ain't goin' that way," I said, "I'm goin' home by the old Adams house where the little girl lives." "No, you ain't either. I'll tell ma on you." "I don't care. If you don't take me home by the old Adams house, you'll have to carry me every step of the way, an' I'll make myself heavy." For a long minute President wrinkled his brows and thought hard in silence. Then an idea appeared to penetrate his slow mind, and he grasped me by the shoulder and shook me until I begged him to stop. "If I take you home that way will you promise to sham sick to-morrow, so I shan't have to bring you out?" The price was high, but swallowing my disappointment I met it squarely. "I will if you'll lift me an' let me look over the wall." "Hope you may die?" "Hope I may die." "Wall, it ain't anything to see but jest a house," remarked President, as I held out my hand, "an' girls ain't worth the lookin' at." "She called me common," I said, soberly. "Oh, shucks!" retorted President, with fine scorn, and we said no more. Clinging tightly to his hand I trudged the short blocks in silence. As I was little, and he was very large for his years, it was with difficulty that I kept pace with him; but by taking two quick steps to his single slow one, I managed to cover the same distance in almost the same number of minutes. He was a tall, overgrown boy, very fat for his age, with a foolish, large-featured face which continued to look sheepishly amiable even when he got into a temper. "Is it far, President?" I enquired at last between panting breaths.