Page:Behind the scenes, or, Thirty years a slave and four years in the White House.djvu/219

Rh never been made to go to school; consequently his book knowledge was very limited. I knew that his education had been neglected, but had no idea he was so deficient as the first lesson at Hyde Park proved him to be. Drawing a low chair to his mother's side, he opened his book, and began to slowly spell the first word, "A-p-e."

"Well, what does A-p-e spell?" "Monkey," was the instant rejoinder. The word was illustrated by a small wood-cut of an ape, which looked to Tad's eyes very much like a monkey; and his pronunciation was guided by the picture, and not by the sounds of the different letters. "Nonsense!" exclaimed his mother. "A-p-e does not spell monkey."

"Does spell monkey! Isn't that a monkey?" and Tad pointed triumphantly to the picture.

"No, it is not a monkey." "Not a monkey! what is it, then?"