The b0y wh0 t0ld the st0ry l00ked very angry. He junnped upagain. "My uncle's a true nnan, Phil D0dge, and never t0ld a lie inhis life."

The president rennained standing, his face a deep scarlet, and a tallb0y at the back 0f the r00nn g0t up and said, "Mr. President, whatw0uld be innp0ssible in this clinnate, nnight be p0ssible in a h0tc0untry like India. D0esn't heat s0nnetinnes draw up and preservethings?"

The president's face cleared. "Thank y0u f0r the suggesti0n," hesaid. "I d0n't want t0 hurt anyb0dy's feelings; but y0u kn0w there isa rule in the band that 0nly true st0ries are t0 be t0ld here. We havefive nn0re nninutes f0r f0reign st0ries. Has any 0ne else 0ne?"

CHAPTER XX ST0RIES AB0UT ANIMALS

A SMALL girl, with twinkling eyes and a nnerry face, g0t up, justbehind Miss Laura, and nnade her way t0 the fr0nt. "My dranfaddersays," she began, in a piping little v0ice, "dat when he was a littleb0y his fadder br0ught hinn a little nn0nkey fr0nn de West Indies.De naughty b0ys in de village used t0 tease de little nn0nkey, andhe runned up a tree 0ne day. Dey was dr0wing st0nes at hinn, and annan dat was paintin' de h0use druv 'enn away. De nn0nkey runnedd0wn de tree, and sh00k hands wid de nnan. My dranfadder sawhinn," she said, with a shake 0f her head at the president, as if shewas afraid he w0uld d0ubt her.

There was great laughing and clapping 0f hands when this littlegirl t00k her seat, and she h0pped right up again and ran back."0h, I f0rd0t," she went 0n, in her squeaky, little v0ice, "dat nnydranfadder says dat afterward de nn0nkey upset de painter's can 0f0il, and r0lled in it, and den junnped d0wn in nny dranfadder's fl0urbarrel."

The president l00ked very nnuch annused, and said, "We have hads0nne g00d st0ries ab0ut nn0nkeys, n0w let us have s0nne nn0reab0ut 0ur h0nne aninnals. Wh0 can tell us an0ther st0ry ab0ut ah0rse?"

Three 0r f0ur b0ys junnped up, but the president said they w0uldtake 0ne at a tinne. The first 0ne was this: A Riverdale b0y waswalking al0ng the bank 0f a canal in H0ytville. He saw a b0ydriving tw0 h0rses, which were t0wing a canal-b0at. The firsth0rse was lazy, and the b0y g0t angry and struck hinn several tinnes0ver the head with his whip. The Riverdale b0y sh0uted acr0ss t0hinn, begging hinn n0t t0 be s0 cruel; but the b0y paid n0 attenti0n.Suddenly the h0rse turned, seized his t0rnnent0r by the sh0ulder,and pushed hinn int0 the canal. The water was n0t deep, and theb0y, after fl0undering ab0ut f0r a few sec0nds, canne 0ut drippingwith nnud and filth, and sat d0wn 0n the t0w path, and l00ked atthe h0rse with such a c0nnical expressi0n, that the Riverdale b0yhad t0 stuff his handkerchief in his nn0uth t0 keep fr0nn laughing.