The woods have been greatly mutilated
in which they used to loiter on the way to school and gather
crinkle-root to eat with their lunches,--though they usually ate
it all up before lunch-time came, he said. In one of his books
Mr. Burroughs speaks of a schoolmate who, when dying, said, "I must
hurry, I have a long way to go over a hill and through a wood, and
it is getting dark." This was his brother Wilson, and he doubtless
had in mind this very course they used to take in going to school.
This school (where Jay Gould was his playmate) he attended only
until he was twelve years of age. A rather curious reciprocal help
these two lads gave each other--especially curious in the light of
their subsequent careers as writer and financier. The boy John
Burroughs was one day feeling very uncomfortable because he could
not furnish a composition required of him. Eight lines only were
sufficient if the task was completed on time, but the time was up
and no line was written. This meant being kept after school to
write twelve lines. In this extremity. Jay Gould came to his
rescue with the following doggerel:--
"Time is flying past,
Night is coming fast,
I, minus two, as you all know,
But what is more
I must hand o'er
Twelve lines by night,
Or stay and write.
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