44. Study of a Poem
Reading edition
Our friend Tom, who wrote the bright letter we read a few days ago, was somewhat careless about putting his things in their proper places.
"I wonder where my cap is," he shouted one morning, just as it was time to hurry to school.
"Where did you put it?" his mother asked quietly.
"On the hook in the hall," answered Tom.
"Well," said his mother with a smile, "if you are sure you put it there, Mr. Nobody must have taken it away. Perhaps he threw it on a chair in the kitchen or on the table in the hall."
And there, to be sure, on a chair or table somewhere in the house, or even on the floor, the cap was found. Mr. Nobody had put it there.
On another day Tom was unable to find a story-book he had been reading.
"I'm sure I put it back in the bookcase," he said.
"Isn't it there now?" asked his mother.
"No!"
"Then Mr. Nobody must have been reading it," she answered. "He always forgets to put the books back where they belong. Perhaps he left it on the lounge, where you were reading last night."
And there, to be sure, in a corner of the lounge, was the lost book.
In Tom's house Mr. Nobody was always doing mischief. He was always mislaying Tom's things. He was always tearing his books, leaving doors ajar, and making finger marks on the doors. Now and then he spilled the ink on Tom's desk. He usually forgot to put Tom's boots where they belonged. He was so careless and forgetful that he got Tom into trouble nearly every day.
Does Mr. Nobody visit your house, too? If he does, you will understand the following poem about him:
MR. NOBODY
I know a funny little man, As quiet as a mouse, Who does the mischief that is done In everybody's house! There's no one ever sees his face, And yet we all agree That every plate we break was cracked By Mr. Nobody. 'Tis he who always tears our books, Who leaves the door ajar; He pulls the buttons from our shirts, And scatters pins afar; That squeaking door will always squeak For, prithee, don't you see, We leave the oiling to be done By Mr. Nobody. He puts damp wood upon the fire, That kettles cannot boil; His are the feet that bring in mud, And all the carpets soil. The papers always are mislaid, Who had them last but he? There's no one tosses them about But Mr. Nobody. The finger marks upon the door By none of us are made; We never leave the blinds unclosed, To let the curtains fade. The ink we never spill, the boots That lying round you see Are not our boots; they all belong To Mr. Nobody. Unknown
Oral Exercise. 1. Read the poem again in order to see which of the four stanzas you like best. Can you tell why? Look through the poem and tell all the things that Mr. Nobody does. Which of them has he done at your house?
2. Did you ever see Mr. Nobody at your house? Do you think you could catch sight of him if you looked in the mirror? Make believe that you did see him at your house. Tell your classmates exactly how he looked.[52]
Group Exercise. As each pupil gives the class a picture of Mr. Nobody the class will say whether this picture looks like the pupil speaking. Then the class will point out what they liked and what they did not like in that pupil's way of speaking. These questions will help in this work:
1. Did the pupil stand squarely on both feet, or was he so weak that he had to hold onto a chair or desk to keep from falling over?
2. Did he speak so clearly that every one in the class could understand him?
3. Did he make a stop at the end of every sentence and drop his voice there to show that the sentence was finished?
4. Did he use too many and's?