A Diller, a Dollar

Late Again - But Who Cares? 

This lovely watercolor illustration conveys a feeling of pastoral innocence in a young boy who is late for school. The teacher is dressed in high Victorian style; and, though she is prim and proper, she seems to be trying to contain a giggle as the other school children look on. The young scholar is a country boy with rolled-up pant legs, bare feet and a bandaged toe,and hair in need of cutting. He is embarrassed and properly chastised, but one feels that he is just an absentminded boy who was probably easily distracted on his way to school. He holds a slingshot behind his back and a butterfly flutters over his head, connoting his rather dreamy boyhood. Most of the other children in the class appear better dressed than the young scholar, and it is possible that he is late because he had some farm chores to finish before coming to school. The accompanying music is also quite sweet and conveys nothing of displeasure in the boy’s lateness.