noon
The Committee employed him , not because he was a superior teacher , but they could get him for twelve dollars a month , while Mr. Rudiment , who had been through college , and who was known to be an excellent instructor , asked sixteen . There was a crowd of roistering boys and rosy-cheeked girls , who made the old school-house hum like a beehive . Very pleasant to the passers-by was the music of their voices . At recess and at noon they had leap-frog and tag . Paul was in a class with Philip Funk , Hans Middlekauf , and Michael Murphy . There were other boys and girls of all nationalities . Paul 's ancestors were from Connecticut , while Philip 's father was a Virginian .