St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-12-17
TOMMY McPHELAN, PEDLER AND
SOLDIER.

OVUO1n
Some years ago a nephew Of mine,
named Philip Stuart, spent summer
with me at Hollygrove. He was a
bright happy lad Of nine years, full Of
merry pranks and harmless roguery:-
He brought me q letter from his moth
er containing numerous directions re-
spccting his diet ana dress, his outgo-
ings and incomings; but after a thor
ough inspection of him, I decided to
give him the larges: allowable liberty,
and to depend upon ap abundance Of
exercise in the fresh air for keeping
bim up to his ordinary standard Of
health.
For three days nothing unusual oc-
Cured; then my cake began to disap-
pear in an amazing manner. Cookies,
ginger-crackers, biscuit, fruit-cake
pound.cake, vanished like the dew,
leaving ne trace behind them. "What
astonishing appctites children do have" "
said to myself: 81 have always heard
so and now I know it,"
BY. and by / discovered that tho
frosted sheets went trst, aud ceased
to adorn my loavcs; wbereupon my
rogue confided to Bridget his regrets
that Auntie had grown SO careful of
her sugar. This system of pillage has-
ing become annoying from the fact
that I never could tell when 1 invited
a caller to stay to tea, whether I could
fill my cake basket, 1 baked small frui,
pies for my little man: gained moth.
ipg by this. Indeed, | lost instead
for.now both pies and cakes travelled
together. Then l bought an extra
quantity of fruit with similar result
| demonstrated with Phil, but he only
lifted his arch, sunny face, and asked
care you sure that I am the thief
Auntie ?" and I, miserably weak
|yieIdcd at once, and thought that if hi
wanted daintics, why then dainties HI
should have. To be sure, I was rack
ed with fears. First, I imagined hi
appetite would fail at meals; but HI
went steadily through with the courses
and invariably desired little more pud
dug at dinner, and second piece o
cake at tea. Next, I 1ancied he woult
sleep i'll, and cry out, terrified will
dreams. Nothing of the kind occurred
and in my many trips to his little bed
l found his skin cool and moist, hi
pulse steady, and his breathing regula
and soft: Finally, was haunted by
sudden sickness but the merry lausl
continued, and the neighbors said
"IIow lucky you are with that child =
:' There was another mystery connect
I'd with Philip. He never had a cen
Of money. Five and ten cent pieces
to say nothing: Of coppcrs, were COZ
stantly finding their way to his pocket
but neither his uncle nor I ever sa,
them come out. Could he be hoardin
!. them p; l. examined his trunk, hi
> draws, his tiny writing-case, in vai1
= and then settled down to the beliefths
Of all the marvels Of creation the. bo
, was, doubtless, tho greatest. H.. r
''' Several weeks went by in =. this wa!
r when as I was hunting in tho outskirt
. Of the village for a delinquent washe
. woman, ] saw Tommy McPhelan wit
~ a tray of pies, cake: and fruit. Tomm
was twelve Or thereabouts, with roun
:. dumpy head and face that smiled q
! oyer on the slightest provocatioun:: H
trow,ers' Is; wrere 4; 'frinyed i'd every dire
!: ton with tn, edges Of gaping rents, !
= vas minus a shirt, and his spence
n matched bis t,rtovserss 10 i point, but !
= was we'll lll'',u washed, and his hair VI
brushed until it.stee,miIeed turning to 60
}. !. in:tlhee lh 'sunbeamns.. ~ Hi, tray va, cove
N ed With grape leaves instead of'a DE-
,Ikin, and the: articles we're protects