Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-09
The Minnows with Silver Tails.
4 STORY TOLD TO A CHEtD.
BY JEAN INGELOW.


| [Concluded.I
| As he said this the small man STONED and
| looked very earnestly in the stream. Drin.
| drip, drip, went the water over little fall in
| the stones and wetted the water-cresses till
| they shone in light, while the leaves auttered
| overhead and chequered the moss with glitter
| ing spots Of sunshine Tom watched the small
man with earnest attention as he turned over
the leaves Of the crosses. At last he saw him
snatch something, which looked like fish, out
OF the water, and put 1t in his pocket
''It's my belief, Tom" he said, resuming
| the conversation that you have been puzzling
your head with what people call Political
| Economy
Never heard of such n thing" said Tom,
But I've been thinking that don't see WHY
IN to work any more than those that employ
me-
"Why, you see, Tom, you must have money.
NO" 1t seems to me that there are but four
| ways OF getting money. There is stealing--D
(Which don't suit me-" interrupted Tom,
Very good. Then there is borrowings
(Which ! don't want to do
And there's begging
No, thank YOU, said Tom, stoutly.
And there giving moneys worth for the
money; that is to say, worse, labor
"N our words are as fine as a Sermon" said
Tom.
But look here, Tom proceeded the man
in green, drawing his hand out of his pocket,
showing a little dripping fish in his palm,
what do you call this?'
II call it a very small minnow," said Tom.
And do you see anything particular about
its tail p
at looks uncommon bright" answered
Tom, stopping to look at it.
sit does" said the man in green, land now
III tell you a secret, for I'm resolved to be
your friend. Every minnow in this stream
they are very scarce, mind yOu-but every one
Of them has silver tail. "
you don't say So" exclaimed Tom,
opening his eyes very wide, Fishing for
mlnnows and being ones own master, would
| be great deal pleasanter than the sort of life
| I've been leading this many day"
| "Wel, keep the secret as to where you get
them, and much good may it do you" said
! the man in green. Farewell, | wish you Joy
| of your freedom" So saying, he walked
| away, leaving Tom on the brink of the stream
| full of joy and pride. He went to his master
| and told him that he had an opportunity for
| 6cterjHg himself, and rose with the dawn, and
| went to work TO search for minnows. But of
| all the minnows in the world never We're any
| so uimble as those with silver tails They
were very shy, too, and had as many turns
| and douhlets as q hare; what Il life they led
| miles; then, Just as be thought his chase was
| at an end, and he was sure of them they would
| leap quite out Of the water and dart down the
| stream again like little silver arrows. Miles
AID miles he went, tired and wet and hungry
lie came home late ia the evening, completely
| wcaried and lootsore, with only three minnows
| in his pockets, each with d silver tail.
But, at any rate, he said to himself, as he
lay down in his bed, though they lead me
| pretty life, and have to work harder chan
| ever, yet l certainly am Tree; no man can
order me about now.
Thus went on a whole week; he worked very
hard: but on Saturday afternoon he had caught
! only fourteen minnows.
lift WASH for the pride of the thing" he
| said to himself I'D have no more to do with
fishing for mjnnOws. This is the hardest work
ever dld. / am quite slave to them. :
| rush up and down, | dodge IN and out, splash
myself and fret myself. and broll myself in the
| sun, and all for the sake Of dumb thing, that
| gets the better of me with wag of its fins.
| But it S no use standing here talking; | must
set OIL to the town and sell them, or Sally
twill wonder why | don't bring her the weeks
money So he walked to the town, and
| offered his fish for sale as great curiosities~
VERY pretty" said the first people he
| showed them to- but they never bought any
| thing that was not useful
| ''Were they good to eaty asked the woman
| at the next house. No! Then they would
| not have them
Much too dear, sad a third
| And not so very curious" said fourth;
''but they hoped he had come by them
| honestly
At the fifth house they said, 20! poohp
| when he exhibited them. mo, no, they
were not quite so silly as to believe there were
fish in the world with silver tails if there had
| been, they should have often heard of them
| BEFORE
At the sixth house they were such very
| long time turning over his fish, plucking their
| tails, bargaining and discussing them, that he
| ventured to demonstrate, and request that they
| would make some haste. Thereupon they
| said # he did not choose to wait their pleasure
| they would not purchase at all. So they shut
the door upon him, and as this reused his
temper, he spoke rather roughly at the next
| TWO houses, and was dismissed at once as q
| very rude, unciyil person.
But after all his fish were really great
| curosities; and when he had exhibited them
/ all over the town, set them out in all lights,
| praised their PROJECTIONS, and taken immense
| pains to conceal his Impotence and i'll temper,
| he at length contriYed to sell them all, and got
! exactly fourteen shillings for them, and no
| more.
| Now, I'll tell you what, Tom Turner he
said, to himself in my opinion, you've been
making a great fool Of yourself, and only
| hope Sally won't find it out. You were tired
! OF being a working man, and that man in green
| has cheated you into doing the hardest week 3
| work you ever did in your life, by making you
| believe it was more tree-like and easier,
| Well, you said you didn' mind it, because you
said you had no master; but I've found out
| his afternoon, Tom, and l don't mind your
| lnowing it, that every one of those customers
| Jtyours was your master just the same Whyl
| you were at the beck Of every man. woman,
! and child that came near yOu-obliged to be
| N good temper, too, which was very ag-
| ,rayating.
"Look Iom,' said the man in green, start
| lg up in his path; Il knew you were man
| Of sense; look you, your re all working men,
nd you must all please your customers Your
| taster was your customer; WhaI ne bought OF
gu was YOUR work. Well, you must let the
| -orl, he sucb as will please the customer"
..AII working men? how do you make that
.,Dt2'' said Tom, chinking the fourteen Shillings
IN his hand. us my master a working man I?
/ and has he gotamaster OF his own? Nonsense!"
mo nonsense at all,-he works with his
head keeps his books, and manages his great
sorks. He has many masters, else why was
| ne nearly ruined last yearY'
HE was nearly ruined because he made
some new,iangled kind of patterns at his
orks, and people would not buy them" said
ON. ''Well in a way OF speaking, then, he
.orks to please his masters, poor fellow He
,s, as one may say, te!low-servant, and
plagued with very awkward masters. So l
should not mind his being my master, and l
think I'll go and tell him So
| II would Tom said the man in green
Tell him YOU have not been able to better
yourself and you have no objection now to dig
up the asparagus bed. "
So Tom trudged home to his wife, gave her
the money he had earned, got his old master
to take him back, and kept profound secret
his adventures with the. man in green, and the
fish with silver tails