The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-04-29
Miserllanp.
Surprj>iu. Adventures of Master
Charles Summerl0n.
BY BRET HARTE.

Summertop. aged five years, disappeared mys-
teriously from his residence on Folsom street,
San Francisco. At twenty five minutes past
nine he had been observed by the butcher
amusing himself going through that popular
youthful exercise known as turning the crab,'
a feat in which he was singularly proficient.
AT court OF inquiry summary held IN the
back parlor at 1915, Bridget cook, deposed
to have detected him, at twenty minutes past
nine, in the fclonicus abStractionpt sugar from
the pantry, which, by the same token, had she
known what was a-comln. she q nave never
preyinted. Pa;sev. shrll-voiced youth from
neighboring alley, testified to having seen
"Chowlev," at halfpast nine. in trent Of the
butchers shop round the corner, but as this
young gentleman chose to throw out the graf
uitous belief that the missing child had been
converted into sausages by the butcher, his
testimony was received with some caution by
the female portion of the court, and with
downright scorn and contempt by the mascu-
line members. But whatever might have been
the hour of his departure, it was certain that
from ten and half A. NJ. until nine p. NJ, when
he was brought home 10y policeman, Charles
Summerton was missing. Being naturally of
a reticent disposition he has since resisted
with one exception, any attempt to wrest from
him a statement of his whereabouts during
that perIord That exception has been my
SELF He has reclted to me the following in
the strictest confidence:
His intention on leaving the doorsteps of his
dwelling was to proceed without delay to Van
Dieman's Land 10y way of Second and Market
streets. This project was subsequently modi
fed so far as to permit visit to Otaheitc,
where Captain Cook was killed. The outfit
for his voyage consisted of two car tickets,
five cents in silver a fishing line, the brass
Gaping of a spool et cotton, which, in his eyes,
bore more resemblance to metallic currency,
and Sunday School library ticket. His gar
ments, admirably adapted to the eXigencics of
any climate, were severally a straw hat with Il
pink ribbon, striped shirt, over which pair
of trousers, uncommonly wide in comparison
to Their length, were buttoned, striped bamo
raj stockings, which gave his youthful legs
something the appearance of winter-green
candy, and copper-toed shoes with iron heels,
capable of striking fire from any fiagstonc.
This latter quality, Master Charley could not
help feeling. would be of Infinite service to
him in the wilds Of Van Dlemans Land, which,
as pictorialy represented in his geography,
seemed to be deficient in corner groceries and
matches
Exactly as the clock struck the half hour
C 'A '''" nav VI -',"','i o""i '0'
~ E"'''i'' VIZ. ,V'e"PPc"iIo "ioui'' 'ne corner
AI IAN i"p'".y' P"i'iy ny way vi inurilS i'i'l-
self to the tatigues OF the journey before HIM,
and partly by way Of testing his speed with
y. . I"' "hioh was plocec"-
my ''"' III. ., 'ion iso conductor hot ocinS
aware OF this generous and lofty emulation,
and being somewhat concerned at the specta-
Gle OF a pair Of short, twinkng legs SO far in
S.ntp0I AZ , 0.'' anu generously ASSIST
INV Wv S"u.''., Sui''thoi'oh upo" thc P'a'
i,, > .; ''i'o po':'. ., '''''|S Vi scNela
.;. - 'i"''o' C""'i oH i'ai
u.n,o,,. ".'uot '"o '".P'.ss''n ','ht NC
l., ""t 'p' "','s MS wv ,'.Ne's' uu' ''a'
Nv n'.'.''1 Iuen.iy ihuco'ou 10 'he COM
pams l!' seNe.ai ''''S " ana IRON, inc opposite
''''' ""' t"'' az I"e'' 'Ieo'"'ey REFUSING "
80 ,u"! 'NP''"'''u' VI ms c"'','"c'' "c was
mo-! 'JO',U"' '""O" W Ills ne''ei' On s'ree'
-r,,. ,'.'S,'' rs nc 'li'o'h's us nc 'e''
p1i''o's sI,iS'i "'." .'e arrangement nc
NN,5 aSar CIV, "uuo. .'o 'iloun's'anoes' "
t''.' ~: I"u'u''ui al oPP'ootious APP
""i'n' "o nav "ele''ai''e iio" AZ
$500, 'io , '!in III sum e'iic Se"c'cs
".'u l'''0''o Pe'"'''''1 eN"Spei"''hS pro-
,
Nv" "Pp' o"cn 'hiii'liS Pa,' Vi inc
D,'oie ""Ic'' ,''"s' " '''e adventures
" Wv nv" nv! OWN nooh P"'c lh'o iisiShiiI
.r'TC in'ie "'c "''les "he, Tue reCol'cctlon
y. s','' a"'.'''"'o causes IhaS'et 'haries 'o
uio"N ou' ih'o d co'o' sweat ana nc mas seVera
,4i'''' '''i'c i's OCCURRENCE pcch "Wakeheo py
i Ni'',i'''S anu o'''iics III t"c nlSh' season
9 i'.' "ca'h'"S Vi 1t. oh 'le corner o.
' ''oo' LAY scNeI"' t"ipty sugar hoSsheauS