Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-02-29
Tommv's Adventure.

You'll reach the star that leads your feet,
Nor find the fancy flown.
Tommv's Adventure.
Tommy was standing on cricket, by
the west window, fiattening his nose
against the pane, and making tracks
all over the glass with his tongue, when
grandma drove up with Dolly and the
red wagon. Dolly was the horse, and
she and grandma had come to take
Tommy out to the farm, in Pearsfeld,
you know, where his grandparents lived,
to stay two whole days. And he wasn't
going as baby with somebody to take
care of him, but as a young gentleman,
who could look out for himself
Nobody amt goin' wiv me-" he said
to Ellen, triumphantly. "I'm jes goin'
all myself, alone, men gamma"
It was the grandest thing that ever
was heard of, to go as far as father did,
kissing them all good-by, and perhaps
seeing his mother cry little:
If she felt ever 80 much like crying,
she could only cry with laughter, when
Tommy came down from the garret,
covered with cobwebs and dust, and pre-
sented himself in the parlor, dragging
an old blue umbrella and carpet-bag
bigger than himself.
"There, now, my fings are all ready"
said he.
Grandma laughed heartily, too; yet
she made no objection to the outfit of
the young traveller, but slowed the Rag
and umbrella into the wagon, while
Tommy was lifted into the seat, and
Dolly's head was turned toward Pears
field.
The journey was not long one, and
! only one thing worth mentioning hap
| a great clover field, just at the edge of
| the pine woods, when Tommy cried out :
ooh gamma, gamma, 1 see bear,
a-sittin' right up on the end of his tail"
Grandma looked where Tommy point
ed and Dolly stopped to look, too.
"Don't you see him?" cried Tommy.
"No."
"Put on your spectacles, then"
The spectacles were put on, and, after
long while, she saw what the young
eyes had espied SO quickly, an old wood
chuck sitting at his hole. just as Tom
my was proposing to capture him in the
carpet-bag, he whisked out of sight /;
and Dolly started off at brisk pace,
which she kept up without stopping
till she reached her own hitching-post
at grandpa's gate.
Grandpa himself was there to meet
them, and lifted the funny little boy
and his funny baggage out of the red
wagon. When he heard about the
bear, he told Tommy that there were
plenty of such bears in his fields, and
that perhaps they would go and catch
one after dinner.
"In the carpet-bag3" asked Tommy.
dyes"
"We must have the ''brelley to spear
him wiv."
"Of course"
Long before grandpa was ready to 60
Tommy was parading the yard, spearing
imaginary bears with his umbrella, and
putting them into his bag. He had just
caught fine large one, when he heard
loud rumble, and looking up saw 6
man run a large yellow stage out of the
barn on the other side of the street
Tommy ran to the fence, and squeezing
, his chubby face as far as possible through
!, the pickets, watched the man while h'
, washed the coach, creased the wheel
! one at time, then Lit his pipe and wen
. away. When he was quite out of sight
+; Tommy unlatched the gate and wen
over to the coach. Finding one of tn
> doors open, he climbed up the irol
! steps, tugging the bag and umbrell
after him, to try a short ride by stage
q standstill ride, of course. He playe
l. IuoSo nO Uoo papa SOAnS w w"
= then that the great hole under the sea
q was den full of bears, and then b
~ was a bear himself. He crawled int
the den. 1t was a funny place, wit
nice straw on the floor, and a long Gu
tain of leather in front. He lay vel
still, and softly growled to his max
is believe cubs to look out for that terrib
ID hunter, Tommy.
Is Now, you know that bears are Vel
m sleepy fellows, and it is not strange tn
~ this little wild animal by and by fe
le asleep in his little den.
IN Meantime grandma had looked out
Id the front door, and not seeing Tomn
IN grandpa; while grandpa himself h
forgotten the young bear hunter ali
gether, and had gone to the field alor
ng harnessed his four horses to the Goa
to and drove away. He stopped at t
as store to get the mail bag and take
Is man with baby, an Irish servant gi
us a stiff old gentleman with a gold-head
Nv. started for Byetown, twelve miles aw
al When he awoke he couldn't
ar where he was, and wondered what 4As
he his bed rock and bounce so. Then
IS. heard the people talking right over
,ss head. He peeped under the leatl
curtain and saw several pairs of sho
Too frightened to knew what he
on he lifted the curtain and gave c
desperate sprin@ thrusting his Gu