American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-10-31
A Fish Story.

A Fish Story.
JOHN EATON liked to 90 a-fishing When
a little, chubby fellow he would double
up IA pin for IA fish-hook, and, with Il bit
of worm wriggling on the end of it, would
| go down to the brook running below the
garden wall and fish FOR hours But
there was one thing that John liked bet
| ter than fshing-bettcr even than his
| mother, I'm afraid-better than anything,
| and that was eating. He WAS fast be-
! coming an obcdIcDt servant to his appc-
tite. The fate of "Little Jacob" in the
| nursery rhyme who, from overmuch cat
| ing, burst in two" which was often re-
peated to him by young sister, had little
| effect.
One day he had eaten big dinner A
sense of drowsiness followed, and the
| first intimation he had of company was a
| low, ringing, rumbliDg sound, followed
| by whiz and buzz. He looked up, and
there, all about him, were whirling round
and round, in sort of a crazy dance,
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
| eight little hobgoblins. They were dis
gushing looking things, John thought,
and he tried to turn his head away from
them, when one said: d" o no, now, don't
be airy; we are old friends. We have
been near you ever since you made your
self sick on sweetmeats."
And ate up whole pie" laughed
another.
"And since you doubled up and writhef
and groaned from eating fruit cake on the
sly" jeered third.
"And since you always take the
largest piece on the plate, shouted the
whole eight in unison.
They were a queer-looking set. They
were fat and round and animal looking
Their heads, which were of the least i'm
portance, were covered with funny-lOok-
ing caps with pigs tail hanging to
them. They had thick, yellow skins and
their eyes were swollen with fairness.
They wore leather belts round their
plump middles, and they had long,
grizzly boards, for they were very old;
indeed, their ancestors could be traced
as far back as the days of Deuteronomy.
"Ah, ha! Mr.. John; and SO you like
fish, do you?" said one, pcering over the
edge of the dish. Who recognizes the
face of this finny creature? In waters
fresh or salt lived he? Did the boy be-
guile him from the neigboring lake or
order him from the fish-market?"
One little dumpie with striped pants
and roundabout held up both hands in
utter surprise while he looked at the
size of its backbone, then, turning, said:
Wont you have another cod, Mr.. Glut-
TOM" 90 Or IA sturgeon?" shouted another;
"Or .whale?" cheered a third.
oh, -Eat-on-Eat-on,"
shouted the punster, pointing ut the
huge skeleton with one hand and clap
ping the other on the boys arm, which
gave it the prickling sensation of an
electric machine.
"Ha ha." they all laughed and flung
their caps up in the air and caught them
again by their pigs tails, and they leaped
and whirled round and round as if they
were mad. They croaked like frogs and
barked like dogs, and they all joined in
one deafening shout that sounded like
the whistle Of IA steam-engine- John
thought he must scream, but he couldn't.
John had often read of people being
in the power of wicked magicians from
whom they could not eXtricate them
selves, and here he was, completely mas
tered by these little imps. In size and
he was giant in comparison to
them, but he couldn't move or speak; yet,
what was strange, the little clfs seemed
to understand his thoughts just the same
as if he had spoken them; at least one
whose ears were on the outside of his
cap answered his thoughts, for when he
was making up his mind never to be
greedy again this little pigmy said,
q Now, don't be sorry-tor if you stop
this gluttony you'll spoil all our fun"
g Don't, don't r' shouted all in chorus
never can get near IA moderate eater"
continued the little madcap; " if we try
to approach him we dwindlc and melt
into nothing. 1t is such boys as you,
who always think of themselves and eat
goodies on the sly so as to get the whole,
that makes us grow round and jolly,
and he rubbed his fat sides in great glcc.
If he could free himself from them,
thought John-if he could have moved
hand or foot or tongue-if he only could
have stirred the tip of one little finger, it
would have been such relief-but no,
he was held as in an iron wise.
Oh, but they were a noisy, registering
little crew. One took ii trumpet and
pointed to Johns ear and gave one shrlll
blast which was like believing thunder,
but he couldn't vince. Another mounted
his back; he felt one foot press heavily
on his shoulder and the other seemed
tons weight on his neck-it would crush
him; but no, he was plucking his hair out
by the roots and he heard him say, " wen
make Il mattrass of this"
Two others with sledgc-hammers were
dealing heavy blows on his head. lie
heard his skull give way and his poor
head was becoming pomace. What
dreadful tortures he was suffering. Sure
Iy the end was nigh. He could never eat
another mince pie or Il jar of swcetmeats
or "A fruit cake or whole mackercl. lie
didn't breathe any more. Oh, but ne
must speak to his mother before he was
buried, \ fearful shrek rent the air and
his mother came running toward him,
saying, John, John, what is the matter?
really believe you have had the night
marcn'
"Nightmare!' gasped John, whose
strength was nearly spent, while great
beads of perspiration stood out on his
forehead "Where am l? Oh, dear!
where are they gomez" and he put his
prickling hand to his cropped head and
broken skull, and then, clutching his
mothers arm, said, Save, oh, save me
from gluttony" There was the skeleton
Of the fish still but it was no more real
to Johns waking eyes than the airy
COLLINS To his waking senses. Night
mare, nightmarer again groancd john
i. | think I'll not invest any more in that
stock" And he did not.-lt 6stGfH RHrdE.
CONNECTICUT has a marksman WHO
gave an exhibition of his skill at il fair
'cccntlv. He used an improved target
lille recurring neither cartridge, powder