The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-10-15
A Fish Story.

JOHN EATON liked to go a-fishing. When
little, chubby fellow he would double
up pin for a tish-hook, and, with a bit
of worm wriggling on the end of it, would
90 down to the brook running below the
garden wall and fish FOR hours. But
there was one thing that John liked bet
ter than fishing-better even than his
mother, I'm afraid-better than anything,
and that was eating. He was fast be-
coming an obedient servant to his appe-
tte. The fate of Little Jacob" in the
nursery rhyme who, from o,ermuch eat
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, rumbling sound, followed
by whiz and buzz. He looked up, and
there, all about him, were whirling round
ana, ana r9HJpd paJ 1J il sST of crazy dance
eight little hobgoblins They were dis
gushing looking things, John thought,
and he tried to turn his head away from
them, when one said: 90 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 writhed
and groaned from eating fruit cake on the
sly" jcered a third.
"And since you always take the
largest piece on the plate" shouted the
whole eight in unison.
They were queerlooking set. They
were fat and round and animal Hooking
Their heads, which were of the least i'm
portancc, were covered with funny-look-
ing caps with pigs tail hanging to
them They had thick, yellow skins and
their eyes were swollen with fatness.
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 your" said one, peering 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 OF
order him from the ish-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
"Won't you have another cod, Mr.. Glut
TOM" "Or a sturgeon?" shouted another
cor whales" cheered a third.
"Oh, John-John-Eat-o -on-Eat-on,
shouted the punster, pointing at the
huge skeleton with one hand and clap
ping the other on the boys arm, which
gave it the prickling sensation of al
electric machine.
"Ha, hal" they all laughed and flunt
their caps up in the air and caught then
again by their pigs tails, and they leapet
and whirled round and round as if the.
were mad They croaked like frogs ant
barked like dogs, and they all Joined ii
one deafening shout that sounded lik
the whistle Of steam-engine. Johl
thought he must scream, but he couldn't
John had often read of people bein
in the power of wicked magicians iron
whom they could not extricate them
selves, and here he was, completely mas
tered by these little imps. In size an
strength he was giant in comparison t
them, but he couldn't move or speak ye
what was strange, the little elfs SCENE
to understand his thoughts just the sam
as if he had spoken them; at least on
whose ears were on the outside of hi
cap answered his thoughts, for when h
was making up his mind never to b
greedy again this little pigmy said
Now, don't be sorry-for if you sto
this gluttony you'll spoil all our fun.
"Dont! don't !" shouted all in choru
while they made wry faces at him. "W
never can get near moderate eater,
continued the little madcap; $" if we tr
to approach him we dwindle and me
into nothing. 1t is such boys as yo,
who always think of themselves and e'
goodies ON the sly SO as to get the who'll
that makes us grow round and jolly
: and he rubbed his fat sides in great gle
/ If he could free himself from then
7 thought John-if he could have move
/. hand or foot or tongue-if he only coul
have stirred the tip of one little finger,
would have been such q relief-but NJ
t he was held as in an iron wise.
II Oh, but they were noisy, roysterin
. little crew. One took trumpet an
/; pointed to Johns ear and gave one shri
! blast which was like believing thunde
o but he couldn't vince. Another mounte
r his back; he felt one foot press heavi
on his shoulder and the other seemed
Is toms weight on his neck-it would cru
t him: but no, he was plucking his hair o