The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-07-01
Toms Deluge.

ONCE there was a troublesome boy,
named Tom, who was always in mischief.
Not only that, but you never knew where
to have him, for he was an original youth
and broke out constantly in unexpected
places. He put the cat in walnut-shell
boots and painted her pink and green in
stripes. He took the wheels out of the
parlor clock to make penny spinncrs,'
and even that was not the worst thing he
did.
One day his mamma and grown-up Sis
ters went out, and Master Tom was left all
alone in his glory. They didn't often
commit such an oversight, since there was
no telling what might happen before they
to do nothing more than to sit on the cover
of the sewing-machine, drawing horses all
over the fy-leaves Of his sisters favorite
copy of Tennyson. All at once a bright
idea struck him. He slapped down the
book and jumped off the sewing machine,
exclaiming: "GOod! / know what I'll
do! | mean to set the water running in
the bath-tub and play with my Noah's
arkr'
Thereupon Master Tom jerked open the
drawer where his toys were kept, ierked
out the ark, cramming in several stray an
imals that were kicking up their heels in
various corners, and scampered down to
the bathroom, talking to himself all the
while.
"Now, then, I must turn on both faucets
so as to hurry up the water as fast as pos
sible Goody! How deep it is getting!
Make haste, Noah; don't stop to count
the grasshoppers, but pie into your old
ark and shut the door quick! There-now
you're off:-but it ought to be raining-if
you're Noah in the ark. Oho I'll start
the shower-bath going.' and presently a
highly-respectable shower was pattering
and rattling down, while Tom jumped up
and down in perfect ecstacy of delight
All at once the front door-be rang.
81 wonder who that is?" thought Tom.
He listened.
"Oh, there's Uncle George" he cried ;
"Im going down to see him this minute" :"
and, forgetting all about poor Noah, away
he scampered, slamming the bathroom
door behind him, and leaving the water
still running.
His uncle, with whom he was a great
favorite, was waiting in the hall.
"Well, young monkey he said, as
Toms curly head appeared at the top of
the stairs, "do you want to take drive
to the park with me:'
"Oh, don't 1, thought cried Tom.
PLEASE may l drive the btchles" by
which he meant being allowed to hold
the reins where they were buckled to-.
gether -., ..
Eyes; just as you like--only hurry. l
don't want to keep the horse standing.
Away flew Tom, but only to appear
again in two minutes, and to scramble
into the buggy like lamp-lighter, when
off they went. Meantime the water was
rising higher and higher in the bath-tub,
and presently brimmed over and began to
trickle slowly upon the floor. 1t ought to
have passed off through the top-drain, but
unluckily the day before Master Tom. had
amused himself by plugging up the little
holes. Soon slow but steady stream was
creeping under the door, and making lit
tie alternate puddles and waterfalls down
the front stairs. And still nobody came
home.
After about an hour of this, John, the
black waiter, came into the dining groom to
lay the table for dinner. He was just
standing by the side board arranging an
elegant pyramid of fruit in a glass dish,
when crash, bangl down fell big, square
yards Of plaster on top of his poor pate,
and knocked him fiat upon the floor. The
water had gradually soaked through the
boards, and plaster ceilings will melt, you
know, If not quite as easily as sugar, yet