Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-07-23
NO. 30.
How Tommy rrn, to Ch.r.n.

IL was Sunuay morning, Dut tnero was
an unheard-of commotlon in the usually
well-ordered household Of the Dobbses,
for dreadful thing had happened. Cinthy
Ann had lost her hairi that lovely hair for
which, but the day before she had given
her whole quarterly allowance of filly dol
lars. And now II was gonei She wrunR
her hands in despair Of course she could
not go 10 church-nobody ever went 10
church without hair
There was a council held In the hall. and
il was decided that burglars had been In
the house, and 1t would be wise to consult
the police. They would therefore send
Thomas (who was dressed for church in
his new trOwsers) in quest Of an officer;
but he was not "around," which was
strange, as II was his practice TO be around
when anything of an exciting nature was
transpiring; so, naturally, they began to
fear that he, Toe, had been victim; Jane
had dressed him up beautifully and seat
Cd him In the great new armchair, as
straight and uncomfortable as q brand
new pin, in brand new pin.cushion; but
he was certainly not there now, and It re-
mained an open question, whether he had
walked off OF his own accord, or had been
picked off for his peculiar slrAitness, and
cleanness, and newness. Just at this excl
ting crisis there was heard In the regions
of the nursery decided "squeak squeak
squeak!"
Then up rose the Dobbs family includ-
ing DR.. johnson, the dog, Mrs. Brown, the
cat; and the three small BIS and repaired
TO the nursery. Where, loi mounted up
on his clreeriug steed, sat the young Sir
Thomas, while floating out upon the breeze
was Cinthy AIMS magnificent tresS, in
gloriously tied 10 the wooden stump that
once had held tail!
There was general uproar and confu-
sion, and in the midst OF IL all, the aspir-
ing youth was carried away captive, and
soon to his deep modification, he found
himself shorn OF his manly habiliments,
and robed in the despised dresses of his
infancy for you must know that when
first the beloved pants came, dresses were
the ule, and the lovely trowsers the rare
exception, worn only on state occasions.
Then by and-by he was hired TO be q
good little girl for a whole day that he
might be a boy in the evening. Then,
finally, the trowsers grew TO be the rule,
and the dresses the exceptions, which
dresses were kept till such times as no
should be bad.
Poor Tommy they were the dread skel-
etons in his closet.
Well, he was left all alone in his disgrace
with Jane, while all the rest went off to
church; but Jane was not entertaining.
She read a story book and LEFT him to his
own devices, so he slipped out into the
| garden, but he did not care fig for the
pinks and poppies that day.
Presently, he discovered that by some
| unaccountable mistake the door OF the tool
room had been LEFT open. He went in,
There hung his fathers garden clothes,
and a iough-and- ready hat, two feet broad.
He put The hat on his head, then stepped
into the boots, put himself into the vest
and buttoned it all the way up, which ef-
feet ually covered the obnoxious dress-all
| but The sleeves. He then sat down to
mediate, with the large boots lying out
straight before him. He thought Of the
church and the great organ, and was sud-
| denly filled with an unspeakable longing
TO go and hear the big music.
Had you been in The streets of a certain
town on that Sunday morning, you might
have seen the phenomenon of hat and
boots slowly vending their way up TO the
church door; and had you looked closely,
| you might have seen two small hands
clinging 10 a strap of either boot, and al
ternately lining, to aid the feet that might
be supposed to occupy the inside.
Church was nearly out and the Dobbses
were calmly sitting in their pew, all un-
conscious Of what awaited them. Present.
| ly there was a strange 'clump! clumpI
clump!" in the aisle. A low litter swept
through the congregation. Everybody
looked around except the Dobbses, who
were well-bred people, and knew better.
The gray haired minister looked up and
forgot 10 preach, for there, standing at the
entrance of the Dobbses' pew was an anil
mated pair of boots with hat on top. Mrs
Dobbs took her eyes from the face Of the
minister and rested them for a moment on
this strange object, and then grew pale.
Mr.. Dobbs looked SHARPLY through his
eyeglasses, and said "Jupiterp loud
enough for the minister to hear. Then out
from under the hat there came voice.
~ coined for 10 hear de big moosic, pa,
and 1 won't nebber, nebber take Cinthy
AIMS hair for my hosses tail again, neb-
| ber!"
Cintby Ann grew purple in the face.
The pale mousiache of Dobbs, Jr., looked
paler than ever against the scarlet back
ground of his face. Mrs. d. grasped the
offending object, which wholly disappear
ed under her camels-hair shawl. The
gray haired minister Tecollected himself,
and very soon church was over.
How the young Thomas reached home
do not really know; but have heard
that when the Dobbs family was returning
from church, there we're seen 10 prOtrude
from under the maternal camel's-haIr two
very large boots with two very small hands
clinging 10 the straps thereof, as II In des-
peraton. - Work and Play.