Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-07-28
Toms Happy Hot Sunday.

The minister gave out his text, and dron-
cd along monotouously through an argument
which was so prosy that many head, by
and by, began to nod, and yet it was an ar.
gumsnt that dealt in limitless FIRE and brim-
stone, and thuned the predestined elect
down to q company so small as to be hardly
worth the saving. Tom counted the pages Of
the sermon; after church he always knew
how many pages there had been, but he sci.
dom knew anything else about the discourse.
However, this time he was really interested
for little while. The minister made a
grand and moving picture of the assembling
together Of the worlds hosts at the mllen.
mum, when the lion and the lamb should lie
down together, and little child should lead
them. But the pathos, the lesson, the moral
OF the great spectacle were lost upon the boy;
he only thought of the oonspicuousuess Of
the principal character before the Unlocking
nations; his face lit up with the thought,
aud he said to himself he wished he could be
that child, if it was to tame lion.
Now he lapsed into suffering again as the
dry argument was resumed. He bethought
himself OF treasure he had, and got it out.
1t was large black beetle with formidable
jaws, "pinchbug" he called it. 1t was IN
percussion-cap box. The first thing the
beetle did was to take him by the finger
A natural FLIP followed, the beetle went
houndering into the aisle, aud lit on its back
aud the hurt finger went into the boys mouth.
The beetle lay there working its helpless legs,
unable to turn over. Tom eyed it, and
louged for it, but it was safe out of his reach.
Other people, uninterested in the sermon,
found relief in the beetle, and they eyed it,
too.
Presently a vagrant poodle dog came
idling along, sad at heart, lazy with the sum.
mer sottness aud the quiet, weary of captiv-
ity, signing for change. He spied the bee.
tie; the dropping tail lifted aud wagged.
lie surveyed the prize; walked arc und it;
smelt of it from safe distance; walked
around it again; grew holder, and took
closer smell then lifted his lip, aud made
gingerly snatch at it, just missing it; made
another and another; began to enjoy the
diversion; subsidized to his stomach with the
beetle between his paws, and continued his
experiments; grew weary at last, and then
indifferent and absent.minded. His head
nodded, and little by little his chin descended
aud touched the enemy, who seized it.
There was u sharp yelp, flirt of the poo
dies head, aud the beetle fell couple of
yards away, and lit on its back once more.
The neighboring spectators shook with gen.
tie inward joy, several face went behin fans
and handkerchiefs, aud Tom was entirely
happy. The dog looked foolish, and prob.
ably felt 80 but there was resentment in
his heart, too, and craving for revenge.
So he went to the beetle, and began wary
attack on it again jumping at it from every
point OF circle, lighting with his fore-paws
within an inch of the creature, making even
closer snatches at it with his eeth, and jerk
ing his head till his ears tapped again.
But he grew tired once more, after q while
tried to amuse himself with fly but found
no relief: followed an ant around, with his
nose close to the floor, aud, quickly wear led
of that, yawned, sighed, forgot the bee tie
entirely, and sat down on it! Then tn ere
was wild yelp of agony, and the poo die
went sailing up the aisle the yelps con tin
ued; and SO did the dog; he crossed the
house in front Of the altar he few down the
other aisle; he crossed before the doors he
clamored up the home stretch his ang uish
grew with his progress, till presently he was
a woody comet, moving in its orbit with the
CLEAN and speed of light. At last the fran
tic sufferer sheered from its course and
spraug into its masters lap he flung it out
OF the window, and the voice of dis tress
quickly thinned away and died in the dis
lance.
Tom Sawyer went home quite cheerful.
thinking to himself that there was some
satisfaction about divine service when there
was bit of variety in it. He had but one
marring thought he was willing that the
dog should play with his pinch-bug, but he
did not think it was upright to carry it off
Mark Twain's "Adoentures Of Tom
Sawyer"