Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-08-09

HU1OkUCBs
Tox's HAPPY Hor SrNDAY.-Anothe
Extract from Mark Teams NeH Book
The minister gave out his text, ant
droned along monotonously through al
argument which was so prosy tha
many a head, by and by, began to nod
and vet it was an argument that deal
! in limitless fire and birthstone, ant
thinned the predestined elect down tO
company so small as to be hardly worth
the saving. Tom counted the pages o
the sermon; after church he always
knew how many pages there had been
but he seldom knew anything else about
the discourse. However, this time he
was really interested for little while
The minister made grand and moving
picture of the assembling together oi
the worlds hosts at the millennium
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 ol
the conspicuo,Ishess of The principal
character before the unlocking nations:
his face Lie up with the thought, and he
salu 10 Wls.ltu uc COuiu OS
that child, If it was tame lion.
Now he lapsed into suffering again as
the dry argument was resumed. DE
bethought himself of a treasure he had,
and got it out. IL was large black
beetle with formidable jaws, a "IincIl-
bug" he called it. Ii was in percus-
sion-cap box. The first thing the beetle
did was to take him by the finger. A
natural tillip followed, the beetle went
fiOundering into the aisle, and lit on its
back, and the hurt finger went into the
boys mouth. The beetle lay there
working its helpless legs, unable TO turn
over. Tom eyed 1t, and lOnged for IL,
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 vagrant poodle dog came
idling along, sal ut heart, Lazy with the
summer sOftness and the quiet, weary
of captivity, signing for change. He
spied the beetle; the dropping tail lifted
and wagged. He surveyed the prize
walked around it; smelt of it from a
safe distance; walked round il again
grew bolder, and took closer smell ;
then lifted his lip, and made giEgerly
snatch at it, just missing it; made an
other and another; began to enjoy the
diversion; subsidized to his stomach with
the beetle between his paws, and con-
tinued his experiments; grew weary at
last, and then Indifferent and absent
minded. His head nodded, and little
by little his chin descended and touched
the enemy, who seized il. There was a
l.fa I.n..
and the beetle fell couple of yards
away, and lit on its back once more
The neighbOring spectators shook with
a gentle inward joy, several faces went
behind fans and handkerchiefs, and
Tom was entirely happy. The dog
looked foolish, and probably felt so;
but there was resentment in his heart,
too, and craving for revenge. So he
went TO the beetle and began a wary at
tack 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 teeth, and jerking his
head until his ears tapped again. But
he grew tired once more, after a while I;
tried to amuse himself with fly, but
found no relief; followed an ant
around, with his nose close to the floor,
and, quickly wearied of that, yawned,
sighed, forgot the beetle entirely, and
sat down Oh it.! Then there was wild
yelp Of agony, and the poodle went sail
ing up the aisle; the yelps continued ;
and SO did the dog; decreased the house
in front of the altar; he flew down the
other aisle; he crossed before the doors !;
he clamored up the home stretch; his
anguish grew with his progress, till
presently he was woolly comet. NOV
ing i'm its orbit with the CLEAN and
speed of light. At last the frantic
sufferer sheered from its course and
sprang into its masters lap; he flung it
out OF the window, and the voice OF dis
tress quickly thinned away and died in
the distance.
Tom sawyer went home quite cheer
full, thinking to himself that there was
some satisfaction about divine service
when there was a 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 hot
think it was upright to carry it of.