New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-23
To win q fortune.
To win q fortune.
Third Golden Drawing.
Third Golden Drawing,
The Boy, the Beetle and the Dog.
rom Mark Twain's tom Sawyer

From Mark Twain's tom Sawyer
The minister gave out this text and
droned along monotonously through an
argument which was 80 prosy that many a
head by and by began 10 nod-and yet 1t
was an argument that dealt IN limltless
fire and birthstone, and thinned the pre-
destined elect down to company 80 small
a. 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 seldom knew any
thing else about the discourse. However,
this time he was really interested for
a little while. The minister made grand
and moving picture of the assembling to-
gether of the worlds hosts at the millen-
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 conspicu-
ousnoss of the principal character before
the n.looking nations; his face lit up with
the thought, and he said to himself that he
wished he could be that child, if it was
tame lion.
Now he lapsed into suffering again as the
dry argument was resumed. presently ne
bethought himself Of q treasure he had,
and got it out. 1t was q large black beetle
with formidable jaws-a "pinch-bug," he
called it, 1t was IN percusslOn-cap box.
The first thing the beetle did was to take
him nv the finger. A natural flip followed,
the beetle went laundering into the aisle,
and Int 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 it, and longed 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 vagrant poodle dog came
idling along, sad at heart, lazy with the
summer sOftness and the quiet. weary OF
captivity, signing for change. He spied the
beetle; the dropping tail lifted and wsgged.
He surveyed the prize; walked around 1t;
smelt of it from safe distance; walked
around it again; grew holder, and took
closer smell; then lifted his lip, and made
gingerly snatch at it, just missing it; made
another and another; began to enjoy the di-
version; subsidized to his stomach with the
beetle between his paws; continued his ex-
neriments: grew weary at last, and then in
different and absent-minded. His head
nodded. and little by little his chin de-
scended and touched the enemy, which
seized it. There was sharp yelp, a fiirt OF
the poodle's head, and the beetle tell
couple of yaIds away, and Lit on its back
shook with q gentle inward joy, several
faces went behind fans and handkerchiefs,
and Tom was entirely happy. The dog
looked foolish, and probably felt 80; but
there was resentment in his heart, too, and
a craving for revenge. So he went to the
beetle and began wary attack on IL
again; jumping at it from every point OF
circle, lighting with his forepaws within an
inch of The creature, making even closer
snatches at it with his teeth, and jerking MS
head till his ears tapped again. But ne
Grew tired once more, after while; tried TO
amuse himself with fly, but found no re.
lief; followed an ant around, with MS nose
close to the floor, and quickly wearled OF
that; yawned, sighed, forgot the beetle en-
tirely. and sat down on it! Then there was q
wild yelp of agony and the poodle went sail
ing up the aisle; the yelps continued, and so
did the dog; he crossed the house IN 1ront OF
the altar; he flew down the other aisle;
he crossed before the doors; he clamorea
M the homestretch: his anguish grew Win
his progress, till presently he was q Woody
comet, moving in its orbit with the gleam
and the speed of light. At last the frantic
snffarer sheered from its course and sprane
into its masters lap; he flung 1t out OF the
w;ndow. and the voice Of distress quickly
thinned away and died in the distance.
Tom SAWYER went home quite cheerful
thinning to himself that there was some
set;sfacfion about divine service when there
was . bit Of variety in it. He nao Cus . on eas
marring thought; he was wnnns el h... ~ ~
dog shoald play with his pinoh-buE, OUT ne
did not think it was upright 70 carry ~ y"