The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-08-03
A SKETCH FROM MARK TwAIN's
tom SAWYER

A SKETCH FROM MARK TwAIN's
tom SAWYER"
The minister gave out his text and
droned along monotonously through
an argument which was SO prosy that
many head by and by began to nod
and yet it was an argument that
dealt in limitless fire and brimstone,
and thinned the predestined elect
down to a company SO small as to be
hardly worth the saving. Tom count
ed the pages of the sermon; after
church he always knew how many
pages there had been, but he seldom
knew anything else about the dis
course. However, this time he was
really Interested for little while.
The minister made grand and NOV
ing picture of the assembling OF the
worlds hoats ut the millennium, when
the lion and the lamb should lie down
together and a little child should lead
them. But the pathos, the lesson,
Of the great spectacle were lost
upon the boy he only thought of the
iconspicuousness of the principal char
acter before the Unlocking nations; I;
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 lie lapscd into suffering again
as the dry argument was resumed
Presently he bethought himself of
treasure he had, and got it ont. Ii
was large black beetle, with formid-
able jaws-a ''pinch-bug." he called it,
1t was in percussion cap box. The
! arst thing that the beetle did was to
take him by the finger. A natural
flip followed, the beetle went houn-
dering into the aisle, and lit on its
back, and the hurt finger went into
/ the boys mouth. The beetle lay there
working it's helpless legs, unable TO
turn over. Tom eyed it, and longed
Tor it, but it was safe out of his reach.
Other people, uninterested in the SER
| mon, found lelicf in the beetle, and
they eyed it too. flitti
Presently a vagraDt poodle dog came
idling along, sad at heart, lazy with
the summers softness and 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 il
from safe distance walked around
it again; grew bolder, and took a
closer smell; then lifted his lip and
took gingerly snatch at it, just miss
ing it; made another and another ;
began to enjoy the diversion; sub
sided 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 and touched the
enemy, who seized it. There was a
sharp yelp, a flirt of the pOOdle's head,
and the beetle fell couple Of yards
away, and lit on its back once more.
The neighboring spectators shook
with 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 q
wary attack upon it again; jumping
at it from every point of the circle
lighting with forepaws within an inch
of the creature, making even closer
snatches with his teeth, and jerking
his head till his ears tapped again
But he grew tired once more, after 8
while; 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 en-
tirely, and finally sat down on it
Then there was a wild yelp of agony
and the poodle went sailing up the
aisle; the yelps continued. and 80 did
the dog he crossed the house in from,
of the altar he flew down the other
aisle; he crossed before the doors he
clamored up the home-stretch; hi:
anguish grew with his progress, til
presently he was woolly comet
moving with the CLEAN and the speed
of light. AT last the frantic sufferer
sheered from his course and sprans
into his master lap he flung il ou
of the window, and the voice of dis
tress quickly thinned away and dice
in the distance. Tom Saw
yer went h0me quite cheerful, think
/ ing to himself that there was som,
. satisfaction about divine service whei
there was bit of variety in it. III,
had but one marring thought; he wa
willing that the dog should play will
his pinch-bug, but he did not think i
was upright to carry it off.