The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-07-29
rnE B0h TElE BEETLE. AND THE
81 ~ - Dog. " 80
A ske,eA frsm Mark Twain's "Tom
b Ny 0owyer.o s

The minister gave out his text and
droned along monotonously through an
argument which was SO prosy that many
a head by and by began to nod-snd yet
it was an argument that dealt in limitless
fire and birthstone, and thinned the pre-.
destined elect down to company so
small as to be hardly worth the saying.
Tom counted the pages of 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 III was really
interested for little while. The minis.
ter made a grand and moving pic
ture OF the assembling together OF the
worlds hosts at the millennium, when
the lion and tho lamb should lie down
together, and a little child should lead
them. But the patnos, the lesson, the
moral of the great spectacle were lost
upon the boy; he only thought Of the
conspicuousness OF the principal char
acter before tho unlocking nations; his
face Int up with the thought, and he said
to himself that he wished he could be
that child, if it was a tame lion.
Now he lapsed into suffering again as
the dry argument was resumed. Pres
emily ne bethought himself of treasure
he Lad, and got il out. 1t was a large
black beetle, with formidable jaws-;a
"prnch bug" he called it. 1t was in a
percussion cap box. The first thing the
beetle did was 20 take him by the finger.
A natural flip followed, the beetle went
laundering into the aisle, and lit on its
back, and the hurt finger went into the
boys mouth. The beetle lay there work
ing its helpless legs, unable to turn over.
Tom eyed it, and longed for it, but it was
safe out of his reach. Other people, un-
interested 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
summers softness, and the quiet, weary
of captivity, signing for change. de
spied the beetle; the dropping tail lifted
and wagged. He surveyed the prize;
walked around it; smelt of 1t from safe
distance; walked around it again; grew
colder, and took closer smell; and then
lifted his lip snd made gingerly snatch
at it, just missing it; made another and an
other; began to enjoy the diversion; sub
sided to his stomach with the beetle be.
tween his paws, and continued his expert
ments; 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 sharp yelp, a fiirt 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 gen.
tie inward JOY, several faces went behind
fans and handkerchiefs, and Tom was en-
tirely happy. The dog looked foolish,
and probably felt SO; but there was re-
sentiment 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 its forepaws within an inch of
the creature, making even closer snatches
at it with his teeth, and jerking his head
till his ears tapped again. But he grew
tired once more, after 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; yswned, sighed, forgot
the beetle entirely, and sat down on i'll
Then there was wild yelp of agony; and
the poodle went sailing up the aisle; the
yelps continued, and so did the dog; be
crossed the house in front of the altar;
he flew down the other aisle; he crossed be-
fore the doors; he clamored up the home
stretch; his anguish grew with his pro-
gress, till presently he was woolly
comet, moving its orbit, with the CLEAN
and the speed CT 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
lress quickly thinned away and died IN
the distance. Tom Sawyer
went home quite cheerful, 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 not think it was upright to carry
it off.