Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-05-18

ANEW WONDER STORY ny HANS CHRISTIAN AN.
nFRsrN.

VI kOoA ihhAil 4 NOu ' lNOdH bC uumO--
you will have to get that from the learned
people, This little fish had eighteen hun
dred brothers and sisters all just as old as
he they did not know their father and
mother, aud were obliged TO look out for
themselves at the very beginning, and swim
round, but that was great sport. They had
water enough to drink, the entire ocean;
they thought nothing about their food, it came
when they wanted it. Each did as It pleased,
each was to make out its own story-ay,
rather none Of them thought at all about that.
The sun shone down on the water that was
light about them, so clear it was II was a
world with the strangest creatures, and some
very hOrrid and big with great gaping mouths
that could gulp down all the eighteen hun
dred brothers and sisters, but neither did they
think Of that, for none of them as yet had
been swallowed The small ones swan side
by side close together, as herrings and mack
erel swim. But as they were swimming their
prettiest in the water and thinking of moth
ing, there sank with prOdigiOus noise, from
above, right down through them, q long heavy
thing that looked as If it never would come
to an end il stretched out farther aud far
ther, and every one Of the little fishes that
scampered off was either crushed or got a
crack that it could not stand. All .be little
fishes aud the great ones with them, from the
level Of the sea to the bottom, were thrown
into panic. The great horrid thing sank
deeper and deeper, and grew longer and long
er, miles and miles long The fishes and
snails, everything that swims, or crocps, or
is driven by the current, saw this fearful
thing, this enormous incomprehensiblc sea-
eel which had come down upon them in this
fashion.
What was the thing anyway ali, we
know it was the great interminablo telegraph
cable that people were laying between Eu.
rope and America.
There was a confusion and commotion
amongst all the rightful occupants Of the sea
where the cable was laid. The flying fishes
shot up above the surface as high as they
could fling themselves the blow-fsh took a
leap an entire gunshOt in length over the
water, for it can do that; the other fish made
for the bottom Of the sea, and went down
with such haste that they reached it long be-
fore the telegraph was seen or known about
down there they poured in on the cod and
founders that lived peaceably at the bottom
of the sea and ate their neighbors, One OF
two of the sea-anemones were so agitated thai
they threw up their stomachs, but they lived
after it just the sans, for they can do that
A good many Holsters and crabs got out Of
their excellent Shells and were obliged to
wait for their bones to grow back again
In all this fright and confusion, the eigh
teen hundred brethren and sisters became
separated, and never again met, or ever knew
each other after that; only some ten of then
remained still 10 the same place, and so in a
few hours they got over the first fright ant
began to be curious about the affair." They
looked about therI, they looked up and they
looked down, and down in the depths they
fancied they saw the fearful thing that haC
scased them--yes, had scared all, great ant
small, lying tho bottom of the sea, as fla
as their eyes could reach it was quite thin
but they did not know how thick it might b.
able to make ITSELF or how strong it was i
lay very quiet, but then that might be par
Of its cunning they thought.
"Let it lie it does not come near us !!
said the most cautious of the little fishes bu
the smallest one Of all would not give NJ
trying to find out what the thing could be
1t had come down from above SO it was III
above that one could best find out about it
So they swan up to the surface 1t was per
fectly STILL They met dolphin there. Tn
dolphin is sprightly fellow that can tur
sonersaults on the water, and it has eyes t.
see with so it must have seen this and know
all about it, They asked him, but he hat
only been thinking about himself and hi
somersaults he'd seen nothing, had no answe
for them, and only looked high and mighty
Then they turned to the seal, which wa
just plunging in; it was moro civil, for al
that it eats small fish but to-day it had haC
enough. 1t knew little mere than the dol
phin.
"Many night have lain upon we
stone and looked far into the country, mile
away from here; there are crafty creatures
called in their speech men.folk. They plo
against US, but usually we slip away iron
them that | know well, and sea.eel too
that you are asking about, he knows it. L
has been under their sway up there on tn
earth, time out Of mind, and it was from Their
that they were carrying him off on a ship t,
distant land. / saw what trouble the,
had, but they could manage him, because he
had become weak on the earth. They laiC
him in coils and circles. 1 heard how h,
TaHgLed and rangled when they laid hin
down and when he slipped away from them
out here. They held on to him with all
their might-ever 80 many hands had hold
OF him, but he kept slipping away from then
down to the bottom there he is lying nov
till further notice, rather think"
"He is quite thin," said the small fishes.
"They have Starved him." said the seal
"but he will soon come to himself aud ge
his old size and corpulencc again. 1 suppos,
he is the great sea-serpent that men are Sc
afraid Ofand talk so much about l never saw
him before, and never believed in a sea.ser.
nhnt now / do hnlinun hn I. IL -.