Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-10-30
Tho Tiger B~ue.

DEAN CHILDREN: / am Tiger
Beetle. This much is easily told, but
man might say his name was John
Smith, and you would be aa wise a. be-
fore; so i am afraid il may be difficult
work 10 make you understand who /
am, 50 that you can recognize me when
you see me again, in case you are not
already acquainted with me. did not
have the choosing Of my own name, but
since IL has been given 10 me / have
made the best of it, and adopted il till
! can get one like better. Although
most Of You who live in the country
have secn me, yet / venture to say that
very few of ycu who have seen me have
taken the trouble to ascertain who |
am, and where ] live, and what look
like close by; so, for the benefit Of who.
ever mhy want TO know. will tell all
can about myself Pray don't respond,
though, by chasing us about next sum
mer, and sticking pins through us, and
calling us "bugs after you have caught
US; for we don't like such treatment a
bit better thhn you would. / will,
however. give you a cordial invitation,
one and all. to call around next sum-
mcr, and make us az many visits a. you
please. provided you will leave me alone
when you depart, and will promise not
10 carry me of with you; for, IL you call
without such a promise frst being
made, am afraid will have 10 DO 30
impolite as TO he mot at home"
1 have an indistinct recollection Of
passing through long. happy bunch
II d. Ill
the sand, out Of which pulled myself
by the aid Of n pair of hooks in my
back, whenever / got hungry, and
wanted TO go up and take the fresh air
and procure something 20 cat. ] was
undeniahly homely then. mus, con-
fess, with my hugo teeth, big head and
small body, with tho hooks / spoke OF
giving me a humpbacked appearance.
] never Etrayed very far away from
home. for there were always plenty Of
small insects, weaker than /, crawling
about, to supply me with food, and
with plenty Of that and plenty Of sleep
I was content. At last, when I grew
large, / grew lazy, too. until a strange
feeling came over me, and / vent 30
sleep. How long / slept ! never knew,
for when woke ! crawled out of my
hole in the sand, and found / was en-.
tirely changed; and in place Of my
former ill-looks I was exceedingly
handsome, IL / do say it myself, and
could run and Ay ~ fast NJ you please
Since then have enjoyed myself in my
own peculiar fashion, and fee' as young
and Epry to-day as did q month ago.
For myself, / prefer 9 jolly good piece
OF sandy shore. like the one where my
childhood vas spent; but some Of my
cousins would rather live among the
grass, and have even heard IL reported
that some of ray fifth cousins. who live
away down at the Tropics, are in the
habit of staying up in the trees all the
time. Well, every one TO his taste; but
after all, what pleasure is there insliving
where there is not plenty of sand TO run
and race over9
In walking along sandy road In tho
springtime, you have very often seen
my brothers and me, as We jumped up
and, flying ways. lit, to repeat the
operation when you we're again near
enough. And you have. no doubt. won
dered 10 yourselves what kind of flies"
those were, but most of you have gone
on and were content with merely won
dering. II you had tried 10 catch me,
you would havo found plenty OF bust
ness on hand before you got mo there,
for ] haven't lived so long and looked
ont for myself for nothing. A good
share Of my life has been spent in get
ting what l wanted 20 eat, and ] am
blessed with good appetite. too, tell
you; and when am not hunting 4 am
playing hide-and-go-seek with my broth
ors and play.fellows, dodging in and
ont Of the grass and weeds right mer.