The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-02-18
TONY'S COVETOUSNESS.

Duu uon WISH IL was my Sled?'
Here five-year-old Tony looked at it,
his fat hands damned into his very small
pockets, his brown eyes, in their Won
der and admiration, growing bigger
and bigger, as if either eye could have
taken that sled in and found house room
for it.
1t was gay little affair, but, alas! it
was not Tony's. 1t belonged to Pop
ham Cornish, or, as the boys called him
for short, Pop Corn. Why did his
folks give him a name the boys could
cut up such a caper with? The sled
was named ''The Hare" but there were
three hares on it really, gilt one on
each runner, and gilt one on top.
N.Y. said Tony, "Pop Corn
needn't do anything to it. That sled
has got TO go. Three hares could make
anything 60" And Tony began to
think whether he himself would not
make swift racer if stuck all over with
gilt hares.
How Tony did long for that sled!
He longed so ardently, am sorry to
write, that he Clipped off piece from
one Of the commandments, as his teach
er would have said. You know there
are ten OF them, as every one would say,
If some people did not have short mem
cries.
"And there is one," said Tony's Sun
day-school teacher, that is mother of
another"
"That is funny commander" ex-
claimed Tony, " to be a mother"
Commandment, | said
"Oh!"
Zone commandment says: Thou
shalt not coyet,' then mentioning vari-
Gus things"
"Cubbit?n
"Covet, covet, Tony! That means to
want thing very badly, to keep want
ing and wishing, and perhaps to feel I'M
pleasantly toward the person having the
coveted thing. That may lead to steal
ing, which is forbidden by another COM
mandment. So the tenth command
ment is mother of the eighth. Don't do
anything to the commandments or take
the least chip from them"
mo" thought Tony, 81 won't cub
bit"
But Tony kept longing for that sled so
fiercely that he clipped off a dozen
pieces from the tenth commandment |
wonder that Tony did not steal the sled
the first day. What happened, let me
tell you. 1t just makes me SILVER.
Tony was sitting on the edge of his
trundle-bed at night, having said:
"Now llay me-" but all the while he
was thinking about Pop Corn's sled.
:" | have great mind to go and take
itr' he said.
By and by he jumped out of bed, stole
down stairs, and then out of doors. He
hurried into Pop Corn yard and creep
ing into the shed, there in the moon
light he saw 1.-The Hare" or the three
hares, rather.
"Oh," exclaimed fat little Tony,
"don't l wish these lovely creatures
would give me a ride and as he said
it, down he dropped upon the sled,
plump as pumpkin. To his surprise
and Joy the sled stirred.
"Oh, goodie, goodier' screamed To-
ny, "wouldn't Pop Corn like to have
the hares do this for him! Lazy people
like him that stay in bed can't expect
hares to pull 'em round"
1t was so still. Nobody was up, not
even cross old Grandpa Perkins, who
would often say to Tony: Whats this
little boy making so much noise forp'
AS the sled went along, the three
hares stepped out of their gilt finery,
and there they were, harnessed to the
sled, one going ahead and the two 9TH
ers following.
"Oh you lovely, sweet, nice, pretty
hares!' shouted Tony. "PH jingle
some bells for you. Jing, jung, jung!
Don't you think that is nice?"
The hares turned their big eyes to-
ward him, smiling and looking very
queer and wicked. Tony felt bit I'M
! easy.
He was small citizen of Boston and
much attached to his home; but what
if those funny hares took it into their
heads to quit that renowned cityP
The hares went due north, faster, fast
er, leaving all the city streets behind
them; faster, faster, through villages,
across meadows and over rivers.
"Oh dear. me-" thought Tony,
"where are these creatures goingp
Stopr he bawled.
They only turned and winked at him.
Faster, faster, faster!' Up through New
Hampshire, over the mountains at a
leap, just scraping the top of Mount
Washington-what mad race!
"You ugly, good-for-nothing things,
stop-p-p! Don't | wish--I was-like
Pop Corn, in bed-fast asleep-p-pr'
sobbed Tony.
Faster, faster, over the snow of Can
ada, among strange people ON snow
shoes, faster, faster, away up across
Hudson's Bay, among folks short and
fat and dressed in skins, over long
fields of ice-and-right against an
iceberg.
The shock made Tony open his eyesl
There was his mother laughing and
rubbing his nose with big icicle.
"Come, Tony, / am trying to wake
you, for it is time to be getting up.
What are you grooming about?"