The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-03-09
TONY's CovETOUsNEss.

TONY'S COVETOUSNESS.
"But don't / wish it was my sledp'
| Here five-year-old Tony looked at it
his fat hands jammed 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! i
was not Tony's. 1t belonged to Pop
ham Cornish, or, as the bows called n in
for short, Pop Corn. WHY did hi,
folks give him a name the boys could
cut up such q caper with? The sled
was named 1.-The Hare but there were
three hares on it really, gilt one on
each runner, and a gilt one on top.
"Myn' said Tony, . Pop Corn
needn't do anything to it. That sled
has got TO 60 Three hares could make
anything CO." And Tony began to
think whether he himself would moi
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 of piece from
one OF the commandments, as his teach
er would have said You know there
are ten of them, as every one would saw.
If some people did not have short mem
| cries.
+" And there is one, said Tony's SUM-
day-school teacher, " that is mother of
another 4t
THAT is funny commander" ex-
claimed Tony, :" to be mother.n
commandment, |" I said.
Zone commandment SAYS: sThou
shalt not covet,' then mentioning vari-
Gus things
.Cubbit?u
"Covet, coyet, Tony! That means to
want thing very badly, to keep want
ing and wishing, and perhaps to feel un-
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.s'
. NO." thought Tony, . I won't cub
But Tony kept longing for that sled so
fiercely that he clipped off dozen
pieces from th tenth Commandment r
wonder that Tony did not steal the sled
the first day. What happened, let me
tell you. 1t just makes me shiver.
Tony was sitting on the edoc of his
trundle-bed at night, having said;
9" Now lay me- but all the while he
was thinking about Pop Corn's Sled.
!" have great mind to 90 and take
itn' he said.
BY and by he jumped out OF bed, stole
down stairs, and then out of doors. He
hurried into Pop Corn's yard and Green
ing into the shed, there in the moon
light he saw 1.-THE Hare or the three
hares, rather.
"Oh,'' exclaimed fat little Torv
don't ! wish these lovely, creatures
would give me ride,n 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 expeot
hares to pull 'em round =
It was SO still. Nobody was nm. NOT
even cross old Grandpa Perkins, who
would often say to Tony: What's this
little boy making so much noise forp,,
As the sled went along. the three
hares stepped out of their Gilt finerv
ana there they were, harnessed to the
SLED, one going ahead and the two 9TH
ers following.
- Oh voY. 1oxyolxy cx.vo~s
hares!'' shouted Tony. ..Pn ;incIs
some 6 bells for you. Jing. jung, ing!
Don,t you think that is nice?n
The hares turned their big ewes In
ward him, smiling and looking yerv
queer and wicked. Tony felt a BIT nm
easy. 1A
He was small citizen Of Boston and
much attached to his home; but what
II 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 ooingp
Stop!' he bawled.
They only turned and winked at him
aster' faster, faster! Up through New |
hampshire, over the mountains at q |
leap just scraping the top of Mount |
Washington-what mad racel
" lou ugly, good-for-nothinc THINGS
siop-p-p. Don't wish--I was-lile |
rop Corn. in bed fast asleep-p-pr'
sobbed Tony.
Faster, faster, over the snow Of Gan.