The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-22


on account of this old well; but Amt
Sally had said: ono, John, Won need
not be afraid. l have great faith in
Tommy, and if he tells me that he will
not go near that well | am very certain
he can be trusted"
"Well.' answered papa, hesitating-
lYi land then. anyway, the cover is so
heavy that l don't think the child could
possibly lift it,
So Tommy, through all the lono.
bright summer days, had come and
| gone at his own sweet will, and until
to-day had never once thought of break
ing his promise to dear Aunt Sally.
But to-day-"Well, she might a. given
me mother piece of her old short-cake
then-mean thing" said Tommy, as his
busy little hands worked at the old
well-cover A push, pull, jerk, and
the whole thing slipped off suddenly.
and far more easily than papa had sup
posed possible, while Tommy stood on
the edge peering down-oh! long way
down-into the still dark water.
"Guess | could catch fish in here if
L had line and a hook and some
worms, sir! Never mindless see if |
could reach down to the water
Here Tommy lay flat down on his
face, and reached his chubby arms as
far over the stone well-mouth as he could.
On, if Aunt Sally had seen him then!
Or papa!
Don't fink 1 can quite reach; but
me and my hat put together could, Jest
as easy es muffin at all. Here, Jummy!
jimmy! jimmy! Come on and Wen
play Danyell in the lions den. You be
Danyell, jimmy, and I'll be-ru be-
oh, can't be We lions cause they was
in We den. and you see l isn't. Never
mind. Play Joseph instead Joseph
and the ten wicked brethering what
Aunt Sally told you and me bout last
Sunday. You can be Joseph, jimmy,
and I'll be We ten wicked brethering.
You'll have to 90 in We pit, you know,
but I'll get you out again, Jummy,
don't you be afraid-not bit" Then,
as poor little Jumbo struggled and
mewed, Tommy added ''Oh, jimmy,
Use afraid you're a little coward Aunt
Sally says it's mean to be a coward, and
you know Joseph didn't act that way
when they put him in We pit-least he
didn't scratch, and claw, and-there!
you old fling! Now you're in, and I've
big mind to leave you there-scratch
my face all upr'
Alas, poor Jumbo! Poor little "Jo-
seph''! With the last words Tommy
forcibly snatched him from his shoulder
where he had chung so tiercely at the
last, and threw him into the we'll
"Oh, jimmy! My! how he swims!
That's right-that's right! fink that's
jest the way Joseph did in We pit. Go
it, Jummy! My-what you a-chokin'
for? Oh, watt watt Jummy-dee
Jummy, don't you go drownin yourself!
I'll get you QUIT Tommy's here, jun
my!' And the now fri ghtened little
master plunged his short arms down
again and again after his poor playmate.
But the arms were too short and too
fat to be of any use, and then Tommy
tried his hat, sobbing down into the
well, Jumbo, keep up, my dee Jummyi
Oh, didn't mean to do it, Jummy! I
do love you bester'n all the world, and
you'll forgive me, won't you Jummyp"
Over and over again the little straw hat
swept the water, but, with Tommy's
tears and the kitten struggles, he could
not fish successfully.
But after little the poor victim grew
quieter, and at last, with mighty
effort, Tommy swept him up into his
hat and triumphantly landed him on the
soft meadow grass.
There there! jimmy darlin'. Now
you're all right, and Tommy's so sorry.
Come home now, Jumbo, and Aunt
Sally shall give you q big saucer of new
milk, sir, and she may put me right
straight off to bed if she wants to. Oh,
dear! why don't you open your eyes?
and what makes your mouf open that
way? jimmy, dee, dee jimmy, won't
you get up and come home with your
own Tommy what loves you?'
A half-hour later, and Aunt Sally,
looking from the window of her pretty
shaded dining-room, sees a strange pro-
cession coming up the hill from the
South Meadow Lot.
First there is Tommy, with some
thing lying over his shoulder
can that be? Closely following him is
Rover, whose grave face and big brown
eyes seem thoroughly to undertand that
something is amiss. Daisy walks anx-
iously first on this side, then on that,
now lettering behind, now running on
before, and always seeming to hunt for
something.
"Where is Tommy's JumboP"
thinks Aunt Sally who is q little near
sighted and then, rising hastily:
"What can be the matterP-the child
is crying"
And so he is, sobbing bitterly, and
with his dirty little knuckles describing
geometric figures on his face; while
over his shoulder, in pitiful limpness
hangs forlorn little dead kitten, still
| dripping with water, thus marking the
trail of the small funeral procession.
"Why, Tommy, what does this mean'
And what in the world is the matter
with JumboP"
"Oh, dee me! dee me! You can put
me right to bed, Aunt Sally, cause I've
been drefful naughty'n' wicked; and l
was so mad bout the old short-cake,
and SO 1 played Joseph in de pit with
Jumbo, and, oh! oh! Jummy was
Joseph and he got drownded. An
what made him do it? cause we was
playin' it wasn't well at all, only a
pit. Oh, | do feel so dreffully bad!
Can't we have funeral, Aunt Sally?'
So they buried poor little Jumbo, and