, 1883-09-08

Tom Thumb was a brave little man.
He had lots of presents in his pretty house
in one of tho prettiest Of the New Eng
land towns, and some of those presents
were most valuable There was a snuff
box from Prince Albert, the husband Of
Queen Victoria, presented to Tom Thumb
when he Was shown to the court at Wind
sor. These he priced very highly, as well
as a number of other elegant things of
which were given him by the nobility and
gentry Of Great Britain. On one occasion
the knowledge that he kept these articles
IN his house excited the undisguised envy
OF party of burglars, who thought they
would have an easy job with the small
family. Tom was awakened at dead of
night TO the knowledge that the burglars
we're in the lower ruUms. His wife
begged him TO let them complete their
work on the plea that his life was more
valuable than all the gold and silver in
the world. but the little man, who,
though small IN statue, had the courage
Of giant. went to his bureau drawer,
took out Two handsomely chased revol
vers-and crept down TO the parlor-one
was gilt from the Crown Prince of Prus-
sia, where he saw two men busy at work
on 4 safe constructed IN the wall
stop that" he said quickly, "or hern's
bullet for each OF you.
The men turned around in alarm aud
almost laughed to STE the diminutive fig
ur. that stood few feet of One Of them
threatened HIM.
'If You make step toward me III fire"
said Tom, and they saw revolver in each
ol his little hands.
you're a plucky little fellow" ex-
claimed the otLer burg lar, tand by
I'll have nothing To do with this Then,
addressing Tom, "lf Ne 60 viii you
keep quietf
Leave my house, said Tom.
At this moment, Mrs. Stratton, who
had come down and saw the scene,
screamed aloud. The two burglars thought
no more abou, it, but made a rush and
scrambled out the window In the flight
one of them dropped a gold signet ring,
which Tom vas ever after proud to show
as A mementc Of his encounter with bur
Glars. He was never after molested.
Tom vas very fond of sailing. Once he
had the tiller and WIS skimmlng along
the sound with party Of friends. A four
year old boy, who was playing about the
deck. fell into the wafer. The mother
screamed.
Hold the tiller and bring her around,
shouted Tom, aud IN an instant he
Was in the water SWIMMING toward the
drowning child, whom he had soon reached
and whom he held up IN the water for
fifteen minutes while the people on board
bunyInsly tried TO get the thirty-foot
boat around.
s'It was said of Tom Thumb. remark ed
an actor yesterday, THAT at the time OF
the Newhall House disaster in Milwaukee,
Tom Thumb fled with his jewelry, leaving
his wife behind. This is not true. She
had tainted. and when they were found
toward the foot of the stairs he Was carry
ing her as well as he could, and would
not let 90 when assistance arrived, so that
! both had to be carried out together.
When he reached the street he tainted too.
But his pluck stood by him during the
critical rer,od, and he saved his jewelry,
| too
Tom Thumb used to say tha, ne would
give up all the money be made 10 be the
SIZE of an ordinary man, and this was par
ticularly the case when he would Come
across some cowardly bully. At one ame
he was so annoyed by insults iereled at
himself and his wife by such people tha'
he kept 'heeler" by him, who ON the
slightest provocation would ''clean out
crowd" in regular Sullivan style. The
class soon found il out, and Tom had !
quiet time of it.-Ne,c York Journal.