The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-09-21

nedvy tDat QOn tntuk the cnliu cOulQ
possibly lift it."
So Tommy. through all the long,
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! a long way
down-into the still dark water.
'Guess could catch fish in here il
I had line and hook and some
worms, sir! Never Mindless see if 1
could reach down to the water"
Here Tommy lay fiat down on his
face, and reached his chubby arms as
far over the stone well-mouth as he could.
Oh, if Aunt Sally had seen him then!
Or papa!
Don't fink I can quite reach; but
me and my hat put together could, Jest
as easy es muffin Mt all. Here, Jummy!
jimmy! Jummy! Come on and we II
play Danyell in the lions den. You be
Danyell, Jummy, and I'll be-Tll 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,
10 tAn tnt- hra har
You'll have to 60 in We pit. you know,
but I'll get you out again, Jummy,
don YOU be atraid-no Bit" Then,
as poor little Jumbo struggled and
mewed. Tommy added: "Oh, jimmy,
Use afraid you're little coward Aunt
Sally says it's mean to be 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 up
Alas. poor Jumbo. Poor little "Jo-
seph''! With the last words Tommy
forcibly snatched him from his shoulder
where he had cllng SO iiercely at the
last. and threw him into the well.
"Oh, Jummy! 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-chok n
for? Oh, wait. wat! Jummy-dee
Jummy, don't you 90 drownin' yourself!
I'll get You out! Tommy's here. Jum-
my!'' And the now frightened 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 jimmy!
Oh. didn't mean to do it, jimmy! l
do love YOU bester'n all the world. and
you'll forgive me, won't You Jummy?"
Over and over again the little straw hat
swept the water, but, with Tommy's
tears and the kittens struggles, he could
not fish successfully.
But after a little the poor victim grew
quieter, and at last, with a mighty
effort, Tommy swept him up into his
hat and triumphantly landed him on the
soft meadow-grass.
There, there, Jummy darlin'. Now
you're all right, and TOmmys so sorry.
Come home now, Jumbo. and Aunt
Sally shall give you 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 eyesP
and what makes your moUf open that
wayP .Jummy. dee, dee Jummy. won't
YOU get up and come home with yoEr
own Tommy what loves you?"
A half-hour later. and Aunt Sally.
looking from the window of her pretty
shaded dining-room,s 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 little near
sighted; and then, rising hastily:
"What can be the matter?-the child
is crying"
And 80 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 Jumbo?"
"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 played Joseph in de pit with
Jumbo. and. oh! oh! jimmy was
Joseph and he got drownded. An
what made him do it? cause we was
piayin' it wasn't well at all, only
pit. Oh, l do feel so dreffully bad!
Can't we have funeral, Aunt Sally?"
So they buried poor little Jumbo, and
many sorrowful and bitter tears Tommy
shed over the grave of his merry little
playmate. Aunt Sally thought the les
son had been good, though hard, one.
And though Tommy spent many and
many bright afternoon in the old
South Meadow Lot after that, l can
assure you that never again did he 60
near the stone well, and for many weeks
he did not cease to mourn the loss Of
poor Jumbo, who came to his untimely
end through the disobedience of the
little master he loved so well.-ChriS-
tidn onion.
A Cantilever Bridge.