The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-05-14

listened dutifully, and tried to be as polite
as he conveniently could, with the very
short memory which most little boys have.
| Sometimes, however, he felt obliged to
tuck few crusts or plain bit of cooky
under his plate, lest he should lose hearing
one of grandma's lovely fairy stories at
bedtime; and this brought its own pun
ishment, as you will see.
Grandma Slater lived on farm, and
was too busy TO tell stories, but Tommy
was never tired of tumbling about in
the new-mown hay, hunting for hens
nests, or helping grandma make the cheese,
eating all the while bits of delicious curd.
Grandma seemed to look upon little
boys as a sort of grist-mill, with mouth
for hopper, into which she must keep
pouring something or other she had such
funny, and Tommy thought delightful,
way of heaping his plate with all sorts of
goodies at the table, and filling his peck.
| cts between meals.
On this particular day there was boiled
chicken and plum-pudding for dinner,
with sauce for the latter, such as only our
grandmothers could make, mostly of mo.
lasses, but simmered and stirred and
spiced. to the creamiest, daintiest of
syrups. Unfortunately, Tommy during
the forenoon had eaten as many apples
and pears and peaches as would COM
fortably fill three boys stomachs instead
of one, and it is little wonder he dallied
| so long over his chicken bones that, by
the time he was ready for pudding, Uncle
Ted and the hired man had hurried away
to get in the oats and grandma had gone
to look after her dried apples. 1t was a
very nice pudding, but there was a very
small cavity left for it, and Tommy, al
though he sighed over the vanishing
sweetness, felt sense of relief when two
or three mouthfuls more promised to leave
his plate as mannerly" as even Grandma
Phelps could desire. just then, pat !
came another whole slice of pudding and
a small deluge of sauce. Grandma Slater
had stopped second, in one of her rapid
transits through the room. "Eat away,
sonny" she said, there's plenty more !;
take your own time"
"Please, ma'am I couldn't began
Tommy. But grandma was gone; and
oh, dear What if he did have plenty of
time Swallowing another mouthful was
out of the question and what would
Aunt Jane think of that plate when she
came to clear off the table What would
Grandma Phelps say and she was sure
to ask if he had been her little man {"
all day.
Now, if Tommy had never hidden those
disagreeable crusts, the rest of this story
might never have happened. As it was
quick as flash, he unbuttoned his little
blouse waist, slowed away the pudding
sauce and all, and, Selling his cap, rushed
through the kitchen to the outside door,
calling Rex, the old shepherd dog, to fol.
low. Faithful old Rex, he knew, would
never tell what became of the pudding.
But, right in the doorway, he ran full
tilt against his own papa, who had taken
half holiday, and driven out to the farm
with mamma and the baby and Grandma
Phelps.
"Save and preserve us 3" cried papa,
catching Tommy up in his arms, g." What's
the hurry, little man ? or is this the way
you and Rex usually get over the ground?"
go, papa exclaimed Tommy, "don't
don't squeeze me. I-please-oh, dear
mel"
"Why, Tommy Slater said mamma,
pulling open the little stained blouse and
looking ruefully from that to papa's white
vest and linen buster.
"Why, of all thingsl" exclaimed
Grandma Phelps, holding up both hands.
"Can it be-our Tommy is--a glutton ("
:" l wasn't, I didn't" sobbed Tommy,
cts the-manners / couldn't have 'em
any other way; n what's the use of 'em,
anyhow, s'poisin' you're full of something
else inside ?"
"To be sure !" laughed Grandma Sla-
ter, coming to Tommy's rescue. "Man-
ners, just for the outside, don't amount to
much. Never mind now, sonny, grandma
was most to blame this time-both
grandmas Pm thinking" she added, shak.
ing hands with Grandma Phelps, a twin
kle of mischief in her black eyes. GA
leetle too much pudding and manners,
too, l take it. Well, we'll, soap n water'll
make the outside all right, and we'll plant
the manners bit deeper, SOS to have the
real growing kind; don't do to have all
tops and no roots to that sort of thing.
Tommy isn't the first one who has set out
to make clean the outside of the platter
and found themselves in muss. Con.
gregationalist.