The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-07-18
SLEEPING IN a TENT.
Not Bit Afraid-Freddie and Harry's Adj
venture with a "LiOn."

venture with "Lion."
"Please, mamma, dear! please let
u.s."
snow, mamma. please to do!'
Two eager voices begged and coaXed
and argued and plead and leased, but
still mamma would not consent, and at
last Harry and Fred had to 90 up to
bed in their own little room, instead of
sleeping out in the tent, as they wanted
to do 1t was such a pretty tent, and
such nice, cool place to sleep in on
this hot night!
81 don't see why mamma won't let
u.s." growled Harry.
LESS we might get the whooping-
cough suggested little Fred.
"Oh, nonsense! It's Just because
she's nervous. | heard grandpa tell
her so once, and now l know what he
meant"
"She says we might get scared"
But we won't. tell you. Fred. "
said Harry, his eyes sparkling with
mischief, If we just slept out there
once, she d let us all the time, cause
then she'd know it wouldn't make US
sick"
''But she told us not to-
"Oh, well, you know she wouldn' t
really care if She found we didn't ret
cold, or rheumatism, or ammonia, and
weren't a speck frightened"
But she said we mustn't"
"Oh, you're afraid
81 ain t."
Eyes, you are. I don't want you to
go with me, anyway. I'd have more
fun by myself. Goodbye, 'fraid catn'
Il amt 'fraid cat, and I'm going
to sleep in the tent if YOU dor' cried
Freddie, sturdily. "Only-I-guess
tou'd better take your pop-gun, Harry"
SO Harry armed himself with his
pop-gun, and the two boys stole down
stairs. Freddie did hope his mother
would hear them, and come out to see
where they were going, but she didn't.
How dark it was outside! The moon
had gone behind a cloud, and some
how the clouds looked dim and sleepy.
Harry kept saying the tent was so
pleasant and cool and comfortable, and
be just wished somebody would dare to
disturb them, so he could shoot him
down dead with his pop-gun. But dear
me, how dark it was inside
Freddie was nearly frightened out of
his wits. but he had been playing hard
all day, so he just curled himself up
and said: ''You kill-anything-down
dead--that and was off to the land
of Nod before he could finish.
What did he mcan?" thought Har-
ry. There isn't anything that could
hurt us really and truly. There amt
any ghosts, and | guess lions don't live
anywhere near here"
He wasn't afraid, oh no, indeed but
somehow he couldn't get to sleep and
kept sitting up and listening to the
queer noises and wshdering whether
mamma had gone to bed, and handling
his pop-gun.
What was that? Surely he heard
something creeping, creeping, creeping
softly over the grass
They had fastened the tent back on
both sides to let the cool air come in,
and at one of these openings appeared
a big black head.
1t was lion
Harry was so terrified that he could
not even scream. His heart went pit-a-
pat, and his hands grew cold as ice,
and he never once thought of his pop
gun.
Then the lion uttered a low growl!
Freddie! Freddie!" cried Harry.
"What? what?" gasped Freddie,
waking from sound sleep in a great
fright.
''Run Run! There's lion after as! -
And in a moment the two BOYS were
rushing across the garden screaming at
the top of their voices, with the horrible
creature close behind them.
Mamma heard the cries and came
running out to meet the two naughty
youngsters. ''Why, what is the mat
ter?' she asked, breathlessly. "'Where
have you been? What has frightened
you? Why, surely you cant be afraid
of Carlo'
Then these two brave, brave bows
looked at the lion again and saw that
it was Carlo, dear, kind, gentle old Car
10, the big Newfoundland!
Harry burst into tears, and threw his
arms around his mother.
"Oh, please forgive us" he sobbed,
and mamma Just kissed them both and
did not ask any questions, or say anoth-
er word about the lion. She under
stood what Harry meant, Just the way
mammas always do.-Bertha Watson, in
YOutb'S Companion.
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The die from which the Franklin