The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-01-09

Tommy stood without the walls of a
beautiful palace, which seemed to be
built entirely of great blocks of crystal
ice. There was a trumpet blast, the
gates slowly opened, and, impeled by
some mysterious force, Tommy entered.
\ handsome boy, little larger than he,
met him at the portal, and, taking him
by the hand, led him through the kingly
appointed halls. Every object his eyes
beheld-the floors, the ceilings, the walls,
the stairways and the furniture-seemed
to be of the purest ice. Even the raj
ment of his young conductor, Tom my
noticed, was of spun ice of bright and
varil d colors wove in fanciful patterns
and forming cloth of bewidering beauty.
where am /? asked Tommy, when
he had so far recovered from his bewil-
derment as to be able to use his tongue.
Sin the palace of the Man in the Moon,
good sir, answered the youth in spun
ice, with bright but rather cold smile.
81 am his only son, and you are to dine
with him to-day
By this time Tommy noticed that he
had to dance and slap his arms about
him and rub his ears to keep blood NOV
ing.
where shall lead yon next" asked
T,mmy's guide, whom we shall hereafter
know as the Prince.
7 mmy answered that if it were not
asking too much he would like to be led
to a fire. and then the Prince told Tom
my that they didn't have fires in the
moon any more. There was once big
fire in the mountain to the Eastward, he
continued, but it had gone out about
80 600 years before, and now the Man in
the Moon and his subjects had become
accustomed to do without fires.
At this moment the Prince and Tom
my we're summoned to the dining hall,
and yon may think Tommy had lively
curiosity to sec the sort of dinner that
was going to be served in world with
out fires. His curiosity was soon salts
fed. The Man in the Moon and his good
wife and his beautiful golden-haired
daughter, apparently little younger
than r ,mmy, each greeted him pleas
antly-not warmly, but very kindly.
Tommy noticed that al, were attired in
spun ice of the richest shades. The Man
III the Moon had bright bald head,
Jolly face and a cherry red nose, and he
was very fat apd seemed clock tull of
fan. His wife had u kindly countenance,
too, and the Prince and PRINCESS were
just too charming for anything. Tom
my felt that he coull be very happy with
these good folks-amid warmer sur
roundings.
he soon noticed that the chairs, the
tables and all the dishes were of crystal
ice, and he feared that he was not going
to enjoy his dinner He was seated be-
tween the Prince and Princess. The
Man in the Moon asked a blessing, and |
the attendants began bringing in the
viands, which filled Tommy with greater
surprise than ever. There were frozen
fish, frozen turkey, frozen salads. frozen
plum pudding, frozen custald and frozen
green cheese. The coffee was frozen,
too, and the wines were served ia frozen
sticks that looked to Tommy like candy,
and the Man in the Moon Bit them off
and smaeked his lips with as much APP
parent gusto as Tommy had seen folks
sip their wines in the world whence he
came.
But Tommy was not enjoying his din
ner at ALL His feet were very cold. his
teeth we're chattering, and he believed
that his clothing was freezing turkey,
though he tried for the sake of polite
ness. and when the little Princess looked
at him with her beautiful eyes and be-
witching smile and insisted that he