Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-10-21
A BUBBLE STORY.
BY FRANK T. ROBINSON.

Tom was usually a good boy; but
one Monasv when his mother was
washing, / Q b thered her very much,
and was scviued several times for play
ing near tue great suds tub and getting
ais jacket wet while making great noun
tains of pretty water bubbles.
After q time, when his mothers back
was turned, Tom attempted to plunge
his pipe deep In the tub. intending to
bring up the bowl full of suds. He
succeeded in balancing his body on the
edge of the tub to reach forward, but
when he tried to raise the pipe and
irop his feet to the floor he "lost his
head, as they say, through fear of a
tumble and the possibility of being dis
covered by his mother, and so he fell
hend.ong, with a splash, into the soapy
water.
He did not shout and cry,-he was
too much scared for that,-but kept
quiet and thought over the best means
Of getting out of the scrspe. He con-
cluded that he would blow a monster
bubble. and see if it would not lift him
from his warm bath.
Pretty soon there arose on the sur
face of the water a handsome bubble
III TWO Iu6 blueb
the rim OF the tub.
Tom WAS now in great glee, and he
blew so hard that the bubble took the
shape Of big balloon, and he felt him
self rising from the water. Placing his
tongue at the end of the stem, so that the
air should not escape, Tom took several
long breaths preparatory to p final
blow. At last he began to puff away
again, and IN a moment he was holding
on to the stem of his pipe with one
hand, while with the other he guided
himself out of the window.
He saw his mother look up at him as
he sailed into space, and for a moment
his heart sickene1, and he was filed
with regret; but as he saw rivers, lakes,
housetops, trees, the butcher aud chill
1rer, all fading and melting into ono
mass, he felt proud of himself and for
got everything else.
Away, upward and onward, went the
pretty bubble and the silly child; nor
did he care which way or how high he
went, and he doubtless would have
been going on to this day, but from the
fact that he struck q cloud with such
force that the bubble bounded about
like rubber ball.
1t Jared him so much that he wished
himself in the back yard of his house
playing with his cat "Pepper;" but,
after a while, he came to the edge of
the cloud, and then up he shot like a
rocket.
Just as he was beginning to feel hap
py, a new trouble appeared, the sun
was setting, and its golden rays re-
fiected SO strongly on the bubble that
it blinded him; added to this, came a
sorry feeling that he had not minded
his poor mamma, and he began to cry
in trying tosswipe his eyes, he struck
the bubble, which burst with q terri
ole noise. Horror filed his breast;
oh, what should he do up in the
heavens? He shouted for his mother,
but, that was useless: she was miles
below. and could not hear or even see
her flighty child. OF a sudden he won
dered why he was not falling to the
ground-his eyes now began to dry
so he looked below him, and to his de-
light discovered that his tears had been
turned to bubbles, and that he was
covered with them.
Tom had aged considerably within
an hour, and was now on the alert for
anything new that might happen, SO
he began to study out the means of
escape from his terrible conditi IN.
Bubbles brought me up," said Tom,
aloud; IF there were no bubbles, L
would 60 down, SO he commenced to
burst the bubbles about him, one by
one, and gradually began to descend to
the earth, and when he pricked the
last bubble he shouted with all his
might for Joy, and cried Justify for his
mother.
Tom bounded hastily toward the
back-door of his house; but finding it
locked commenced knocking and
pounding it with all his might aud
screaming, Mother, mother, I've come
home"
Yes. yes, my dear boy" said his
mother. "You have been dreaming,
Tommy; turn over on your side; there's
a kiss for you"
Tom gave a sigh, murmured some
thing about ''mince pie, and "glad it
amt true" then went to sleep again.