The morning call., 1893-05-21
A CHRISTOPHER STORY.
How the Hopper Jumped and the
Congregation Was Startled.

How the Hopper Jumped and the
Congregation Was Startled.
New YORK sun.
"Pop." said little frankie Billtops. "tell
me story"
"Well, Frankie" said Mr.. BIltops,
once there was little boy whose name
was Freddy. His real, full name was
Frederick Timby, but everybody always
called him just Freddy.
Freddy lived in the city, but every
summer ne used to 60 TO see his aunt, VINO
lived in the country in little old villagr
There was an old church in this village,
and every Sunday morning Freddy used to
go there. Generally his father and mother
ana some of the other folks from the house
used TO 60, too; but one Sunday Just Fred
die and his aunt went alone.
ut was warm day, and the windows
of the church were pulled down all around
at the top TO let in the air. E reddy looked
out through these open windows, and saw
the sunshine and saw the branches of the
trees swayng, and heard the leaves rust
ling, and somehow it all made him feel
very sleepy, and the first thing, you know,
he was fast asleep. But Freddy's aunt
knew that children go to sleep in ch urch
sometimes, and she was looking out for
hun all the time, and when she saw him
nod and nod and nod, she fixed it so tha
when he finally nodded clean over, his
head fell against her, where he was all
safe.
after awhile Freddy woke up suddenly.
as folks do sometimes without knowing
just what wakes them, and he looked along
the vacant part of the pew in which Q
was sitting. You know there were only
Freddy and his aunt In the pew, and they
sat at one end of it, so there was long
vacant space between them and the otIrr
IYh in no IS . 4, -
space Freddy saw big grasshopper; he
was sitting there perfectly still and with
his head pointed toward the pulpit.
FREDDY didn't know whether the grass
hopper was asleep, or what, but he kept
on looking at him. and pretty soon ne
knew that the grasShoDDer wasn't asleep,
for he saw him rub mis- right leg up and
down against his side. and then he saw
Eim rub his left leg up and down against
tina; side: then the grasshoDper stood per-
fectly sti ! again. Then he turned half
around right where he stood and faced to-
ward Freddy, and just stood there, very
sill. But all of sudden the grasshopper
made tremendous jump and landed right
on Freddy's shoulder. Freddy said oh
at was only very small word with only
two letters in ii, but it started the whole
congregation and made the minister stop
preaching. Everybody looked around
toward Freddy and his aunt. But Freddy's
aunt is one of those people who always
seem to know just what to do when any,
thing happens. The first thing she did
was to cut her arm around Freddy and
draw him up nearer to her and sort of turn
his face in toward her. for she knew that
if Freddy should see all the people looking
at him in that way it would make him feel
bad and when she had done this she lust
looked straight ahead as though nothing
had happened, as though she had never
heard of anything ha pening. and as
though she didn't expect anything was
going to happen for the next 700 years
'The minister had seen right away that
nothing very wonderful had happened, and
he had gone right on preaching again.
When the people saw Freddy's aunt look
ing ahead in that way they turned around
again and faced toward the pulpit once
more, and then everything went on just as
it was before"
What became of the grasshopper, pop p"
asked Franky.
But that was something that Mr.. Billtops
could not answer.