Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-27
MIR. BILLTaP's GRAssHoPPER STORY
How the Hopper Jumped and Freddie'
ooh" Startled the CONGREGATION.

How the Hopper Jumped and Freddie's
"Oh" Startled the Congregation.
From the New York Sun
"Pop," said little Frankly Billtops, "tell me
a story"
'well, Frankly" said Mr.. Billtops, "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
he used to go to see his aunt. who lived in the
country in a little old village. There was an
old church in this village, and every Sunday
morning Freddy used to go there. Generally
his father and mother aud some of the other
folks from the house used to 60. too; but one
Sunday just Freddy and his aunt went alone
at was warm day and the windows of the
church were puled down all around at the top
to let in the air. Freddy looked out through
these open windows, and saw the sunshine and
saw the branches of the trees swaying and
heard the leaves rustling, and somehow it all
made him feel very sleepy. and the first thing
you know, he was fast asleep. But Freddy :
aunt knew that children go TO sleep in church
sometimes, and she was looking out for him all
the time. and when she saw him nod and nod
and nod she fixed it so that when he finally
nodded clean over his head tell against her
where he was all safe.
After a while 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 he was sitting. You
know there were only Freddy and his aunt in
the pew and they sat at one end of il: SO there
was long vacant space between them and the
other end. Right square in the center of this
space Freddy saw big grasshopper: he was sit
ting there perfectly still and with his head
pointed toward the pulpit. Freddy didn't
know whether the grasshopper was asleep or
/ hat h,,<l hal L.
soon he knew that the grasshopper wasn't
asleep for he saw him run his right leg up and
down against his side and then he saw him rub
his left leg up and down against that side: then
the grasshopper stood perfectly still again.
Then he turned half around right where he
stood and faced toward Freddy and just stood
there, very STILL But all of a sudden the grass.
hopper made a tremendous Jump and landed
| right on Freddy's shoulder. Freddy said. OH
ut was only very small word with only two
letters IN II. but 1t startled the whole congreSa.
ton 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 tc
do when anything happens. The first thing
she did was to put 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 thai
way it would make him feel bad; and when she
had done this she just looked straight ahead a,
though nothing had happened, as though she
had never heard of anything happening. and a.
though she didn't expect anything was going t.
happen for the next 700 years.
1.-The minister had seen right away that moth
ing very wonderful had happened. and he had
gone right on preaching again. When tht
people saw Freddy's aunt looking ahead in tina
way they turned again and faced toward tn.
| pulpit once more. and then everything went on
| just as it was BEFORE
What became Of the grasshopper, pop2'
asked Frankly.
But that was something that Mr.. Billtopl
| could not answer.