Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-22
HOW BEAMBEAsER GREW BIG.
How Jimmy O'Ncill Was Taught ia
Mind His Manners ON Christmas Eve.

How Jimmy O'Ncill Was Taught to
Mind His Manners ON Christmas Eve:
The little girls were much excited over the
unpacking of the magic lantern their two
uncles had brought home with them Christ
mas eve. The uncles and the lantern had
arrived that morning, and the little girls
were hardly able to wait until night, when
the two uncles were to give a private ex-
hibition in the parlor. The lantern was
ready at last, and the little girls were about
to take seats before the screen when the
sound of a grand caterwauling foated in
The window from the garden.
'Oh, there's Beambeaser,'' cried all three
little girls at once.
who is Beambeaser?" asked the elder of
the two Oncles, who were quite young
uncles, in their freshman year in college, in
fact.
He's our cat" replied the largest little
girl.
why do you call him Beambeaser?"
asked the younger uncle.
Why, it's his name" said the smallest
little girl. Did you think we would call
him Beambeaser If it wasn't his name?"
He'll get hurt" moaned the second girl
"Hows THAR asked the younger uncle.
You see. that horrid Jimmy O'Neill lives
opposite. and he catches Beambeaser and
whips him and pulls his tail. Beambeaser
Is so tame that he goes up to everybody.
Those bad cats are tghting, and Beam
beaser is out there watching them, for he
never fights himself he's so good. Jimmy
O'Neill will come sneaking over and the
other cats will run, and he will catch Beam
beaser and hurt him. / just wish Beam
beaser would grow big when Jimmy gets
there"
Grow big. What do you mean by that"
You see, Cousin Ed. says Beambeaser
isn't nice at all. He says he is Just a little
tiger and that if he should grow big like a
tiger he would be fierce and eat us all up
Ed saws he and IL affepttopate just
because he is little and can't hurt us and
wants his dinner, but If he should get big
he wouldn't be affectionAte at all, but
would eat u.s."
Cousin Jack doesn't believe that at ALL"
remarked the smallest girl. He says we
would eat Beambeaser If he were good to
eat, like a chicken"
81 just wish he would get big and eat
that horrid Jimmy O'Neill," said the largest
girl.
Il wonder if we can't see him." said the
out of the window and sent it's rays this
way and that unth presently the great cir
Gle OF light rested upon a large sheet hang
ing down from a clothes line in the next
yard, the bottom part of 1t lying upon the
top of the garden wall. Sitting upon the
wall and the sheet was a small tiger cat.
There he is,' said the three little girls
DO you think Jimmy O'Nell will come
over after Beambeaser on Christmas ever"
asked the elder uncle.
He always does" said the three little
girls.
Then we will have Beambeaser grow big
Bob, L wish you would get -over behind the
wall. When that boy comes into the yard
L want you to whistle. will flash the light
and show Beambeaser and then turn it off,
Jerk Beambeaser from the wall as soon as
l turn of the light. Then we will have
Beambeaser grow big and scare that boy
though tho cant promise that he will eat the
To the little girls at the window it SEEM
ed very long time before the garden gate
creaked and their uncle whistled. The
light flashed out and there was Beam
sheet, and small red-headed boy in front
of him. The light chone out again, and
there was terrible tiger sitting where
Beambeaser had been, against the sheet,
lashfng his TAIL The small boy stood mo-
tionless, deprived by fear of the power to
move. Suddenly terrible growls and
screams broke forth and the small boy
lately, mingling his own terrified shrieks
with the growls and screams of the tiger.
The light and the tiger vanished, and pref
ty soon the younger uncle came in laugh
ing, with Beambeaser in his arms.
He is small again." said he, passing the
cat to the smallest girl. How did you like
my growing and screaming? That was
the only touch needed to make the tiger
realistic. 1t was a genuine Christmas eve
miracle.
1t was hard for the little girls to believe
that the tiger on the wall had been nothing
more than a picture thrown upon the sheet
by the magic lantern. The tiger, with roll
ing eyes and lashing TAIL was not the only
animated picture in the uncle's collection
There was an alligator that swallowed a
pickaninny, cat that ate a rat and dom
key that threw its rider. Five times dur
ing the evening did the little girls call for
the tiger, and were satisfied with only once
beholding the Capitol at Washington and
Niagara Falls by moonlight, which the I'M
cles considered the finest pictures in their
possession.