The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-07-09

seized the white rock and threw it at Mr..
Dog with all his might. 1t fell Mr..
Dog, and instantly became Mr.. Billy Goat
ag..in. But in falling a piece was broken
off, and it happened to be Mr.. Billy Goats
tail. Ever since then he has had a very
short tall
Were you there, Mr.. Rabbit?' asked
Sweeyest Susan, bluntly.
II was fishing at the time replied Mr..
Rabbit. 81 heard the noise they made, and
I turned around and saw it just as I've
told you
Druslla touched Buster on the arm, 1--WE
amt dreamin, is we honey?"
Buster John looked at her scornfuly.
'What put that in your head?" ne asked.
Suppose the rock had hit Mr.. Dog?'
suggested Sweetest Susan.
Now, that's sou exclaimed Mr.. Thimble-
finger. "And it reminds me of little ac-
cident that happened in my mothers fami-
ly. But it's hardly worth telling
"Well, tell it, anyhow" said Mrs. Mead
ows.
Yes" remarked Mr.. Rabbit, 1.-The proof
of the pudding is in chewing the bag
"WeH' said Mr. Thimblefingef, as far
back as I can remember, and before that,
too, my mother was a widow, and she had
a great many children to take care of. The
reason she had so many children was be-
cause she was poor. L have noticed all my
life that when people are very poor they
happen to have more children than they
know what to do with This was the way
with my mother. She had a houseful of
children. and she found it hard matter to
get along.
Zone day she went down to the creek to
wash the Clothes such she and the chill
dren had, and when she goo there she found
an old man sitting on the bank He said
'Howdy,' and she said Good morning. and
| then he asked her if she would be SO good
to wash his coat and his waistcoat. She
said she would be glad to do so, and the old
man said he would be very much obliged.
So my mother washed the coat and waist
! coat. Then he asked her if she would comb
his hair for him, and she did so.
THE old man thanked her kindly, and
| took from his pocket string of red beads
and made her a present of them. Then he
| told her to go out behind the house when
| she got home, and there she'd find pump
| kin tree growing. He said that she must
| bury the string of beads at the foot of the
! tree.
- That's a pity exclaimed my mother;
they are so beautiful
But the old man declared that she must
do he said, and after that she to go
to the pumpkin tree every day and ask for
as many pumpkins as she wanted.
my mother went home and found the
pumpkin tree where never a tree had been
growing before. and at it's roots she buried
the string OF beads. Next morning, bright
and early, she went to the pumpkin tree and
called for one pumpkin. Down it dropped
from the tree. For long time my mother
and her children were happy and growing
fat. Every day a big pumpkin would be
cooked, and, my mother had to leave us
SO as to attend to her work, enough pump
kin would be left in the pot to last us all
day.
II remember that time very WELL" Mr.
Thmblefinger continued with & sigh ''for
I was getting fat and growing to be almost
as large as the rest of the children. But
one day, my mother going out to
work she found hamper basket on the
gate post, and in that basket was baby
So she carried the baby in the house, gave
it something to eat, ana then put in on the
floor to play with the rest. But as soon as
she got out of the yard the baby crawled
to the pot where the cooked pumpkin was
and ate and ate until there pump
kin left. Of course, the rest of the children
had to go hungry. And when my mother
came home she had to go hungry, too.
she was very much surprised. She found
all the pumpkin gone. and the children cry
ing for something to eat, and the stray
baby was crying louder than any. She said
we were the greediest children she had ever
seen.
1.-THE next day she cooked two pumpkins
but the same thing happened. The baby
went to the pot and ate them ALL The
children told her how it happened, but she
wouldn't believe them. She said she couldn't
be made to believe that one puny little baby
could eat two whole pumpkins-and it is
very queer, when you come to think about
it.
The next day she cooked three pumpkins.
but the same thing happened. Then four
then five, then six. But it was ALWAYS the
same. No matter how many pumpkins were
cooked, the stray baby would eat them all
and the rest of the children would have to
hungry
Mr.. Thimbletinger, suddenly pausing in the
thread of his story. "Well, the reason of if
is that l was starved out by that pumpkin
eating baby. My brothers and sisters and
myself were just as large and as healthy