Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-01-07

~.
liple girls were hardly sble 70 wait uatil
night, when the two uncles were to give
q private exhibition In the parlor. The
lantern was ready at last. and the little
girls were about TO take seats besors the
screen. when the sound OF grand cater
wssling hos:ed in the window from the
garden.
oh, heres Beambsaser." cried all
three little iris at once.
who Is Beambeaser ~ asked the elder
OF the two uncIes, who were quite young
,incles, In their freshman year in college,
in fact
"He is our cat" replied the largest
little girl.
why do You call him BeambeaserP"
asked the younger uncle.
"Why. it's hi, name," said the small
est little girl. ibid you think we would
call him Beambeaser II it wasn't his
name2"
Hell get hurt" moaned the second
girl.
''How's that?" askel the younger
uncle.
''iou see, that horrid Jimmy O'Neill
lives opposite AMI he catches Beambeaser
and whips him and pulls his tail. Beam
beaser is so tame that he goes up to every
body. Those bad cats are fighting and
Beambeaser Is out there watching them,
for he never fights himself, he's so good.
Jimmy ONci.l will come sneaking over
and the other cats will run and he will
catch Beambeaser AM hurt him. l Just
wish I'eambeaser 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. lie says he is just little
tiger and that If he should grow big like
tiger, he would he fierce and eat US all
up. Ed says he purrs and i, affection
ate just because he is little and can't hurt
us and wants his dinner, but II 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 ale
says we would eat Beambeaser, IL he were
good to eat like chicken"
IL just wish he wou! get big AMI eat
that horrid Jimmy o. Neill," said the
largest girl.
II wonder II we can't see him." sal d
the younger uncle, ani he pointed the
lantern out OF the window and sent its
rays this way and that until presently the
great circle OF light restei upon large
sheet hanging down from c.otheslne in
the next yard. the bottom part OF it lying
upon the top of the garden wall. Sitting
upon the wall and the sheet was small
tiger cat
There he is" said the three little girls.
do you think Jimmy UNeill will
come over after Beambealer on Christmas
cve" asked the elder uncle.
"He alwa. does" said the three little
girls.
"Then we will have Beambeaser grow
big. Bob. l wish you would get over
behind the wall. When the boy comes
into the yard. | want you to whistle. |
will flash the light and show Beambeaser
and then turn it off, jerk Beambeaser from
the wall as soon as turn OF the light.
aud scare that boy, though can't promise
that he will eat the boy"
To the little girls at the window 1t
seemed very long time before the garden
gate creaked and their uncle whistled.
The light flashed out and there was Beam
beaser sitting on the wall against the sheet,
and a small, red headed boy in front OF
him. The light shone out again, and
there was a terrible tiger sitting where
Beambeaser had been, against the sheet,
rolling his eyes, opening his mouth and
flashing hic tail. The small boy stood
deprived by fear of the power
to move. Suddenly terrible growls and
screams broke forth, and the small boy
found use of his legs and ran preciptately,
his own terrified shrieks with
the growls and screams of the tiger. The
light aud the tiger vanished and pretty
soon the younger uncle came inlaughing,
with Beambeaser in his arms.
ale is small again." said he, passing
the cat to the smallest girl. GLOW did
you like my growing and screaming?
That was the only touch needed to make
the tiger realistic 1t was genuine
Christmas eve miracle"
u was hard for the little girls to be-
lie. that the tiger on the wall had been
nothing more than picture thrown upon
the sheet by the magic lantern. The tiger
with rolling eyes and lashing tail was not
the only animated picture in the uncle's
collection. There were an alligator that
swallowed an African baby a cat that ato
a rat and donkey that threw its rider
Five times during the evening did the
little girls call for the tiger and were salts
fled with only once beholding Sthe Capito'
at Washington and Niagara Falls by
moonlight which the uncles considered
the finest pictures in their possessions.