The Washington weekly post., 1900-03-27
TALES OF YANKEE
ENCH4VTWEN7
Tod and the Stolen Holidays.

EVVu lUu fGIElleiuU- he VIZ
kind hearted and brave and good humor-
ed. but he was also greedy. As an Illus
uarion Of this latter quality lei me tel
an incident connected with his bcyhood.
Ny grandfather told me- Years ago there
was a kind OF candy known as the Jack
son bail IL was as large around as
crab apple and as hard as a stone pave
ment is when you fall headlong on IT,
Well, one day Timotheus Paunceforte
found a cent In the road. and as be was
a most generous little fellow he imme-
diateiy invited Tod to 90 with him 20 the
little candy store on the corner. and ne q
treat him to whatever he wanted Most
boys would have chosen taffy as being
easy 10 divide. but Tod, never thinking
about Tirn0theus, said he guessed he'd
take a Jackson ball. and Timoiheus
bought one-they came one for a cent.
But as there is no way 10 dispose OF them
but TO suck them 10 their dissolution
Timotheus didn't get taste. They came
out OF the candy store two happy boys,
TimOtheus happy because he had provid-
ed a feast for his friend and Tod happy
because the feast had been provided
without its costing him anything.
1t was when Tod was eleven years old
that his greed caused trouble to the
whole of the United States on two very
important days. Just what year IL was
cannot say, but your great-grsndfaIner
may remember. His parents took him to
a balloon ascension at Rockford Park. u
country place where they hold fairs and
poultry shows every fall.
1t is not for me TO say how ne managed
TO do il. / don't think he was ever clear
in his own mind how it came about, but
il is a we'll known fact that when you cut
the rope that holds balloon to earth that
balloon is going to escape if Ii has spark
of animation. 1 suppose the balioonist
had gone TO lunch. but wherever he was
he was not in the balloon when Tod step
ped into the basket TO see how the old
thing worked, and as Tod was perfectly
fearless and reckless boy he did not think
of the moral or physical consequences
but simply sawed away at the rope win
his jackknife until the balloon sprang up
like lark from its nest in the meadow
and was soon out of hearing OF the au-
CRY owner.
Ny grandfather told me that a farmer :
horse began to cut up just as Tom was
seyering the rope and that that drew
away the attention of the sightseers- Ger
tainly there never was madder man than
the owner of that balloon, and ne called
the bystanders all sorts of names for not
interfering to save his precious balloon
As for Tod, he was tickled to death
He waved farewell to the crowds below:
he sang snatches of songs and sat on the
edge OF the basket with his legs dangling
over until his mother tainted, and as he
happened TO see her he drew in his legs.
He did not like 10 occasion unnecessary
pain.
After he had been in the balloon some
ten hours and had sailed l don't know
how many miles he became very hungry.
and seeing land a quarter of a mile above
him, he decided to leave the balloon and
take a short walk for exercise if he could
fasten his anchor anywhere. The bal
loonist had an emergency anchor In the
balloon, and if he hadn't no one would
ever have heard OF Tod again. So my
grandfather said.
He was now some go miles above the
earth, higher than any man of science
las ever been, and yet he did not feel
cold. nor bleed at the ears, nor do any Of
those unpleasant things that aeronautS
seem to consider so necessary
That there should be land up In the air
struck him as odd at first, and then he
reflected that there were many things
connected with the heavens that he knew
nothing about and this land was un-
doubtedly one of them.
As Re sped past a little cape of land
that jutted out into the air he was able
10 throw the anchor into a tree and a
moment later the balloon was captive and
he was sliding down the rope to wha [
looked like solid earth. But it was not
as solid as it looked. In fact, 1t was a
cloud, and if a handsome little boy clad
in what looked Ike an autumn sunset had
not stretched out his hand and caught
him Tod would have had a bad fall.
Here, drink this and you'll be able to
walk without sinking" said the little
stranger. He handed a golden cup to Tod
as he spoke and that boy was only too
glad to drink. for he was thirsty after his
S00-mile fight. The liquid tasted like sil
Kinds or soda water you ever heard of.
poured into one glass and favored with
essence of orange flower. AS soon as Tod
mad drunk 1t he feit as light as a feather
ana walked on the cloud as If il had been
terra hrnia, which, my grandfather told
me- Is Latin for solid ground Ask your
teacher whether the old gentleman was
right.
WHAT'S the name OF this place. and
now Tar is 1t to earth, and what's your
name, and what do you DO up here, and
Whefe can L get such a pretty suit? II
LOOKS IKE the view from our yeran.,a
When the sun is going down"
L can tell you're from the earth by the
questions you ask" said the other how.
laughing. He was such a pretty fellow
very much like the Capids on tthe valen-
tines.
Well, Ia never learn anything if I
didn't ask questions Where do YOU live.
and why don't you fall through%'
m the child of the sunset: but. say
you haven't learned anything so ear bv
asking questions, for you don't wait for
the answers. You only ask to keep your
/ tongue from getting lazy"
Tod laughed and said. Il bet / can beat
you running"
II guess not" said the sunset bov. and
with that both OF them began 10 run as
| hard as they could, but although Tod'g
feet hardly touched the ground. SO easily
did he move through cl0udland, VET the
ether boy moved twice as fast. and soon
vanished behind a high wall that sur
rounded a huge castle that looked like
those cloud palaces that rear themselves
on June days when you are lying on your
| back out in the fields, and wishing that
the long vacation would begin
1t was snowy white and had towers
and minarets aud the wall Of salmon pink
that surrounded 1T changed its shape con
tinually
While Tod was wondering what castle
ii was and whether any giants lived With
in it, tall warrior. who looked exactly
( as If he was fashioned out Of a silver
cloud with little flashes Of opalescent fire
running through him, came TO an opening
in the wall and said: What is your
name, Earth Boy, and why have YOU
come to the storehOuse Of the <holidays?''
Before Tod could answer his friend
the Sunset Boy. popped out from behind
the wall and said: Hes all right. He
can run half as fast as I can"
The warrior seemed astonished. WHY
that IS impossible. No one IN Cioudlan nd
can run a euarte- as fast as you"
Wei, he did. ] leave II 10 him II he
didn't And he's hungry. I'D he wants
10 know everything nd ezy-ss tbFs a,