Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-06-03
not get over his unfortunate habit as


One day while Clarence was out for
walk, he thought he would sit on a
nice fiat stone and take rest, but as
soon as he was nicely seated the stone
began to swim away and Clarence
jumped up just in time to escape being
carried off. He was so excited that he
began to ask himself questions at
once, for there was no one else around
to ask.
well, 1 never!" he exclaimed. 81
wonder now if all of the stones down
here can swim, and who taught them
to swim and why they don't swim up to
the top of the water, and what would
happen If some one should use that
kind Of a stone for a snker on his
fishline?" Then the stone came swim
| ming back, and Clarence saw that 1t
was not a stone at all, but very funny
| fish.
well! Well! Well'' cried Clarence.
Its only fish after all; but it's just
as fiat as a pancake!"
No such thing" said the fish angri-
ly. Il am as fiat as founder, and
etiSAO 40 icbhlhS5 tDOuI lldI,
either, for | am founder Since you
have seen fit to ask so many questions
you have got to listen while I tell you
why founders are fiat. And the next
| time you hear any one say flat as a
| founder you will know all about it.
"a great, great many years ago,
| founders were not fiat at all, but
shaped like any other fish. In fact,
they were very graceful and we'll pro-
portioned, and they were quite vain
on account of it.
"One day ship sailed over the part
of the ocean where the founders lived,
and a young girl dropped a looking
glass out of her cabin window. The
looking glass came down and down
through the water until it fell right
into the founders back yard Mr..
Founder found 1t little while later
and picked it up to look at it. He saw
the reflection of his own face in the
looking glass, and he thought it was
some other founder who had no busi-
ness there.
| " Get out of here at once,' he cried
What do you mean by coming right
in here without an invitation and
walking about among my clothes
lines? You know all fishes hang up
their clothes to get nice and wet be-
| fore putting them on. OF course, the
reflection did not answer. but the look
ing glass reflected Mr.. Founder s
mouth as he spoke, and he thought
the other founder was making faces
at him. That made him so mad that
he kicked out with both fins and his
tail and he fell down on the back of
his neck so hard that he Jared down
four clothes poles. Mrs. Founder saw
the clothes dragging in the sand and
she came rushing out of the house to
give Mr.. Founder a piece of her mind.
1.-The very idea,' she said You
ought to be ashamed to be cutting such
didos at your age.
1T struck me- sobbed Mr.. Floun-
der. That round thing tipped me up
and hurt the back of my head Then
he sat up very straight to see Mrs.
Founder with looking glass in her
fin, smiling and bowing and putting
her hat on straight, oh, this is just
lovely she cried in surprise. You
are dear, good, old PouD-
der, to bring your little .wifey such q
nice present. I declare, l never knew
l was so handsome. We must go more
into society SO people can see how
beautiful l am. l will give a party
this very day!'
"Mr. Founder got up at once, and
when he looked in the glass he said:
| Hum! Ah Well, really, you know, |
had no idea that I was so distinguished
looking. Go ahead with your party
by all means.
"ln few days the Founders had a
very grand party, and they invited an
immense number of fishes, nearly all
of whom came.
Before long they finished playing
all the games that the fishes knew, and
then young Mr.. Sunflsh, who had been
brought up in river where boys often
came to fish, proposed that they play a
game that he had often seen boys play
on the hanks of the Ever. The game
was called squat tag and all the
fishes thought it was the greatest fun
they had ever known.
"They had been playing for long
time and enjoying themselves very
much when Mr.. Sturgeon, who Is a
very fast swimmer, was it The very
first one Mr.. Sturgeon chased was Mr..
Whale, and just as he was about to
be caught Mr.. Whale squatted in q
great hurry. He was so afraid Of be-
ing caught by Mr.. Sturgeon that he
squatted right on Mr.. and Mrs. Floun-
der, who were holding each others
hands and taking turns peeping in the
looking glas. OF course, as Mr.. Whale
was nineteen million times heavier
than both the Flounders, he squashed
them just as fiat as could possibly be-
and he broke the glass into little
pieces.
CAS- soon as Mr.. Whale found what
he had done, he said he was very sor-
| nv ond pffarpd tn elf IN fbo eSlua. ~