Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-04
Children's Evening Story

D.. Plao and the Firecraeker.

Dr. Plaa and the Firecraeker.
Onoe upon time It happened that.
- Buddy Pigg was coming home from
having played baseball with Johnnie
and Billie Bushytai, and all his
Efflsnos. he saw lying beside the road
Eo8mothmg long and round and red.
With ! little string dangling from 1t,
Aha!'' exclaimed Buddy Pgg;
There lie q stick of red candy. Oh.
Ane! Oh, dandy! I'll take It home
and give Bnghteyes some"
81 That was because she had managed
Eto bring him home some Of the mo-
Elasses that was In the can, in which
the little girl guinea pig got stuck
Inst. So Buddy picked up the long,
aound. red thing, with string dang
linx from 1t, and took big bite.
That 10. he tried to, but he found his
teeth wouldn't 30 through It.
~Wow!' he cried. That isn't q
stick Of candy at ALL"
And the funny part Of It was that It
want Z stick of candy. No, not In
Exhs least. do assure you. What it
80 Buddy couldn't guess, though !
E6uppOse some of you children can.
well, anyhow. he picked 1t up and
arriod It in one paw, and his bat and
Watching glove In the other. And
fotty soon whom should he meet
hopping along but Bawly, the frog
Bully, brother, you know. And Bawly
Mas singing away for dear life, this
attle song. which you will have to get
some one to sing for you, as am as
sHGarse rs two crows and cricket.
Well. anyhow, this is the song:
EsAs | was hopping along one day,
HI diddle UNI diddle /!
w grasshopper sat in a greenwood tree,
By Tum-tum-tum diddle I!
ADA, whore are you going?' the grass
hopper asked.
ksQh. not very far said.
10y T1So along7' asked the funny bug.
And he stood right up on his head.
Nm why, yes told him. come
along
IN II lum diddle day.
The weather il certainly flne just
k now,
N FUN lum dunn skiddle fay.
Dut the grasshopper fell In a deep,
dark bog,
And pulled him out on a sunken
log,
And then came along bad, savage
dog.
M And We both ran away"
oh, no! SO that's the way it was,
Chr" asked Buddy, who had never
heard that song before.
sThat'S exactly how It was and not
= BIT different, give you my word
~ IT. said Bawly, the frog. But
that have you there, Buddy! Pepper.
mint candy, ~ sure as I can sing!
10y Aave Z bite!"
You could have 1t II it was candy"
brpmised Buddy, real politely, "only
~ isn't" and he looked at the queer
ia thing from all sides and he
Nouldn't make out what it was and
neither could Bawly. ...
Well. I'll tell you what It was, so
Sou can understand the story better.
10 wa 4 flrecracker. Yes, sir, big,
IA flrecracker that somehow or other
&Adnt gone OF on Fourth Of July when
Nossht to have done so.
N j presume some boy had lighted it,
Ao6sed it into the bushes and it had
rOne out and stayed out until Buddy
40und n. At any rate, he didn't know
hek II was and he took 1T home.
aoither did Mr.. Pigg know what 1t
-, but Buddy's mother and sister
thought 1t was quite pretty orna-
rent and Mrs. Pigg put 1t on the par
lor mantle where company could see
M
well, one day not long after this,
DF Ptgg was home all alone, for his
wife and the children had gone to a
moving picture show. He was doing
sway In his easy chair with news
paper over his face to keep away the
nies, when, all Of sudden there came
y knock at the door.
My goodness alive! Who's there?"
cried DR.. P1gg.
TITS me" answered a voice.
"And who, pray tell, may you be-?