Year: 1876

Inc iullil GCf gave OuC MS GeAL RIG
droned along mono!ononsly through an
argument which was 50 rrosy that many
Il head by and by began to nol-and yet
il was an argument that dealt in limit
less fire and birthstone, and tIlinned the
predestincd elect down to a company sc
small as to be hardly worth the saving.
Tom counted the pages Of the sermon
after church he always knew how many
pages there has been, but he seldom
knew anything else about the discourse.
However, this time he was really inter
ested for q little while. The minister
made a grand ana moving picture Of the
assembling together OF the worlds hosts
at the Millennium, when+. the' lion aud
the lamb should lie. down jtagtt tllsrland a
little child should lead 41tJJall:.s,: But the
pathos, the lesson, the moral of the great
| spectacle were lost upon the boy /; lie
only thought of the conspicuousness OF
the principal character before the on
looking nations his face Lit up with the
thought, and he said to himself that he
wished he could be that child, if it was
a tame lion.


Now he had lapsed into suffering again
as the dry argument was resumed. Pres
emily he bethought himself of treasure
he had, and got it out. It was u large
black beetle with formidable jaws-a
sspinch-bug" he called it. It was in a
percussion cap box. The first thing the
beetle did was to take him by the finger
A natural flip followed, the beetle went
! houndering into the aisle, and lit Oh its
back, and the hurt finger went into the
boys mouth. The beetle lay there
working It's helpless legs, unable to turn
over. Tom eyed it and longed for it,
| but it was safe out Of his reach. Other
people, uninterested in the sermon,
| found relief in the beetle, and they eyed
it too.


Presently a vagrant poodle dog came
idling along sad at heart, lazy with the
summer softness and the quiet, weary of
captivity, signing for change. He spied
the beetle the dropping tail lifted and
wagged. He surveyed the prize walk
| ed around it smelt of it from a safe dis
| tance walked around it again grew
bolder, and took closer smell ; then
lifted his lip, and made a gingerly snatch
at it, just missing it made another and
another began to enjoy the diversion !;
| subsidized to his stomach with the beetle
| between his paws, and continued his cx-
periments grew weary at last, ana "a ~.
| indifferent and absent-minded. His
head nodded, and little by little his chin
descended and touched the enemy, who
seized it. There was a sharp yclp, a
firt of the poodle's head, and the beetle
fell a couple of yards away, and lit on
his back once more The neighboring g
spectators shook with gentle inward JOY,
several faces went behind fans and hand
kerchiefs, and Tom was entirely happy.
The dog looked foolish, and probably
felt so ; but there was resentment in his
heart, too, and craving for revenge.
So he went to the beetle and began a
wary attack on it again jumping at it
from every point of q circle, lighting
with his fore paws within an inch Of the
creature, making even closer snatches
at it with his teeth, and jerking his head
till his ears tapped again. But he grew
tired once more, after while tried to
amuse himself with fly, but fonnd no
relief followed an ant around, with his
nose close to the floor, and quickly wear
led of that yawned, sighed, forgot the
beetle entirely, and sat down on it
Then there was wild yelp of agony ,and
the poodle went sailing up the aisle the
yelps continued, and SO did the dog he
crossed the house in front of the alter
he flew down the other aisle he crossed
before the doors he clamoured mp The
homestretch his anguish grew with his
progress, till presently he was wooliy
comet, moving in its orbit with the
CLEAN and the speed of light. At last
the frantic sufferer sheered from his
course and sprang into his masters lap
he foung it ont OF the window, and the
voice of distress quickly thinned away
and died in the distance. * Tom
Sawyer went home quite cheerful, think
ing to himself that there was n bit ol
variety in it. He had but one marrina
thought; he was willing that the dog
should play with his pinch-bug, but ie
did not think it was upright to carry il
Off