FOR THE CHILDREN.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2498, 14 July 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

FOR THE CHILDREN.

Tom's Adventures. [Original story by Eva, a child nine yoars of age.] o>"Cii upon a time tliero was a little boy named Tom. Now, Tom was not a good little boy. When he got a inoth he used to stick a pin through it, and he robbed birds'nests. One day as ha was sitting by the pond by his father's cotage on a lily on the other side of the pond lie saw a littla mouse. " How are you to-day," said Tom. " Come here, I want to light you" All right," said fcho mouse. So the mouse came over. "I could kill you with a kick of my foot," said Tom. So tho fight began, but tho mouse grow bigger and bigger, and it turned into a big monkey. Tho monkey ran away with poor Tom, and before Tom could see where he was ho found himself in a big cave where ho saw a big old monkey and a lot of little monkeys. "Here is a boy who said he could fisjht me," said the monkey. "Let me see him," cried all the others, and he showed him to the others. "Oh how pretty he is," they said, "we shall keep him to be our servant." The monkey laid him down, and Tom soon fell asleep. When Tom woko, ho found himself in a dark place, and he began to cry, but it soon got light, and ho found himself in a beautiful hall with all snrts of beautiful things. Tom looked around with surprise. Then in came a man and ran away with Tom and laid him at the door of a big house, aud then ran. away antl left him there. Thpn Tom went inside and saw bis mother and father. Tom asked them bow they got there. They said they had a lot of money loft them. So Tom settled himself, aud his mother bouirht him a lot of toys, arid wheu his urnde came he asked Tom how many toys he had. Tom said he had his whip, bat, ball, cart and horse, rocking horse | tricycle, and jumping jack. "That is all," said Tom. Then-his uncle took out a nice board box, better than tho paper boxes he had. " Oh uncle, is that for me ?" said Tom. " What is in it ?" '■ i'ou shall «ee," snid his uncle. He opened tho box, and saw it full of soldiers. Tom took them out one by one, when he found then: was one different to the others. " This must be the captain," said Tom. Tom placed tliem out one by one in a row. Then the captain said march, one, two, three. Tom said this for the captain, Then Tom gave ouo a push, and one after another fell down. Now this was not very nice, but Tom put them up again. One, two, three, said the captain, Tom gave one a push, and then they all fell down. Tom threw thein all over the room, and broke one of the soldier's legs, and sprained one of the others. So Tom found out a plan, to put his pockethandkerchief fi it on the lloor and drag it along by the two ends. But he had not dragged it far before they all fell down. Tom got in such a temper that he threw them all over the floor, anil

made such a row that his father told him to go to lied. Tom went and soon fell asleep ; but he hoard a great noise, which woke him up, and ho saw his soldiers walking about the room talking about tho prisoner. Tom lay still but- tho soldiers dragged hira out of bid, aii.l tied his hands and legs and put him into a cart and carried him to a plaeo where there was n Mir heap of ashes with a board in the middle of it. There they put Tom and were just going to firo at him when Tom woke and saw it was only a dream. He was still sitting' on tho bank of the [Kind by his father's house.