TOMMY'S COUSINS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1343, 25 August 1877, Page 19

TOMMY'S COUSINS.

Tommy had been cross all day. He had pulled Bobbie's hair, and taken his lellies from him. He had sat down on Susie's lovely doll and flattened her nose, and he put the kitten on top of the bookcase. He had even beeu saucy and hateful to his dear mamma, when she asked if her little boy felt quite well, or if his long visit to the Aquarium yesterday had tired him. Instead of answering pleasantly, Tommy had haunched up his shoulders, shoved out his elbows, and snapped out fiercely, "No I ain't tired, and I ain't cross either." Every one was glad when bed-lime came, and Master Tommy was taken upstairs. "I do declare, Master Tommy, you'll turn into a nasty turtle, or a crab, some of these nights, when you're so cross," said nurse. " Pooh ! " said Tommy, " I won't." " Well, something will happen ; you'll see if it dosen't. I've read of just such things coming to boys in books," said nurse, as she tucked him into bed. Nurse thought he had become very quiet all at once, and, as she bade him " Good-night," she wondered if he was up to more mischief. But he was already snoring as she reached the door. As soon as she had gone down-stairs, Tommy got out of bed, and felt under the bureau for the piece of mince-pie he had hidden there. He had taken it from the pantry shelf that evening — a good big quarter of a pie. It was rather dusty, but tasted good, and Tommy sat up in bed and ate it all in ten bites. Then he curled down among the blankets, and wished he was a crab. " I'd crawl right down and bite nurse, now," he thought. "I wonder how it would feel to be a turtle, or a crab, or " A very fine specimen indeed," said a gruff, strange voice. Tommy looked around. Where was he 1 Where was his bed, and his room with blue paper on the wall ? " Oh, my ! what is the matter ?" cried Tommy. He was sitting upon a bit of sea-weed, in a great glass-case full of water, with a red-nosed man in spectacles looking at him. "Afine specimen of fresh-water urchin," said the red-nosed man. "I ain't an urchin," cried Tommy, indignantly. * * See him open his mouth 1 How ugly , he is ! " exclaimed a small boy beside the red-nosed man. j Tommy looked around for something to throw at him, but right at his elbow sat a huge hermit crab, who stretched out his four claws, and said :—: — " Shake hands, cousin ! Glad to see you ! " " I'm not your couain," said Tommy, drawing himself up. " Oho ! He said he is not my cousin '" squeaked the hermit crab, so loudly that all the skates came to see what was the matter. *- "You're ahorrid ugly thing '."screamed Tommy. " I saw you yesterday pinching a poor little crab, and poking your old { claws into his shell. I'm not your cousin." | " Now, justhearthat !" said the hermit crab, with a wicked smile. " Here is an urchin who pinches his little brother, pulls his hair, and takes his lollies away, and yet he declares he is not my cousin ! Nonsense ! Of course you are. Come along." He was just stretching out his claws to drag Tommy off the bit of sea-weed, when two little sea-urchins came lolling along, and said : — "Why, here's cousin Tommy ! " "Go away ! " exclaimed Tommy, " I never was such an ugly, prickly thing like a chestnut-bur." " Wy. prickly thing, indeed ! " cried the sea-urchins. " Didn't you pain your poor mamma with your naughty, prickly temper, —you ugly little fresh-water urchin ! " And both the sea-urchins gave him great pokes with their spiny sides, I and then lolled away, laughing at his pain. ! They had no sooner gone than up came j

a whole family of thin little alligators, and with them a whole family of fat little seals, giggling, bouncing up and down, and eating mince-pie. " Tommy, how d' ye do ? How d' ye do, Tommy V said they all. They looked so mischievous, and so big, that Tommy began to cry. " Cry, baby — cry ! Haven't any pie !" sang all the fat little seals and thin little alligators, jumping at him and trying to bite his toes, till Tommy was frightened half to death. Just as he made sure they were going to eathim, something wonderful happened. A beautiful sea-horse, with a silver bridle, came floating down, led by the loveliest little mermaid that ever was seen. And as she came close to Tommy, she said :—: — " Poor Tommy ! Come with me. Mount my little friend here, and we will take you away from these tormentors." So Tommy got upon the sea-horse's back, and he just fitted there nicely, which surprised him, till he remembered that since he had become a fresh-water urchin, he had grown very small. They pranced away from the seals and alligators, and all the skates smiled pleasantly as they passed. Soon they came to the mermaid's house — a large pink conch-shell, with sea-weed climbing over it, and a long avenue, marked by rows of pink sea-anemones, leading up to it. The sea-aaemones bowed, and waved their fringes to the mermaid and welcomed her home. " I have here a poor little urchin who has been naughty, and who has been punished ; but now he will be good and happy," said the mermaid. Then they went into the conch-shell, and around and around, and up the spiral stairs, that were pinked at every step, till at last the mermaid put Tommy into a little bed like a rosy pink sunset, and kissed him good-night. "You won't want to get up and look for pie again, will you ? " said she. "I just guess not !" answered Tommy ; and then he fell asleep, while she sang to him songs about the sea. When he woke up the sunshine was streaming over him. " I did think of giving him some paragoric, ma'am," nurse was saying. " But after a little while he stopped crying, so I did not' get up." ' 'Why ! I must have dreamed it," said Tommy to himself. Just then he looked down and saw some pie-crust crumbs in his bed. "I don't know, though," he thought. " May be it was true. May be I really was — a — urchin."