Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 July 1877 — TOMMY’S Pants. [ARTICLE]

TOMMY’S Pants.

Something mysterious was going on. That night when Tommy climbed into his crib, mamma told him that when he waked in the morning he would And something very nice in the chair Deside it. He thought it would be very hard to wait so long; but it only seemeH a minute or so before he waked up and heard the robins singing with all their might out in the cherry trees. Mamma was brushing her hair, moving about verv softly, so as not to wake baby, and Tommy sat right up and looked about him, rubbing his eyes with his fat fists. Sure enough, there was “something” on the chair where he had left his plaid dress and ruffled panties. A new dress? No, not a dress at all, but the prettiest little suitjacket and pants of soft, gray cloth, but toned with shining pearl buttons, and trimmed with braid. Tommy could hardly believe his eyes, but he was on the floor in a twinkle, laughing and chuckling, and trying to put his pants right on over his long night gown. “Just like a man,” giggled Tommy, thrusting his hands into his pockets; and baby lifted her precious littie head from the pillow, and stared at him with her great, blue eyes, as if she wondered who that boy was. “ She don’t know me,” said Tommy, .in still greater delight. “ She won’t never have pants, will she?’’he added in a tone that was partly pity and partly triumph. “ I suppose you won’t care about eating peanuts and candy any more,” said Uude Jim, as he went"away. Tommv was walking about with his hands behind him, trying to make his shoes squeak. lie stopped and looked at Uncle Jim, to see if he was in earnest. There was a twinkle in his eye that reassured Tommy, so he went on squeaking his shoes, and wondering what Billy would say to him. He determined to go over immediately and see, but mamma spoiled that plan by telling him not to go outside the gate on any account, or do anything to soil his new clothes, because hte papa was coming borne that very morning, and Tommy must look his best Tommy’s papa brought him a musicbox that would play, three tunes, and a set of toy horsemen rode up and down to the tune of “Captain Jinks,” when you turned the handle of the box they stood upon, so of course he had to go over after dinner to show his treasures and his new clothes to Billy 4 The result was dreadtully disappointing, so far as the new elothes were concerned, for that young gentieinan sniffed up his nose at them in decided disapproval. “ Ho!” said Billy, “ they’re most like a girl; only come to your knees, and no galluses. I don’t hate mg clothes that way.” Tommy stared with his big eyes, and wondered what “ galluses” might be, but had not a doubt that there was but one proper way to make clothes, and that was just like Billy s. Now, Billy’s mamma never troubled herself about the spring fashions, or any other fashions. She had half a dozen boys, and when lhe older ones outgrew their clothes, she just cut off the legs a little, patched the knees and elbows, and passed them on down the row. Billy’s present Dants happened to be a little long and a little baggy, but that was a fault time would remedy; so, after inspecting them a moment, Tommy unbuckled his little trousers at lhe knee, and stretched and smoothed them down over his scarlet stockings. It was no use; at lhe very best they would not reach his ankles. “ Tell ye what,” said Billy, “ if ye had some galluses them pants" would reach down.” “Y-e-s,” said Tommy, in bewilderment.

The inventive Billy went directly to work, ana manufactured a pair of suspenders out of some old red* reins. The short trousers were unbuttoned from the jacket and let down to a desirable length, the “ galluses” fastened on with pins and twine, and then Billy surveyed his work with triumph. To be sure, there was a noticeable gap between the top of the trousers and the bottom of tbe jacket, but the red suspenders bridged it over, and Billy remembered to havejseen the same lack upon Jake, the hostler, so both bdys were satroUwWT '7"*" ' "■■.iw! ———.'--■“’w. — “ There, now,” said Billy; “ now you look something like.” He didn’t say like what, and Tommy didn t ask; but they played with the soldiers till Ellen rung tild bell for tea. Then papa and mamma, looking out at the parlor wiudow, saw a funny little figure coming across the yard, with gray trousers dragging over ita feet, red suspenders stretching down in front across a puff of plaid flannel skirt, and a gay little plaid banner streaming bravely out in the rear. Tommy’s papa laughed and shouted, and felt like rolling on the floor, and he called Uncle Jim and be laughed, too; but though Tommy went to the window the i minute he got in, to see what the fun was, he couldn’t see anything at all.— What Tommy Did.