804 ‘TOM THUMB,

Tom never was any bigger than his father's thumb, which
‘was not a large thumb either; but, as he grew older, he became
very cunning and sly, which his mother did not sufficiently
correct him for: so that when he was able to play with the
boys for cherry-stones, and had lost all his own, he used to
creep into the boys’ bags, fill his pockets and come out again to
play, But one day as he was getting out of a bag of cherry-
stones, the boy to whom it belonged chanced to see him. “ Ah,
ha, my little Tom Thumb !” said the boy, “have I caught
you at your bad tricks at last? Now I will reward you for
thieving.” Then drawing the string tight round his neck, and
shaking the bag heartily, the cherry-stones bruised Tom’s legs,
thighs, and body, sadly ; which made him beg to be let out, and
promise never to be guilty of such things any more. Shortly
afterwards, Tom's mother was making a batter-pudding, and,
that he might see how she mixed it, he climbed on the edge of
the bowl; but his foot happening to slip, he fell over head and
ears into the batter, and his mother not observing him, stirred
him into the pudding, and popped him into the pot to boil.
‘The hot water made Tom kick and struggle ; and his mother,
seeing the pudding jump up and down in such a furious manner,
thought it was bewitched ; and a tinker coming by just at the
time, she quickly gave him the pudding, who put it into his
budget, and walled on,

As soon as Tom could get the batter out of his mouth, he be-
gan to ery aloud, which so frightened the poor tinker, that he
flung the pudding over the hedge, and ran away from it as fast as
he could. The pudding being broken to pieces by the fall, Tom
was released, and walked home to his mother, who gave him a
‘iss and put him to bed, Tom Thumb’s mother onee took him
with her when she went to milk the cow; and it being a very
windy day, she tied him with a needleful of thread to a thistle,