30 Tom Seven Years Old.

Archie was a long time away getting the
water. Tom spread out a corner of his jacket
to lay the tadpoles in, while waiting. He
would have put them into his two pockets,
but he believed he had a little hole in one,
and he did not know which. ‘There was no
erass growing where they fell, so he could see
them quite well; but they were very slippery
to hold after living all their lives in water.
He was just trying to catch the last one,
which would not keep still, when he heard
a voice behind him that he knew, saying—

 

“Why, Tom, what ave you doing ?”

It was his papa’s.

“Oh, don’t shake me,” cried Tom, in a
great fright. “I’ve just got the last. Look
at the dear, ugly things!” |

“What have you got?” asked his papa,
bending down to see.

“Tadpoles,” said Tom; “tadpoles. I’ve
been longing for them for days and days,
and now lve got them. Archie has gone
back to the ditch to fill the can again with
water, because it was all spilt lifting it over