Water baby Tom (15)

Water baby Tom (15)

And all of sudden he found himself, not in the outhouse on the hay, but in the middle of a meadow, over the road, with a stream just before him, saying continually, " I must be clean, I must be clean. "

He had got there on his own legs, between sleep and awake, as children will often get out of bed, and go about the room, when they are not quite well.

But he was not a bit surprised, and went on to the bank of the brook, and laydown on the grass, and looked into the clear, clear limestone water, with every pebble at the bottom bright and clean, while the little silver trout dashed about in fright at the sight of his black face.

He dipped his hand in and found it so cool, cool, cool ; and he said,
" I will be a fish; I will swim in the water; I must be clean, I must be clean. "

So he pulled off all his clothes in such haste that he tore some of them, which was easy enough with such ragged old things.



And he put his poor, hot, sore feet into the water ; and then his legs.

He was so hot and thirsty, and longed so to be clean for once, that he tumbled himself as quick as he could into the clear cool stream.

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