American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-01
NO. 81.

| Johnny. He would have followed him
to the village any other time; but
| Bose was mortally afraid of guns.
| He had once been shot and the noise
| of firing would send him off to his
kennel, with his tail between his legs as
| fast as he could run. johnny sat down
| and put his shoes on, and then set out
for the village 1t was only half IA mile
from the farm and the night was almost
as bright as day. The great white rose
bushes had il few sweet blossoms left
yet, and the sweet-briers by the barn
were full of pale pink flowers; but John
| ny only smelt gunpowder, and, instead
of the little birds that sung tiny songs in
| their sleep, he heard the bang and rattle
beyond-sounds he liked much better
So far the plan succeeded well; he had
what he called - splendiferous time"
The boys on the green swarmcd round
his piles of fire-crackers and enoyed
them. 1t was splendid to see the blaze
out of the lannon's mouth and hear the
grand sound it made and the rollins
echo that came back from the hills all
about.
Johnny, like most boys, liked a noise
And his pleasure was immense when one
of the big boys let him fire off musket
himself. He was very glad his plan
worked SO well. Now mamma would
never be afraid to trust him to go any
where
Things went on in this joyful way till
the eastern sky began to grow light and
the moon faded away. There was much
noise and shouting and some tin horns
And when the sky suddenly grew very
dark and a loud clap of thunder made
more noise than the cannon everybody
was startled, for men and boys had been
too busy to hear or see the storm come
come up. 1t came very swiftly. The
first flash was followed by quick.
sharp rain at once. The boys scattered
quickly for their homes. Johnny knew
it was useless for him to run home; and
so he scampered for the nearest house.
which was the railroad station. standing
just across the road from the green.
But the station doors were all shut; so
the boy took refuge in an empty pas
senger car standing on the track. Luck
lily for him some careless man had for
gotten to lock that. Perhaps the brake
man had slept in it that night, for a
dirty army blanket lay under one of the
seals Johnny was cold and tired by
this time, for the storm was chilly and
his jacket damp; so he rolled himself up
in the old blanket, curled up on the floor,
because he was half afraid in a thunder
storm and liked to keep as far from win
dows possible, and before he knew he
was sleepy. Master johnny was asleep
so fast and sound no thunderstorm
could rouse him. just about this time
the railroad superintendent in Taunton
was telling the conductor on this very
Hopeton & Dibble Railroad that he must
take on the empty car left last night ut
HoXton and carry it out to Dibble with
the first train, as there was to be an ex-
cursion from Dibble at ten o'clock to
HoXton Lake. So after Johnny had
slept about an hour and was still asleep
the six O'Clock mail train steamed into
the station, backed up the switch, the
Car was coupled on, and when Johnny
woke up he was fairly on his travels,
alone in a railroad Car, going nobody
knew where-at least he didn't. In the
meantime things were going on rather
disagreeably at home. Mamma had a
dreadful headache and had slept very lit
tie all night; so she took a long nap in
the morning, and woke up to find the
$ orm had settled down into IA dull, drz-
cling rain. Everything was damp and
SLOPPY out DOORS the house was cold, and
the hens in the yard scolded and squaked
and went on tiptoe, looking half-drowncd;
and Susy woke up with a bad cold, that
made her crosscr than ever. Mammals !
first thought was, Poor Johnny. how |
badly he will feel about his fire-crack |
ers." She did not know they had all
popped off hours ago on the HoXton
green. Jerusha rang the bell very loud |
for breakfast, partly TO wake people up, |
partly to celebrate" she said. She had
got "a specially nice breakfast. for there
was to be no dinner that day. Hiram and /
she always went over to their mother,
who lived on the mountain, to spend the |
Fourth of July: and to-day, as Mrs |
Blake staid at home herself, she meant
10 let Johnny go with them, and she
would have only some cold meat for tea, |
which Ann, the second girl, could pre- !
pare well enough. SO Jerusha had done |
her best, and the table looked SO pretty |
that again Mrs. Blake's first thought was: |
= How Johnny will like it." For at one /
end was platter of cold HOLSTERS, dressed
with the crispest green lettuce, out of
which the scarlet and white flakes
shone like flowers; then before Mrs.
Blake Il nice broiled chicken, in a
hedge of crisp, thin potato slices, fried
bright brown: and between these two Il
great Powered china bowl, heaped with
cherries, red and cream colored and deep
garnet, with a lump of ice sparkling in
he middle of them and the fresh, wet
caves hanging over the edge of the
BOWL; there was white bread on IL large
,Iate and brown bread in IA trencher,
with butter prime as wax and as vel
ow as buttercups; and cream in glass
pitcher, thick and yellow, with ii taste of
Iune grass in it, stood by the steaming
chocolate pitcher and the tall silver tea
rot on side-table for Ann to pour out.
And when Mrs Blake said to Jerusha:
: Won't you stop at Johnny door you
70 upstairs and wake him up" just then
Master johnny woke up in the railcar,
scared, tired and hungry as Il little bear.
But mamma was not scared when Jcru-
ha said Johnny was gone. She thought
he was in the barn with Hiram, and She
needed some breakfast so much she
would not wait for him. She ate herself
md helped Susy; but still Johnny did
rot come. and she thought. with /; sigh, !
low hard it was TO bring up boys Then
he got up from the table and looked out
,ut of the window Hiram was coming
n from the barn, all dripping with rain.
She opened the window and asked for
Johnny Hiram had not seen him. No
,ody had seen him; where could he be?
Ann put on her cloak and scud-
led to the nearest neighbours; but
he WAS not there. Jerusha hunted in
he garrett the cellar, the sheds, and both
,arns but no Johnny. Hiram had at
nee started for the village. He heard
nough of Johnny there. but could not
ind him. No one had seen him go into
he car. They all ran their own ways
Without stopping for Johnny and now lac
ould not be found. Hiram bad 10 30
lone and tell Mrs. Blake, and be sent
,ack to telegraph to Mr.. Blake; while
Ter hands and cried and sohbcd without
,eace, hour after hour. But all this
While Johnny was in trouble too lie
woke up as / .aid, tired and hungry. He
ricd both the ear doors; but this time
10Th were locked. The brakeman had