The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-07-24
SOME SMART BOYS OF BYBURY.

BYBURY village was quite famous, in
my day, for its smart boys-about a
dozen of them, pretty near of an age,
bright scholars, good fellows generally,
and wide awake for any enterprise
There could be stories told about their
adventures, their camping-out, their
fishing and boating trips, their many
doings on land and water; but was not
there to see. | was not one of them.
"Poor little Andy!" they called me,
for was a cripple Perhaps it was
because | could not run, nor climb, nor
do anything, hardly, that admired
them the more.
Fourth of July was their great day,
of course; it is the boys day every-
where in this land of freedom. They
began it by ringing a certain church
bell the moment midnight struck,
which was the signal for all the little
cannons to blaze out. There were six
churches in Bybury, and two of them
had bells, which these youngsters had
christened ''Liberty Bell" and ''Pro-
hibition Bell" They were allowed to
ring the former just as much as they
| pleased-and for that reason they did
not care anything about it: they were
forbidden to touch the other till sunrise
of the Fourth-and for that reason
they were determined to begin with it
on the midnight before; and they always
managed to do it. .........'. ...''r
Their only opposer was Captain Mil
liken, who had no motive in the world
for the opposition, only once having
said that he did not want it rung, he
| tn
a good many such people. The boys
liked the old gentlemen, but they de-
termined not to be beaten; and when
you take twelve boys against one man
you may be sure that there's mischief
ahead. His only right of refusal was
in the fact that he was sexton, and also
owned more pews in the meeting-ho
than any other man. However, from
year, to year the townspeople said,
LET them ring! 1t is better way to
celebrate than to use so much pow
der.'' H.,..
On this particular Fourth, Captain
Milliken made great boasts that he had
got the doors and windows so securely
fastened that the boys would have. to
give it up. That being equal TO chal-
lenge, no boy of any spunk, and GER
tainly no Bybury boy, would give it
up. The evening before the Fourth
there was mysterious gathering in an
unoccupied house near by; and to this
rendezvous one of the big boys, Tom
Milliken, the Captains nephew, carried
me on his back. Because" said he,
we want your help"
1t turned out that they all intended
to get about two hours sleep on some
old carriage robes which they spread
on the floor and at half-past eleven
sharp was to call them and then wait
orders.
1t was lovely night, warm, dewy,
starry, but so still! The villagers had
gone to bed early to have a little repose
before the inevitable cannonading be-
gun-they always did at Bybury, for
there was no sleep after midnight in
that neighborhood till that set of boys
had outgrown celebrating" They
seemed long hours to me, for, trusting
to my known wakefulness, every boy of
them had dropped off, and sat curled
up by window with Toms watch in
my pocket, till the time slipped by.
Punctual to the moment | had them
up; and after whispered consultation
they went out to try means of ingress,
while l kept watch and was to signal if
any one approached.
cts no good to try, for the Commo-
dore'-that was what they called him
--"has been as good as his word. So
now for itr' said Tom, at last, and
pulling off his shoes and cap, he began
to climb the lightning-rod.
If you do not know how the rods
used to be put up on meeting-houses,
you will not understand the foolhardi-
ness of this proceeding. Instead of fol-
lowing the walls of the building-in
which case the risk would have been
fearful enough--the . rod descended
slanting in mid-air from the belfry, far
out to the main building, so that for
long distance it was out in space, sway
ing at the least touch; then from the
caves it run down the side of the house,
and then was supposed TO be secured
firmly in the ground. But this one
had been broken off yard or
more at the bottom, so it was
rather shaky and uncertain thing at
the best, besides being constructed in
pieces which were hooked together in
loose way. 1t was rough and rusty,
and about as large round as a mans
thumb. Such was the ladder by which
Tom Milliken proposed to climb up to
the high bell tower, on the dark side of
the church, with no light to guide him
except what came from the stars.
Tom Milliken was not afraid of any
thing; but now, when the boys saw him
slowly going up, hand over hand, in the
darkness, they began to realize what a
perilous feat it was, and begged in low
voices:
"Tom! Tom! do come down! Let's
give it upr' A.. r.3.,
But Tom whispered back, ''Stop your
noise! take care of my cap and shoes,
and stop your noise' ai 100
Not word was spoken after that.
Almost breathless the boys watched
from below, holding fast the end of the
rod to steady it, while crept out and
secured the cap and shoes. Meanwhile
Tom gained the caves, where he rested
a few minutes before beginning the
most dangerous part of the ascent.
Slowly moving up, we saw his dark
form against the sky; then we lost sight
of him as he swung into the shadow;