The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-08-25
Bang! baan, banu,

~ -
!" If they haven't manaotd4a
taree anvilsT remarked lhs Sa',' ol'
"Hear them guns. Crackeys'' sa''s.
lin horns they're workin' ! H.. 'oa
die on the back fence. Thara .s'sds
was sech a racket in this ere t,,.. never
lore No, nor sech a biaze .;thas oe-
beats house a-fire." -sslE !:
So it did, but there was po ;;as,..
ON the cd elm - s.' .'''a'aaese
When the good and au;et ~.
around that square, on all s;das peoPe
the one where the meetinp. hon. oAeept
the academy stood, spran9 81. aad
and rushed to their windows. w, 3 = 10y ~
have read print. if it were large eae ouaa
anywhere about the green. And ess
head out of every window had osefy
thing special to say about .s svlne'
boys" a4ef -" a' 1aoss
Up shot the flame over the n;la :,
boxes and barrels, and the hear y
broken boards and fence rails. r' y
well-tarred trunk, with a fierc,. t ~ -
and spluttering, and then Il sns s's
along the boughs, and mounted NJ
mounted. until every head at the s a,a
dows was compelled to reynark W. -
What on earth's got hold III s ~.
there treep--it burns as if it was,ros; sas y
Fourth of July had come. and d. n
Kerlm knew it; but before brealf.aa.a
time it was equally wcll-known -, ~,
the boys were going to have d .sseelsS, s'
ton. with all the regular honors. -
"Mr. Mortis?'' said evervh.,,.
"why, he can't make a speech sy ~,
Allen? 1t oughtto have been one II ~ II.
trustees, or somebody" ~
Perhaps, so; but the old folks had
thrown the day away, and the bows had
picked it up, and they worked at Il ill.,
a swarm OF bumble-bees.
BY noon there was a big lumber wao.,
pulled out close to the spot where 9 fhs
elm tree had BEEN -
1t was a curious fact, but there war
numbers of other wagons pulled 10 mar Al
that one before two O clock. and onod
many of the Kerim people had r nav
pected visitors Of country friends from
beyond Kerim, who said "theyid :
sight ruther stay and hear the bona
1oin's than go on to Plumville.''
There was public spirit in them. ana
The thing spread SO fast that when two
clock came, and Mr.. Norris climbed
INTO the wagon, followed by Bill Allen.
md as many more of the BOYS as could
get in, every man in Kerim who Thought
himself at all eloquent envied them fhe
7ery respectable audience gathered
around the elm-tree ash heap and the
celebration" ~
Mr.. Mortis was barely twenty, but Ia
vas studying law, and the boys had
picked him out because, as BIZ Allan
aid: " He's got more voice than
bull. What we want is noise.n
They got it from Mr.. Norris, and The
whole crowd got a big surprise with ii
or the dress was wonderfully GOOD.
Bill ALLEN, too, did his part well, and
cad the Decoration of Inderpend-
nee" as If it were something in which
le took personal interest Old Squire
iarnsey stepped right forward at Gle
nd OF it to say:
bill Allen, you read that thing Just
'rime.n
!" | didn't make it up. though. =
!" And, Mr.. Norris. I'm proud Of YOU
III Kerim is. We'd no idee you could
o it,
"Iknew it was good one, = said MI.
lortis, calmly. "It's one Governor
kyward made ten year ago. There
rasn't any use OF my trying to get up
better one, so | took his'n. Guess |
lade everybody on the green hear It. Y
That was precisely what he had dond
'r the great speech OF Governor Sky
ard, and it was more than anybody
lsc had ever done for that crowd.
As for the boys, they had won tho
az; That is, they had kept it from The
e. minute it began-only there was
0 dead elm-tree left in the middle Of
lie green.
..There'll be heaps of public spirit
Kerim after this, - said Squire Garn-
" to the other trustees; but they all
look their heads very solemnly, and
AXE no reply. Vim. O. Stodddrd, "
fIr97py.to Inu1 7xy pon.,5, Ess4fSs