The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-08-25
THE FOURTH AT KERN.

THE FOURTH AT KERN.
Now. you boys, what on airth are yo,
a-doin' with that there ellum?''
AIS Is that you, Squire Garnsey?" re
sponded a very youthful voice from tn,
darkness, many feet above the pile o
rubbish at the foot of the tree, ant
against which more was at that mo
ment heaping. Now, Squire, don
You think this dead wood has stood her.
long enough?'' s'sss7'
9 What are you a-doin' with it?n
"We're going to Let all Kerim know
Fourth of July come, quick as it strike:
twelve.' s'e,p~
That's it, is it?" / declare! what 8
swarm of. 'em there is, and how the,
do work! Never saw the like Of it. IT.,
q fact, though. that old dead 'ellum's
been an eye-sore on the green these
three year, Eslsss
1t was not far from the center of the
broad but somewhat ill-kept open space
IN the middle Of the village OF Kerim,
and the fact Of its deafness may have
been due to its use as ahitching-pos for
country people coming to church on
Sundays, and for the academy bows 10
try their knives or of weekdays. II
was about thirty feet high, but it had
never. borne any fruit. Elms rarely
do, but there were boys enough in that
one now. - -
s's.''Squire Garnsey," piped another
voice at his elbow, g they're a. greasin'
the tree so'sit'll burn goods
Ii i declare! And,l kem ont here on
purpose to put a stop to bonfirin'. TIL;
will i4ytI
He was tall man himself. and
broad-shouldered, and grin1-faced, but
he was puzzled for once. What should
he doP All the great men of Kerim
had solemnly decided that there should
be no Fourth Of July that year; no fire.
works; no bonfires; no parade; no can
nonading; no anything. People with
too much patriotism were free to 90
over to Plnmville, three miles east. and
join the goings on there; but Kerim was
TO be a quiet village all day.
! The boys had not been taken into
that council of great men. Not one Of
Them had Eeen permitted to utter his
voice in it; but they all uttered as much
voice as they had as soon as the tyran.
meal decision was made public. Even
now another OF the shadowy speakers
IN the dead elm tree detiantly an
bounced:
:. Yes, sir. We've been a-gatherin'
of grease and tar and things these three
weeks. It's after 'leren 8 clock. now.
Just you wait and see.,' ssss
s :" declare! Here $ another lot of 'em
comm There's heap of public
spirit into our boys. Nv grandfather
he fit at Bunker Hill. say, boysPn
" NO, we won't. It's pretty nigh
creased now, and the branches are tied
Iull OF things. It'd be shame not to
!. $50 it would--so it would. Wash
ngton was o great man. / say, bows.
there's half bari OF tar over in INV
woodshed, and It's nforre'n q quarter
Iull. Ii you'd git il, and paste the
,runk of that elluIngwith tar
''Hurrah for Squire Garnseyr' shout
~ a pretty deep. voice near him.
: That's the talk. We re going to have
celebration tomorrow, Squire. None
il our boys are going over to helm the
have good time.''
= like that. I'm for home industry
nyself.n sfl
Four boys and q wheelbarrow were
.lready on clean run toward the
Squire $ front gate, across the green;
Tut just then the sharp piping note AZ
lis elbow broke out again with, Eyes
ir; and Mr.. Norris is going to give Us
dress. and Bill Aliens going to read /
he Decoration Of Inderpendence.n
Good! again remarked the Squire.
IS dom { know exactly what to make
fmyself, and i dom tknow what folks /
Y say, and somehow + feel as eff I was /
leginnin not to keer. Bows, it I'll be
ioursh OF July IN less n half an hour -
Were most ready. We've kept
till about it, Squire. but we've laid up
tut to burn, we have ~ /"
The pile at the foot Of the old elm
boxed like it, and no lone could guess
ow they had daubed the branches.
hat, too, was nothing to the way thew
aubed the trunk Of it after the tar
anne. 'ns'siSa' = @si q
Look a-here. how are we to oet
ar.n gagsITg. 90 'Ae''
"Stay up theirs, b responded the deem
ones OF Mr., Norris. the speaker Of
ne day" that was, to be. You Ii look
rst-rate when you're lighted up.n
~ declared exclaimed Squire earn
~. Boys, throw a rope around that
'wer limb. They'll haveto come down
ailor fashion, 4s,sa III
So they did, and no less than seven
oys, of different sizes, were compelled
make use Of that rope. There was
good deal of !. public spiritn
mong the younger generation Of the
eOple OF Kerim. saoT 81 EXP
The older people, with the single ex-
option of the broad-shouldered Squire.
ad gone to bed At q healthy, hour that
Tening. well assured that for once M
atriotic racket would disturb their
pen-windowed Bluinbers. A ouieter
lilage there was mot in the whole.
nited States until just befcre the town /
ock prepared for the duty of telling
lem it was midnight.
The clock got ready. So did the Ke. I,
m boyz Squire Garnsey remarked:
Pil walk away b little, boys, SOS I i
N see it buru ~ 1,
Then 9 dozen matches were scratched