The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-08-29
SMITHS FIREWORKS.

lighthouse. We thought that this would re-
mind Smith of something. Everything that
happened generally did. When we were
settled again in the smoking room Smith
said:
THAT reminds me off,
[Cries of Clear hear, y Thought it would, y
etc, etc.1
Smith did not heed the interruption He
was ON his way to England to buy goods.
He had told more stories than any one else
on board and was generally looked up to as
our most accomplished liar.
at reminds me Of little fireworks display
had myself on the plains ever SO many
years ago You see at that time was keep
ing general store ont in one Of the frontier
settlements. Trade was principally with the
cowboys, and right good customers they
were, too. Easy to get along with, when
they weren't drunk, and then all you had to
do was to give 'em the earth. That was all
they wanted, that and their own way. Next
week they would come back sober and pay
for the damage without grumble. They
never cared what they paid for thing as
long as it suited them, and In that they diff
fered from the eastern customers have
nown
Yes, but how about the freworksf'
''Oh, tn coming to that. About the LIST of
Maya lovely day it was, too-snow and rain
and then sleet and snow again--a typical May
day for that district, cowboy from England
rode up andn-
"From Englands"
why, yes In every sense of the word.
There was q ranch couple OF days travel
from my place that we called England. It
was owned by an English company, and most
of the boys were from England guess the
majority of them didn't care to go back,
either, for one reason and another Some of
them We're Oxford and Cambridge men-at
least so / was told. I'm not a college man
myself, although you may havo thought SO"
Murmurs Of astonishnent, during which
Smith filledu his pipe again and took IAN
observation as he called It. from the glass on
the table
"Weil, he swung off his horse and said to
me: SMITH says he, DO you know any
thing about fireworksf ~
mot much says I, except the kind you
fellows give us ON Saturday nights, and tho
sort Maloney keeps st ten cents glass
"'Well, says he, I'VE want to have bang
up display at the ranch on the night OF the
24th'
Twenty fourth of whatq says 1, you
mean the Fourth Of July, don't youF
g You bet we don't, although IL this Is
success we will have one then, too. The oath
OF May is the queens birthday, and we are
going to celebrate it this year out at the
ranch. Now, we don't care what II costs, we
want it done right. Can yen order lot Of
fireworksF W fS
g can order anything, II yeufellows say
you'll pay for it,
"'All right Here's $500 on account, now
you go ahead. Sky rockets pin wheels, red
fire, Roman candles, bombs and all the rest
Of it. Besides we want n couple Of barrels
full of squibs.
"'SquibsF says /, what's themr
"sWell fire crackers, think they call 'em
here. Do you know how to set EN- orr
" Not thing. Light em with match,
don't your
g fancy so, but VIC want this thing done
right, and don't you forget it. Where will
you get 'em fromP
:" Chicago Tt y
:" 'All right; tell them to send along ten
derfoot who's posted on that sort of thing.
We want a first class display. Well pay all
his expenses and use him white. He'll have
the biggest time he ever had You come out
with him and show him the way, aud wen
use you white, too g @
swell, on about the Goth along came the
Chicago man with the ammunition in lot
of boxes and barrels We loaded em up on
burros and off we started Tor the ranch. The
boys had been In, OF and ON, to see that there
would be no hitch in the thing, and the night
the things came two of the cowboys came In,
and they said they would see us through to
tho camp, for there were rumors Of Indians
about, and we didn't want to lose our scalps.
We kept sharp lookout all that day, but
saw nothing Of any redskins. In fact, we
did not really have any fears for 'em, any
how, SO near the settlement, and we camped
out the first night feeling easy. We ought
to have known that that was just when we
might have expected them, but the boys were
careless, and they had taken on board good
deal of liquor at tho settlement, and had
moro with em. In fact, whisky was to form
good part Of the celebration, and they lad
q lot with em.
ut was about midnight when woke up,
hearing big yell, and before could turn
around was tied so tight couldn't move.
The Chicago man was dreadfully frightened,
but don't know that he was any moro
scared than we were, for we knew better'n
he did just what was waiting for US. The
cowboys were sobered up, now that they
were tied with their own lassoes so that they
couldn't bulge.
''They tied us onto our burros, and at day
light they moved on for the mountains, keep
ing down the hollows as well as they could
This day was the oath, and we had expected
to get into camp that evening. When one OF
the cowboys got near me he whispered:
sour only chance Is to let 'em know some
way that we have lot Of whisky with us,
and then they'll all get drunk and we'll have
n chanca Of 0attinp vvavi
Don't you bet on that" / says; ''some Of
'em will keep sober enough to keep us all
right, tied as we are.n SIC ~
"Tiedl" says the cowboy. ~ can slip out
Of this tie the moment want to. No Indian
can tie me up. used to travel with spir-
itualist company and am up to the tieing
game.n
Well, we camped that night -four or ave
miles north Of the ranch, but In a hollow
where we were out Of sight. They didn't
light fire, and we knew there was httlo
chance of the boys finding us, although we
expected they would all be on the lookout.
The cowboy motioned to his guard that he
wanted TO get mt bag that was on one Of
the burros and the Indian opened it for him.
It was full Of jugs packed in prairie grass.
There was great excitement In camp when
the Indians found the whisky.
But it was just as / said; four of 'em
stayed as sober as judges and kept the rest
quiet Still they could not resist the temp
tation to take a swig or two, and all were
pretty sleepy. About 10 o'clock--and 1t was
mighty dark, too--the cowboy rolled over
once or twice and got near me.
Where's the tenderfootp he whispered.
Right here.n said.
"See here, Chicago, what package Is them