San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-26
SMITHS FIREWORKS.

We were all in the smoking room of an At
lantic steamer and had sighted land that
morning. After dark the steamer had flung
into the heavens some skyrockets to an
nounce her arrival to the lonely man at the
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 or
[Cries Of "Hear hear, Thought 1t would"
etc, etc.
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 out in one of the frontier
settlements. Trade was principally with the
cowboys, apd 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
never cared what they paid for a thing as
long as it suited them, and in that they diff
fered from the eastern customers l have
now"
YES, but how about the fireworksF'
"Oh, Tn coming to that. About the 1st 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 and"-
From Englandr'
Why, yes In every sense of the word.
There was a ranch q couple of days travel
from my place that we called England 1t
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 were Oxford and Cambridge men-at
least so | was told I'm not college man
myself. although you may have thought So"
Murmurs of astonishment, during which
Smith filed up his pipe again and took IAN
observation" as he called it, from the glass on
tina table.
"Well, be swung off his horse and said to
me: Smith, says he, DO you know any
thing about fireworlisF
mot much says l, except the kind you
fellows give US on Saturday nights. and the
sort Maloney keeps It ten cents glass
We'll says be, we want to have bang
up display at the ranch Oh the night of the
24th.'
"'Twenty-fourth of whatf says I, YOU
mean the Fourth of July, don't your
You bet we don't, although if this is
success we will have one then, too. The 24th
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 it costs, we
want it done right Can you order a lot of
tireworksF
81 can order anything, if you fellows 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 a couple Of barrels
full Of squihs
"'Squibsr says I, what's themr
"Well, fire crackers, think they call 'em
here. Do you know how to set 'em Off
"'Not thing. Light 'em with a match,
don't your
- fancy so, but we want this thing done
right, and don't you forget it. Where will
you get 'eIn fromF
Chicago
"'All right: tell them to send along ten
,crfoo: who's posted on that sort of thing.
We want first class display. Well pay all
his expenses and use him white He'll have
the biggest time he ever had. You CONE out
with him and show him the way, and we'll
use you white, too
well, on about the goth along came the
Chicago man with the ammunition in lot
of boxes and barrels. We loaded EN- up on
burros and off we started for the ranch The
boys had been in, Off 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
the 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 EN-, 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 vert
careless, and they had taken on board good
deal of liquor at the settlement and had
more with 'em. In fact whisky was to form
a good part of the celebration, and they had
lot with EN-.
''It 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 more
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