The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-07-03
At last It occurred to him that he had

| LIS ptcCiouS tTSdSuESS!
| The thought was intolerable, and the
more he dwelt upon it the moro certain
he became that unless that door was
locked not fire-cracker would remain
to cheer his eyes in the morning So,
slipping out of bed, he put on his stock
ings, trousers and jacket, and, taking
his shoes in his hand, crept softly down
the back stairs and out of the kitchen
door. Norah was out, and no one saw
or heard him. The crescent moon was
setting in the west, Aand the stars shone
calmly down, giving every promise Of .
bright tomorrow.
To reach the sugarhouse, which was
not far beyond the barn, and lock the
door was the work of but a few mo-
ments; then Jack turned to go back,
when his foot slipped on rolling stone
and over he fell. When he tried to get
up cry of pain escaped him, and he
found that he could not take step.
'IIere's a pretty state of things" he
said aloud, lapsing unconsciously into
tho language of Koko. Whats fell
low to do?"
! he knew that the barn had been
locked long ago and that William, the
man, had gone home, so there would be
no help from that quarter. There was
nothing to do but get himself homes as
best he could--a slow and very painful
process which ittook some time to ac-
complish. ~" ~
J He reached the house just as the
lights were about to be put out and the
! doors locked for the night. His moth
| er's surprise and terror when Jack
crawled upon the piazza and she saw
his white face can better be Imagined
than described.
MIR. Harrington carried Jack upstairs
while Uncle Ned hurried Off for the doc
tor; and while his mother was cutting
the stocking from the badly swollen
ankle and getting the foot into hot wa
ter he told her how it happened.
sit will be all right in the morning,
won't it, mother?' he asked so anxious
ly that Mrs. Harrington hadn't the
heart to tell him that she feared it
would be many mornings before he
could use it..
"a pretty bad sprain," DR.. Rogers
said, half an hour later, and he ordered
the ankle kept in hot water for an hour
and then bandaged with hot COM
presses.
Jack finally fell asleep with his
mothers hand smoothing his hair, and
all night dreamed of fire-crackers and
big red letters, which seemed to be
alive and possessed of legs, dancing the
widest kind of jigs in the orchard,
while he himself was going up like a
rocket, only to be pulled down by Dick
Torrey's seizing hold of his ankle with
such a grip that he awoke, calling out:
"Stop that, old fellowr'
The sunlight was streaming into his
room, and he heard soft.whistle under
his wjndows he started up, me mber-
ing what day it was, and thinking that
he was late for the. "Serenade," but a
twinge in his ankle reminded him of
last nights experience, and he sank
back on his pillow, buried his face I'M
der the sheet, and-will you think any
the less of him if tell you of it?-yes
actually cried. But no one knows of it
to this day but you and me, for Jack
scorned tears, and had been heard to
say only the day before. when Emily
had had some slight disappointment
that 'only girls and babies cried.'
So he dried his eyes very quickly
when he heard his mothers step, and
swallowed the big lump in his throat,
and said, in an otf-hand way, when she
came into the room: Il guess Pm in for
it. You'd better tell the fellows"-for
the soft whistles had grown by this
time into loud calls of "Wake up,
slcepy-hcad" Hurry up, lazy-bones!'
you're a nice one to sleep over on
Fourth O. July!" and various other COM
plimentary salutations.
Mrs. Harrington went down and told
the boys of Jacks accident, and they
walked sorrowfully away.
The doctor came soon after breakfast,
and said that Jack could be carried tc
the piazza and lie in the steamer-chair,
but that on no account must he take a
step that day.
Every one was kindness itself, and
can not describe the attentions-and ten
derness shown him by his family.
Birthday presents were showered
upon him, the lender hearted and for
giving Emily emptying her bank of its
COuJcHUS III OiucE W uuy d uTt-
knife to give him in addition to her
other present
The gang" came around and tried,
in their boyish ways, to show sympathy:
they offered to bring all their fire
crackers and fire them off in Jacks
yard; but this was little more than
human nature lat least Jacks human
nature). could bear, and he said
politely : Z ) : 3 ) ::
"No, thank you; the noise might dis
turb the family"
But do you think no victories were
won that day? Let me tell you. Toward
noon the thought of those dozens OF
packages of firecrackers lying un-
touched in the sugar-house appealed to
Jack, and he said to Emily:
"You might as we'll get some of those
fre-crackers, and if we sec Tim Reilly
or any of those kids u am sorry to say
that my hero did talk slang) who didn't
expect to have any, why, just toss out a
few to them"
. The lunch which had occupied sc
large a place in Jacks thoughts was
served on the piazza, and Mr.. Harring
ton and Uncle Ned tried their hardes