The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-07-03

where Washington had had cannon
made, and cannouading outfit was early
attended to Thre. small pieces were
borrowed from among the relics treas
ured in the neighborhood and dragged
up the steep hill A hagpole was
raised, and hough booths for shelter and
refreshments invited the populace To
come aud make. merry Everything
was complete
Stores Of fireworks, of powder, of sugar
and lemons, and cakes and candies We're
on hand, hidden in walled mp caves. and
the heva pf Oreville sat mp all night TO
welcome the inhabitants that would be
summoned by a sanrise salute. The sa.
lute was ON time if moi a little previous
but the norning hours dragged Break
fast time came and went. and not IA soul
aside from the faithful few who were
doing it all and the inevitable small boy
hangers on-rallied to the hilltop to Gel
ebrate The committee boys felt thin
at the waist. and one by one went home
to breakfast. promising to return on
wings in order to do their assigned parts.
An hour passed. then another, and
still another. and only now and then
spectator was half carried. half coaxed
TO the hilltop. Jake made the trip from
the store, the mines and the cottages to
the hill dozens and scores of times, and
4 finally from sheer exhaustion and dis
!. appointments gave ii up The cannon
doomed at Intervals up. down and
across the valley: the flag tapped lazily
! on the pole. the lemonade grew stale
and the candy almost melted in the
! burning sun The ardor of the boys be
I gan to wane and finally there was no
one To serve the guns but Jake. whose
| enthusiasm was reduced to simple re
/ gard for the reputation of his hill. In a
!. fit of desperation and anger he scooped
/ a handful of small stones from the
ground and rammed them in ON a
charge of powder. The discharge was
/ so much louder that he repeated the
dose in other guns, until the whole val
J ley got bombardnent of stones that
! shattered window panes and ratified on
the roofs of the houses '%s
The boys laughed and cheered when
they saw the people rush out of doors
and stare at the display on the hilltop.
| A dozen pairs of hands fell to gathering
stones. and after few more volleys the
inhabitants turned out en- masse and
climbed up the hill for safety. Then the
boys resumed blank charges and the day
closed with every soul in Oreville on
Jake's hill
Years passed before Jake got an
other chance to play leading part in
Fourth of July doings. The year fol-
lowing he had emigrated to another state
and spent the day wandering from cross
| roads to crossroads, and from postoffice
to posIof6ce looking for the Fourth. The
next year he put in hoeing corn The
! year after that he held a flag for Sum
day school picnic, riding twenty miles
standing up in u hay wagon loaded with
6dgeting. perspiring humanity, and went
home to reflect that he had endured the
tortures of twenty mile ride on lum-
ber trucks, working like a yeolnan mean
while to keep old glory af1oat. just to
eat some of his mothers cake and his
! aunt,ss bread and his cousins biscuit
The next year, however, made up for a
/ string of eventless Fourths.
| 1t was the occasion of the Prince Of
| Wales visit to America. and Jake had
become q town boy in g wide awake