The morning times., 1895-08-27
w idom Ellinggon's
Fourth Of July
BY Jonas Jutton

display OF bunting, its cOckades, its wav-
ing OF flags, its booming OF cannon, its pa
triotic speeches and its shouts aud hur
rains, but instead of a feeling Of patriotism
ana happiness, such as was felt by most
people, it brought to the Widow Ellington
only heartaches and tears.
On the morning OF the last Fourth OF
July she was unusually joyous and gay.
Her eyes sparklcd with a happy light, and
she moved with a lithesome, air step
Sorrow had never thrown its dark shadow
across her path, but shc was destined ere
the days festivities had hardly begun To
have the Sunshine shut out iroia her heart
by its sonlber pinions
Upon that morning her husband gave her
an affectionate kiss ana CHEEKY good
bye at the door, and, telling her to come
along as soon as she could get the children
ready, hurried away to the mustcr-lield,
as he was the chief gunner.
Soon after his arrival there, Boom
went the cannon, and cheer after cheer
went up from the assembled multitude
Boom after boom rent the air, and the
patriotic cheers of the people revergerated
with the reports over woody hiIB and
messy dells
There was one more gun to be fired ana
then the spe akng wOuld begin. FL
| HngtUn put in larger charge Of powder
than lie had ever before put iutD the Old
gun The crowd fell back, some ul them
cIapplug their hands 10 their ears 90
dcaden the sound. The gunner caught
| hold Of the string, the pulling % which
! fired the piece, and taking his cap in his
| right hand twiricd 1t above his head and
| with his LEFT gave the string jerk.
Then canIe report which fairly shook
| the earth No cheers, though, mingled
| with the frightiuI CuucuSSiOn, but instead
| came gruans and CTes Of horror. The
| gun had bur,tcd and poor Tom EIHrAto
! lay dead twenty feet from where the
| cannon had stood with half OF his head
| torn away 10y piece of the flying metal,
which fortunately had struck no one else.
Poor Tom. His death was iustauta-
neUus and must have been painless His
| cap was still clutchcd in his right hand,
| juust as he held il when he waved it for
the last time above his head
| Tenderly his friends placed him on an
| improvi>ed stTetcher aud started sadly
| for his home, from which he had departed
| 50 light-heared ana happy only an hour
| before
His wife was just preparing To leave for
| the nIUster-neId when the sad news Of
| Toms horrible death was gently broken
| to her.
| Mother and ChildTen-W Willie, aged 10,
| and Katie, S-met the sOTrOwful process
sion at the door and gave way to q grief
| which caused tender tears OF sympathy
! To flow from the eyes Of all present
! Yes, the Fourth of July had come again,
| and the bitter memories OF the last Iude-
| pendeuce Day came forcibly ana painfully
to Widow Ellington and opened afresh the
| wound that geuerous-hearted time had
partly healed.
Her sad, heart-aChing RETROSPECT ions
Were not her only troubles, Her husband
was poor man, dependent upon his daily
labor for their support, and since his
| death she had had a hard struggle to
keep the wolf from the door. Often had
she denied herself food, that the hunger
OF her children might be appeased. And
this anniversary of our glorious indepeHd
ence, aud OF her husbands death found
her larder empty and the last cent gone.
over on the common some thirty or forty
boys had assembled to consider III what
| manner they should celebrate the great
| est of all our national holidays. There
was no need to buy powder for the can
non, for there was already subscribed
more money than was necessary for that
| purpose. There was going to be speaking
and big dinner, as usual. but the boys
! wanted something more. One of them
proposed that they borrow the blacksmith's
! anvils and make their own noise. An
other suggested that they put their money
| together and have a pyrotechuic display
that night. Finally a boy. a handsome
manipulating fellow of sixteen, with
honest, serious brown eyes, mounted
| stump and said:
Boys, l VIII tell you how we can make
this the happiest Fourth of July We have
ever known"
How? How" cried dozen OF more OF
his companions, in unison.
You Know" went on Hal Reed the
| speaker. that on the last Fourth poor
Tom Ellington was killed. This is a sad
Fourth of July for his widow. Ny mother
who gives her sewing and helps her in other
ways, says that often she has not enough
for her children to eat. Even to-day she
viii have no good dinner, unless she goes
to the grounds, and you know, she couldn' t
do that, for it would make her too sad
when she thought of poor Tom, and the
last Fourth.
Now, let us take every cent we've got
| and go in marching order up town and Law
| --.----------------z-----
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