Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-07-04

tween Betty and Dicky. Dicky had
taken to Betty at once. "a girl who
can ride bicycle like that little
Yankee is no fool" Dicky had an.
nounced at the start, and Betty had
told her family that "that little red
headed English boy was a very jolly
little boy"
"Things are going on swimmingly,"
Anne said to herself as she watched
the two chums from her tower, Sand
if Betty's dreadful American assertive
ness don't interfere there Is no know
ing what We may be to the Statfords
some day"
On the morning of the Fourth of
July Anne was blissfully dreaming
that she was at a grand party at Stat
ford hall, dancing the opening
quadrille with Bob Stafford, the Ok
ford undergraduate. She was at the
very height of her triumph, when sud
denly the fine orchestral strains
changed to queer piping tune
tootle, tootle, tootle, and then, bum,
bum, bum, that was strangely familiar
to her; and with this the undergrad.
ate disappeared, and the ballroom van.
ished, while the tootle, tootle, and
bum, bum of the drum grew harder
and harder, so loud that ANIME opened
her eyes, then started and started,
then sprang from her bed and rushed
to the window in breathless horror,
when tootle, tootle, the clear fife
notes with the bum, bum of the drum
waited up to her the deathless old
tune of "Yankee Doodle"
ooh, how could Betty have done
this? she promised me, she promised
me! !" walled Anne.
Came! AnneI what is it-what's
the matter?" called sleepy voice
here; and Anne Indignantly called
back:
"You're little cheat, Betty, you're
little cheat; you promised me you
wouldn't and here you have"
"Oh, Anne, Anne, I haven't broken
my promise.
"You haven't broken your promise,
listen to that!" and tootle, tootle,
bum, bum, the sound OF the fife and
drum came up to Betty's startled ears.
'But, Anne, Anne, 'tisn't me-"
again regardless of her grammar, cried
Betty. ~ walked up" and here to
Anue's establishment Betty appeared
from the curtained alcove that hid her
bed.
"But you must have planned it ;
you must have put somebody up to
it,"
II haven't, oh, haven't, Aunv."
"But who could have known about
this horrid Yankee Doodle unless you
told about it."
OIL" and Betty here confessed
to her condolences with Dicky a few
days before and how they came to pass
and how he promised not to tell his
family.
"Dicky Stafford" groaned Anne.
"And he has broken his promise and
is now making great sport out of what
you have told him."
ooh, no, Anne; he was so interest
ed; he thought it was so nice and
jolly, and he was so sorry I wasn't CO.
ing to carry it out"
"And he though he would carry it
out for you. Look there lnow; look
there!" and Betty peeping from the
window, saw Dicky coming around the
house piping away at fife, while be-
side him walked little fellow beating
out the drum accompaniment.
"You see. you see, Betty and you'll
see how the whole family will regard
US now. Oh, Betty, you have marred
everythingl" But she was mistaken.
Betty had not married, but made
everything.
Sir Richard was strollng about I'M
der his trees in his usual fashion that
when he suddenly pricked up
his ears at the sound of drum and
fife. Where were they and where had
no heard that tune before? After q
minute or two he began to whistle the
tune, just as Dicky had done, and
then all at once it flashed upon him
where he had heard it before. It was
two or three summers ago way out on
q great cattle ranch in America, where
he had been a guest for a few days.
One of these days happened to be the
Fourth of July and his hosts-fine
young Americans, gentlemen ali of
celebrated the day with
great jollity by a lot of fireworks, flag
flying and other holiday demonstra-
tions, none of which was more inter-
esting to the Englishman than drum
and fife performance by two colored
men Of that quaint quickstep "Yankee
Doodle"
"rhe jolliest tune I ever heard"
unused Sir Richard, who, like his son,
had great ear for tunes. But where
who could be playing it here =?
"Why, those tenants of mine, they
are Americans, and by jove to-day is
the Fourth of July, and this is what
they are up to, celebrating the day !;
and there are only those two girls at
homel Why didn't I remember /?
Dioky Bob |" and calling these names
Sir Richard fastened towards the
house.
"What is it, what do you want of
Dicky and Bob?" asked old Lady
Stafford, who was just then coming
down the path to meet him.
81 want them to help those young
the Bartons, to carry out
their holiday plans. It's the Fourth
of July, you see, their National holt
day. Don't you remember ?" and Sir
Richard recalled for his mother that
ranch experience of his.
even to whistling for her ''the jolliest
tune" he ever heard.
Lady Stafford remembered perfect
". "And you wanted Dicky and Bob
to help" she began, when Sir Richard
with:
eyes, I wanted them to help those
Two girls; I have just thought that the
mother and father are away"
ITO be sure. It's q shame for those
two young things, strangers as they