Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-08-04
BRAMsLE'S QUIET HOLIDAY.
uis Ruse Was Clever, But the CIevereI
Boys Eoi1ed Him.

His Ruse Was Clever, But the CIeverer
Boys Eoiled Him.
Old Cy Brambie had never been a
boy. He probably began to dry up
shortly after he was weaned and
passed through boyhood in a sort, of
chrysalis state, with the difference
that he never became butterfly.
Bramble hated boys, and every boy
In Tunley hated him. His chief reason
for hating boys was that they were
noisy, and it naturally followed that
the day N the year that he most
loathed vas the Fourth, and he had
been known to say that if he had his
way it would be a capital offence to set
off even parlor match. On the even
ing Of the third of July he would de-
scend into his cellar with basket of
food, lamp and some books and with
both ears stuffed with cotton, and he
would not be seen again until he came
out on the morning OF the fifth.
SO the astonishment of the small
boys of Tunley may be easily i'm
agined when he gave it out that he
torpedoes to be ready for delivery on
the evening of the third, and for
which he would ask just half the mar
ket rates. Was he crazy or had he
turned philanthropist?
But he was evidently in earnest, and
the chance of getting fireworks SO
cheap outweighing all other considera.
tions he did land Office business in
the way of taking orders.
AT Z on the evening of the third his
goods were ready, and be had busy
time waiting on all his boyish Gus
toners, but by IL o'clock he was
ready for bed, and he went there, not
to his cellar.
The morning of the Fourth dawned
rs disgustingly early as it usually
does, but wakeful and nervous people
waited in vain for noisy salutes. In
neighboring towns the faint sound OF
cannon and pistols could be heard,
but Tunley was as still as the grave
OF a dumb man.
When the grown-ups came down to
breakfast they found their children
holding indignation meetings. Some
thing was the matter with the fire
crackers. They sputtered and Kissed,
but did not crack, and the torpedoes
simply broke in distressingly quiet
way and scattered pebbles over the
ground.
Bramble was found sitting outside
of his house in an armchair, reading
book and looking as contented as q
well-fed kitten. 1t was evidently q
put-up job ON his part. He had doc.
tored the fireworks, that he might en-.
Joy quiet Fourth in the open air.
When it dawned on the boys that
they had been victimized they lost nc
time in forming purse and COM
mittee. The purse enabled the COM
mittee to go to the nearest town and
buy large quantity of era ckers of all
sizes.
AT about 3 in the afternoon Bramble
sunk into restful nap. His drled-up
features relaxed, his withc4ed talons
lay like heap of picked bones in his
lap, and he gave himself over to
dreams
Then it was that the parade began.
The paraders were ali the boys who
had been duped, and they numbered
all the boys in town with one or two
exceptions. The line of march lay
past his house, and his rocking chair
was the reviewing stand. His slum.
bers was disturbed by a beating of tin
pans, q blowing of horns and the ex.
plosion of firecrackers. Then, before
he was fully awake he was bound tc
his chair by stout rope, and the per
formance concluded with what the
boys called "The Bombardment o.
Moscow" in which dozen huge can
non crackers played an active part, ex
ploding simultaneously under the 're
viewing stand"
By miracle the old man was not
hurt, but he burst his bonds with the
strength that great fear sometimes
gives, and ratified into the house like
skeleton in gale of wind, and all the
rest of that Fourth he spent in hi.
cellar, while the boys held high carni
val in front of his house.
And nothing was ever done to then
either, for public opinion, as expressed
by their parents. held that man who
was mean enough to knowingly sci
damaged fireworks to boys deserved
all that he got.
This all happened some years ago
and old Bramble has gone tc place
where firecrachers don't keep, but one
of the Tunley boys told me about thu
occurrence, and SO know it is true
Charles Battell Loomis.