The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-11-25
ToMMYs FOURTH.
He Doesu't Regret That He Considered
bis Mothers Nerves.

He Doesn't Regret That He Considered
his Mothers Nerves
You see it was this way. Mother
and the girls hate the Fourth. They
begin to sigh and groan over it weelta
before, and its all on account of me-
They are always sure I'll be blown up,
or If I'm not kilt entoirely," as our
Bridget says. at least I'll lose my eye
sight. "I' am Tommy, II years old.
Now, you can't expect boy not to
take an interest in the glorious
Fourth" can you, unless he's regular
Miss Betty, and l am not. Why, the
very smell of gunpowder fairly makes
a fellow shout, and when he hears the
band playing the "Star Spangled Ban
ner'' / wouldn't give much for him il
he didn't hurrah. don't believe moth
er and the girls are very patriotic, any,
way. Well, this year mother had been
sick, and her nerves were in bad way,
the doctor said. Il wish women didn't
have nerves.) So the day before the
Fourth father asked me what I'd take
to. give up frecrackers and fireworks
this year on account of mothers
nerves. He said he was sorry for me.
but she must not be worried, and II
would stay quietly in the house he
would be glad to grant any reasonable
request. / told him I'd think it over;
of course meant to do as he asked
couldn't help myself-but to be honest
1 could hardly keep from crying / was
so disappointed.
Stay quietly in the house on the
Fourth! l, boy II years old! But
there were two sides to it. If it helped
mother I'd try and 40 it cheerfully, so
at dinner time / told father I'd take,
the next day, all the ice cream / could
eat with bananas and angels food.
like angels food; you can eat whole
lot and it doesn't hurt you. Mother
says it tastes like cotton batting, sweet
ened. but / think it's good So that
was settled, and the girls praised me
and mother kissed me, and I felt pretty
comfortable. But, oh, it was hard the
next day. You see I had always got
up very early and fired off a pack of
crackers under mothers window to let
her know what day it was. But
thought of her nerves. and the ice
cream and things, SO turned over and
i took another nap, and tried to forget
it was the Fourth.
I think they all felt sorry for me,
though they didn't say SO. Father kept
his promise nobly and the cream was
I A No. 1. | had all / could eat for din
ner, besides half a dozen bananas, and
all the angels food l wanted l think
l scared them eating so much, but
heard mother say it was less risky
than gunpowder." But I'd have given
it all for a chance to go out with the
boys, and whoop around and fire crack
/ ers and torpedoes. 1 took a nap after
dinner, and that helped pass away the
time. I guess I'd eaten so much was
sort of stupid. At supper finished up
the cream and then went on the veran-
da and got in the hammock. I could
| lie there and see the rockets red
glare" at a distance, even if couldn't
go to the Square where there was to
be display of fireworks.
Presently mother called me, and I
went in rather slowly, afraid she was
going to suggest an early bed. Father
and the girls were sitting in the room,
and what do you think they wanted me
for? I tell you, sir, / was surprised.
Father made quite little speech. He
said as I'd been such a good boy chat
made me feel ashamed, for had felt
awfully CROSSE, and as the Fourth was
nearly over and mothers nerves were
in pretty good order, they had con-
Guided to reward me. and he handed
me dollar and told me to go and
spend it in fireworks. l was to send
them off in the front yard where he
could watch things.
Wasn't I tickled? 1t didn't take me
long to spend that dollar, and had a
regular celebration, after all. / believe
father enjoyed it as much as did, for
he was as jolly as could be. and said
it didn't seem just the thing not to
have few fireworks on the Fourth =
And besides the fireworks I had the ice
cream, bananas and angels food, too!