The Jennings daily record., 1902-07-05

| ages or nre-craCkerS with 1ar less
thought that one of the wealthiest
among them would have struck a
match. And when it was all over, when
the last red fame had faded out of the
sky, the last pin-wheel had spit out its
I spiteful little life, the last bunch OF
fire-crackers popped and danced over
the singed and trampled lawn, Arnold
walked home alone through the woods,
carrying the burnt end of a single
| cracker tightly clutched in his hand.
After all had he .t been right
when he told Milly that all this cele-
bration was noise and fury, signify
| ing nothing?" She had boasted to him
that Mr.. Lounsbery would bring hun
dred dollars worth of fireworks from
the city to voice the patriotism of the
neighborhood. And her boast had
been made good. A hundred dollars!
Why, that was more than he wa5 to
| get for the three months term Of
teaching in the Randall district school.
| A hundred dollars! What could he
not have done with the money that
had been consumed in an evening, for
| the glory of patriotism? He thought
of the long. dreary struggle behind
him, and the dark, dreary, tedious
| days ahead and a great bitterness
| clutched at his heart and an unfami
| lar oath rose in his throat and de-
| manded that he give it tongue. What
was all this boasted liberty if it
brought nothing to one and so much TO
another? Why should this young :oun-
| try boy be favored by fate SO that the
| best positions in a great city were his
for the asking while he, the student,
| the scholar, the man with a real pur-
| pose and a high aim, was left to win
| his way among such hopeless surround
| ings? Hopeless, indeed. For she who
| had wakened in his heart new aspira
| tions, made even the frowning future
! bright with promise, she had turned
| from him with scarcely word to Join
in the praise and adulation that was
| showered upon the successful man of
| the world.
She was heartless. He was sure of
that now, and it was well that he had
| found no opportunity during the hustle
| of the day and evening to give her the
written declaration he had found it i'm
|
| least he was saved the humiliation OF
| a refusal. Let it be burned with al
| the other useless things Of the day
| He ran his hand into his pocket. 1t
was empty. The letter he had penned
| in fever of hope and despair was
| gone. He must have dropped it on the
lawn. The thought Of some one find
| ing and reading it brought the blush
| to his cheek and sent him back over
| the fields with impatient strides. He
| left the beaten path and climbing the
snake fence that divided the pasture
| land from the orchard hurried forward
| in the shadow of the trees. AS he
came out upon the lawn white bit of
| paper cleaning in the dew-wet grass
| caught his eye and he sprang forward
and eagerly caught it up. 1t was the
| envelope that had held mis- letter but
| it had been opened and the letter was
| gone.
| 1t is said that every man has one
murder in his heart which he will be
ready to commit if the proper moment
arrives. To the great majority this
moment never presents itself; only
one in ten thousand is therefore forced
| to face the gallows. Whether this be
| true or not it was fortunate that the
| person so suddenly to face the young
| schoolmaster at that moment was be-
| yond the power of his hands. A man
would have TO be a devil indeed to
| wish harm to fine young woman with
| the fresh color OF the country on her
| cheeks. the light of roguery in her
| eyes and the moonlight clothing her as
| a garment. And then if she laugh
| merrily and the next instant throw
| her arms about his neck and tell him
| he is IAN old goose" he isn't likely to
wish harm to his worst enemy.
Il read your letter all through, you
| silly "a thing, and there isn't a word
of trut.. in it. If there was l should
| be caught up to heaven .nls minute.
| You were awfully scared when you
| found some one had opened it? Oh, l
| could see your eyes flash even in the
moonlight. And you swore, too. l
| heard you; don't deny it. That's what
| decided me. Up to that time | was
afraid you were too good to be human.
| There's just one thing more you must
do before I'll promise not to refuse
you. You've got to admit that the
| Fourth of July is the grandest day in
| the year and promise to celebrate it
| like true American every year with
| real fire-crackers.
81 shall always hold the day sacred
in my heart, dearest" he said, solemn
| ly. 1T has brought me-"
Slavery. sir slavery. But, there,
III try to make your chains as light
| as possible, and-Frank, love you
better than all the rockets in the
world"