The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-07-04

""-SieiHSho, III tuo siihpo VI bo'POuocS
and bursting firecrackcrs thrown In
our direction. After all hands had as
sisted in raising the big bunting flag
over the house, we gathered in group
aud took account of stock, Every boy
had several lunches of firecrackers and
piece Of slow burning punk, and we
were further armed with cap pistols
OF bronze appearance, with small pan
In which the paper cap is placed, with
fat spot Of powder In 1t, and It gen.
orally goes off in the ear of the boy
who is not looking.
There was one very unhappy indi-
vidual on the ranch that day; 1t was
the part Newfoundland and part Scotch
collie dog, Ben. dare say 1t was the
Scotch strain in him that made him
go unpatriotic; for upon the first sput-
tesing sound from the opening fire.
cracker he was perfectly miserable,
and he looked it.. He tried every side
of the house in search of peace. He
would lie down in the shade with his
nose against the gravel, trying to ap-
pear Indifferent, but there was a fur
tive look in his-usvally honest brown
eyes that indicated a disturbed spirit.
And then atorpedo would burst against
the house and he would trot around
to another side, only to be welcomed
by sputtering firecracker. Finally in
sheer despair. he struck out for the
woods with dropping tail and depress-
ed head, and call as we would, he
wouldn't even look back; for he had
firm purpose in his doggish mind, and
that was to get out Of that neghbor-
hood Immediately. And he didn't re-
turn until the morning of the fifth
ushered in another era of peace.
We were not a bit reckless with our
firecrackers, never firing off a whole
bunch at once, and getting all the va
riety Of fun we could with each par
ticular cracker. Sometimes we put
them under can, and 1t would bounce
up into the air, or pile of gravel
post, or drop one into boys pocket
where 1t might set a whole lot of 9TH
ers fighting. But the piece de resist
ancc for the morning was an old muz-
gle, loading rifle which Tom discovered
in the workshop. We poured it about
half full of powder, then jammed q
dozen wads down on the charge, and
rammed it fullof paper to the muzzle;
and We felt reasonably sure of grand
explosion. The question was, where
were We to shoot it of? for we had
Just enough sense not to hold it our
selves.
Lets take it down in the pasture
and tie it to the fence by the creek"
suggested Jim.
This we did, and Tom fitted brass
cap, and tied string to the trigger,
and then got behind a stump. The
rest of us were behind the cottonwood
trees. waiting nervously for the tre-
mendous crash, expecting every mo-
nent to see pieces OF iron flying
through the air. ~
Are you ready?" Tom yelled to him
self. He was at all times a military
man.
| Fire" and then the hammer fell
with click, that was all, and the boy
who had his fingers in his ears felt
foolish. 49, .-.-,s
"The blamed caps mes,p> said. Tom,
and taking the cap box, he put on an
other, and getting back behind his
stump pulled the trigger. This time
the cap did the rest Crash! and the
air was full of. white smoke as If a
park of artillery had just fred. We
rushed up expecting to see the gun all
broken, but it was sturdy old piece
and only the stock was blown of.
Just then Jim yelled: Look out,
there comes that old farmer with his
dogs"
Sure enough, there he was tearing
through the undergrowth with a pitch
fork in his hand, and his two ugly
dogs, one cross, black brute, and the
other mongrel. were coming through
the pasture towards us. Most of the
hoys made for the brush on the other
side of the ditch, but there were two
cottonwoods little way off and jim
and started for them, and those dogs
for us, the old fellow urging them on.
On they rushed, and when the black
one was about ten feet off, l reached
the tree, and making jump, caught
a branch and swung my feet up just in
time, for the dog made leap that
Just missed me. Then he went for jim
who was struggling up the trunk OF
his tree with much energy, and with a
snarl grabbed him by his pants leg.
and Jim let him have that part of his
pants the dog seemed most attached
to. We climbed till we were way up
on our separate trees and safely
screened by the thick leaves and
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