Mexico Missouri message., 1902-07-03

IL he might drive her to the Fourth OF
July speechmaking and picnic in Jack
sons grove, and she said no, while
Marrock, who was chief orator of the
day, girded up his loins and strove
nightly, being determined to shake
down the stars.
The elders of Smith county celebrat-
ed the Fourth OF July in the old.fash
Toned way. Patriotism was as ram.
pant out there as it had been in the
older sections of the country fifty
years before. They had no use for
new-fangled methods of rejoicing.
What their fathers had believed was
good enough for them. They appoint.
ed a regular committee TO see that the
thing was properly done.
Thus 1t happened that in Jackson's
grove a large lumber stand was erect
ed on which the elders might sit the
county trustees, the village trustees,
the school trustees, the county Judge,
the clerk of the court, the schoolMas.
ter and so forth. Item--thcre was
smaller stand for the Smithville band,
which was strong and earnest though
a little crude. ltem-an open space in
the front of the big stand reserved for
the readers and speakers. ltem-a
larger stand to the right, reserved for
the young ladies who should impcr-
senate the States. ltem--a large space
on the ground to one side reserved for
the firo.craCkors, Catharine wheels and
what not. Long rough boards laid on
treStles served as tables for the din.
ers. There was any quantity of spring
water, ginger pop and coffee as pot
abIcs, but no whisky nor beer. Smith
Vile was a moral community
1t was a cloudloss day. A thousand
people were In the grove From far
down the dirt road came the DOM
pah. oOm-pah of the labOring band.
AS il grew nearer an occasional bar
of The Star Spangled Banner" be
came audible. Behind it rode the dig.
nitaries in open carriages, most of
them with grizzled whiskers, showing
the ycllOwish stains of tobacco juice.
Back of them came the principal fea.
ture of the procession. three farm
wagons mctamorphoscd into triumph.
al chariots by the aid of red, white and
blrc calico and flowers and filled with
fortyfour gally dressed young women
impersonating the commemorative of
this glorious Union. They were flushed
with the ride and in more than one
instance their diadems had been Jared
crooked, but were happy and proud
In their front was Claudia in a gown
cut a la Greek, holding a sceptre and
wearing a pasteboard crown golden
gilt and bearing papiermache
shield She was Columbia" Behind
the wagons at slow pace came the
faithful James in his buggy.
The grove reached, the band
climbed to its stand, the dignitaries to
platform. The bands leader pulled
out his chest. faced the gaping crowd
swung his baton and the instruments
crashed into My Country, tbs of
Thee" half a tone fiat The people
plunged into the tune haf tone
sharp. The trees trembled, but did not
fall. The folks liked their singing so
much that they encored the band and
sang the last verse over again.
Alcibiades Curtius Dickson, county
clerk, lantern jawed man with a
voice like a foghorn, read the Declare.
tion of Independence through to the
bitter end, rolling out the sOnOrous
syllabcs and pausing soulfully at the
end Of each sentence. Eliphalet Abso-
lon Rawlins, county judge, rose to
introduce the orator OF the day, and
spoke for thrce.Quartcrs of an hour.
touching upon Bunker Hal and the
state of the crops, tossing a handful
of bouquets To George Washington
and Thomas jefferson, dCvoting five
minutes of thundcrous denunciation
to Benedict Arnold and winding M
with a glorious burst over the result
of the Spanish war. Marruk ran his
fingers through his hair and glared at
him. Finally he got his chance.
Now this young man in the seclu.
sion of his law office had been reading
q lot of cheap literature and worrying
himself by thinking that ne was think
ing. The result was that his skull had
become filled with lot of
things that he thought were
ideas and he felt called upon to
express them. Once started he did
not reck of unpopularity and forgot
all about the girl, His talk was fiery,
fluent, occasionally eloquent. When he
got out of breath he ran his hand
through his hair and took a drink of
water from small white pitcher that
stood near,
lie said that they had sold their
birthright for mess of pottaee that
the Money Devil had them by the
throats; that the rich We're getting
richer and the poor poorer.
that their legislators were
bought; that discomfort gnawed
at the vitals of the land; that a con.
scienceless aristocraCy of wealth had
grown up; that republican simplicity
was at discount; whittier were they
drifting? They were drifting to revo.
luton. What would be its end? Pos.
SihlV q king. DpsSihly anarphV. GOV.