Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-06-30

five boys appeared on the scene near
the parliament building"
Issuing from one side of this "tin
can" house was a rope which extended
about ten feet out of the house The
end of this rope was to be lighted and
then the boys were to run away and
watch proceedings. The rope COM
municated with a quantity of firecrack-
ers underneath the house. All the
pocket money that five boys could save
and earn for week had been invested
in explosives and stored away there
for the Fourth.
Finally the appointed moment ar
rived. Clifford, who was the Guy
Fawkes of the conspiracy, touched 4
lighted match to the end of the rope.
Then the five boys stepped back to a
safe distance Very eagerly they
watched the progress of the tiny point
of fire moving slowly along the rope.
Closer and closer to its destination
crept the spark.
Its getting there, boys" said Frank
Middlebury.
"Landy! won't it be great?" cried
another.
Watch it! It's nearly there!" Cliff
ford exclaimed
Sure enough the tiny fame had
reached the boundary of the house. 1t
was creeping inside. An instant-and
all would be over. The building, and
the members of parliament, supposed
to be seated inside, would only be a
memory. None of the five said word
and each held his breath in expecta.
ton of the terrific crash.
Its coming now!" shouted Frank
as they heard the report of one small
frecracker.
But it didn't come as fast as they
expected.
1T takes awful long," Clarence said
in discouraged tone.
Yes, it did take a very long time.
Five minutes passed, in fact, and still
no greater sound had they heard than
the one small cracker
What's the matter with the thing?"
said one boy.
Maybe the rope was tangled up in
6lde, suggested Frank.
mo it wasn't, either" answered an
other in disgust
You were here first. Cliff Didn't
you go in and look at things to see If
they were all right?"
Il looked just before | started down
TO see the procession and | didn't have
time to look again after l came back
before you got here"
Say boys, somebody's been mod
ding, think" said Frank.
"Oh, pshaw! | don't. It'll go off yet"
Clarence persisted.
well, I'm going to go and look"
said Cliff.
The other boys were a little timid
about approaching the tin can"
house, but Clifford. with the true Guy
Fawkes spirit, went straight ahead and
peeped in at the opening. The others
confidently expected to see his head
blown off, but nothing of the kind
happened, nor was it likely to have
taken place. For what do you sup
pose Clifford saw as he looked in?
Well it was truly enough to make his
|
firecracker to be seen, and instead,
there lay the end of the burn rope in a
pail of water. Clifford stepped back
and beckoned TO the other boys. Ho
was literally speechless. When all had
taken a peep at the disappointing
scene, the indignant conspirators OF
the "gunpowder plot" at once hurried
over to the Gray's house. AS it hap
pened the professor was at home.
With loud voices and excited gestures,
the boys told their story. interspersed
now and then with wild conjectures az
to the probable perpetrators of tho
trick The professor heard them out.
and just as he was beginning TO speak
in serious Ieproof of their daring
scheme the door opened and Ruth
came in. To The surprise of everyone
her arms were piled high with fire.
crackers She flung them impulsiveiy
on the floor at the boys feet, and ex-
claimed, in defiance: There are your
hateful old firecrackers!"
At first all present were amazed
then a look of contempt overspread
the boys faces such as would have
been study for a painter. The pro-
fessor spoke gravely:
"Why, Ruth, you ought not to have
taken the boys crackers. If you knew
that their plan was dangerous one,
you should have told me about it."
Il wouldn't be a tale-bearer." She
raised her head proudly. Il did it be-
cause they wouldn't let me be in it,"
The professor hardly knew what to
say, for the scheme of the boys had
been a dangerous one, and it was we'll
that it had been interrupted; yet Ruth
had done a wrong thing to take the
crackers as she had. He explained TO
the boys what serious thing they had
planned what harm it might have
done. and added:
Here are your crackers. Go, fire