Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-07-02

the Fourth of July, but it treats of ex-
plosives, so | suppose it will suit you
Just as we'll"
The children settled themselves de-
lightedly, and the professor began. He
was a charming story-teller, and the
children sat spelbound until he had
finished. The tale made a great i'm
preston, and especially on Clifford.
The next day, when he and his playfel-
lows were lying on the grass in the
shade, too lazy to play IN account Of
the heat, Clifford told the story 10
them, and concluded by saying:
Boys, I've got a scheme. Let's us
get up a 'gunpowder plot for the
Fourth. Only we won't have ours just
like the story, for ours shall go off as
it ought. We can have it on that va
cant block across the street. Wen
dig a cellar and then build a sort of =
house on top for the parliament build
ing"
Yes, and make the house Of tin
cans and such things, so 1t will make
a terrible noise when 1t goes off" said
Frank Middlebury.
So it went on and soon the plans
were all laid,
The next day they began operations,
and worked desperately. as boys will
for play, all morning. Day after day
the work went IN. Both boys and girls
of the neighborhood were wild with
curiosity to know what they were
about, but never a word of informa-
ton could they get from any of the
workers. Even Ruth Gray did not
know what they were doing until she
accidentally overheard Clifford say
something to Clarence about the gun
powder plot" Then she was all In
terest and wanted to join the conspir-
ators herself.
There weren't any ladies in It,"
Clarence replied, sc%ornfuliy, when she
asked him about it.
"Oh, well, that doesn't make any diff
ference and ! want to so bad"
well, you ask Cliff
And when she asked Clifford he put
her off very contemptuously. Then
Ruth began to cry and told him he was
real mean"
But no amount of teasing made any
difference. Clifford was obstinate.
Ruth was not admitted to the plot.
At last the morning of the Fourth
arrived. The conspirators had agreed
that parliament should be assembled
and the %gunpowder in the cellar "set
off" at IL exactly, as they would all
have returned from the public exer-
of the morning by that time.
The day wore IN The usual pop
ping and banging of a typical Fourth
of July continued very steadily. 1t
was nearing IL O'Clock and one by one
five boys appeared on the scene neal
the parliament building"
Issuing from one side of this "tin
can" house vas 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
money that five boys could save
and earn for a week had been invested
in explosives and stored away there
tor the Fourth,
Finally the appointed moment ar
Clifford, who was the Guy
Fawkes of the conspiracy, touched /
match to the end of the rope
Then the five boys stepped back to a
distance, Very eagerly they
watched the progress of the tiny point
of fire moving slowly along the rope.
and closer to its destination
the spark.
ITS getting there, boys" said Frank
Middlebury.
"Landy! won't 1t 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. It
vas creeping inside. An instant-ald