The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-06-29
JACK GR|DLEYS CELEBRATION
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 4..s;.s.'s..s.. + !.
- ACK GRIDLEY crawied through
o hole in the fence back of his
" home and cautiously tiptoed toward
the house. The sun was higher than
Jack had intended it should be when he
returned; when he had slipped out of the
back door, just before midnight, with
two big cannon crackers and his pockets
full of smaller ones, and had Joined Bill
Ainsley, to set the church bell wildly
ringing. on the stroke of II, in joyous
time-honored salutation to the glorious
Fourth. he had planned to be back In
his room and in bed before the sun rose.
But the noisy hours had fed and now 1t
was broad day.
A rooster crowed on a neighboring
farm, and from the henhouse back of
him the old Buff Cochin answered long
and clear. Buff was Miss Ann's alarm
clock. and beads of anxiety stood out on
Jacks face as he cautiously but hur-
riedly lifted the latch of the back door.
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locked when he stole out in the night
and now-he gave reckless, desperate
tug, but the door yielded not one whit.
Could he have carelessly left the hook so
that it fell back in place with the jar
of closing? He must have. Jack glanc-
ed uneasily towards Miss AIMS bed
room, then slipped off lis shoes, climbed
to the low shed at the back, ran swiftly
and noiselessly across the roof. and
reaching up to the window sill of his
room pulled himself up. and with sigh
of relief dropped inside. Thank heaven,
he had left that window wide open.
lie was none too soon, for even as he
slipped his jacket off preparatory to
jumping into bed, Miss AIMS thin,
cracked voice rang up the narrow stair
way: Jack, you can get up now!'
"Yes'm," was the meek reply. Waiting
such length of time as would naturally
elapse during the process of dressing,
Jack filled sis pockets with the remain
der of his crackers and presented himself
in the kitchen. Jack Gridley was moth
erless, and his father, a commercial trav-
eler. had found home for the boy with
Miss Ann Hobart.
Good morning." said Miss Ann, as
Jack entered the kitchen. Good morn
ing,'' he replied. as he hurried toward
the woodshed for an armful of wood.
Breakfast was ready when he returned,
and there had been no opportunity to fire
cracker.
John" said Miss Ann, helping him
to a second dish of oatmeal, 'if 1 were
you l would save those two largest
crackers for this evening. to close the
day with" "Yes'm," said Jack.
"Now, suppose" continued Miss Ann,
"that you give them to me for safe keep
ing; 1 am afraid the temptation to fire
them will be too great otherwise" Jack
grew red in the face, and hastily gulped
down a glass of milk. Cant, they're
busted" he said.
"You mean they are broken. But you
haven't told me how you broke them, "
continued Miss Ann, sweetly. I'LL
fired 'emw Jack blurted the truth out
manfully. John Gridley! what do you
meanY' All the sweetness was gone
from Miss Ann now. You haven't fired
a cracker since you rose this morning.
Now, when did you fire those big ones ?
Tell me the truth instantly
LAST night" said Jack, feebly. "At
what time last night?' Il don't know
jes' what time" was the weak reply.
John Gridley, you look me in the face
and tell me what time you left this
house." The jig was up and Jack knew
II. "Well, If you must know, it was
few minutes of r." he said.
Hand me those crackers, every one
you've got. Now. John Gridley, don't
YOU stir foot outside of the yard this
day. Now go out to the woodpile and
saw until 1 tell you to stop"
Poor Jack! He wouldn't give Miss
Ann the satisfaction of knowing how
bad he felt, but when his stint of wood
was finished, he fed to the barn and I'D
in q dark corner of the hawmow he had
his cry out with only the sympa thetic
whinny of old Nell in the stall below,
for comfort. All the morning he had
heard the pop, pop, pop of crackers, and
later the circus band, as the procession
paraded the streets; he had even caught
just a glimpse of the parade as it enter
ed the tent, for the circus had pitched
not far from Miss AIMS house. This
was the first circus in Easthampton for
years, and Jack had set his heart on
going. Miss Ann strongly disapproved
of circuses, but Jack had written to his
father and obtained consent, providing
he was a good boy, and now-Jack wept
afresh. Most of all he wanted to see
the elephant Gt was a small circus and
had but one of the huge pachyderms).
About o'clock Miss Ann relented to
the extent of allowing him to have his
crackers, and in the noise of these he
tried to drown ont the noise of the circus
band that foated out from the big dingy
canvas so near and yet so far. Sudden
ly it flashed into his head that he might
send up crackers on his kite. Why not?
He had read of a camera being sent up
to take photographs, and if camera
could go, crackers could. Jack set to
work at once to put his idea into execu-
tion. A long fuse was made and attach
ed to the crackers. Near the crackers
string was tied to the fuse, and this in
turn was tied to bit of wire on the
kite string near the kite, which had been
pulled in. The free end Of the fuse was
lighted, the kite set free. and Jack watch
ed the tiny sputtering sparks sail up
into the air. When the fire reached the
string it burned it off, setting free the
crackers which exploded second later
in midair.
Finally Jack took the biggest cracker
that he had, one he had been saving for
a grand climax. made an extra long fuse,
attached it in the usual way and then
gave the kite ell the string he had. Up,
up, up she sailed until she foated fairly
over the circus tents. Then Jack saw
the tiny speck of a cracker drop. and.
watching it speed downward without ex-
ploding, he muttered to himself in dis
appointment, why didn't keep it and
Gre it on the ground where I could make
l. 81 Dat L ais ii