The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-04
THE EVENING STORY
She Budded on tl,e Fourtl,.

She Budded on the Fourth.
How pleased / was to receive Mrs.
Clifford's Invitation to spend the
Fourth of July at the Clifford country
place. I'VE shall be very quiet" she
wrote. You mustn't expect any gay
ETY.. There will be no one here ex-
cept the members of our family. Sorry
can't have young lady for you. but
don't want the trouble of ONE
The Clifford children were Grace
and Charlie When L had last seen
them, Grace was a sweet little girl
seven or eight years of age-an
ethereal child whom an artist would
choose for Spirituelle model purposes.
Charlie was three years younger.
to turn my back on the cracking,
booming city and spend the day with
| this quiet family.
When arrived-in time for dinner
on the evening of the 3rd-I was re-
minded how time flies. Grace Clifford,
though she still wore her dresses
quite short, was as tall as she was
| likely to be. Charlie was nearly Is.
| Grace seemed to have retained her
childish gentleness, and Charlie also
| seemed quiet, retiring boy, devoted,
so his mother told me, to books We
dfned undisturbed by the sound of
single cracker, the children SO we'll
| behaved that neither of them spoke
during the meal Indeed /, being a
young man considerably under 80,
| remembering that Grace must be Is,
| felt inclined to have some words with
! her, especially as she was very pretty.
presence of the father and mother at
| table and after dinner. I saw her no
more during the evening.
The next morning I was awakened
| by the spiteful snap of a f1recracker. I
turned over and slept again. was
awakened by a second snap, this time
to stay awake. l felt under my pillow
for my watch and noted the time-5
O'Clock. I had been told that break
fast would be at 8. Four hours in
terval, and I felt hungry. 1 must get
another nap. 1 shut my eyelids and
| resolved that I would sleep despite
/ the daylight streaming in at my win
| dow. 1 was doing off when there
came another crack-not a good round
noise, but a spiteful, malicious, malig-
nant little snap, not big enough to
| fully awaken me, but to disturb the
Slumber into which was drifting. /
continued to keep my eyes closed
| tightly, hoping to fall asleep, but there
| came a succession of cracks in mo-
notonous regularity and volume. I
| covered my ears with the sheet and
persevered. My efforts were of no
avail. The contemplate snaps con-
| tinued, and at last l gave up, opened
my eyes and looked at the window.
| I saw a little brass cannon resting
on the rail of the balcony on to which
my room opened. A hand projecting
| from a coat sleeve, with a lighted
match, was thrust forward to touch
off the cannon, but the fame wss blown
out by the wind before it reached the
vent. I waited and watched. Another
match was tried and failed. Then a
| bit of lighted firecracker was tried,
and this time the wrist of the hand
/ that held it wore bracelet also
heard girls giggle. The cannon was
fired.
/ 1t was still but half past 5 o'clock.
| Should 1 endure this annoyance or
make attempt to stop it? l got up
| and, looking into the hail. saw the door
of a bedroom opposite standing open.
I went in, closed the door, threw myself
+! on the bed and succeeded in getting a
few minutes slumber before being cali
/ ed. Meanwhile l presume the children
| kept on with their firing, supposing
they were annoying me. At breakfast
| Grace looked demure enough for nun
merry. I made no reference to my dis
covery.
The children kept their crackers ex-
ploding all the morning. If went on
to the front piazza they came with
them there. If I went to the back
piazza they also changed for my new
| position. We dined at 1 o'clock, and
| after dinner I sought the library for q
nap. 1 expected to hear more crackers,
but I did not I was doing off when
| an immense bee came tumbling on to
my nose. 1 made frantic grasp for 1t
and failed. I settled myself again, and
| again came the bee. This time I saw
that it was bit of paper hanging by a
thread to stick I shut my eyes and
pretended to sleep. The bee climbed
! all over my nose, but 1 paid no atten-
ton to 1t. Finally I snored. Out of the
corner of my eye 1 saw Grace Clifford
steal softly from behind a screen with
a plant sprayer in her hand. Reaching
i forward she gave me it's contents. Al
most before the water reached me
sprang up, seized her in my arms and
covered her face with kisses.
| LET me go or I'll call papa!" she
icried, struggling vigorously.
Call as loud as you like:
you're not a gentleman"
~'Nor are you a lady"
''How dare you say that to me?"
-'No lady would fire a brass cannon
under a guests window to keep him
awake"
She gave a spasmodic giggle.
cor sting his nose with humble
bee."
Another giggIe.
ssNo, I've taken the kisses to pay
for keeping me awake for three hours
this morning. and I'm going to take
pay for the bumblebee."
/ gave her half a dozen smacks.
'fNow we'll settle for the spray.
gave her q round dozen more and
opened my arms. She flew out of the
room like bird.
"Poor Grace!" said Mrs. Clifford
when her daughter did not appear for
the fireworks prepared for the "chi1-
dren'' in the evening. "She's gone to
! bed with a headache. She's such a
delicate child"
Before the next Fourth the sensitive
1880 RUSSELL THoRNE.