Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-06-30
JACk GRIDLErS CELEBRATION

NJ
I'll 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 IL, 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 it
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 AIMS alarm
clock, and beads of anxiety stood out on
Jacks face as he cautiously but hur-
riedly lifted the latch of the back door.
lWhy didn't it open? He had left it un-
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.
He was none too soon, for even as he
slipped his jacket off preparatory to
bod Mise thin
cracked voice rang up the narrow stair
way: Jack, you can get up nowP'
"Yes'm," was the meek reply. Waiting
such length of time as would naturally
elapse during the process of dressing,
Jack filed his pockets with the remain
der of his crackers and presented himself
in the kitchen. Jack Gridley was moth
erless, and his father, 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
a cracker.
"John," said Miss Ann, helping him
to a second dish of oatmeal, '.if 1 were
/. you 1 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; I am afraid the temptation to fire
: them will be too great otherwise" Jacl
1 grew red in the face, and hastily gulped
i, down a glass of milk. Cant, they're
3 busted" he said.
/ "You mean they are broken. But yor
0 haven't told me how you broke them,
: continued Miss Ann, sweetly. I'll
fred 'emr' Jack blurted the truth ou
:, :. manfully. "John Gridley! what do yor
! meanf" All the sweetness was gon,
from Miss Ann now. "You haven't free
q a cracker since you rose this morning
u Now, when did you fire those big ones
II Tell me the truth instantlyP
:. Last night" said Jack, feebly. "A
. what time last nightY .I don't know
jes' what time" was the weak reply
= John Gridley, you look me in the fac
: and tell me what time you left thi
house." The Jig was up and Jack knew
t it. ssWell, if you must know, 1t wa
few minutes of r." he said.
v "Hand me those crackers, every on
o you've got. now JOHu Orluley, Qon,
% you stir foot outside of the yard thi
. day. Now go out to the weodpile an,
: saw until I tell you to STOP"
D Poor Jack! He wouldn't give Mis-
y Ann the satisfaction of knowing hoy
o bad he felt, but when his stint of WOO
= was finished, he fed to the barn and u
l. in a dark corner Of the hawmow he ha,
% his cry out with only the sympatheti
g whinny of old Nell In the stall below
= for comfort. All the morning he ha
:. heard the pop, pop, pop of crackers, an
. later the circus band, as the procession
u paraded the streets; he had even caugh
II just glimpse Of the parade as 1t enter
d ed the tent, for the circus had pitche
not far from Miss AIMS house. Thi
was the first circus In Easthampton fo
years, and Jack had set his heart o
y going. Miss Ann strongly disapprove
er of circuses, but Jack had written to hi
D. father and obtained consent, providin
he was good boy, and now-Jack wer
at afresh. Most of all he wanted to Sc
n the elephant tit was a small circus an
had but one Of the huge pachyderms).
About 3 o'clock Miss Ann relented I