The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-06-29
CARRAWAY's GRAND
GEYsER CASCADE
A Fourth of July Story.
the Philadelphia Press.

from the Philadelphia PRESS.
Uncle Major" said Jack as he and
Moll1e helped the major to remove his
hat and O do you think there's
much danger in little boys having fire.
crackers and rockets and pinwheels?"
"Or in little girls having torpeters?"
put in Mollie.
well l don't know" the major an
swered warily. What does your papa
say about it9"
HE thinks we ought TO wait until
we are older, but We don't said Jack.
"TorpeterS never sets nothing afire,"
said Mollie.
That's true" said the major kindly;
'but, after all, your father is right.
Why, do you know what happened to
me when 1 was a boy??"
Haven't an idea,' said Jack.
"You burnt Your thumb" said Mol
lie, ready to make a guess at it.
We'll, you get me a cigar, and I'll
tell you What happened to me when 1
was a boy just because my father let
me have all the fireworks I wanted
and then perhaps you will see how
wise YOU father is in not doing as you
wish him to-"
lack readily found the desired cigar,
while Mollie brought the major a
match, after which he settled down
comfortably in the hammock and
swinging softly to and fro, told his
SlOTy.
My dear old father" said he, was
the most indulgent mar that ever lived.
He'd give me anything in the world
that l wanted whether he could afford
it or not, only he a an original sys-
TEN Of giving which kept him from
being ruined by Indulgence of his chill
dren. He gave me a Hudson river
cent. / saw it, wanted it, was begin
ing to cry for it, when he patted me
On the head and told me I could Ia
it, adding, however, hat l must never
lake it away from the river or try to
run it myself. That satisfied me.
"All l wanted was the happiness Of
feeling that it was mine, and my dear
old daddy CAV me permission to feel
that way. The same thing happened
with reference to the moon. He gave
1t to me freely n ungrudgingiy. He
had received it from his father, he
long enough. Only, he added, as he
had about the Steamboat, l must leave
1t where it was and let other people
look at it whenever they wanted to
and not interfere if I found any other
little boys or girls playing with it's
beams, which l promised and have
faithfully observed to this day.
o course from such a parent as
this, you may very easily see, every
thing was to be expected on such a
day as the Fourth of July. He used
to let me have my own q at all
times. and 1t is a wonder 1 wasn't
spoiled. / really can't understand how
considering how l vas INDUCED when
I was small.
However, like all boys, I was very
fond Of celebrating the Fourth, and,
being a more or less ingenious boy, i
usually prepared my own fireworks
op1 Vo,o ~ fhiynrrc toy ,rnrnJM N 1,hioh
might n otherwise have come to pass
II I had been properly looked after, as
you are. The first thing that hap
pened on the Fourth of July that would
a great deal better not have happened
was when I was-er-how old are you,
Jack?"
Eight" said Jack, going on o."
THAT was exactly the age l was at
the time" continued the major bland
ly-'just nine to a day"
Eight" I said" said Jack.
Yes" nodded the major; Just eight.
had given me $40 to spend on noises;
but. unlike most boys, l did no care SO
much for noises as 1 did for novelties.
1t didn't give me any particular pleas
IRE to hear a giant cracker go off with
q bang. What l wanted to do most of
all was to get up some kline of an ex-
hibttion that would please the people
and that could be seen in daytime in
stead of at night, when everybody is
tired and sleepy. So instead of spend
ing any money on firecrackers and tor
pedoes and rockets 1 spent 50 Of it on
powder and 81 on putty blowers.
What l wanted to do was to make
one grand effort and provide passersby
with Il free exhibitions of what I was
going to all! 'C~arraway's Grand Gey-
ser Cascade To do this properly I
set my eye upon q fish pond not far
deep pond and about q mile in circum-
ference. Putty blowers were then SELL
ing al i've for q cent, and powder was
cheap as sand, owing TO the fact tina
the powder makers. expecting a war,
had made y hundred tines as much as
! Vas needed, and as their war didn't