Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-03
FOURTH OF July.

II y
II years ago?
Do you remember going to bed in the
Hslittle room upstairs where all the way
Il from three to five of the boys slept. that
little hot room that you wouldn't sleep
in now, ii you had to sleep out doors
/ hoping that some one would fire the
1 old anvil early in the morning to
Il awake you, the bunch or two of little
III Chinese crackers hid safely under tn,
bed9 Well, somebody fred it on time
III all right and you sailed ont of bed al
liter a fashion that weaid have delighted
III motller,s heart any other morning. You
IEfieW down to the spot where in front
ssof the Blacksmith shop the men wee
lspouring the big grained blasting pow
Iider into the hole in the anvil and
Eswatched them drive the pine plug down
ION the powder with the sledge ham ner.
Then the fuse, the match, the splutte.'
Ilof FIRE, as the train burned up and the
sglorious crash that shook the ground
lind echoed back from the woods.
,lSBreakfast was cold when you .yos
IShome, ut''who cared for breakfast any
IIss,say. Gimme light says you. Dare
Nou TO hold one in your fingers" says
HE Fig! Bang! Hello, Hen! You
Band Bill come over to our house" The
Fourth was on.
II Mother was making some lem
enads. The big, brother swung
but of the yard arrayed like Solomon
with the colts checked a couple of
holes higher than would have bean
g,ermitted on any other day. He was
Eggoin' to take Ann Brown to the
<aaNonrth at the big town ten or fifteen
miles away. Jake Smith drove UP in
Front with a flourish and that demure
hittle sister of yours tripped down to
I$$he front gate. You slurg a cracker
Ander the team as they started. jake
sSMas secretly glad you did, for 1t gave
Ehim d chance to show his mastery Of
he plunging horses and brought tie
8Attie sister even closer in her fright,
Nc, ich was more than half assumed.
r member the procession and the
saithumpians? Sure you remember
She Calithumpians without which no
BID time independence day parade was
Epmplete. You could pick the men oil,
@y their horses despite their fantastic
Iaress, for you knew every horse in the
SAountryside. There was Ike Jones' only
IA year or two older than you. Thought
HE was blamed smart, didn't he?
IsYa-y-y Ike. member when John
Thompson licked you goin' home from
Apellin' SCHOOL,
b Remember how the girls were all
Atopd on pyramid platform surround
ing the Goddess of Liberty? And how
Gid Square Smith" bent away back
yards as. he started out with 'Wnen
/ ~ the course Of human events?" Some
boy snapped torpedo on one of the
Blank seats and "Old Jim Sanford"
kho was marshal of the day and had
lAorroWed old Colonel HemingWay's
Mcclellan saddle and blue saddle
i slanket with a silver star in each COR
( Ter that the colonel used in the
lssar. and strapped them on 'sold Badly"
Scm the livery stable, rode up like a
i lonquerer and ordered all boys away
rom the "stand?' "Old Jim" had
pbbed his wife's bureau Of long
weeping ostrich plume and wore this
4 IL his hat. A red sash came down over
lis shoulder, was wound about his
hiddle and knotted at his side whence
he ends dangled far below Gold
Baldy's'' surcingle. His face was as
The face Of Lee watching the current OF
Nickett's charge and he gave his orders
HIS tho twenty centuries were looking
own upon him from Henderson's hay
arn just over the fence from the plat
,brm. Huh! Old Jim ran dray. He
Ieverd been to war and wasn't so
lhuch.
q. well, it was long ago, wasn't is?
\ Nowadays they do things differently.
iEaybe it isn't better, tho. They make
ltore noise, tear of more fingers. spend
more money cut out the declaration
ind knock on the constitution, 5u.
iley don't have any better time thsn
Ibu did away back yonder when the
+ ixties were just going out.