The Virginia enterprise., 1907-06-28

use them in China to kill murderers
and robbers. They put wan O. thin
big firecrackers bechune the teeth of
murderer and make him light the
fuse wild his own hand and blow his
own head off. Thin Chinese is mighty
crool, Mickey, mighty crool"
This vivid description inflamed Mick
ey's desire, which was Casey's motive
in telling it, for the incident occurred
on the eve of the Fourth, and Casey
was afraid that the big firecrackers
would be carried over the national hol-
iday and remain loss on his hands.
In order to deepen the impression al
ready made upon the boy Casey per-
mitted him to handle one of the twins.
The boys eyes had widened to
their utmost capacity when he was
outside the window, but now that he
could feel the red jacket his hands
trembled with the eagerness of pos
session and he would have given ten
years Of his life to own it.
''Take it along wild you, Mickey"
said Casey, cajolingly Thin crack
ers were made in Chow Chow, in
China, for the Cooney Island trade,
and I want to get rid of thin I have
on hand before send another order
to Wan Lung, the haythin.''
But have no money" said Mick
ey sorrowfully. my father is goin' to
give me three punches of little fire.
crackers and a pinwheel but I know
he wouldn't buy wan O. thin big fire.
crackers for me-
WELL" continued Casey, "you come
down here tomorrow mornin' and
carry in half ton of coal for me and
I'll give you the big cracker"
The next morning Mickey was busy
for two hours carrying chestnut coal
in nail keg and dumping it in Casey's
cellar. Just after noon, with a smile
covered with coal dust and a bosom
full of chuckles, he received his prize.
No grass grew under his bare feet
as he ran homeward, the precious
powder mine clasped to his bosom.
Holding the big frecracker aloft as
he darted through the kitchen door,
he exclaimed:
Mother, have it! Amt it a
beauty?"
well, don't see anything about it
to be maxim fuss over," said Mrs.
Finn, who, like most mothers, had
no love for fireworks. "Now, don't be
bringin' it nearer to me, as Mickey
ran toward her. Il don't want to be
blown into the middle O. next week.
Throw the dirty thing away! I'm
afeered O. me life while you have it in
your hands! Now, don't be goin' near
the stove wild it! Arrah, ye little
spalpeen, will ye take it off the stove?
Take it off afore ye blow the roof off
the house!" and the frightened woman
ran into the bedroom and peered
through the keyhole.
With the recklessness of boyhood.
Mickey exclaimed, as he lit a match
and reduced his mother to Mysteries
by pretending to light the firecracker
stem:
"You needn't be afeered, mother. I'll
nip it out afore it goes off,
In this simple fashion the afternoon
of the Fourth passed away in the Finn
household varied by the boy with oc-
casional visits to the neighbors, whom
he threw into panic of fear by pre-
tending to light the big explosive.
Mrs. Murphy and her three children
were gathered around the kitchen
table when Mickey placed the lighted
mammoth in the middle of the table.
Two of the boys went head first
through the window, while Mrs. Muir
ply tried to crawl under the kitchen
stove.
All this excitement afforded the boy
a good deal of delight, but he re-
served for the evening the culmina-
tion of his joy. He intended to blow
his father up as he sat in his chair on
the back stoop.
Mickey thought it would be an in
spring sight to witness his father fly
ing across the back yard and plow-
ing up the ground with his nose. In
order that he might have an audience
appropriate to SO great an occasion,
Mickey had spread the news among
all the boys of the neighborhood, and
at nine o'clock so boys sat on the
fence surrounding the back yard. Mr..