The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-07-01
MY QUIET FOURTH
BY ROBERT DoNNELL.

rlOuS ola DAY as Luther went after the
cactus-to scrape the spines off and
leave 1t soft, velvety affair? Make
the Fourth just a dream day for sies-
tas and somnolence dedicated to the
great white god Silence?
Very well. Let them do 1t. After
about one or fraction of one such
silent Fourth they'll be glad to get
back to the pop proposition. ! know,
beloved, because once experienced an
absolutely silent Fourth of July.
My noiseless Fourth took place some
where near the middle of the Nevada
desert. You can find places in that
desert today where there isn't a sound
for hundreds of miles because there's
nothing to make sound. | was herd
ing cattle in those days-punching
cows, the elegant eastern writer's call
1t. Caliente was my headquarters.
Ever see Caliente? l mean, rather,
did you ever feel Caliente? There isn't
much to see, but in midsummer you
can feel Caiente. 1t feels just as its
Spanish name implies-hot. Caliente
Is surrounded by barren mountains,
beyond which stretches barren desert
Nowadays there is railroad that
finds entrance and exit between the
passes, but in those days the lonesome
little burg was an isolated speck.
Strange to say, the town had run out
Of ammunition by the end of June
Though every man carried six shoot
er there wasn't cartridge left in Cal
lente. And as for other fireworks ma
terial there wasn't a cracker-except
whip crackers.
Caliente couldn't stand for a fire.
workless Fourth. so l was detailed to
ride horseback eighty miles across the
shimmering desert and bring back
from the nearest railroad town a sup
ply of noise producers. My horse had
lame hoof. so the boss proffered his.
you'll have to tether him down pref
ty tight when you camp" said the
boss. "for you know he's mighty slzit-
tish."
set out on the first day of July.
calculated-being from New England
| can calculate, you see-that could
get the fireworks and reach Caliente In
time for the celebration to begin about
noon of the Fourth. l made the rail
road town all right, strapped big bun
dies of pyrotechnics to the horse and
got back within thirty miles of Cali
ente by the evening of the third.
was dog tired. So was the horse prob
ably. But determined to rest only an
hour. eat bite and plug along a few
hours before making camp, so that l
could get into Caliente little earlier
than was expected.
Dismounting, | hitched the horse to
a cactus bush and sat down to unlace
my shoes. proposed easing my own
feet before easing the animal by un-
saddling him. l went sound asleep
with one shoe off and one on. An hour
later / awoke. The horse was gone.
He had pulled the top off the brittle
cactus bush and released himself. He
carried with him Caliente's entire
stock of fireworks; also my six shooter.
slung over the saddle in its holster.
slept soundly until daybreak on the
sandy ground. Arising at dawn on the
Fourth of July. | set out at brisk
pace for Caiiente, as | thought. 1t
was sultry day, and the heat in
creased as the hours advanced. BY
noon l was wondering why hadn't
hit the pass into Caliente. discov-
cred that l had been walking in 4 big
circle. Just then was about fifty
miles away from Caliente. knew old
Charlie, faithess to me, but faithful
TO his master, had reached town hours
before with the fireworks.
There are no birds In the desert to
make twittering song There are no
trees through which the breeze blows
a subdued strain. / was the only liv-
ing thing. so far as l knew. for fifty
miles In each direction. The absolute
stiffness of the scene appalled, me.
yearned for some sound-a thunder
crash, an earthquake, anything, just
so It made noise. In my imagina-
ton, but only there, / could hear the
pop, pop, pop" of the crackers along
Saloon row.
was ,tired-awfully tired. l was
footsore; was hungry; was thirsty;
was hot-fercely hot. But l want
to confess right here and now that
none of these disagreeable things
caused me half such agony as that
dreadful, dumb, desolate, universal ST.
lence, with big S, l tried to shout,
but my dry tongue gave forth no
sound. Clutching wildly at grease
wood bush, | fell to the baked soil and
lost knowledge of life.
Early on the morning of the 9th OF
July the boys found me there-the res
cue party that set out as soon as the
boss riderless horse got in. After Il
big swig at the water bottle family
implored one of the fellows to fire Off
his gun. He did so. and the sound was
sonata.
"Reckon you've enjoyed quiet
Fourthf" suggested Missouri Bill.