Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-06-29
MY QUIET FOURTH
BY ROBERT ponnELL.

noiseless Fourth. are they7
~ These Luther Burbanks Of pa
triotisIn are going after the glo-
rious old day as Luther went after the
cactus-to scrape the spines or and
leave It soft. velveey affair? Make
the Fourth just a dream day for sizes
tas aud somnolence. dedicated to the
great white god Silence?
Very we'll Let them do It. After
about one or a fraction III one such
silent Fourth they'll be glad 10 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 sound
for hundreds of miles because there's
nothing to make sound. I was herd
ing cattle in those days--punching
cows, the elegant eastern writer's call
it. Caliplte was my headquarters.
Ever see talieute? | mean, rather,
did you ever feel Caliente? There isn't
can feel Calienfe 1t feels just as its
Spanish name impIles-hot. Caliente
is surrounded by barren mountains.
beyond which stretches barren desert.
Nowadays there is a railroad that
finds entrance and exit between the
raccac btsf In fboco dave fho lonoaarua
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
iente. And as for other fireworks ma
terial there wasn't cracker-except
whip crackers.
Caliente couldn't stand for a fire.
voorhees, Fourth. so 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
a lame hoof. so the boss preferred his.
You'll have to tether him down pref
ty tight when you camp" said the
boss. for you know he's mighty skit-
fish"
set ont on the first day Of July. l
calculated-being from New England
l can calculate. you see-that ! could
get the fireworks and reach Caliente in
time for the celebration to begin about
noon of the Fourth. ! made the rail-
road town all right, strapped big bum
dies of pyrotechnics } 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 a bite and plug along a few
hours before making camp. so that !
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 I'M
saddling him. | went sound asleep
with one shoe of and one on. An hour
later ] awoke. The horse was gone.
He had pulled the top of 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. l set out at brisk
pace for Caiente. as ! thought. II
was a sultry day. and the heat In
creased as the hours advanced Nv
noon was wondering why ! hadn't
| hit the pass into Caliente. | discov.
cred that | had been walking IN 2 bic
circle Just then ! was about fifty
miles away from Caliente. knew old
Charlie. faithless 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 nc
trees through which the breeze blows
subdued strain. was the only liv-
ing thing. so far as 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 bear the
pop. pop. pop of the crackers along
Saloon row
was tlred--awfully tired. / was
footsore; was hungry; ] was thirsty
| was hot-fiercely hot But I want
| to confess right here and now that
none of these disagreeable things
caused me half such agony as that
dreadful. dumb. desolate. universal 81
lence. with big S tried TO shout
bur my dry tongue gave forth nc
sound. Ciutching wildly at a grease
| wood bush. fell to the baked soil and
lost knowledge OF life.
Il Early ON the morning OF the 9th OF
Il July the boys found me there-the res
cue purity that set out as soon as the
boss riderless horse got In. After a
big swig nj the water bottle ! family
implored one of the fellows to FIRE of
his gun He did so. and the sound was
sonata
Reckon you've enjoyed a quiet
FourthY" suggested Missouri Bill