The Penn's Grove record., 1914-07-03
Boys POORF FOURTH
For Various Reasons Bobby
Didn't Enjoy Day That Is
Meant to Be Enjoyed.
Declaration of independence and Tea
Played a Part Last Year, But This
Year Youngster Has DETER
mined to Make Another
Declaration.

past bedtime, and I'm aw-
full, awful sleepy. Asked
Aunt Jane long ago if l
lAW couldn't go to bed, so as
~ to be up early on the
Fourth, but Uncle Hab-
akkuk he just raised his eyebrows,
and Aunt Jane she said: Pretty
soon, Bobby; keep awake a while
longer, dearie; then you can sleep
right through until breakfast time, and
the unseemly sounds which erroneous
ly are linked with the birth Of our in
dependence"-this is a regular Aunt
Jane talk, this is-"will not disturb
your rest" Hope they give me some
crackers tomorrow. They will, 1 guess
not. What did pop send me up here
for, anyway?
July 4, 500 a. m.-Darn it! Slept
right through till breakfast time, just
as Aunt Jane said l would. Looked
out the window and saw Uncle Habak-
kuk. He was calling a boy down for
firing off a cap pistol just outside the
gate. 1 can see myself getting crack
ers out of him!
S:35 a. m.-What's this coming?
Aunt Jane just knocked on my door
and said it was high time we were eel
ebrating. Maybe they've got some fire
crackers for me, after all; a few packs
of those unseemly sounds which are
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS linked with
the birth of Jul independence would
come in mighty handy now. Told
Aunt Jane I'd be down in a second.
8:45 a. m.-Well, we've been cele-
brating all right. We'd begin the day,
Aunt Jane said, with patriotic songs,
so we went in the parlor and Aunt
Jane sat down at the melodeon-pop
says he remembers that melodeon
when he was a boy. Aunt Jane sang
America" she and Uncle Habakkuk
duetted on "The Star Spangled Ban
ner," and then they made me sing
that crazy song in our school book,
How can-I serve-my country
best? Is it by taking-sword in-h-h-
hand?" / could see a crowd gathering
outside the fence, and somebody threw
a lighted cannon cracker on the porch.
Also, it blew six branches off the hon
eysuckle and made an awful unseemly
sound.
9:15-a. m.-Breakfast. After it was
over, Uncle Habakkuk kept me half
an hour at the table while he talked
about William Pitts part in parlia-
ment's repeal of the hated stamp act.
10 a. m.-Out on the front lawn.
Uncle Habakkuk read the Declaration
of independence to Aunt Jane and me
and Aunt Jane told me how once,
when she was a girl, she went to Fan
yeuil hall, Philadelphia, and saw the
very pen that Benjamin Hancock
wrote with when he wrote the words:
"By the Internal! The Union must
and shall be preserved"
1880 a. m.-Some boys down the
street set off four packs Of giant
crackers in an old tin washboiler.
Uncle Habakkuk saw me looking at
them, so he said: Bobby, come in
the house with me, I've something l
want to show you"
1870 a. m.-Uncle Habakkuk has
been reading me some statistics he
calls them. They show that since the
Fourth of July, 1776, there have been
1,605, 443h fingers blown off by cele-
brations, 863,401 eyes blackened, S.
100000 eardrums ruined, and do you
think, Bobby, in the face of these elo-
quent facts, 1t is wise to encourage
boys in neutrality-suspicious. folly?
No, sir; II guess not, sir. Sensible
lad! 1 thought you would agree with
me!
1890 p. m.-Lunch; somehow l
hadn't much of an appetite. When
Aunt Jane said l should take a nap
Immediately after eating, 1 had less.
4:25 p. m.-Well, I've had my nap.
Once, when l was awful sick, they
gave me something or other to make