Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-07-03
HOW BIDDY ENJOYED
THE GLORIOUS FOURTH

| Solde, as she told everybody
that was curious enough to
ask her. Though foreign by
| birth. in feelings and actions she was
thoroughly American. She had spent
one Fourth of July in this country and
had observed with intense interest the
| enthusiasm all boys and girls showed
in the day. At the same time she re-
solved that when the Fourth next
came around her celebration would be
as lively as anybody's. And so it
turned out.
Now, it might be said of Biddy that
there had been a serious double mis-
take in her life. Instead of an Irish
girl she should have been boy and an
American. But American she was
bound to become, anyway, and no boy
living could have entered more heartily
into the celebration than this same
Biddy O'Hare, in her straw hat with
wide dropping brim and her green
frock.
There was just one peculiar thing in
Biddy's makeup, and that, to call it by
its gentlest name, was a tendency to
prevaricate. Indeed, prevaricate will
hardly do, for she often made up
whole stories without even fOunda-
ton of truth. 1t was Biddys weak
ness. Her parents fondly hoped that
she would outgrow it-she was only
eight-but, as things were now, al
most all she said had to be carefully
considered as coming from Biddy.
In the town where Biddy lived there
was a public celebration, and this
young Irish-American made her plans
to attend. She did not think it worth
while to ask permission. When the
afternoon came she found it easy
enough to get herself lost in the crowd
and to follow the rest of the patriotic
citizens out to the fair grounds.
This. she felt, made her fully an
American. The flags waved for her
as much as for anybody. And there
was not sight that escaped her.
Wherever there was something extra
to see Biddy would crowd in between
tie older persons or she would get I'M
der the ropes or the edges of a tent.
When she wanted pink lemonade or
peanuts she invited some man to buy
them for her. She clapped when the
band played. She even climbed to the
band stand. where she could stand be-
side the man with the bass cornet.
So fascinating it all was that she did
not notice when the sun went down
and the torches and japanese lanterns
began to glow. She stayed right ON
into the evening for the fireworks. 1t
was late when her father found her,
high up in the grand stand. Of course
there had been a fright when her alb
sence was noticed, and so happy were
the parents at finding her that they ac-
tually forgot to punish her for running
away.
Many days passed before Biddy was
through telling the wonders of her
celebration. Everything she described
became under her artistic touch three
times as wonderful as it really had
been. Biddy gave her imagination full
play. The climax came when she told
of going up in a paper balloon at
night. She declared there were seats
all around on the inside, that 1t was
light as day in there and that the man
who sent the balloons up wanted other
children to go, too. but that she was
the only one who dared do it. And
that" she explained, sis why they
called me the hero of the celebration.
And when / came down on the very
spot from which l started the band
played new piece called Brave Biddy
O'Hare.' And
Just at this point her father inter
rupted her to say very sternly that
she need continue the narrative no
further. There was look in his face
that Biddy had never seen before, and
her story of the Fourth stopped right
where it Washington Star.