Year: 1877

"Well. boys, what about vacation?'


"lt's a-comin'-and Fourth OF July
too And please don't forget that pistol" F"


I'm try not to, il can run away some
where out Of hearing. Don't you think
it would have been a good idea if men
had been made with lids to their ears
the same as they have to their eyes, so
that when we didn't want to hear any
thing we could shut out soundY'


oh that would be jolly,-ior then we
hear mama call US in the morning, or
when she hollered for us to come in at
nightl'


You don't need any ear shoppers for
that. young man-but wish / had pair
for Fourth OF July. And that makes me
think of something for your story"


HOW I'VE BOYS" CELEBRATED.


When l was boy-never mind how
many years ago. and keep your young
clippers off my bald-spot. if you please
we used to think as much of the Fourth
of July as you do, | expect.


20 hol | thought you said it was
foolish, pop bang kind Of day p


So it is-but that doesn't hurt it for
boys. Anyhow, it was a great day for
young America then. Money came very
hard to most of US. though, and we had
to begin weeks and even months before
hand TO save up enough 10 celebrate
with. Think OF driving a COW mile to
pasture, and going after her every night.
Tor six cents a week, to get your fire
cracker money! i tell you that made q
boy patriotic when the great day came,
and Kept him saving of his ire.crackers
and torpedoes.


We used to make little lead cannons-
not as the lrishman said, by jist sittin'
up hole and pourin' lead around it,
but in regular moulding sand. the same
as men do. And then we'd put in a
charge of powder, and lam 'em iull OF
paper wads, and touch EN- of with a
'slow match little, long train Of pow
der, like a fire cracker stem, you know.
When l think of the little and big can
non that the boys used to have in those
old days, wonder there aren't more men
in the world with only one eye and half
handful of fingers.


Well, one Fourth when l was about a
dozen years old or so, all the BOYS of my
set determined to celebrate in great
style. One spent all his money for fire
crackers, another for torpedoes, another
for pin.wheels, and so on, till we had a
big assortment, that we were to use alto
gether, with fireworks" for the evening
This plan sounded very fine. but when il
came to working it failed, like many
other fine plans.


Jimmy burnt crackers f1ster than any.
body else, and that led to a quarrel, in
which he came out like Britishers when
Washington had them cornered. Then
Frank popped torpedoes as though they
grew on bushes, and that made trouble
And as il grew hot, all of US were awful
thirsty" but we hadn't any money to buy
soda water" with, and Fourth OF July
without soda water, or at least lemonade
colored with berry juice. wasn't worth
| celebrating. So We had to take in an
/ other boy, and make him buy the drink
! Along toward noon a tall, lean. gawky
looking lad from the country came intC
the village, ioT his fun. lie wore a long
tow-cloth coat, big straw bat, pair o
COW hide boots, and pants about SIX
inches too short for him.


His hair hadn't been cut since Christ
mas, from the look, and he was what w
called green"


The mischievous boys began to pei
HIM with torpedoes and orange peel anC
fire off crackers on his hat brim. They
gave him to drink his soda in two glassei
the acid first aud the soda water on toI
of it, 80 that it nearly strangled him bl
ioaming up his stomach. lie bough
two punches of fire-crackers, and pu
them in his outside coat pocket, anC
started Oft to have his fun in firing then
dropped lighted one into his poke