Year: 1874

| never went to see ii Johnny was dis
turbed by the noise, for she knew ht
liked to hear it generally, and she die
not once think that the little fellow hat
dressed himself quietly, and, with his
shoes in his hand, had slipped dowr
stairs-crackers, cap and torpedoes al
in basket on his arm-gone through the
| parlor, into the kitchen, and let himself
out the back door. The old dog growled
at first; but then wagged his tail al
Johnny He would have followed him
to the village any other time; but
Bose was mortally afraid Of guns
He had once been shot, and the noise
| Of firing would send him off to his
kennel, with his tail between his legs, as
fast as he could run. Johnny sat down
| and put his shoes on, and then set out
for the village. 1t was only half mile
from the farm and the night was almost
| as bright rs day. The great white rose
| bushes had a few sweet blossoms left
yet, and the sweet-briers by the barn
were full of pale pink flowers; but John
ny only smelt gunpowder, and, instead
of the little birds that sung tiny songs in
their sleep, he heard the bang and rattle
beyond-sounds he liked much better
So far the plan succeeded well; he had
what he called a splendiferous time. y
The boys on the green swarmed round
his piles of fire-crackers and enjoyed
them 1t was splendid to see the blaze
out Of the cannon's mouth and hear the
grand sound it made and the rolling
echo that came back from the hills all
about


Johnny, like most boys, liked Il noise
And his pleasure was immense when one
of the big boys let him fire off a musket
himself. He was very glad his plan
worked so we'll Now mamma would
never be afraid to trust him to go any
where.


Things went on in this joyful way till
the eastern sky began to grow light and
the moon faded away. There was much
noise and shouting and some tin horns
And when the sky suddenly grew very
dark and loud clap of thunder made
more noise than the cannon everybody
was startled, for men and boys had been
too busy to hear or see the storm come
come up. 1t came very swiftly The
first flash was followed by quick
sharp rain at once. The boys scattered
quickly for their homes. Johnny knew
it was useless for him to run home; and
SO he scampered for the nearest house,
which was the railroad station, standing
just across the road from the green
But the station doors were all shut; SO
the boy took refuge in an empty pas
scnger car standing on the track. Luck
lily for him some careless man had for
gotten to lock that Perhaps the brake
man had slept in it that night, for a
dirty army blanket lay under one of the
seats. Johnny was cold and tired by
this time, for the storm was chilly and
his jacket damp; so he rolled himself up
in the old blanket, curled up on the floor,
because he was half afraid in thunder
storm and liked to keep as far from win
uvwo as pUssIuIc, anu DeiOre ne knew ne
was siNSRS. was doiNIl'
so fast and sound no thunderstorm
could rouse him. just about this time
the railroad superintendent in Taunton
was telling the conductor on this very
Hopeton & Dibble Railroad that he must
take on the empty car left last night at
Hoxton and carry it out to Dibble with
the first train, as there was to be an ex-
cursion from Dibble at ten o'clock to
Hoxton Lake So after Johnny had
slept about an hour and was still asleep
the six o'clock mail train steamed into
the station, backed up the switch, the
car was coupled on, and when Johnny
woke up he was fairly on his travels,
alone in railroad car, going nobody
knew wherc-at least he didn't In the
meantime things were going ON rather
disagrecably at home. Mamma had a
dreadful headache and had slept very lit
tie all night; SO she took long nap in
the morning, and woke up to find the
storm had settled down into dull, driz.
zling rain. Everything was damp and
SLOPPY outdoors, the house was cold, and
the hens in the yard scOlded and squaked
and went on tlptoe, looking half drowned
and Susy woke up with bad cold, tha,
made her crosser than ever Mammals
first thought was, Poor Johnny, how
badly he will feel about his tire-crack
ers" She did not know they had al
popped off hours ago on the Hoxtor
green. Jerusha rang the bell very lout
for breakfast, partly to wake people up
partly to " celebrate she said She hat
got specially nice breakfast, for there
was to be no dinner that day Hiram ant
she always went over to their mother
who lived on the mountain, to spend thu
Fourth of July; and to-day, as Mrs
Blake staid at home herself, she mean
to let Johnny 60 with them, and sht
would have only some cold meat for tea
which Ann, the second girl, could pre-
pare well enough. So Jerusha had done
her best, and the table looked so prett,
that again Mrs Blake's first thought was
How Johnny will like it." For at on,
end was platter of cold Holsters, dressed
with the crispest green lettuce, out o
which the scarlet and white flake.
shone like flowers; then before Mrs
Blake a nice broiled chicken, in .
hedge of crisp, thin potato slices, fried ;
bright brown; and between these two ;
great lowered china bowl, heaped will
cherries, red and cream-colored and deer
garnet, with lump of ice sparkling il
the middle of them and the fresh, we
leaves hanging over the edge of tn,
bowl; there was white bread on larg
plate and brown bread in trencher
with butter as prime as wax and as vel
low as buttercups; and cream in glas
pitcher, thick and yellow, with taste O
June grass in it, stood by the steamin,
chocolate pitcher and the tall silver tea
pot on q side-table for Ann to pour out
And when Mrs Blake said to Jerusha
Wont you stop at Johnny's door as yo'
go upstairs and wake him up?" just thel
Master Johnny woke up in the rail-car
scared, tired and hungry as little bear
But mamma was not scared when -Jeru
sha said Johnny was gone. She though
he was in the barn with Hiram, and sh
needed some breakfast SO much sh
would not wait for him. She ate hersel
and helped Susy; but still Johnny di'
not come, and she thought, with sigh
how hard it was to bring up boys Thel
| oho not nm from the table and l0nkpd on