Show rte ALL REAPY npau un 1 fl s V I u I 4 0 4F a C L + s 0 l 9rdl c I I it 4 O rib 4 Mickey Finn r4 1 Big fireCracker r fire-Cracker = c Y1 1 oa The explosion that wound up the ill at SF Fourth of July Celebration p on Cooney Island Two mammoth firecrackers stood In U tho window of Caseys grocery They t 1 n wero 12 Inches long and proportionately v y proportion-ately thick For a month before the Fourth of a July these gigantic Indicator of enthusiasm en-thusiasm hud stood In the window like 1t I British soldiers on dress parade whllo a predatory spider hung a filmy hammock ham-mock between thorn and calmly killed lu his buzzing victims ovor two powder xtr + II minus f Tho firecrackers wero tho admiration admira-tion and thu envy of all tho boys In I r b S Coonoy Island It was seldom that a iiJLpf youthful HOBO was not flattened against tho window pano In ardent covetousness y covetous-ness rf + t r Hut tho price demanded by Casey for the thunderers was prohibitive so t 31 far as the boys were concerned and t m there was not ono of them patriotic or i courageous enough to Invest 25 cents C in a single ecstatic explosion t Ia Said Mickey Finn timidly one evening even-ing when ho had been sent by his j j mother to get a quarter of a pound of 1 tea and half a pound lot pork i fiy fi 4 t Mr Casey I suppose now that y whin wan o akin big fellows wlnt oft It would blow tho stars out of tho p 1 sky his mind filled with bllssfu 1 thoughts of mighty explosions Casoy stopped measuring out a half e pint of Now Orleans molasses raised w J i a a monitor finger and replied I Micky my boy Id ho afeord to tell I i you what would happen If I stood wan i L8 o thlm big follows out on the sides 1 side-s walk and touched tho stem will tho t lighted end of a five cent clgnar The t noise would bo terrible terrible my eon Twould make your head rind rin-d r like an anvil und you would see t oparks like fireflies v I t Would It blow tho house down t II I asked the boy in an awed whisper 4tw I No I dont think it would said b t t t Casey It might shako tho chlmly 1 down and break nil tho glass in the 1 r ivludys In small pieces and there would bo paper In the streotn us would fill an Impty barrel o flour Oh a but thlm Wg fellows Is mighty powerful power-ful Micky mighty powerful They use them In China to kill murderers 1 na and robbers They put wan o thlm big firecrackers bcchuno tho teeth of f a murderer and maIm him light the fuse wId his own hand and blow hit s hi-t own head off Thlm Chinese Is mighty s crool Mickey mighty crool t This vivid description Inflamed Mick t t r eys desire which was Caseys motive trill l S F R1ftILcir t1 I 1 + t + u I w me c 1L 74 i a t + jijwiJ1 jr j I 1 l 1l I I I 1 I I 1 1 i I m Ii In Ardent Covetousness I + i a In tolling it for tho incident occurred on tho evo of the Fourth aud Casey I J + t was afraid that tho big flre rackois t II would bo carrIed over the national lids I lid-s day and remain a loss on his hands 4aLi Is fjdl la order to deepen the improsilou ul i M i ttl y e randy made upon the boy Casey permitted per-mitted him to handle ono of the twins The bojo eyes had widened to their utmost capacity when he was outside the window but now that he could feel tho red jacket his hands trembled with the eagerness of possession pos-session and ho would have given ten years of his life to own It Take It along wId you Mickey wild Casey cajolingly Thlm crack era were made In Chow Chow In China for tho Coonoy Island trade sad I want to get rid of thlm I have on hand before I send another order to Wan Lung the hay thin Hut I have no monoy said Mickey Mick-ey sorrowfully My father Is goln to give mo three bunches of little firecrackers fire-crackers and a pInwheel but I know ho wouldnt buy wan o thlm big firecrackers fire-crackers for mo Well continued Casey you comedown come-down hero tomorrow mornln1 and carry In a half ton of coal for mo and Ill give you the big cracker Tho next morning Mickey was busy for two hours carrying chestnut o al i In a nail keg and dumping It In Casey collar Just after noon with a mnlto covered with coal dust und a bosom r < rlYt n I I I Itllf 1 r n 4k mot v tfL r WJ Had Fallen Asleep full of chuckles ho received his prize No grass grow under his bare feet aa ho ran homeward tho precious powder njlno clasped to his bosom Holding the big firecracker aloft as he darted through tho kitchen door ho exclaimed Mother I have it Aint it a beauty bllIUtWolI Well I dont see anything about It to be makin a fuss over said Mrs Finn who like most mothers had no love for fireworks Now dart bo brlugln It nearer to me liB iflelv ran toward her I dont want to he blown Into the middle o next week Throw the dIrty thing away Im afeored o1 mo lifo while you have It i hi your hands Now dont be goln near tho stove wIll it Anah je little spalpeen will ye tuko It off tho stove Take It off nfoio ye blow the roof off tho house and tho frightened woman ran Into flu bedroom antI peered through the keyhole With tho recklessness of boyhood Mickey exclaimed as ho lit a match and reduced his mother to hysterics by pretending to light tho firecracker stem You neednt be afeeied mother Ill nip It out afore It goes oft In this slmpln fashion tho afternoon of the Fourth passed away In tho Finn household varied b > the boy with occasional oc-casional visits to the neighbors whom he throw Into a panic of fear by pie tending to light the big explosive Mrs Murphy and her three children were gathered around the Kitchen table when Mickey placed the lighted mammoth In tho middle of the table Two of the boys went head first through the lndow while Mrs Murphy Mur-phy tiled to crawl under the kitchen stovo All this excitement afforded the boa bo-a good deal of delight but ho reserved re-served for the evening tho culmination culmina-tion of his joy Ho Intended to blow his father up as ho sat In his chair on the hack stoop MKVcy thought It would bo an Inspiring In-spiring sIght to witness his father flying fly-ing across tho hack yard and plowIng plow-Ing up the ground with his noso In t order that ho might have an audience appropriate to so great an occasion Mickey had spread the news among all the boysof tho neighborhood and at nine oclock 50 boys sat on the fence surrounding tho back yard Mr Finn tired of tho excitement of the day hud fallen asleep In his rocking chair on tho back stoop when Mickey lit the stem of the big cracker and placed It carefully under his fathers chair Tho moon shone brightly Illuminating Illuminat-ing the grin on every boyish face Every ear was strained to catch tho faint hissing of the fuse and every eye Intent upon tho sleeping man The fuse burned itself out and tho silence and suspense was deepening A mlnuto passed and another until Mickey could stand the strain no longer long-er He reached down and lifted the firecracker from beneath tho chair As ho held it up In tho moonlight to examine It a mosquito lit upon his fathers nose and the old gentleman awoko Grabbing the firecracker from his sons hand he arose and holding It aloft ho said Boys there will be no explosion tonight Im sorry to disappoint you I was afeorod that Mickey might do some harrum with that big cracker so whin ho wasnt lookln this afternoon I took the powder out of It and filled It wId clay So you see that tho show Is over and ye may as well go home and go to bed Therell be no more explosions only what I give Mickey with a shingle afore I turn in Goodnight Good-night to ye all Come mound some other night whin there is somethln doln |