Show 44 sa M the e L last as t rocket R I 1 what came of abel coopers J fourth of july celebration by CLARISSA MACKIE I 1 I 1 k I 4 1 I cant abide aulde fireworks works I 1 declared ellen cooper that aint no secret ellen complained her husband youve raised your voice against fireworks every year since weve been married taint seemly for a married man to be playing with fire firecrackers crack e rs and roaming candles ca udlea retorted ellen 1 I dont know why it aint its much safer eater for a man to fire off those things than it Is for boys to handle lem era I 1 cant see what harm they would do it if I 1 was to fire lern em off down in the medder atiel abel cooper it if you so much as fetch a firecracker into this house ill go over to Pontus ville and stay for a month with cousin phabe you better write youre coming conil ng then announced abel with sudden defiance ilef lauce ellen gasped jor for breath and looked at her husband incredulously you mean youre going to celebrate she bhe asked yes in spite of all ive said yes yel md ind let me go to vil lerl it if you want to go but I 1 dont want to go youre driving me there i im sorry ellen but you said go it if I 1 celebrated and ive made up my mind to celebrate on the fourth i ellen turned quite pale and laid down aown tile the newspaper she bhe had been tending reading you care more about a few nonsensical fireworks than you do about me ime she said slowly i abel was silent ile he too had been reading a newspaper and his bis eyes were fixed fired on the printed page but his thoughts were tar far in the paal ile he saw himself a poor orphaned lad ind apprenticed prent leed to R a farmer who had been toor in this worlds goods as well as poverty stricken in spirit abel had worded worked ake a slave and had never had a days real happiness until he be fell in love with ellen and married her they had been married five years and during that time he bad planned each year to buy some fireworks and have a real celebration such ench as he had bad seen other lads enjoy tn in former years and in which he be had bad never mever participated at first he had been almost ashamed to confess to ellen this feeling and even now he had merely told her his desire to have a little fun with fire alre works but ellen pretty tongued did not understand she had bad been the daughter of a well to do tanner farmer and until she married abel she had bad always had everything in reason that she desired abel had been hard working and in illustrious and with his savings had bad bought the small farm where they ther lived it had been an old place sold at auction by the last member of a family fai rilly who moved to california ive heard beard say there was treasure burled buried about the place the men man had laughingly told abel illy my great uncle pedrick bulled some money here once it if you ever find it you can send me a thousand and keep the rest easier sald said than done demurred abel if you ever herd heard ot of it want it all guess I 1 wont live to get any of it the man had coughed and it was true for or lie be had only lived a few months after hla his return to california and so the last member of the redrick family died abel had never found the money and never even looked tor for it he believe the story at all then ill get ready to go over to ellen asked after awhile im going to celebrate said abel obstinately 1 blow yourself up I 1 know you will of course I 1 know its my 10 fluty 1 to stay by you in case youre hurt burt abel not it if it makes makei you nervous said abel calmly its the queerest ideal idea began ellen suddenly 1 I just want wait to celebrate this once cut la in abel 1 I always wanted to and now im going to do it of 0 course id rather have bare you see the fireworks too but the noise and glare will make you nervous and so you better go over 60 Pontus ville where its quiet its awful odd tor for you to be dolne doing it now folks are all talking about a safe and bane fourth 1 I know it looks that way said bald abel patiently but ive had sate safe and sane eane fourths all my life im going to have a regular tear this th Is time oh ob abel I 1 hope you wont burn up tip the bousel bouse 1 cried ellen ril ill try not to im going down in the salt medder to do it well I 1 wont be here to see it all im thankful to say ill write over to cousin phebe now and you can mall mail the letter ietter in the morning all right said abel carelessly and ellen realized that the dle die was cast fine che would have to make good her throat threat to go away on the fourth of july although she longed to remain as she felt that abel would suffer some accident because of hla his lack of knowledge of the dangerous fireworks several days afterward abel drove ellen elle ft over to b five alve miles distant he was in excellent spirits and sang eang and whistled like a boy all the way ellens llona IS pretty face was very sober indeed and she did not smile once she really did not want to go to but felt that once slit she had declared her intention to do so pride demanded that she keep her word ellen began to feel that she had acted hastily what if abel did want to amuse himself in boyish fabb fashion he bad and always been kind tind and considerate and this was the first time he bad opposed her wishes since their marriage however she felt that it was too late to give in now and during the trip her glumness glum nees had bad a rather depressing effect upon her husband cheer up ellen laughed abel as he lifted lier her out of the wagon at cousin phebea ill be all right the worst thing that can happen to me Is to starve to death while youre gone I 1 1 I ought not to stay a month she declared well it was your own suggestion he said eald I 1 do take good care of yo yourself arsell abel she urged as he kissed he her 90 goodby adby odby dont worry about me honey have a good time tame and it if you hear any torpedoes going off remember its over at willow farm and im having the tha time of my life he drove home a again aln with a sense of freedom that lie he had never before experienced after dinner he was going to drive up tip to the railroad station tor for the estness lioi box it if fireworks which he had ordered of course he had seen fireworks but what he had always longed to do will to set them off himself with his own hands bands and this pleasure he was going to enjoy on the morrow the only thing that worried abel was wag that the box might not arrive or else elee that it might rain nothing happened to mar that perfect day of pleasure tor for abel cooper of sa s aal s abedi M A RUSTED TM TIN BOX GOLD PIECES who had bad somehow missed most odthe of alie pleasures of boyhood but was still a troy boy at heart ne he finished his chores early in the morning and went down to the salt meadow with his box bos of fireworks all day long he reveled in the bang of cannon crackers and the crackling rattle of firecrackers the odor of burning gunpowder and the be smell of punk were sweet in his nostrils A crowd of small boys camped in ills his vicinity and he be made their hearts glad by permitting them to share in his celebration of the glorious fourth not one of them remembered what historical event they were celebrating all they realized was that this was the day one might make all the noise and din that one could wish when night came the salt meadow was very dark gave for one spot in the middle where a lantern glowed beside a box of firewood brewood sitting around on the fences were many villagers who had heard of the celebration that abel cooper was to hold and so he be had an audience to participate in the splendors of the skyrockets sky rockets that hissed into the air and to exclaim at the gorge corneous olm globes that spouted forth tho roman an candi candles cs and the spitting circles ot of pin pinwheels wheels one after another big ire fire balloons sailed forth into space and became tiny red lanterns against the dail sky rocket after rocket shot into the air and gleamed like a flashing meteor above them abel cooper gloried in the dazzling display he was creating he felt like n creator of planets as ills rockets burst high in the lie air and tout down showers of colored stars only one left he shouted at last and its a hummer too they mailed while lie he adjusted the rocket agil against ligi the little frame he be had prepared for the purpose ills shadow loomed large on oil the ground in the dim light cast by the lantern heretofore till all the abl rockets tind had gone shooting off across the bay in the direction he be had planned but somehow tile the framework runt have become twisted or fate ordained that thai the last rocket was to pursue another course lie ile lighted the fuse it sputtered nud and tile lie rocket shot up and over toward the farmhouse A little shout went up from the spectators figlie ia to on tile fences as the blazing rocket pa poised ed above tile the farmhouse broke and scattered a myriad of colored lights that went out before they reached the root roof Rome somewhere where near by the glowing stick would fill fall well itell im glad it strike ike the house murmured abel tor for this latter catastrophe would have spoiled what had been a perfect day the crowd scattered huni lui eward assuring abel cooper mat le beat aill ah for a fine display but they came running ning back in a brief halt half hour wl en a warning blaze led them to the cooper farm its the milk house sald said abel gloomily 1 I guess it ft was atiat it confounded stick from the iam you know the old shack aback was Is as rotten as punk anyway must havo bee been 11 a 11 hundred years old ive ln bi rn going to to build a new one all we got to do Is to keep the sparks away from the house and barn rind and not waste any water on this to abels ellen came running up to him just then oil oh abel im so glad youre not hurt she halt half sobbed as she clung to him what you doing here he demanded ive been sitting on the feuce fence watching your celebration and oh abel it was lovely the last rocket set the milk shed on fire said abel gloomily as they watched the embers of the ruin never mover mind we can have a new one now did you have a real good time abel 5 the best ever declared abel en ell im sorry I 1 drove you away ellen never mind I 1 came back abel I 1 stay away from you a any n y longer their young faces touched in the darkness and a couple of lads reluctantly leaving the scene of recent excitement cit ement murmured to one another that abel cooper was kissing kissin g his bis wife go bo the old milk house went up tip in ID smoke but with the willing assi assistance stane of neighbors the conflagration was confined to that worthless old build ing together abel and ellen watched the fire until nothing remained but the glowing embers happy that their first disagreement had so speedily and amicably been settled for a long tine time they sat on the porch of tile he farmhouse each mentally vowing that no trivial quarrel should ever again I 1 mar inar their happiness then the last embers of the old milk house having been quenched by the volunteer tire arp brigade that there might be no dan ger of scattered sparks reaching all any other of the farm bullo lings they sale paid night to their neighbors but the episode was to bring further good luck to the young couple as subsequent events proved abels first spasm of independence day jubilation was to be rewarded in n R substantial way tho the very next day abel dug among the ruins ruing of the milk house and discovered deep hid among the stones that formed the floor a rusted tin box containing tal laing gold pieces this athla was the tra dit ional hoard of uncle dedrick the thrifty and when it was counted there was enough to build a new milk house with sufficient over to start a little bank account 1 I guess well have to celebrate this ahk celebration I 1 cried E ellen I 1 len cooper |