CHAPTER X
A GREAT DAY
Never before had such a parade been seen in the little country place,and all along the road cheer after cheer greeted our young friends, foreven the few old soldiers who lived in Meadow Brook enjoyed thechildren's Fourth of July fun.
By lunch time the procession had covered all the ground planned, sofrom the postoffice the cadets and regulars started back over the shadycountry road.
And at home they found a surprise awaiting them!
Ice cream on the lawn for everybody in the parade.
Aunt Sarah and Uncle Daniel had set out all the garden benches, andwith the two kinds of ice cream made by Dinah and Martha, besides thecookies and jumbles Aunt Sarah supplied, with ice-cold lemonade thatJohn passed around, surely the tired little soldiers and cadets hadsplendid refreshment!
"My goat almost runned away!" lisped Freddie. "But I held on tight likea real fireman."
"And mine wanted to stop and eat grass in the middle of the bigparade," Roy told them.
"Now eat up your ice cream. Nettie, have some more? Jack, you surelyneed two plates after carrying that bear skin," said Uncle Daniel.
The youngsters did not have to be urged to eat some more of the goodthings, and so it took quite a while to "finish up the rations," asUncle Daniel said.
"They're goin' to shoot the old cannon off, father," Harry told UncleDaniel, "and we're all going over on the pond bank to see them, atthree o'clock."
"They're foolish to put powder in that old cracked gun," remarked UncleDaniel. "Take care, if you go over, that you all keep at a safedistance."
It was not long until three o'clock, and then when all thered-white-and-blue things had been stored away for another year, theboys hurried off to see Peter Burns fire the old cannon.
Quite a crowd of people had gathered about the pond bank, which was ahigh green wall like that which surrounds a reservoir.
Peter was busy stuffing the powder in the old gun, and all the otherslooked on anxiously.
"Let's go up in that big limb of the willow tree," suggested Bert. "Wecan see it all then, and be out of range of the fire."
So the boys climbed up in the low willow, that leaned over the pondbank.
"They're almost ready," Harry said, seeing the crowd scatter.
"Look out!" yelled Peter, getting hold of the long string that wouldfire the gun.
Peter gave it a tug, then another.
Everybody held their breath, expecting to hear an awful bang, but thegun didn't go off.
Very cautiously Peter stepped nearer the cannon to see what might bethe matter, when the next instant with a terrific report the wholecannon flew up in the air!
Peter fell back! His hat seemed to go up with the gun!
"Oh, he's killed!" yelled the people.
"Poor Peter!" gasped Harry.
"He ought to know better!" said Mr. Mason.
"Father said that cannon was dangerous," Harry added.
By this time the crowd had surrounded Peter, who lay so still andlooked so white. The Bobbsey boys climbed down from the tree and joinedthe others. "He's only unconscious from the shock," spoke up Mr.Mason, who was leaning down very close to Peter. "Stand back, and givehim air."
The crowd fell back now, and some of the boys looked around to find thepieces of cannon.
"Don't touch it," said Tom Mason, as a little fellow attempted to pickup a piece of the old gun. "There might be powder in it half lighted."
Mrs. Burns had run over from her home at the report of the accident,and she was now bathing Peter's face with water from the pond.
"He's subject to fainting spells," she told the frightened people, "andI think he'll be all right when he comes to."
Peter looked around, then he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Did it go off?" he smiled, remembering the big report.
"Guess it did, and you went off with it," Mr. Mason said. "How do youfeel?"
"Oh, I'll be all right when my head clears a bit. I guess I fainted."
"So you did," said Mrs. Burns, "and there's no use scolding you forfiring that old gun. Come home now and go to bed; you have had all thefireworks you want for one day."
Quite a crowd followed Peter over to his home, for they could notbelieve he was not in any way hurt.
"Let us go home," Harry said to his cousin. "We have to get all ourfireworks ready before evening."
The boys found all at home enjoying themselves. Freddie's torpedoesstill held out, and Flossie had a few more "snakes" left. Nan hadcompany on the lawn, and it indeed was an ideal Fourth of July.
"Look at the balloon!" called John from the carriage house. "It's goingto land in the orchard." This announcement caused all the children tohurry up to the orchard, for everybody likes to "catch" a balloon.
"There's a man in it," John exclaimed as the big ball tossed around inthe air.
"Yes, that's the balloon that went up from the farmers' picnic," saidHarry.
The next minute a parachute shot out from the balloon; and hanging toit the form of a man could be seen.
"Oh, he'll fall!" cried Freddie, all excited. "Let's catch him--insomething!"
"He's all right," John assured the little boy. "That umbrella keeps himfrom coming down too quickly."
"How does it?" Freddie asked.
"Why, you see, sonny, the air gets under the umbrella and holds it up.The man's weight then brings it down gently."
"Oh, maybe he will let us fly up in it," Freddie remarked, muchinterested.
"Here he comes! here he comes!" the boys called, and sure enough thebig parachute, with the man dangling on it, was now coming rightdown--down--in the harvest-apple tree!
"Hello there!" called the man from above, losing the colored umbrellaand quickly dropping himself from the low tree.
"Hello yourself!" answered John. "Did you have a nice ride?"
"First class," replied the man with the stars on his shirt. "But I'vegot a long walk back to the grove. Could I hire a bicycle around here?"
Harry spoke to his father, and then quickly decided to let the balloonman ride his bicycle down to the picnic grounds.
"You can leave it at the ice-cream stand," Harry told the stranger. "Iknow the man there, and he will take care of it for me until I call forit."
The children were delighted to talk to a real live man that had been upin a balloon, and the balloonist was indeed very pleasant with thelittle ones. He took Freddie up in his arms and told him all about howit felt to be up in the sky.
"You're a truly fireman!" Freddie said, after listening to all thedangers there are so far above ground. "I'm a real fireman too!"
Just then the balloon that had been tossing about in the air came downin the other end of the orchard.
"Well, there!" exclaimed the man. "That's good luck. Now, whichever oneof you boys gets that balloon first will get ten dollars. That's whatwe pay for bringing it back!"
With a dash every boy started for the spot where the balloon hadlanded. There were quite a few others besides the Bobbseys, and theytumbled over each other trying to get there first. Ned Prentice,Nettie's brother, was one of the best runners, and he cut across theorchard to get a clear way out of the crowd.
"Go it, Bert!" called John.
"Keep it up, Harry!" yelled someone else.
"You'd get it, Tom!" came another voice.
But Ned was not in the regular race, and nobody noticed him.
"They've got it," called the excited girls.
"It's Harry!"
"No, it's Bert!"
"'Tisn't either--it's Ned!" called John, as the only poor boy in thecrowd proudly touched the big empty gas-bag!
"Three cheers for Ned!" called Uncle Daniel, for he and Mr. Bobbsey hadjoined in the crowd.
"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" shouted all the boys good-naturedly, for Nedwas a favorite companion, besides being one who really needed the money.
"Suppose we drive down," Uncle Daniel suggested. "Then we can bring Nedback w
ith his ten dollars."
This was agreed upon as a good plan, and as quickly as John had hitchedup the big wagon ail the boys piled in with the aeronaut and startedfor the grove.