CHAPTER IX
FOURTH OF JULY
The day following the picnic was July third, and as the Meadow Brookchildren were pretty well tired out from romping in the woods, theywere glad of a day's rest before entering upon the festivities ofIndependence Day.
"How much have you got?" Tom Mason asked the Bobbsey boys.
"Fifty cents together, twenty-five cents each," Harry announced.
"Well, I've got thirty-five, and we had better get our stuff early, forStimpson sold out before noon last year," concluded Tom.
"I have to get torpedoes for Freddie and Flossie, and Chinesefire-crackers for Nan," Bert remarked, as they started for the littlecountry grocery store.
"I guess I'll buy a few snakes, they look so funny coiling out," Tomsaid.
"I'm going to have sky rockets and Roman candles. Everybody said theywere the prettiest last year," said Harry.
"If they have red fire I must get some of it for the girls," thoughtfulBert remarked.
But at the store the boys had to take just what they could get, asStimpson's supply was very limited.
"Let's make up a parade!" someone suggested, and this being agreed uponthe boys started a canvass from house to house, to get all the boysalong Meadow Brook road to take part in the procession.
"Can the little ones come too?" August Stout asked, because he alwayshad to look out for his small brother when there was any danger likefireworks around.
"Yes, and we're goin' to let the girls march in a division bythemselves," Bert told him. "My sister Nan is going to be captain, andwe'll leave all the girls' parts to her."
"Be sure and bring your flag," Harry cautioned Jack Hopkins.
"How would the goat wagons do?" Jack asked.
"Fine; we could let Roy and Freddie ride in them," said Bert. "Tell anyof the other fellows who have goat teams to bring them along too."
"Eight o'clock sharp at our lane," Harry told them for the place andtime of meeting. Then they went along to finish the arrangements.
"Don't tell the boys," Nan whispered to Mildred, as they too made theirway to Stimpson's.
"Won't they be surprised?" exclaimed Mabel.
"Yes, and I am going to carry a real Betsy Ross flag, one with thirteenstars, you know."
"Oh, yes, Betsy Ross made the first flag, didn't she?" remarkedMildred, trying to catch up on history.
"We'll have ten big girls," Nan counted. "Then with Flossie as Libertywe will want Bessie and Nettie for her assistants."
"Attendants," Mabel corrected, for she had seen a city parade like thatonce.
It was a busy day for everybody, and when Mr. Bobbsey came up on thetrain from Lakeport that evening he carried boxes and boxes offireworks for the boys and girls, and even some for the grown folks too.
The girls could hardly sleep that night, they were so excited overtheir part, but the boys of course were used to that sort of thing, andonly slept sounder with the fun in prospect.
"Are you awake, Bert?" called Harry, so early the next morning that thesun was hardly up yet.
"Yep," replied the cousin, jumping out of bed and hastily dressing forthe firing of the first gun.
The boys crept through the house very quietly, then ran to the barn fortheir ammunition. Three big giant fire-crackers were placed in the roaddirectly in front of the house.
"Be careful!" whispered Bert; "they're full of powder."
But Harry was always careful with fireworks, and when he touched thefuses to the "cannons" he made away quickly before they exploded.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Hurrah!" shouted Freddie, answering the call from his window, "I'll beright down!"
All the others too were aroused by the first "guns," so that in a veryshort time there were many boys in the road, firing so many kinds offire-crackers that Meadow Brook resounded like a real war fort underfire.
"Ouch!" yelled Tom Mason, the first one to bum his fingers. "A sissercaught me right on the thumb."
But such small accidents were not given much attention, and soon Tomwas lighting the little red crackers as merrily as before.
"Go on back, girls!" called Bert. "You'll get your dresses burnt if youdon't."
The girls were coming too near the battlements then, and Bert did wellto warn them off.
Freddie and Flossie were having a great time throwing their littletorpedoes at Mr. Bobbsey and Uncle Daniel, who were seated on thepiazza watching the sport. Snoop and Fluffy too came in for a scare,for Freddie tossed a couple of torpedoes on the kitchen hearth wherethe kittens were sleeping.
The boys were having such fun they could hardly be induced to come infor breakfast, but they finally did stop long enough to eat a sparemeal.
"It's time to get ready!" whispered Nan to Bert, for the parade hadbeen kept secret from the grown folks.
At the girls' place of meeting, the coach house, Nan found all hercompany waiting and anxious to dress.
"Just tie your scarfs loose under your left arm," ordered Captain Nan,and the girls quickly obeyed like true cadets. The broadred-white-and-blue bunting was very pretty over the girls' whitedresses, and indeed the "cadets" looked as if they would outdo the"regulars" unless the boys too had surprises in store.
"Where's Nettie?" suddenly asked Nan, missing a poor little girl whohad been invited.
"She wouldn't come because she had no white dress," Mildred answered.
"Oh, what a shame; she'll be so disappointed! Besides, we need her tomake a full line," Nan said. "Just wait a minute. Lock the door afterme," and before the others knew what she was going to do, Nan ran offto the house, got one of her own white dresses, rolled it up neatly,and was over the fields to Nettie's house in a few minutes. When Nancame back she brought Nettie with her, and not one of her companionsknew it was Nan's dress that Nettie wore.
Soon all the scarfs were tied and the flags arranged. Then Flossie hadto be dressed.
She wore a light blue dress with gold stars on it, and on her prettyyellow curls she had a real Liberty crown. Then she had the cleanest,brightest flag, and what a pretty picture she made!
"Oh, isn't she sweet!" all the girls exclaimed in admiration, andindeed she was a little beauty in her Liberty costume.
"There go the drums!" Nan declared. "We must be careful to get down thelane without being seen." This was easily managed, and now the girlsand boys met at the end of the lane.
"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted the boys, beating the drums and blowing theirhorns to welcome the girls.
"Oh, don't you look fine!" exclaimed Harry, who was captain of the boys.
"And don't you too!" Nan answered, for indeed the boys had such funnybig hats on and so many flags and other red-white-and-blue things, thatthey too made a fine appearance.
"And Freddie!" exclaimed the girls. "Isn't he a lovely Uncle Sam!"
Freddie was dressed in the striped suit Uncle Sam always wears, and hadon his yellow curls a tall white hat. He was to ride in Jack Hopkins'goat wagon.
"Fall in!" called Harry, and at the word all the companies fell in line.
"Cadets first," ordered the captain.
Then Flossie walked the very first one. After her came Nan and hercompany. (No one noticed that Nettie's eyes were a little red fromcrying. She had been so disappointed at first when she thought shecouldn't go in the parade.) After the girls came Freddie as Uncle Sam,in the goat wagon led by Bert (for fear the goat might run away), thenfifteen boys, all with drums or fifes or some other things with whichto make a noise. Roy was in the second division with his wagon, andlast of all came the funniest thing.
A boy dressed up like a bear with a big sign on him:
TEDDY!
He had a gun under his arm and looked too comical for anything.
It was quite warm to wear a big fur robe and false face, but under thiswas Jack Hopkins, the bear Teddy, and he didn't mind being warm when hemade everybody laugh so.
"Right foot, left foot, right foot, forward march!" called Nan, and theprocession started up
the path straight for the Bobbsey house.
"Goodness gracious, sakes alive! Do come see de childrens! Ha, ha! Datsure am a parade!" called Dinah, running through the house to the frontdoor to view the procession.
"Oh, isn't it just beautiful!" Martha echoed close at Dinah's heels.
"My!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey; "how did they ever get made up so pretty!"
"And look at Flossie!" exclaimed Aunt Sarah.
"And see Freddie!" put in Uncle Daniel.
"Oh, we must get the camera!" Mr. Bobbsey declared, while the wholehousehold, all excited, stood out on the porch when the parade advanced.
Such drumming and such tooting of fifes and horns!
Freddie's chariot was now in line with the front stoop, and he raisedhis tall hat to the ladies like a real Uncle Sam.
"Oh, the bear! the bear!" called everybody, as they saw "Teddy" comingup.
"That's great," continued Uncle Daniel.
By this time Mr. Bobbsey had returned with the camera.
"Halt!" called Harry, and the procession stood still.
"Look this way. There now, all ready," said Mr. Bobbsey, and snap wentthe camera on as pretty a picture as ever covered a plate.
"Right wheel! forward march!" called Nan again, and amid drumming andtooting the procession started off to parade through the center ofMeadow Brook.