e retreated to her home as
quickly as possible lest another salute be tendered her.

What a day that was! What liberty! It seemed as if those patriots in the
Up-the-Ladder Club had been oppressed by a terrible yoke of bondage,
domestic especially, but it was all lifted and thrown off that day. There
was freedom--to blow horns, freedom to fire crackers, freedom to "holler,"
freedom to crack torpedoes, freedom to buy pea-nuts, buns, ancient figs
and dates and abominable cheap candy, freedom to make one's self as dirty,
tired--and cross the next day--as possible! O, blessed liberty to boys who
had patiently borne the yoke three hundred and sixty-four days, ever since
the last Fourth! After a forenoon of miscellaneous and multiplied joys,
the club planned to spend an afternoon in the woods. Emptying their
pockets, they found that, altogether, they could raise eleven cents, and
this was laid out in the judicious expenditure of as many buns as
possible.

"It is proposed, White Shields," said Sid, "this afternoon that we spend a
little time playing, a little time in bun-lunching, and then we will have
a raft-race on the water near the railroad track."

This programme was carried out in part successfully. The games concluded
with success, there was a successful time in eating, as far as the number
of buns would permit. Then there was a little speech-making.

"I understand," said the president, as he concluded his remarks, "that the
rights of one of our number have been interfered with. He has been
forbidden to fire off any more crackers, and must confine himself to
caps."

This announcement was followed by groans and hisses, even as thunder and
lightning come after the black summer cloud. The person who had lost his
freedom and been compelled to return to slavery was Charlie.

Aunt Stanshy had said to him at the dinner-table, "I don't want you to
fire any more crackers to-day."

Charlie's chin went down.

"Why?"

"Because there is danger of setting fire to something. The wind is warm
and dry."

Charlie's chin now went up.

"It was warm and dry, but the wind has just changed, and it is coming in
from the sea, and it is damp and misty."

"But, that wont put out fires."

Charlie's chin now dropped again and dropped to stay. He went up stairs
and, having a knack at rhyming, wrote a string of lines and put them in
his pocket. Sid had found out the contents of Charlie's pocket when it had
been emptied in behalf of th