The poor little fellow who had done the mischief was crying bitterly. It was very easy to see that he was the guilty one, for the rest looked grave, but not confused.
"Come to me, Edwin," said Mr. Harrison, "and tell me if you have disobeyed me; don"t be afraid to speak the truth."
"I did not mean to do it," sobbed the little boy. "I forgot to leave my punk outside, and I dropped it by accident. I am very, very sorry Mr.
Harrison. I am afraid all the boys will hate me, because I have spoiled their sport. I hope you will forgive me, sir." And here his tears and sobs redoubled.
"Edwin," said his kind teacher, "do you not know that my house might have been burned to the ground by your carelessness?--and this night, which we expected to spend so joyfully, we might have been without a roof to cover us. I must punish you to make you remember this accident, which your thoughtless disobedience has occasioned. You must remain in the study until dinner-time. The rest of the boys may go out."
When the boys were out on the lawn again, they got together in a knot, to talk about the accident. Some were very angry with Edwin, and said Mr. Harrison ought to have given him a tremendous flogging; but others were more generous. They were just as sorry for the loss of their fireworks; but, when they looked towards the house, and saw little Edwin gazing mournfully at them from the study window, and wiping away the tears that fell from his eyes, they were more sorry for him, and wished that he could be out among them. Still, they knew it was right that he should be punished.
"Come, fellows," said Phil, when they had been standing there talking some time,--"come, let us go and see if any thing is left."
They all ran to the play-room, and some of the boys cried out to Edwin, "Don"t cry, little fellow, we forgive you."
"Why here," shouted Phil--"here"s a lot of Roman candles all safe and sound. Hurra!!"
"And here are six wheels in this corner," cried Thomas. "We are not so badly off, after all."
The boys at this good news began to rummage under the pile of ruins, and managed to collect quite a respectable quant.i.ty of fireworks. There were enough left to make a display with in the evening, though not near so splendid as they had intended.
"Hurra!" cried the boys, "we have plenty of Fourth of July left--we ain"t dead yet."
"I have lots of crackers outside," said Phil; "but we won"t fire them off now. They will do for the small fellows to-night. Let us go to the stable, and pay our respects to Napoleon, and Old Pudding-head. They will think themselves quite neglected on this glorious occasion."
So they sallied off to the stable, and saddled the pony and the donkey, and led them out to the play-ground, where Napoleon treated them in turn to a very fine dance on his hind legs, and Old Pudding-head, not to be behindhand in politeness, gave all the little boys a somerset over his nose. They had a first-rate frolic, and did not think once of the lost fireworks.
After dinner, and a fine dinner they had of chickens, and goose pie, and custard, Mr. Harrison took the boys (little Edwin too) down into the village, where a band of musicians were playing and parading through the street. Every little while they would stop playing and hurra! The boys always hurraed when the band did, for boys in general are not slow about making a noise. So they made all the noise they possibly could, and came back to tea, each one so hoa.r.s.e, that Mrs. Harrison asked them if they had bullfrogs in their throats.
At last the evening came, and a still and beautiful evening it was. The stars peeped out, one by one, and the moon staid in--that is, she did not make her appearance until very late. They could not have had a finer night for the grand display.
The family were all a.s.sembled on the lawn, and Mr. Harrison fixed the wheels so nicely, that they whizzed round in the most astonishing manner. The Roman candles went up beautifully, and the gra.s.shoppers and snakes sent the little fellows laughing and scampering in all directions.
The hurraing was tremendous, and the shouts of laughter were tremendous too.
Altogether they had a very nice time, and went off to bed tired, it is true, but highly pleased with the day"s enjoyment--all except little Edwin. He sighed many times, and could hardly get to sleep; but his carelessness was a good lesson to him, for it afterwards made him the most careful boy in the school.
After the glorious Fourth, the boys settled down into their usual employments. Their gardens were carefully tended, and many a fine cuc.u.mber and bunch of radishes were presented with pride and pleasure to Mrs. Harrison. They ate pumpkin pie made with their own pumpkins, and thought them the most delicious pumpkins that ever grew; and their melons were the sweetest melons they ever tasted in all their lives.
They were very attentive in school also, and at the end of the term, when the boys were preparing to go home for the vacation, they all said, it was the pleasantest term they had ever spent together. They parted with their kind teacher with many thanks for his kindness, and hopes that after vacation, all would meet together again, and be happy and glad to come.
FINIS.