"I don't think it's funny," Margy said. "She burned up three of my snakes, and I have only four left."
"Take mine, Margy darling," offered the generous Polly. "I was the one who asked her to do it. But I didn't know she would try everything we had."
By afternoon, about everything in the first package had been fired off. The lawn looked as though a small battle had been staged on it and even Artie, most ardent of patriots, was ready to take kindly to the idea of lunch, a bath, clean clothes and the "exercises" on the town green.
Nearly every one in River Bend went to the Fourth of July exercises. The band played patriotic airs, the Declaration of Independence was read, and there were one or two speeches, followed by community singing.
"I wish it would hurry and get dark," said Ward, as the six chums were walking home together after the singing. "It's such fun to have fireworks that we don't know ourselves."
"You mean we don't know what they are," Fred replied. "Wouldn't it be a joke if Mr. Kirby sent us candy fireworks or something like that?"
"He wouldn't," declared Polly. "He never plays that silly kind of jokes."
"Here comes Miss Allen," Artie said quickly. "I wonder where she's been; she always leads the singing at the exercises."
Miss Allen was the town nurse, and she smiled when she saw the children.
"You'll have to go and see Joe Anderson and try and cheer him up," she said, putting down her black bag on the pavement and fanning herself with her handkerchief. She had been walking fast and was warm.