“O! isn’t it jolly, father! The soldiers can stay at home for once and dear, sweet, little Mrs. Ruth can come.”
“What next, Addie? I’ve got on my hustling cap. Call off.”
“The Independence Day racket band and the rockets must be left out of the procession, father.”
“O! now! that strikes nearer home, Addie! But I can do it. I can hustle things near by, most assuredly I can, if I once set out with my hustling suit all on. Bombs will have to confine his fire to Yorktown if I say so, won’t he?”
“Yes, and you’ll say so, won’t you, father?”
“Yes, Addie, I’ll say so if you really want me to; but aren’t you afraid it will hurt Bombs’ feelings to have his precious rockets left out in the dark, so to speak. He has invented a new kind on purpose for daylight show—very rich and dark and velvety, exceedingly so, and he has named it the ‘Airy Navy Rocket.’ I suppose he intends it for a hit at Lord Tennyson’s ‘airy navies grappling in the central blue,’ and no doubt but they’d get hurt if they should ever materialize sufficiently to get hit with Bombs’ rockets,” laughed Schwarmer, looking at Adelaide, keenly. He was wondering how she stood affected toward the young man.
“Airy Navy Rocket!” exclaimed Adelaide. “I won’t have it. I don’t care if his feelings are hurt. You know how his horrid rocket hurt poor Mary. It killed her baby, hurt her feelings and made her sick. She and her children are going over to Ruth’s to stay the night of the Fourth. She is afraid to stay with us. O dear! dear! I think it’s dreadful to have our own people feel that way toward us. I can’t endure it. I thought the Common Council had passed a law against sending off dangerous rockets.”
“They have, but it didn’t include Bombs’ brand-fired new navy rocket; and even if it had a few little fines wouldn’t cramp him much,” laughed Schwarmer.
“But I include it. I say he has no business to put those hissing horrors into the Adelaide Library procession. I won’t have the Library named Adelaide if he does.”
“Good for Adelaide,” laughed Schwarmer. “That ends it. I promise. What next? There is something more. I see it in your eye.”