ell you what, fellows, I mean to have a rousing good time this Fourth of July, and no mistake. I'm tired of just torpedoes, crackers, and cannons. What do you say to joining me?"
"Joining you, Alec? Of course we will," was the hearty response given by Sam Thayer, with a hurried look at each of the boys, as if to make doubly sure of their assent; and a second afterwards they all shouted, as if they had practised in concert, "You can make sure of me"; while a later voice added, with a face full of mischief, and a sly wink to the boy at his left, "Catch any of us missing Alec's fun"; and then, turning towards Alec, he asked, "Do you remember last Fourth how we scared cats with torpedoes until, notwithstanding their nine lives, I think some of them gave up the ghost? And do you remember, too, how we watched out for policemen before touching off our crackers? Whew!"
"Oh, that was the time," Alec laughingly responded, "when, to quote from my recitation to-morrow,
"'The boys turned out
With noise and rout,
And loud halloo, and lusty shout,
And racket of crackers, and boom, and pop,
And ringing of bells, and sizz, and splutter,
Till good folks trying to sleep would stop,
And get up, and close the windows and shutter.'
"But this time I propose something quite different."
The group numbered fifteen. They had been taking a spin on their bicycles, and now had stopped to rest, to lay plans for the coming Fourth, and also to get comfortably cool under the long branches of this welcome grove of maple-trees.
Alec was undoubtedly the ringleader, but Sam Thayer, John Sinclair, and Clarence Bruce were his right-hand men, so whenever an unusually big scheme was on foot Alec always bided his time until being sure of their support.
"Hurrah for Alec!" suddenly ejaculated John Sinclair, tossing his cap ten feet or more upward; and a tremendous whoop, followed by three times three cheers and a tiger; but Sam Thayer, not yet satisfied with the stir already made, thought he would continue, and picked up a stick and tin pan lying on the road, and, making believe he was a drummer-boy, banged away with all his might, rat-ta-tat-tat, rat-ta-tat-tat—and marching to his left and so around, he speedily made a circle which enclosed the group.