Jupiter Lights Part 33

"Well, I can't say how exactly. He brought him in."

"Isn't he wonderful!"

"I have always thought him the cleverest fellow I have ever known,"

responded poor Hollis, stoutly.

The next day the little girl, freshly robed and fair, was laid to rest in the small forest burying-ground belonging to Jupiter Light; Eve had not left her. There were thirty new mounds there before the record was finished.

"Steamer _Mayhew_ burned, Tuesday night, ten miles east Jupiter Light, Lake Superior. Fifteen persons known to be saved. _Mayhew_ carried twenty cabin pa.s.sengers and thirty-five emigrants. Total loss."

(a.s.sociated Press despatch.)

Soon after this the camp was abandoned; as Paul was to go south so soon, he could not give any more time to forest-life, and they all, therefore, returned to Port aux Pins together. Once there Paul seemed to have no thought for anything but his business affairs. And Eve, in her heart, said again, "He has forgotten!"

XX.

FOURTH OF JULY at Port aux Pins; a brilliant morning with the warm sun tempering the cool air, and s.h.i.+ning on the pure cold blue of the lake.

At ten o'clock, the cannon began to boom; the guns were planted at the ends of the piers, and the men of the Port aux Pins Light Artillery held themselves erect, trying to appear unconscious of the presence of the whole town behind them, eating peanuts, and criticising.

The salute over, the piers were deserted, the procession was formed. The following was the order as printed in the Port aux Pins _Eagle:_

"The Marshal of the Day.

The G.o.ddess of Liberty. (Parthenia Drone.)

The Clergy. (In carriages.)

Fire-Engine E. P. Snow.

The Mayor and Common Council. (In carriages.)

Hook and Ladder No. 1.

The Immortal Colonies. (Thirteen little girls in a wagon, singing the 'Red, White, and Blue.')

Fire-Engine Leander Braddock.

The Carnival of Venice. (This was a tableau. It represented the facade of a Venetian palace, skilfully constructed upon the model of the Parthenon, with Wolf Roth in an Indian canoe below, playing upon his guitar. Wolf was attired, as a Venetian, in a turban, a spangled jacket, high cavalry boots with spurs, and powdered hair; Idora Drone looked down upon him from a Venetian balcony; she represented a Muse.)

Reader of the Declaration of Independence, and Orator of the Day. (In carriages.)

The Survivors of the War. (On foot with banners.)

Model of Monument to Our Fallen Heroes.

The Band. (Playing 'The Sweet By-and-By.')

Widows of Our Fallen Heroes. (In carriages.)

Fire-Engine Senator M. P. Hagen.

The Arts and Sciences. (Represented by the portable printing-press of the Port aux Pins _Eagle_; wagons from the mines loaded with iron ore; and the drays, coal-carts, and milk-wagons in a procession, adorned with streamers of pink tarlatan)."

Cicely watched the procession from the windows of Paul's office, laughing constantly. When Hollis pa.s.sed, sitting stiffly erect in his carriage--he was the "Reader of the Declaration of Independence"--she threw a bouquet at him, and compelled him to bow; Hollis was adorned with a broad scarf of white satin, fastened on the right shoulder with the national colors.

"I am going to the public square to hear him read," Cicely announced, suddenly. "Paul, you must take me. And you must go too, grandpa."

"I will keep out of the rabble, I think," said the judge.

"Oh, come on; I dare say you have never heard the thing read through in your life," suggested Paul, laughing.

"The Declaration of Independence? My grandfather, sir, was a signer!"

The one church bell (Baptist) and the two little fire bells were jangling merrily when they reached the street. People were hurrying towards the square; many of them were delegates from neighboring towns who had accompanied their fire-engines to Port aux Pins on this, the nation's birthday. White dresses were abundant; the favorite refreshment was a lemon partially scooped out, the hollow filled with lemon candy.

When they reached the square Paul established Cicely on the top of a fence, standing behind to steady her; and presently the procession appeared, wheeling slowly in, and falling into position in a half-circle before the main stand, the gayly decorated fire-engines in front, with the Carnival of Venice and the G.o.ddess of Liberty, one at each end. The clergy, the mayor and common council, the orator of the day, were escorted to their places on the stand, and the ceremonies opened.

By-and-by came the turn of Hollis. In a high voice he began:

"When in the _course_--of human _events_, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with _another_--"

"Cheer!" whispered Cicely to Paul.

Paul, entering into it, set up hurrahs with so much vigor that all the people near him joined in patriotically, to the confusion of the reader, who went on, however, as well as he could:

"We hold these _truths_--to be self-_evident_, that all men are created _equal_--"

"Again," murmured Cicely.

And again Paul's corner burst forth irrepressibly, followed after a moment by the entire a.s.semblage, glad to be doing something in a vocal way on their own account, and determined to have their money's worth of everything, noise and all.

And so, from "the present king of Great Britain" to "our lives, our forrchuns, and our sacrred _honor_" on it went, a chorus of hurrahs growing louder and louder until they became roars.

"I knew it was you," Hollis said to Paul, when, later, his official duties over, and his satin scarf removed, he appeared at the cottage to talk it over.

"But say, did you notice the widows of our fallen heroes? They had a sort of glare under their c.r.a.pe. You see, once we had eight of 'em, but this year there is only one left; all the rest have married again. Now it happens that this very year the Soldiers' Monument is done at last, and naturally the committee wanted the widows to ride in the procession.

The one widow who was left declared that she would not ride all alone; she said it would look as though no one had asked her, whereas she had had at least three good offers. So the committee went to the others and asked them to dress up as former widows, just for to-day. So they did; and lots of people cried when they came along, two and two, all in black, so pathetic." He sprang up to greet Eve, who was entering, and the foot-board entangled itself with his feet, after the peculiarly insidious fas.h.i.+on of extension-chairs. "Instrument of torture!" he said, grinning.

"I will leave it to you in my will," declared Paul. "And it is just as well to say it now, before witnesses, because I am going away to-morrow."

"To-morrow!" said Cicely.

"Only to Lakeville on business. I shall be back the day before I start south."

"There go the last few hours!" thought Eve.