Datasets:

Hellisotherpeople

/

Lipogram-e

like 1

up and down, back and forth, across a star-lit sky; providing a display

without a par in local annals.

But not only did Youth thrill at so fantastic a show. Adults had many a

Fourth of July brought back from a distant past; in which our national

custom wound up our most important holiday with a similar display;

only, in our Fourths of long ago, horrifying, gigantic concussions

would disturb old folks and invalids until midnight; at which hour,

according to law, all such carrying-on must stop. But did it? Possibly

in _your_ town, but not around _my_ district! All Fourth of July

outfits don't always function at first, you know; and no kid, (or

adult!) would think of quitting until that last pop should pop; or that

last bang should bang. And so, many a dawn on July fifth found things

still going, full blast.

III

Youth cannot stay for long in a condition of inactivity; and so, for

only about a month did things so stand, until a particularly bright

girl in our Organization, thought out a plan for caring for infants of

folks who had to go out, to work; and this bright kid soon had a group

of girls who would join, during vacation, in voluntarily giving up four

days a month to such work. With about fifty girls collaborating, all

districts had this most gracious aid; and a girl would not only watch

and guard, but would also instruct, as far as practical, any such tot

as had not had its first schooling. Such work by young girls still

in school was a grand thing; and Gadsby not only stood up for such

loyalty, but got at his boys to find a similar plan; and soon had a

full troop of Boy Scouts; uniforms and all. This automatically brought

about a Girl Scout unit; and, through a collaboration of both, a form

of club sprang up. It was a club in which any boy or girl of a family

owning a car would call mornings for pupils having no cars, during

school days, for a trip to school and back. This was not only a saving

in long walks for many, but also took from a young back, that hard,

tiring strain from lugging such armfuls of books as you find pupils

laboriously carrying, today. Upon arriving at a school building, many

cars would unload so many books that Gadsby said:--

"You would think that a Public Library branch was moving in!" This car

work soon brought up a thought of giving similar aid to ailing adults;

who, not owning a car, could not know of that vast display of hill and

plain so common to a majority of our townsfolks. So a plan was laid, by

which a car would call two days a month; and for an hour or so, follow

roads winding out of town and through woods, farm lands and suburbs;

showing distant ponds, and that grand arch of sky which "shut-ins"

know only from photographs. Ah; _how_ that plan did stir up joyous

anticipation amongst such as thus had an opportunity to call upon old,

loving pals, and talk of old customs and past days! Occasionally such a

talk would last so long that a youthful motorist, waiting dutifully at

a curb, thought that a full family history of both host and visitor was

up for an airing. But old folks always _will_ talk and it will not do a

boy or girl any harm to wait; for, you know, that boy or girl will act

in just that way, at a not too far-off day!

But, popular as this touring plan was, it had to stop; for school

again took all young folks from such out-door activity. Nobody was so

sorry at this as Gadsby, for though Branton Hills' suburban country is

glorious from March to August, it is also strong in its attractions

throughout Autumn, with its artistic colorings of fruits, pumpkins,

corn-shocks, hay-stacks and Fall blossoms. So Gadsby got a big

motor-coach company to run a bus a day, carrying, gratis, all poor or

sickly folks who had a doctor's affidavit that such an outing would aid

in curing ills arising from too constant in-door living; and so, up

almost to Thanksgiving, this big coach ran daily.

As Spring got around again, this "man-of-all-work" thought of driving

away a shut-in invalid's monotony by having musicians go to such rooms,

to play; or, by taking along a vocalist or trio, sing such old songs

as always bring back happy days. This work Gadsby thought of paying

for by putting on a circus. And _was_ it a circus? _It was!!_ It had

boys forming both front and hind limbs of animals totally unknown to

zoology; girls strutting around as gigantic birds of also doubtful

origin; an array of small living animals such as trick dogs and goats,

a dancing pony, a group of imitation Indians, cowboys, cowgirls, a

kicking trick jack-ass; and, talk about clowns! Forty boys got into

baggy pantaloons and fools' caps; and no circus, including that first

of all shows in Noah's Ark, had so much going on. Gymnasts from our

school gymnasium, tumbling, jumping and racing; comic dancing; a clown

band; high-swinging artists, and a funny cop who didn't wait to find

out who a man was, but hit him anyway. And, as no circus _is_ a circus

without boys shouting wildly about pop-corn and cold drinks, Gadsby saw

to it that such boys got in as many patrons' way as any ambitious youth

could; and that is "going strong," if you know boys, at all!

But what about profits? It not only paid for all acts which his

Organization couldn't put on, but it was found that a big fund for many

a day's musical visitations, was on hand.

And, now a word or two about municipal affairs in this city; or _any_

city, in which nobody will think of doing anything about its poor

and sick, without a vigorous prodding up. City Councils, now-a-days,

willingly grant big appropriations for paving, lights, schools, jails,

courts, and so on; but invariably fight shy of charity; which is

nothing but sympathy for anybody who is "down and out." No man can

say that Charity will not, during coming days, aid _him_ in supporting

his family; and it was Gadsby's claim that _humans_:--_not blocks of