nt all the boys had flaming whiskers, and streaks of flame all
over their faces.

Peals of laughter resounded from all sides. Such a troop of little
blazing imps were never seen before. Some had noses on fire, some ears;
some made fiery circles round their eyes, and some rubbed their fingers
with the matches--always taking care to wet them first--and ran after
the rest.

Only one person was frightened; and that was because she had not been
let into the secret. This was a servant girl, who opened the door, and
seeing a room full of dark figures, with faces on fire, dancing, and
laughing, and capering about, she ran, screaming, up stairs, crying
murder! fire! help! with all her might, which made the boys laugh till
they were nearly suffocated. But Phil ran after her, and with much
difficulty persuaded her that they were really human beings, and good
friends of hers.

After they had danced about for some time, Mr. Harrison advised them to
go and wash their faces, and said that they had better not play this
game again, as some accident might occur: a match might get lighted and
set fire to their clothes. He said he had been willing to let them try
it once, for then they would not be frightened if any wicked or
thoughtless person should play a trick of this kind upon them. So the
boys put up the matches, and went off to bed full of the fun they had
had, and saying, that if they saw a person with his nose on fire,
coming into their rooms at night, they would take hold of it, and give
it a good pinching.

During this time each of the boys had written home for fireworks; and
for two or three days before the glorious Fourth, all kinds of boxes,
directed to the different boys, had been left at Mr. Harrison's house,
and safely locked up by him, until the right time.

At last the day came. The boys tumbled out of bed in the greatest hurry,
dressed, and went out on the lawn, where they gave nine hearty cheers;
three for the day, three for Mr. Harrison, and three for fun. After that
they all ran into the play-room, where they found the boxes, which had
been put there the night before.

Never were boxes opened so quickly. They tore off the tops, and for some
moments nothing was heard on all sides but "Only look here," and "Just
see _here_;" "Fellows, here is my cannon;" "Here are lots of Roman
candles," &c.

They had crackers enough between them all to keep them busy the whole
day, and they soon got to work at them, and such