n," said Mrs. Peterkin.

"If we live to another Fourth," added Mr. Peterkin, hastening to the
door to inquire into the state of affairs.

Alas! Amanda, by mistake, had waked up the little boys an hour too
early. And by another mistake the little boys had invited three or
four of their friends to spend the night with them. Mrs. Peterkin had
given them permission to have the boys for the whole day, and they
understood the day as beginning when they went to bed the night
before. This accounted for the number of horns.

[Illustration]

It would have been impossible to hear any explanation; but the five
minutes were over, and the horns had ceased, and there remained only
the noise of a singular leaping of feet, explained perhaps by a
possible pillow-fight, that kept the family below partially awake
until the bells and cannon made known the dawning of the glorious
day,--the sunrise, or "the rising of the sons," as Mr. Peterkin
jocosely called it when they heard the little boys and their friends
clattering down the stairs to begin the outside festivities.

They were bound first for the swamp, for Elizabeth Eliza, at the
suggestion of the lady from Philadelphia, had advised them to hang
some flags around the pillars of the piazza. Now the little boys knew
of a place in the swamp where they had been in the habit of digging
for "flag-root," and where they might find plenty of flag flowers.
They did bring away all they could, but they were a little out of
bloom. The boys were in the midst of nailing up all they had on the
pillars of the piazza, when the procession of the Antiques and
Horribles passed along. As the procession saw the festive arrangements
on the piazza, and the crowd of boys, who cheered them loudly, it
stopped to salute the house with some especial strains of greeting.

Poor Mrs. Peterkin! They were directly under her windows! In a few
moments of quiet, during the boys' absence from the house on their
visit to the swamp, she had been trying to find out whether she had a
sick-headache, or whether it was all the noise, and she was just
deciding it was the sick-headache, but was falling into a light
slumber, when the fresh noise outside began.

There were the imitations of the crowing of cocks, and braying of
donkeys, and the sound of horns, encored and increased by the cheers
of the boys. Then began the torpedoes, and the Antiques and Horribles
had Chinese crackers also.

And, in despair of sleep, the famil