.

"That is what the lady from Philadelphia meant," explained Elizabeth
Eliza.

"She said the flags of our country," said the little boys. "We
thought she meant 'in the country.'"

Quite a company assembled; but it seemed nobody had a copy of the
Declaration of Independence.

Elizabeth Eliza said she could say one line, if they each could add as
much. But it proved they all knew the same line that she did, as they
began:--"When, in the course of--when, in the course of--when, in the
course of human--when in the course of human events--when, in the course
of human events, it becomes--when, in the course of human events,
it becomes necessary--when, in the course of human events it becomes
necessary for one people"--They could not get any farther. Some of the
party decided that "one people" was a good place to stop, and the little
boys sent off some fresh torpedoes in honor of the people. But Mr.
Peterkin was not satisfied. He invited the assembled party to stay until
sunset, and meanwhile he would find a copy, and torpedoes were to be
saved to be fired off at the close of every sentence.

And now the noon bells rang and the noon bells ceased.

Mrs. Peterkin wanted to ask everybody to dinner. She should have
some cold beef. She had let Amanda go, because it was the Fourth, and
everybody ought to be free that one day; so she could not have much of a
dinner. But when she went to cut her beef she found Solomon had taken it
to soak, on account of the saltpetre, for the fireworks!

Well, they had a pig; so she took a ham, and the boys had bought
tamarinds and buns and a cocoa-nut. So the company stayed on, and when
the Antiques and Horribles passed again they were treated to pea-nuts
and lemonade.

They sung patriotic songs, they told stories, they fired torpedoes, they
frightened the cats with them. It was a warm afternoon; the red poppies
were out wide, and the hot sun poured down on the alley-ways in the
garden. There was a seething sound of a hot day in the buzzing of
insects, in the steaming heat that came up from the ground. Some
neighboring boys were firing a toy cannon. Every time it went off Mrs.
Peterkin started, and looked to see if one of the little boys was gone.
Mr. Peterkin had set out to find a copy of the "Declaration." Agamemnon
had disappeared. She had not a moment to decide about her headache.

She asked Ann Maria if she were not anxious about the fireworks, and if
rockets were not dangerous. They