s ready before evening."

The boys found all at home enjoying themselves. Freddie's torpedoes
still held out, and Flossie had a few more "snakes" left. Nan had
company on the lawn, and it indeed was an ideal Fourth of July.

"Look at the balloon!" called John from the carriage house. "It's going
to land in the orchard." This announcement caused all the children to
hurry up to the orchard, for everybody likes to "catch" a balloon.

"There's a man in it," John exclaimed as the big ball tossed around in
the air.

"Yes, that's the balloon that went up from the farmers' picnic," said
Harry.

The next minute a parachute shot out from the balloon; and hanging to
it the form of a man could be seen.

"Oh, he'll fall!" cried Freddie, all excited. "Let's catch him--in
something!"

"He's all right," John assured the little boy. "That umbrella keeps him
from coming down too quickly."

"How does it?" Freddie asked.

"Why, you see, sonny, the air gets under the umbrella and holds it up.
The man's weight then brings it down gently."

"Oh, maybe he will let us fly up in it," Freddie remarked, much
interested.

"Here he comes! here he comes!" the boys called, and sure enough the
big parachute, with the man dangling on it, was now coming right
down--down--in the harvest-apple tree!

"Hello there!" called the man from above, losing the colored umbrella
and quickly dropping himself from the low tree.

"Hello yourself!" answered John. "Did you have a nice ride?"

"First class," replied the man with the stars on his shirt. "But I've
got a long walk back to the grove. Could I hire a bicycle around here?"

Harry spoke to his father, and then quickly decided to let the balloon
man ride his bicycle down to the picnic grounds.

"You can leave it at the ice-cream stand," Harry told the stranger. "I
know the man there, and he will take care of it for me until I call for
it."

The children were delighted to talk to a real live man that had been up
in a balloon, and the balloonist was indeed very pleasant with the
little ones. He took Freddie up in his arms and told him all about how
it felt to be up in the sky.

"You're a truly fireman!" Freddie said, after listening to all the
dangers there are so far above ground. "I'm a real fireman too!"

Just then the balloon that had been tossing about in the air came down
in the other end of the orchard.

"Well, there!" exclaimed the man. "That's good luck. Now, whichever one
of you