The bells
rang without stint, and at morning and noon cannon were fired
off. But torpedoes and fire-crackers did not make the highways
dangerous;--perhaps they were thought too expensive an amusement.
Somebody delivered an oration; there was a good deal said about
"this universal Yankee nation"; some rockets went up from Salem
in the evening; we watched them from the hill, and then went to
bed, feeling that we had been good patriots.
There was always a Fast Day, which I am afraid most of us younger
ones regarded merely as a day when we were to eat unlimited
quantities of molasses-gingerbread, instead of sitting down to
our regular meals.
When I read about Christmas in the English story-books, I wished
we could have that beautiful holiday. But our Puritan fathers
shook their heads at Christmas.
Our Sabbath-school library books were nearly all English
reprints, and many of the story-books were very interesting. I
think that most of my favorites were by Mrs. Sherwood. Some of
them were about life in India,--"Little Henry and his Bearer,"
and "Ayah and Lady.
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