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Collins; with her dress tucked about her so that she looked as if she had on 

a pair of calico trousers; was washing off the sidewalk。 

     〃Arrah   you   bad   boy!〃   cried   Kitty;   leaning   on the   mop。   handle。   〃The 

Capen   has   jist   been   askin'   for   you。   He's   gone   up   town;   now。   It's   a   nate 

thing you done with my clothes…line; and; it's me you may thank for gettin' 

it out of the way before the Capen come down。〃 

     The   kind   creature   had   hauled   in   the   rope;   and   my   escapade   had   not 

been discovered by the family; but I knew very well that the burning of the 

stage…coach;   and   the   arrest   of   the   boys   concerned   in   the   mischief;   were 

sure to reach my grandfathers ears sooner or later。 

     〃Well;   Thomas;〃   said   the   old   gentleman;   an   hour   or   so   afterwards; 

beaming upon me benevolently across the breakfast table; 〃you didn't wait 

to be called this morning。〃 

     'No; sir;〃 I replied; growing very warm; 〃I took a little run up town to 

see what was going on。〃 

     I didn't say anything about the little run I took home again! 〃They had 

quite a time on the Square last night;〃 remarked Captain Nutter; looking 

up   from   the   Rivermouth   Bamacle;   which   was   always   placed   beside   his 

coffee…cup at breakfast。 

     I felt that my hair was preparing to stand on end。 

     〃Quite a time;〃 continued my grandfather。 〃Some boys broke into Ezra 

Wingate's barn and carried off the old stagecoach。 The young rascals! I do 

believe they'd burn up the whole town if they had their way。〃 

     With   this   he   resumed   the   paper。   After   a   long   silence   he   exclaimed; 

〃Hullo!〃 upon which I nearly fell off the chair。 

     〃'Miscreants unknown;〃' read my grandfather; following the paragraph 

with his forefinger; 〃'escaped from the bridewell; leaving no clew to their 

identity;   except   the   letter   H;   cut   on   one   of   the   benches。'   'Five   dollars 



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reward     offered    for  the  apprehension      of   the  perpetrators。'    Sho!   I  hope 

Wingate will catch them。〃 

     I don't see how I continued to live; for on hearing this the breath went 

entirely out of my body。 I beat a retreat from the room as soon as I could; 

and   flew   to   the   stable   with   a   misty   intention   of   mounting   Gypsy   and 

escaping from the place。 I was pondering what steps to take; when Jack 

Harris and Charley Marden entered the yard。 

     〃I say;〃 said Harris; as blithe as a lark; 〃has old Wingate been here?〃 

     〃Been here?〃 I cried; 〃I should hope not!〃 

     〃The     whole    thing's   out;   you   know;〃     said  Harris;    pulling   Gypsy's 

forelock over her eyes and blowing playfully into her nostrils。 

     〃You don't mean it!〃 I gasped。 

     〃Yes; I do; and we are to pay Wingate three dollars apiece。 He'll make 

rather a good spec out of it。〃 

     〃But how did he discover that we were the…the miscreants?〃 I asked; 

quoting mechanically from the Rivermouth Bamacle。 

     〃Why; he saw us take the old ark; confound him! He's been trying to 

sell it any time these ten years。 Now he has sold it to us。 When he found 

that we had slipped out of the Meat Market; he went right off and wrote 

the    advertisement      offering   five   dollars   reward;    though    he   knew    well 

enough who had taken the coach; for he came round to my father's house 

before the paper was printed to talk the matter over。 Wasn't the governor 

mad; though! But it's all settled; I tell you。 We're to pay Wingate fifteen 

dollars   for   the   old   go…cart;   which   he   wanted   to   sell   the   other   day   for 

seventy…five   cents;  and couldn't。  It's   a downright   swindle。  But the  funny 

part of it is to come。〃 

     O; there's a funny part to it; is there?〃 I remarked bitterly。 

     〃Yes。 The moment Bill Conway saw the advertisement; he knew it was 

Harry  Blake   who   cut   that   letter   H   on   the   bench;   so   off   he   rushes   up   to 

Wingate…kind of   him;   wasn't   it?…and   claims   the   reward。   'Too   late;   young 

man;'   says   old   Wingate;   'the   culprits   has   been   discovered。' You   see   Sly… 

boots hadn't any intention of paying that five dollars。〃 

     Jack Harris's statement lifted a weight from my bosom。 The article in 

the Rivermouth Barnacle bad placed the affair before me in a new light。 I 



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had   thoughtlessly   committed   a        grave   offence。    Though   the    property   in 

question   was   valueless;   we   were   clearly   wrong   in   destroying   it。  At   the 

same time Mr。 Wingate had tacitly sanctioned the act by not preventing it 

when   he   might   easily   have   done   so。   He   had   allowed   his   property   to   be 

destroyed in order that be might realize a large profit。 

     Without waiting to hear more; I went straight to Captain Nutter; and; 

laying my remaining three dollars on his knee; confessed my share in the 

previous night's transaction。 

     The Captain heard me through in profound silence; pocketed the bank… 

notes; and walked off without speaking a word。 He had punished me in his 

own whimsical fashion at the breakfast table; for; at the very moment be 

was harrowing up   my soul by  reading the extracts   from the   Rivermouth 

Barnacle;     he   not   only   knew    all  about   the  bonfire;    but  had   paid   Ezra 

Wingate his three dollars。 Such was the duplicity of that aged impostor 

     I think Captain Nutter was justified in retaining my pocketmoney; as 

additional punishment; though the possession of it later in the day would 

have got me out of a difficult position; as the reader will see further on。 I 

returned with a light heart and a large piece of punk to my friends in the 

stable…yard; where we celebrated the termination of our trouble by setting 

off   two    packs   of   fire…crackers    in  an   empty    wine…cask。     They    made     a 

prodigious racket; but   failed somehow  to fully express   my feelings。 The 

little   brass   pistol   in   my   bedroom   suddenly   occurred   to   me。   It   had   been 

loaded I don't know how many  months; long before I left New Orleans; 

and now was the time; if ever; to fire it off。 Muskets; blunderbusses; and 

pistols    were    banging     away     lively   all  over   town;    and    the   smell   of 

gunpowder; floating on the air; set me wild to add something respectable 

to the universal din。 

     When the pistol was produced; Jack Harris examined the rusty cap and 

prophesied that it would not explode。 

     〃Never mind;〃 said I; 〃let's try it。〃 

     I had fired the pistol once; secretly; in New Orleans; and; remembering 

the noise it gave birth to on that occasion; I shut both eyes tight as I pulled 

the trigger。 The hammer clicked on the cap with a dull; dead sound。 Then 

Harris tried it; then Charley Marden; then I took it again; and after three or 



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four trials was on the point of giving it up as a bad job; when the obstinate 

thing went off with a tremendous explosion; nearly jerking my arm from 

the socket。 The smoke cleared away; and there I stood with the stock of the 

pistol    clutched    convulsively     in  my    hand…the    barrel;   lock;  trigger;   and 

ramrod having vanished into thin air。 

     〃Are you hurt?〃 cried the boys; in one breath。 

     〃N…no;〃 I replied; dubiously; for the concussion had bewildered me a 

little。 

     When I realized the nature of the calamity; my grief was excessive。 I 

can't imagine what led me to do so ridiculous a thing; but I gravely buried 

the remains of my beloved pistol in our back garden; and erected over the 

mound a slate tablet to the effect that 〃Mr。 Barker formerly of new Orleans; 

was killed accidentally on the Fourth of July; 18 in the 2nd year of his 

Age。〃1   Binny   Wallace;   arriving   on   the   spot   just   after   the   disaster;   and 

Charley Marden (who enjoyed the obsequies immensely); acted with me 

as chief mourners。 I; for my part; was a very sincere one。 

     As   I   turned   away   in   a   disconsolate   mood   from   the   garden;   Charley 

Marden remarked that he shouldn't be surprised if the pistol…butt took root 

and grew into a mahogany…tree or something。 He said he once planted an 

old musket…stock; and shortly afterwards a lot of shoots sprung up! Jack 

Harris   laughed;   but   neither   I   nor   Binny   Wallace   saw   Charley's   wicked 

joke。 

     We were now joined by Pepper Whitcomb; Fred Langdon; and

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