To bleach fresh-water shells to a snowy whiteness, wash them perfectly clean and then put them in a jar containing a solution of chloride of lime, place the vessel in the sun, and, when the shells are sufficiently bleached, remove and wash them in clear water. Polish them in the manner before described. [Illustration] CHAPTER IX. A GIRL’S FOURTH OF JULY. DECORATIONS are seen here, there, and everywhere. How beautifully the flags and streamers look as they wave in the breeze. All the houses and streets are gay with bunting. We listen with a thrill of patriotic excitement to the national airs played by bands of music as the different parades pass our doors. The spirit of independence fills the very air we breathe. Whiz! zip! bang! go the firearms. The noise is enchanting and the smell of powder delightful. This is our grand national holiday, the glorious Fourth, when all the United States grows enthusiastic, and in various appropriate ways manifests its patriotism. [Illustration: The Fourth of July Party.] The celebration, commencing in the early morn and lasting until late in the evening, gives ample time for fireworks, games, and illuminations. And the girls can take active part in, and enjoy these martial festivities, help to decorate the house and grounds, and in the evening do their part toward the illumination. Then there are the beautiful daylight fireworks to be sent off, and games to be played; all adding to the enjoyment and making up their celebration of Independence Day. Although =Interior Decoration= for the Fourth of July has not been considered as necessary as the decoration for the outside of the house, still it is appropriate and used to some extent, especially when the house is thrown open to guests. Then, with a little thought and care the home may be decked and adorned in the most attractive manner. If you chance to be the happy possessor of the portrait of some revolutionary ancestor, let this form the centre of your decorations. Bring forward any relics of the colonial times and make them hold a prominent place, for all such things are historical and of great interest, though of course they are not essential. Strips of bunting, cheese-cloth, or tissue-paper, in red and white and blue are necessary, and must do their part in adding to the gayety of the scene. These can be arranged in festoons, and made into wreaths, stars etc., to be used as ornaments on the wall. There is nothing, perhaps, more appropriate for decoration than flags, though it requires some ingenuity to decorate with our American flag on account of the blue being in one corner. However we will try. Take two flags without staffs and baste them together as in Fig. 49, bringing the blues side by side; pleat up the top of each to the centre and you will have Fig. 50 with the stripes at the bottom running from end to end.