One morning I heard what sounded like pistol shots in the distance, many times repeated, and while we were at breakfast one or two teams passed us headed for Egerton. “I wonder if haying is over as soon as this?” said Ethel. “I thought that horses were all at work in the fields.” “Not this morning, evidently,” said I as another team, a two-horse one this time, went by, loaded with children. “Oh, it’s a picnic,” said I, and then we heard a loud explosion in the opposite quarter from that of the last pistol shot. I looked at Ethel, and we burst out laughing together. “Fourth-of-July!” “Of course! What geese we are. Oh, let’s go down town and see what they are doing!” “Why, we can hear it up here. That’s all they are doing,” said I. “No, I’ve always read about Fourth-of-July in the country. Don’t you remember Tom Bailey, in the ‘Story of a Bad Boy’? Let’s go down and join in the fun.” “Probably Bert’s gone with his family. We’d have to walk.” “Hello! here’s someone driving up to the post. Why, it’s James with a two-seated wagon!” Just then Minerva came into the room, dressed up in her Sunday best and with an assortment of colored ribbons that made her look like a fair. “Will there be anything to do to-day, ma’am? I’ve made lunch.” “Where do you want to go, Minerva?” said Ethel. “Why, James is just crazy to take me down to town to see the parade.” “Who else is going?” “No one on’y him an’ me. He brought his father’s wagon.” “I guess there’ll be no objection, Minerva,” said Ethel. “When will you be back?” “Oh, time for dinner.” “Yes, you may go Minerva,” said Ethel, and Minerva clapped her hands. “Country ain’t so bad when you know it,” said she. She went out into the kitchen, and I said, “I have a kind of notion that James is going to invite us to go down with them. Now that would be extremely simple and would probably strike Mrs. Guernsea as being very original, but I think it will be better if I hire his rig and get him to drive us down and we’ll stay there all day and take dinner at the hotel, and come back by moonlight.” Ethel took a turn at hand clapping. “You’re a great deal better than when we came up, aren’t you?” said I. “Oh, I’m all well now, and perfectly happy.” I went out and said to James, “James, can I hire your father’s team for to-day? and then I’d like you to drive us to town and bring us back to-night. We’ll dine at the hotel and you and Minerva can dine where you like.”