"We know you are very kind, Mr. Schwarmer, and we have come to make our confessions and ask you for substantial proofs of your kindness. We all had a hand in the destruction of your property--a free hand, and we are going to tell you why and pay the damages. We are averse to the technicalities, expense and delay of the law, so after we have made our plea--that is, all the plea we _can_ make, we trust that you will make out your bill. We have brought our purses and wish to settle the damages on the spot." "Damages against the ladies!" gasped Schwarmer, looking with dismay at the purses conspicuously displayed. "My intention is to settle this little matter with the men who had a hand in it. I don't want any pay for my property, dear ladies. Rest assured I am not that sort of a man. All that I shall insist upon is to have the law respected--the rights of property regarded." "And all that we shall insist on, if it goes to the courts, is that the rights of mothers be respected and the lives of their children properly regarded," said Mrs. Rattlinger. "I am not a lawyer but I am a lawyer's wife and I think I know about where we should stand in such a case." "Of course you do," replied Schwarmer, "and being a wife and mother, very naturally you would, as one and all thus situated. I shall see to it that no harm comes to you, rest assured I shall. I have an almost unbounded respect for mothers and a great tenderness for children and would be more than willing to do all I could to prevent them from injury on our natal day, without interfering with its proper enjoyment, most assuredly I would. I am very fond of them all. I lament with our _lamentable_ President that there are not more mothers and more children. There can't be too many of them to suit me. It takes a great many to keep up the supply, as they are more prone to accidents than grown people, especially on and around our glorious Fourth--for the reason that their little hands and pockets which patriotism requires us to fill with firecrackers, are so much nearer their little eyes than ours are. Most assuredly they are. For these and other reasons of a similar nature, there can't be too many children born into the world. They make it lively. Truly, ladies, I am a very blunt man and I must say that I think mothers should have many more children than they do have. Yes, a great many more and be happy to do so. Very happy indeed, ladies. There is no sight on earth so perfectly lovely in my estimation as that of a mother surrounded with her children. Completely surrounded I should say--north and south, east and west--surrounded as with a halo, so to speak." Schwarmer's pronunciation of _halo_ sounded so much like _hello_ that Sybil Bolt, whose little boy had lost a finger three years before, in consequence of his Independence Day gift, whispered to the woman who stood next to her: "Yes a fine hello--young ones with their fingers blown off, eyes blown out, and faces scarred."