Then a procession of soldiers and citizens marched through the town, an oration was delivered, the Declaration of Independence read, and a great dinner given in the open air under the trees in the grounds of the old courthouse.

Each toast was announced with the booming of cannon.

On these occasions Peter was in his element, and showed us whatever he considered worth seeing; but I cannot say that I enjoyed very much either "general training" or the Fourth of July, for, in addition to my fear of cannon and torpedoes, my sympathies were deeply touched by the sadness of our cook, whose drunken father always cut antics in the streets on gala days, the central figure in all the sports of the boys, much to the mortification of his worthy daughter.

She wept bitterly over her father's public exhibition of himself, and told me in what a condition he would come home to his family at night.

I would gladly have stayed in with her all day, but the fear of being called a coward compelled me to go through those trying ordeals.