KATIE'S PAPER ROSES

“You better if you don’t want to get blowed up.”  Blowed up sounded awful and gave the terrified boys a new burst of energy.  They ran as if being chased by a mad bull.  Home was soon in sight.  They were safe now.  They dashed through the door way, turned the player piano up to the highest volume, dived behind the big metal cabinet, squatted down and put their fingers in their ears, closed their eyes tightly and waited.

“What are you boys up too?” Katie asked as she came to investigate their noise.

“Hide quick maw,” Arnold begged. 

“Why Arnold?”

“Cause Chester said he was going to set that army camp on fire.  I begged him not to, but he said he is going to do it anyway and, they have tents full of bullets and stuff.  Hide quick maw.”

“Oh my God!” Katie ran to get Jack from the kitchen then she went to the door to listen.  It didn’t take long.  She could hear the gunpowder exploding in deep rumbles as explosive boom after boom filled the air, while through it could be heard the staccato outburst of thousands of bullets.  The sky was ablaze with a brilliant light, which looked as if the world was on fire. Katie huddled with the boys for what seemed like an eternity before the sounds began dying down. The sounds must have traveled far because before long Eugene drove up, jumped out of the car and ran into the house.

“Everybody all right Katie?”

“We’re alright Eugene; just scared to death is all.”

“What happened?”

Katie told him how the boys tried to talk Chester out of setting the fire, but couldn’t.  So they ran home. 

“Best place for them,” commented Eugene.  “That Reddin boy has been in bad trouble off and on for a long time now.  That’s why I didn’t encourage the boys to play with him, but this time he’s gone too far.  You wait by gollifies, something is going to happen now.”  Late that afternoon a big shiny black car pulled into the yard.  Eugene went out to talk to the men.  They sat in the car while they talked.  Pretty soon, the car drove off and Eugene came inside.