, chewing and
profanity as long as he remained a member. Now he found out a new thing -
namely, that to promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make
a body want to go and do that very thing. Tom soon found himself tormented with
a desire to drink and swear; the desire grew to be so intense that nothing but
the hope of a chance to display himself in his red sash kept him from
withdrawing from the order. Fourth of July was coming; but he soon gave that up
- gave it up before he had worn his shackles over forty-eight hours - and fixed
his hopes upon old Judge Frazer, justice of the peace, who was apparently on his
death-bed and would have a big public funeral, since he was so high an official.
During three days Tom was deeply concerned about the Judge's condition and
hungry for news of it. Sometimes his hopes ran high - so high that he would
venture to get out his regalia and practice before the looking-glass. But the
Judge had a most discouraging way of fluctuating. At last he was pronounced upon
the mend - and then convalescent. Tom was disgusted; and felt a sense of injury,
too. He handed in his resignation at once - and that night the Judge suffered a
relapse and died. Tom resolved that he would never trust a man like that again.
The funeral was a fine thing. The Cadets paraded in a style calculated to kill
the late member with envy. Tom was a free boy again, however - there was
something in that. He could drink and swear, now - but found to his surprise
that he did not want to. The simple fact that he could, took the desire away,
and the charm of it.
    Tom presently wondered to find that his coveted vacation was beginning to
hang a little heavily on his hands.
    He attempted a diary - but nothing happened during three days, and so he
abandoned it.
    The first of all the negro minstrel shows came to town, and made a
sensation. Tom and Joe Harper got up a band of performers and were happy for two
days.
    Even the Glorious Fourth was in some sense a failure, for it rained hard,
there was no procession in consequence, and the greatest man in the world (as
Tom supposed) Mr. Benton, an actual United States Senator, proved an
overwhelming disappointment - for he was not twenty-five feet high, nor even
anywhere in the neighborhood of it.
    A circus came. The boys played circus for three days
