big cannon cracker, fully a foot and a half high and several inches in diameter. The fuse was spluttering away at a great rate.
"Tom!" yelled Mr. Rover in alarm. "Throw that thing out!"
"We'll be blown to pieces!" yelled Fred.
"That's too big to shoot off indoors," added Songbird, preparing to run.
"Ve peen knocked to bieces!" groaned Hans, and slid under the table out of sight.
The ladies shrieked and so did the girls. Mrs. Stanhope looked ready to faint, but Tom whispered hastily into her ear and she recovered. Mr. Rover wanted to throw the cannon cracker through a window, but Tom held him back.
The long fuse continued to splutter and all watched it as if fascinated, and the girls put their hands to their ears in anticipation of a fearful explosion. Then came a tiny flash, a strange clicking, and off flew the top of the cannon cracker, sending a shower of confetti of various colors in all directions.
"Oh!" shrieked the girls, and then everybody but Hans set up a laugh. The German youth looked suspiciously out from under the table.
"Vot's der madder—did he go off?" he questioned.
"Yes, he did, Hans," answered Grace. "It was
