The Tillyville Times

Fireworks

Tilly said he liked the big orange kind.

"You mean like those spiders?" Geneva Owl said. They were sitting on a blanket at the top of Picnic Hill waiting for the sky to get dark enough.

"No," Tilly explained. "Thicker than spiders. More like flowers, bursting orange flowers. They come down and down and down all around until you're surrounded, until you're almost inside the flower."

"Hee hee," Geneva laughed. "A spider in a flower."

"You know the kind I mean," Tilly said. "I hope we get lots of those. Lots and lots. What kind do you like?"

"I like those, too," Geneva said. "I love flowers."

"Yeah, but are they your favorites?"

"I like all kinds of fireworks. Maybe my favorites are the silvery kind that sizzle. They make me shiver. They make me ooh and ah."

"Ah," said Tilly.

"I like the big blasters," Skinny McKinney said. "The kind that go ka-BOOM, ka-BOOM, ka-BOOM, and poke white-black moons in the night."

"Skinny! What are you doing here?" Tilly asked.

"Waiting for the fireworks to start."

"Those kind hurt my ears," Geneva told Skinny. "They hurt my ears and my teeth. I hope they don't have too many of them."

"You said you liked all kinds of fireworks," Tilly reminded her.

"Yes, but not those kind. Those kind are just loud noise. Fireworks should be beautiful."

"Fireworks should be loud," Skinny said.

Just then Chocolate Rat came trudging up the hill carrying a heavy picnic basket. "Hey, Chocolate," Skinny greeted him. "What's your favorite kind of fireworks?"

"Chocolate, of course," Chocolate Rat said.

"There's no such thing as chocolate fireworks," Skinny said.

"Really? Then I guess I don't like fireworks at all," Chocolate said.

"Then why are you here?" Skinny wanted to know.

"For the picnic." Chocolate Rat started to uncover his picnic basket. It was almost too dark to see.

"What've you got there?" Skinny peered closer.

"BOOM!" yelled Chocolate Rat.

Skinny fell over, tumbling off the edge of the blanket. "You scared me," he said, slowly getting up and dusting himself off. "Why did you do that?"

"Mmm," Chocolate Rat said, munching his picnic snack. "These chocolate fireworks are delicious."

"Can I try one?" Skinny asked.

Before Chocolate Rat could answer, the first rocket shot up. Higher and higher it went, the silvery tip streaking, stretching, reaching for every inch of upwardness. At the apex it burst, an immense, gloriously golden bloom. It showered the sky with countless streams of sizzle.

"Ooh," said Tilly, Geneva, Skinny, and Chocolate. "Ooh."

This Week in Tillyville

Celebrate the Fourth of July by reading about "A Very Unpopular President": and you'll never guess who he is!

Oy, oy, oy. The mystery of the missing red tulips. Monday.

Tuesday Tilly orders two boxes of animals, a box of lemon, four of mints, and eight of double-fudge. Not nearly enough!

Wednesday Tilly battles the world's wickedest pitching machine.

Skinny McKinney wakes up on Thursday knowing something is wrong. He's going to need more than a routine checkup.

Ever get the feeling you can't do anything right? On Friday, Dorian springs for pizza, and everyone ends up mad at him. Whatever.

Magic genies can get you out of trouble with other kids, help you study for your math quiz, and maybe even save your life. See for yourself, on Hm Saturday.

A Very Unpopular President

America was at war! It was in all the newspapers. Thousands were dying. Everyone knew someone who was killed, and most were angry with the president.

They blamed him for the war. Others thought him a weak leader. He was a nice enough fellow: people certainly liked him. He grew up poor, and made something of himself: a lawyer and politician. He seemed honest and gentle—he had a big smile and told great jokes, and the fact that he was old for a president made it even harder to be mad at "Old Abe." But do these things make a good leader? Sure, he would make an excellent dinner guest, but should he be leading a war?

Do you know this president's name?

It's a toughie! Here's a hint: he's probably the last one you would guess. That's because now many think Abraham Lincoln was the greatest president in history. But surprisingly, for most of his presidency, Abraham Lincoln wasn't appreciated at all.

The Civil War was the bloodiest in our history, because Americans fought on both sides. The war stretched from battle to battle, from one nightmare to another. The horrors lasted four long years.

The people of the Northern Union who elected President Lincoln expected a quick victory. The Union of Northern states was richer than the Confederacy of Southern states, and their armies were larger than the Southern ones.

However, the people of the South were determined to fight hard, and their generals were more aggressive and creative than the Northern ones. The Northern generals failed to corner and defeat their enemies. Southern armies won most of the major battles during the first half of the war. Since the Constitution names the president as commander-in-chief of the armed forces—the commander of all military commanders—guess whom the frustrated public blamed for these defeats?

They thought Lincoln a well-meaning man who was clueless about war. Questions and rumors spread through the country. One story told about the secret train that carried the newly elected Lincoln from his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, into the capital, Washington D.C. Tensions ran high, and threats were made against the new president. According to the story, his bodyguards dressed Lincoln as a woman, so no one would recognize him arriving. People mocked. Newspaper cartoonists drew the tall, strong president sneaking through the streets in a frilly dress.

In mid-1863, it appeared the South would succeed in dividing the United States of America, and forming their own country. Southern armies marched loose in the Northern countryside. Even the Emancipation Proclamation, that ended terrible slavery, was met by doubt: how could the president sign a law freeing slaves, if he couldn't force the states to obey? It looked like President Lincoln would lose badly in the next year's elections. Old Abe was nice, but he was going to be unemployed.

Then on July 4, 1863—the USA's 87th birthday, 141 years ago today—the Northern armies won two major victories.

After surrounding it for 47 days, General Ulysses Grant's forces finally won the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Northern armies had split the Southern states into two areas. But most importantly, the North now controlled the entire Mississippi River and all the shipping and supplies flowing on that vital waterway, called the "lifeblood of America."

At the same time hundreds of miles away, the main armies of North and South squared off outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Thousands of men died in three days of fighting, and the worst battle in U.S. history was fought to a tie. But since the Southern armies were smaller than the Northern, they could not afford such high losses. Gettysburg was the turning point of the war: afterward, the Southern armies retreated, and would surrender in 21 months.

While the country grieved the deaths at Gettysburg and other battlefields, the citizens of the North grew confident from the victories. President Lincoln's popularity soared. Before, the people wondered how Old Abe planned to win the war; now, these same people looked on their president as a wise man who was quietly in control the entire time.

In September 1864, Union General William Sherman captured Atlanta, the largest Southern city. Two months later, Lincoln easily won reelection to his second term as president. He defeated George McClellan, his failed general at the beginning of the war.

The Southern states were exhausted by the war. On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Lee surrendered his armies to General Grant. The Northern states celebrated their president, who had brought an end of fighting.

Five days later, President Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., while watching a play with his wife, Mary.

Lincoln's body was carried in a railroad car from the capital back to his home of Springfield. People lined the tracks between the cities to wave goodbye to their beloved leader, grateful he led them through their darkest years.

General Grant, who came from Lincoln's home state of Illinois, became president four years later.

Abraham Lincoln lies buried in Springfield. Outside his crypt stands a bust (statue) of Lincoln's face; its nose shines because everyone who visits rubs it for luck. These Americans don't remember a very unpopular president. Instead, along with George Washington, they think of Mr. Lincoln as their best president.