The Tillyville Times - July 4, 2004

The Tillyville Times

July 4, 2004
Vol 1 No 6
http://tillyville.com

Have a Safe and Happy 4th!!!


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. Want 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 4TH 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 consider Abraham Lincoln 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 now split the Southern
states into two areas. But most importantly, the North 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 visitors rub it
for luck. These Americans don't remember the very unpopular president.
Instead, they think of Mr. Lincoln as their best president.



DON'T MISS THE FIREWORKS AT http://tillyville.com
(Rain or Shine, Night or Day.)

HAPPY 228TH BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!