#the bill: episode: old codgers

[augustusaugustus]

12.131 Old Codgers

GORDON: I’ve found a man that we wanted for murder, back in 1944.

An unusual one about a very cold case.

[theda-rison]

Thursday Night Link Roundup - December 3rd

Hello! Happy end of Nanowrimo! I hope you won, and if you didn’t win, I hope you learned something important that will help you win next year :)

So I had to cool it on the Thursday Night Link Roundups for a bit; I just didn’t have the time to devote to arranging and having opinions about stuff (and then writing them down for you guys to read) between work and Nano. But, at least until the stuff for my Steno Keyboard gets here, I have nothing to do now (aside from work, but it’s not like I do that for fun or anything).

Anyway, let’s jump into it. *bad green screen of me jumping into the internet, à la a 90s infotainment VHS about the internet*

If you haven’t already watched it, here’s the third part of Ms Luna Oi’s series on Dialectical Materialism. After all the things she discussed in the other two videos, she discusses the three basic rules of Materialist Dialectics.

Since it’s been a while since I watched this video (because of my unintended break) so I can’t remember too much detail on it, but it is a good video.

This video… I can’t tell how old the two people in it are: they go back and forth between sounding like old codgers (at least) in their 50s and “the youngin’” because of all the Minecraft references. I am so confused. Untitled Engineering Disaster Podcast-like content Episode 1: The Silver Bridge Disaster by donoteat01, which later went on to become a podcast called Well There’s Your Problem, which has its own youtube channel.

I had no idea about all of this stuff about bridge building. I knew some of the details of the Silver Bridge disaster, but I didn’t know about the eyebars (or I forgot about it) or the rocker towers. Like… I can’t imagine the thought process that goes into “what is the towers themselves moved?” when like… normally they don’t? I’m not an engineer but it seems like such a weird way to solve a problem. “What if this gigantic, heavy thing weren’t solid and needed to be held up by these precarious chain links?” is not a thought I could imagine crossing my mind even if I were an engineer. 

Also: the sheer inanity of making something that you don’t have the technology to detect problems (the hairline crack in the eyebar).

I can’t understand why no one blamed the company who built the bridge, btw. They built a shit bridge and should have been sued.

When I was in my early 20s, I remember justifying my dropping out of graphic design “college” (it wasn’t) by saying something like, “Why the fuck would I want to spend my life convincing a bunch of people to buy shit they don’t need with money they don’t have?” when one of my parents’ friends told me I could have gone into advertising. Not the first time I’ve had thoughts of a popular philosopher in my youth without having heard of them beforehand. (“Do I exist because I think? IF I STOP THINKING, WILL I STOP EXISTING??” suddenly popped into my head and caused an existential crisis for a few days when I was in junior high.)

Tom Nicholas explains the Society of the Spectacle, which partly involves the explanation of how advertisement companies are selling an image rather than an actual product. Trying to game the “Keeping up with the Joneses,” idea, if you will.

I, like many kids, read Dr. Seuss books. They might be one of the things that really made me love the English language, just because of how he bent and shaped it into the amazing poetry that went along with his strange and wonderful art. I distinctly remember reading And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry street in the grade “before I was supposed to be reading it” and being asked by the teacher how I was even understanding it (I guess the rest of the class was on “See Spot Run” type of books or whatever). I can’t even remember my answer. Probably a shrug and then wishing they would leave me alone so I could get back to reading, lol.

But Dr. Seuss had even weirder art that I can appreciate now as an adult. Solar Sands’ video, The Secret Darker Art of Dr. Seuss, shows off some of his “Midnight Paintings” that he painted for himself. I need to see if there was ever an art book published of all or any of it, because they’re so interesting. You can still see his strangely whimsical style, many but with darker colors that almost make them seem more… horror-ish.

I forgot that I had the first part of this ProZD video in the list before this. Here’s the next part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sasdCg4da4o

Ahh…. I miss Vine.

Songs of the Week:

KILL BILL (The Lonely Shepherd) by Luca Stricagnoli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6ghK-z3qsY

I don’t know what the contraption is that this guy made, but it sounds really cool in the song. Also, props for making a whole little set to play in, lol.

Lamb of God - Grace (hurdy gurdy cover) by Michalina Malisz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W-s6yHlbtA

I will admit, I do not listen to Lamb of God, I’m not sure why but it’s a band I’ve never gotten into. However, I love the way this song sounds on Hurdy Gurdy and I might check out the actual band now. If I don’t like it, I’ll just listen to this cover over and over. 

Also, how is there not a Doom Metal or Ambient Black Metal hurdy gurdy band yet? Some amazing musician, please make this.

Djent 2018 by Jared Dines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYrN7EIeXmY

I don’t know if I’ve ever even heard a Djent song before. Like, I could not tell you the name of a Djent band, and then all of a sudden - I guess around 2018 - my feed was filled with people making fun of it. I don’t know, I like the way this song sounds at least? Maybe there’s something about the vocals that makes it suck? I have no idea. I have no desire to investigate further.

I don’t know, it’s giving me strong Gojira vibes in certain spots.

Unlike my desire for a Doom Metal (or Ambient Black Metal) hurdy gurdy band, I’m fine with just this.

[recsnrecaps]

A Love So Beautiful Episode 2 Recap: Can I Hop On Your Bike?

Netflix oh Netflix. Why do you tease me so! With that picture, I suddenly have visions of these two all grown up and married. No!! Please just let me live in their teenage past and experience their budding love.

So. The world building continues in episode 2. Jiang Chen still appears to be an emotionless robot, but the writers have crafted a believable sob story to explain his emotional detachment and why Xiaoxi is so protective of him.

I’m still not taken in with Jiang Chen’s character yet. And the issue isn’t with the acting at all. For the stoic lead, he has a generous amount of micro-expressions and his “poker face” matches his sarcastic quips. However, something in the writing/directing leaves more to be desired. The parts about Jiang Chen’s past feels like clunky exposition to me.

On the other hand, I’m really liking the second lead, Wu Bo Song 吴柏松.In any other show, Bo Song would have been the main lead. He’s a charming and sporty dude with a sense of humor. I do feel kinda upset every time he interacts with Xiaoxi though. As the second lead, he’s fated to not get the girl. But he really puts in so much more effort than Jiang Chen - it’s not fair!

At Bo Song’s swim competition, silly Xiaoxi jumbles up the characters on her hand-drawn cheer poster, leading to a "Wu Song Bo" instead. Hahaha! Later on, after the race, when Bo Song was getting harassed by interviewers, Xiaoxi and her poster comes to his rescue with a giant cheer. Bo Song appears really touched by her support, so much so that he offered to trade her for the poster.

The camera work during the dinner scene deliberately included many many lingering closeups of Bo Song's hopeful face. As well as his repeated requests for the poster. It's obvious to us that Bo Song places a great significance on what happened and really wanted a keepsake. However Xiaoxi doesn't place the same importance on the interaction. In her eyes, she was just keeping her word to come and watch the race - she was merely being a friend, and not a very good one at that (the poster typo being an embarrassing bit of evidence).

So. Storytime now. As an old codger I watch shows like this and cringe unabashedly at scenes of young love like this. I have been Xiaoxi in various situations in my life where I have been absolutely oblivious that my actions were leading someone on. I was just being myself, you know? In interactions with said guy, a sentence might have some significant meaning to the guy, but because things seem innocuous on the surface, I end up answering carelessly and hurting his feelings. 

Here, Xiaoxi is so preoccupied with her life (and Jiang Chen) that she isn’t able to be properly present in the conversation, thus completely missing the social cues from Bo Song.

Personally I find Bo Song’s attraction to Xiaoxi far more organic and interesting rather than the shoehorned Xiaoxi and Jiang Chen childhood friends next door arrangement. Perhaps it's because Bo Song is such an expressive actor. He also has such a natural chemistry with Xiaoxi, I enjoyed him popping up to save Xiaoxi and giving her bike rides. And the impetus for the bike rides are so spontaneous and fun. Early in the episode, he smoothly glided up to save her from a group of girls. And in another instance, when they needed to escape quickly from their teacher, she just mounted up on his bike and they sped away crazily. Ah, youth.

Of course, the title of this episode “Can I Hop On Your Bike?” actually refers to the bike ride that Xiaoxi wants Jiang Chen to give her. It’s establised early on in the episode that Xiaoxi lost her bike. So it’s a running gag that throughout the episode, Xiaoxi gazes mornfully at Jiang Chen whenever she needs a ride, and he always ignores her. But in end, he eventually does give her a ride to school. 

Unfortunately, the payoff is so disappointing in this episode. I don't feel inclined to root for Jiang Chen at all, not even when I learnt that he doesn't have parental support. Nor does Jiang Chen's discovery that "someone" came and looked after him when he was ill make me feel like there was any significant development in their relationship. The bike ride at the end seems more like “payment” for Xiaoxi’s care, rather than an actual joyful and spontaneous event. I personally feel like this cheapens Xiaoxi and Jiang Chen’s interaction. A key part of my inability to accept their relationship, is due to the lack of communication between them. Well, Xiaoxi tries. She has made her intentions Vey Clear. But Jiang Chen is still a closed box. And until he opens up and reciprocates, their interactions just seem awkward and forced.

On to other stuff now. This story occurs in 2005 and in this episode the directors do try make an effort to pay homage to the era. I'm reminded of my trusty old Nokia phone whenever one appears on screen. In those days, everyone had a Nokia. A phone was literally only able to be used for calling and texting. Apps hadn’t even been invented yet, so the telcos had a powerful monopoly on phone usage. Depending on your phone plan, every month you had a finite amount of call minute and text messages to make. Any extra text message past your limit would cost a ridiculous amount of money. You had to stay within the character limit for each text and ration your texts or end up with your parents refusing to pay your phone bills. I’m so glad that telecommunication these days have improved so drastically.

Speaking of communication, the Internet was a vastly different place back in 2005. As we learn in this episode, being a moderator for a fangirl website is a big honor. Back then, going on the Internet did not consist of scrolling mindlessly on Facebook. You actually had to look for the content you wanted. Thus, there were hives of activity on specialty sites, and each community developed their own form of management. Typically websites would consist of a forum section where users could post their questions and comments on various topics. For a fangirl site, this forum is arguably the most important part of the website. A moderator would have the power to highlight or sticky a post to the top, or delete and ban users.

Although Facebook was not available yet, there were various blogging and sharing sites on the Internet in 2005. As shown in the episode, QQ was widely popular in China (and still is). Each user account could access various functions on the platform which included a friends list, chat message, a personal blog and private memos.

Next historical relic spotted, the Warcraft poster pasted on the door of the Internet Cafe that the boys frequent. Warcraft was released in 2004, so that was absolutely the era of the original Warcraft game. There has been loads of Warcraft sequels since, but the poster is the classic original one. Kudos to the props team on that one.

In the previous episode, the boys spent time in the Internet Cafe as well, and I'm pretty sure that the game they were playing was Counterstrike - another massively popular computer game in that era. Counterstrike is a fantastic bonding game. Every round is approximately 2 to 5 minutes. There is almost no learning curve to this game. You literally team up with your buddies, connect to a game, and try to shoot down anyone who isn't on your team. In an hour, you theoretically could play 50 short games. It's low stress and involves loads of incoherent yelling. It's therefore really believable that the guys could become fast friends after just one gaming session. And that they would make plans to go regularly after school.

That marriage game though............ I'm not sure I ever encountered anything like that. It’s also not within my personal experience that any 16 year old guy would be interested in broadcasting his impending marriage with his virtual waifu. Haha, just my take but this mindset seems too modern for 2005.

I'll try to keep my eyes peeled for more 2005 pop culture references throughout this show.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time (2017 Christmas Special)

Okay! Yeah, I enjoyed that. I wouldn't be me if I didn't have my complaints, and as always, let's start with those.

Cons:

The original Doctor being a sexist old man really did not work for me, and there are a few reasons why. First off, I have no idea if this is true of the original character or not, but even if it was, it doesn't make sense. Time Lords are ancient beings from a society wholly different from earth. Would they really have the same stupid hangups about gender? Specifically considering that Time Lords have malleable genders? But I actually have a bigger problem with this. See, it's not necessarily the worst thing in the world to have a sexist character in the story. But this guy isn't just some random old codger. He's meant to be the Doctor. We're meant to connect to him and sympathize with him. So if he's going around saying sexist stuff, there needs to be a real reason behind it. Oh, hey, I've just thought of a reason - the Doctor, as in, our current Doctor, doesn't want to regenerate, because he's afraid of continuing on, of growing and changing. Maybe seeing this old version of himself, with very backwards ideas about gender, could remind him that change is often a very good thing. That over time, he can learn and grow as a person and be better for it. There! I've just attached a simple, sensible moral to the whole "sexist original Doctor" bit. The problem is, they didn't do that! The sexist comments were just played for a laugh! Pulease.

It was cool to see Nardole and Clara there for a tiny moment at the end of the episode, but these moments were so fleeting that they felt a bit like prizes granted to the Doctor for good behavior. I remember Tennant's farewell tour as the Tenth Doctor had his final moments, where he went around and saw all of his companions one last time before regenerating. You want to know why that worked? Because these companions did not appear magically in front of him and tell him how amazing he was. He went and saw them in their own lives, doing their own thing, living on without him, and he got to see the way that life moves on.

There's one other thing I want to say before I turn to the good stuff, of which there is plenty. There's this philosophy in Moffat-era Doctor Who that I've always strongly disliked, that the Doctor is a special snowflake who is uniquely suited to saving the universe and holding everything together. I always liked the idea of him just being an idiot in a box who is a fundamentally good person at heart, and does what he can to help... but the idea of him being the glue that holds it all together smacks of the strongest hubris to me. I've always hated that idea, so I thought I should bring it up here, as it does get talked about.

Pros:

Let's start with the Christmas Armistice of 1914. I've seen this moment fictionalized a billion times, and it never fails to make me weep. I know it's manipulative, I know it's trying to appeal to some base sentimentality inside of me, but whatever. It works. I loved the idea of this poor captain being pulled away in a fantastical adventure, only to be returned to the spot of his death... and then for a purely human miracle to occur and save his life anyway. Also, nice touch about this guy being related to some of the earlier Doctor's companions. As someone who never watched any of the original run of the show, I can't say that the reference resonated for me personally... but it was a cool moment nevertheless.

Mark Gatiss gave a very fine performance as the Captain. In some ways this was his Doctor Who swan song as well as it was Moffat's, and since I don't hate Gatiss as I do Moffat, it was nice to see him get this final moment to stretch his acting wings. He gave a very understated, simple performance as a man out of his own time, and one who is, quite naturally, scared of dying. I love that in the beginning, he's quite willing to trade his spent life for Bill's, but that later on he admits to real qualms about the end of his life. There isn't room in a single episode, or indeed at all in a show like Doctor Who, to delve deep into the tragedy of the First World War. I like how they suggested the scale of this tragedy by having two soldiers, one British and one German, face each other down, holding their weapons on each other. Both are scared. Neither can understand each other. Neither needs to die, and because of the spontaneous armistice, neither ends up losing their life on that particular night. It's a simple way of evoking a complex situation. Very well done.

This episode didn't have much of a plot, and by that I mean it didn't have an "evil plot" that the Doctor had to overthrow. In fact, when he realizes what the glass figures are doing, he's at a loss - how is he supposed to respond to something benevolent and good that's ultimately doing no harm? I like the idea of memory collection in order to preserve the history of life. I also quite like that this episode didn't explore the negative or scary connotations of such an idea. Sure, things can be taken to extremes and go terribly wrong, but in this particular case, everything is actually okay. The conflict of the episode, instead, is the internal one inside of the Doctor - both the original, and now so many years later, the Twelfth. Neither is ready to move on and regenerate, but both must ultimately make the choice to do so.

Capaldi gave a brilliant final performance. I didn't get weepy in his final moments, but I did feel a strong connection to his parting words. There was something understated and lovely about his final acceptance of the regeneration. He's alone in the TARDIS, and he directs his final remarks to the next version of himself, telling the next Doctor to be kind, to choose love over hate, and all of that kind of stuff. And while these words might seem generic, there is something undeniably Doctor Who-ish about them. I enjoyed the first few chaotic moments of the new Doctor, but I won't discuss that here - we'll have to wait and see how things shake out in the new season before making any real judgment.

I'll miss Bill, and there was a very real part of me that hoped she could somehow return and continue on with the new incarnation of the Doctor. Perhaps her memory-self, or even her actual self traveling around with her immortal girlfriend, can pop back up in a future episode to visit. I like the potential of companions that can come back and say hi. For obvious reasons, a lot of them can't. But Bill? Why not!

I suppose in the end this episode was emotionally poignant, a strong farewell to a beloved Doctor and a good jumping-off point for whatever comes next. I certainly will not miss the corrupting influence of Mr. Moffat, and I'm excited to maybe get back to some of the invigorating feeling of Doctor Who in the early revival days, with a new show-runner at the helm, and a new lead taking us on new adventures!

8/10

[ourdallasvideofestthings]

I’m back from SXSW where I saw so many people, quite a few films, and several panels. Did I mention a LOT of people?  I started my time there with a difficult decision—Song by Song, the new film by Terrence Malick or a four-hour documentary about the Grateful Dead called, Long Strange Trip. I knew so many people would be going to Song by Song, as it was the Austin/SXSW thing to do, but I also knew there would be a long line to get in and that it is opening at the Angelika soon. When I heard that the wait was 2 hours, I was not interested at all, so I trucked on down to the Dead show and I’m really glad I did.   I walked in and saw John Pierson, husband of Janet Pierson, who programs SXSW. John has written a book on indie films in  “Spike Mike Slackers and Dykes” and did a show on the IFC channel called Split Screen.  In one episode of that show, sometime in the 90’s, he came to the Video Fest. He said that episode is on the new Film Struck website and available on iTunes, in season 3. I also ran into Paul Stekler, who runs the RTF department at UT Austin, as well as Louis Black, a SXSW founder. Indeed, I felt like we were old codgers in a young land, but the real reason I was happy to see the documentary was that the filmmakers had access to the original stem of all the music, meaning they could re-mix it for 7.1 Dolby sound. Since this would mostly be shown on Amazon, who purchased it, this will be one of the few times to hear this great mix in a theatre. Oh, and the film was good; it lasted four hours, just about as long as a Dead show.   I saw many other good films and TV shows. I went to a few panels and two stood out. One was on directing your editors, meaning that the focus was on the relationship between editors and directors, which is not often discussed. The material was really useful and some of the best remarks came from Susan Adair who has edited Rick Linklater's films for many years. Her new film as a director, The Secret Life of Lance Letscher, is coming to the Dallas International Film Fest in a few weeks. It played at SXSW, but I thought I’d wait to see it in Dallas. I’m back from SXSW where I saw so many people, quite a few films, and several panels. Did I mention a LOT of people?  I started my time there with a difficult decision—Song by Song, the new film by Terrence Malick or a four-hour documentary about the Grateful Dead called, Long Strange Trip. I knew so many people would be going to Song by Song, as it was the Austin/SXSW thing to do, but I also knew there would be a long line to get in and that it is opening at the Angelika soon. When I heard that the wait was 2 hours, I was not interested at all, so I trucked on down to the Dead show and I’m really glad I did.   I walked in and saw John Pierson, husband of Janet Pierson, who programs SXSW. John has written a book on indie films in  Spike Mike Slackers and Dykes and did a show on the IFC channel called Split Screen.  In one episode of that show, sometime in the 90’s, he came to the Video Fest. He said that episode is on the new Film Struck website and available on iTunes, in season 3. I also ran into Paul Stekler, who runs the RTF department at UT Austin, as well as Louis Black, a SXSW founder. Indeed, I felt like we were old codgers in a young land, but the real reason I was happy to see the documentary was that the filmmakers had access to the original stem of all the music, meaning they could re-mix it for 7.1 Dolby sound. Since this would mostly be shown on Amazon, who purchased it, this will be one of the few times to hear this great mix in a theatre. Oh, and the film was good; it lasted four hours, just about as long as a Dead show.   I saw many other good films and TV shows. I went to a few panels and two stood out. One was on directing your editors, meaning that the focus was on the relationship between editors and directors, which is not often discussed. The material was really useful and some of the best remarks came from Susan Adair who has edited Rick Linklater's films for many years. Her new film as a director, The Secret Life of Lance Letscher, is coming to the Dallas International Film Fest in a few weeks. It played at SXSW, but I thought I’d wait to see it in Dallas.   As we get older, we too often are faced with the tragedy of losing people important to both our personal and professional lives. This weekend we lost Andy Anderson.  Andy was a great filmmaker, teacher and screenwriter. I met Andy soon after I arrived in Dallas, when he was putting together Positive ID, which is a great film. I also knew that he was running the film program at UT Arlington and had heard good things about his teaching and the program. I joined the program and worked very closely with Andy. He was a tough and inspiring teacher. Most people that came through our program would say that his screenwriting class changed their lives, and indeed, his teaching did change many lives.  To get an idea of what he thought of teaching, you might want to check out Learning Curve, his next feature. These just scratch the surface of his work. Andy was an artist who usually made and wrote narrative films, but he could also fix cars, cameras and pretty much anything else. He was also the chair of the Art and Art History department at UTA and did so many things to help me, some of which I know about and then there are others that I just suspect.   At this moment I don’t know when or where the memorial service is, but check Facebook. We will post info there. And for a taste of Andy’s films, here is a short film I made about him for Deep in the Arts On KERA TV. Andy will be missed but his spirit and passion live on in hundreds of students.   So, what is happening in town?   Next week I will have more info on DIFF. The Texas Theater is showing Kedi, the film about Turkish cats. It is also playing at the Magnolia (where they are playing It Takes a Thief as their Big Movie on Tuesday.) Also, at The Texas they are bringing in Whit Stillman for a screening of Life and Friendship, which should be great    The Alamo in the Cedars is showing Mad Max, Kill Bill and Jackie Brown— lots of action. The are also showing A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Wednesday at 8—this is really a great film.

The Alamo in Richardson is showing Run Lola Run on Wednesday, which is the ultimate studio, chase film, but so much fun to watch. Also showing are Kill Bill 1 and 2, Blade Runner, and the magnificent Mildred Pierce.  Have a great week.

Bart Weiss 

[gunduelhalted]

--- The Spider Is Back---------------

Willie Cheers Lad At Papa’s Expense

EDITORS NOTE: At the request of a number of readers for more Willie the Spider features following the close of a recent series, it has been decided to run additional ones from time to time. The following in another episode in the life of this champion of the underdog).

By ARTHUR BISHOP

Morning (?) Telegraph Staff Writer

... hoi polloi (as the starving ??? in Greenwich Village say) no doubt would applaud Willie The Spider in one specific instance smacking of “benevolence” on his part, which occurred in the Rose City back in 1920.

The said instance was in connection with a brief transaction between The Spider and one of the most penurious goofs in seven states who had no qualms about keeping his son’s olfactory organ to the grindstone, so to speak.

The little kid was allowed no leisure for play or recreation. During nearly all other times when not in school, he was compelled to help his old scrooge of a pappy in the small grocery store which the stingy old codger ran.

The old skinflint; perhaps squeezing the first nickel he ever earned until the time he kicked the bucket, rarely ever shelled out any dough to the lad with the possible exception of yuletide, when he’d put, grudgingly per- 

See THE SPIDER, Page 8A

• THE SPIDER

(Continued from Page 1A

-haps, four-bits in one of the kid’s shoes before the youngster got up Christmas morn.

Come the instance in question—the night of July 4, 1920. A raft of kids bought assorted fireworks at old skinflint’s store. And the spectacle of their shooting them off out front afforded a lot of glee to the old guy’s little kid.

Though denied the pleasure of physically indulging in the fun, because he had to work in the store, the kid could not obviously be restrained from feeling the enthrallment derived from ogling the other kids setting the fireworks off.

Willie The Spider, aware of the old carpetbag’s reputation, and how he always kept the lad working, loitered on the sidelines watching the merriment.

Pretty soon the kids had spent all of their limited funds for the fireworks. Consequently, the fun abruptly ceased.

Observing the happy sparkle in the skinflint’s little kid’s eyes as the chap watched the other fellers shooting the fireworks, and mindful of the boy’s contrasting disappointment when the celebration came to an end, The Spider got to thinking.

Willie The Spider’s profession was that of hawking geographical maps. But when he ran into a situation demanding that something be done to help underdog kids, for whom he had an inherent predilection, he was not averse to resorting to what con men call “expediency.”

The Spider went into the yokel’s store, selected $9.95 worth of assorted fireworks and slapped down a twenty-dollar bill on the counter before the guy.

As the storekeeper was trying to make change. The Spider was blah blah-ing to him about what a grand time the kids were having shooting the firecrackers.

“Yes, yes, I know,” the befuddled grocer said as he labored to keep from getting mixed up in making the change. But with the “help” of The Spider, the guy finally made it.

The Spider then distributed the fireworks amongst the kids out front.

For nearly two hours the pop- pity-pop and beautiful displays continued.

The old man’s kid beamed and laughed and yelled as he watched the gorgeous spectacle. It was one of the biggest single Fourth of July celebrations the boy had probably ever seen.

“The old man’s kid had a high time that Fourth of July night, even if he did have to work,” The Spider grinned. “A high time, that is, at the expense of his pappy, for I ‘somehow’ checked $9.95 long.”