Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 155, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1916 — OLD GLORY LEADS [ARTICLE]

OLD GLORY LEADS

By IZOLA FORRESTER.

"What we really need is some war relics. Kit, don’t you know.” Orrle sat down on the top of the stepladder and surveyed the town hall’s Memorial day trimmings. They were meager In spite of all good intentions. "There’s old Mr. Millard—” Kit stopped, too, and frankly giggled. "If he’d be willing to let you take any of his relics.” "But they’d be Southern.” "Just Virginia. Everybody love* Virginia. Anyhow, who’d know which side they came from?" “If you’d ask Walt, Kit, he’d get them for you." "I won’t ask him. He told me the whole thing was an idiotic mixup that should have been avoided by cool heads and he said the North should have paid for every slave and not impoverished the South, and he said that cotton and politics lay at the back of Its- ’ „ "Then we must get them.” In all emergencies Orrie rose supreme to trifling obstacles. That morning about 11 as old Mr. Millard came slowly and painfully along the old stone-flagged walk from, the well to the barn, he faced two visitors —Kit in her very prettiest gown of white, with little green and pink sprigs, and a big white hat dropping around her face, and behind her Orrie, plump and positive. When they reached the side porch of the old house in which he had lived alone for years, Kit stated their errand. Could the Daughters of the Veterans borrow his war relics? •*T ain’t got any “folks burled up this side of the line," he said shortly. u l reckon I don’t want to . show anything.”

“Oh, but please; we haven’t hardly anything.” Orrie broke in, and for 15 minutes the two argued, one on each side of the old chap, begging and explaining. When they finished, there was a subdued twinkle in his eyes, and he looked at Kit. "Ain’t you the girl my Walt’s been going with?” he asked cheerfully. Up to her forehead, Kit blushed, but stood her ground. "Then why don’t you get him on your side, too? He wouldn’t shoulder a gun if all creation was climbing over his back fence. He’d go out and read a book at them and offer to take down the fence to save them the trouble of climbing over it.” "Mr. Millard,” Kit leaned forward now in dead earnest, "you’re the only man left here in Buell who knows really what war is. Won’t you get up and make a speech tomorrow?” “Me? Never made a speech in my life, but I believe in being ready!” He thumped the porch heavily. “And what happened back in '6l ain’t neither here nor there when it comes to what’s best for today. You can have all my things if you’ll get Walt to say he’d fight if the rest had to. That’s all—that he’d fight if the rest had to”

‘Til see Walt,” Kit answered firmly, and when they came to the main street up she went all alone to the little law office that Walter Millard had opened up over the drug store. The color left his face at sight of his visitor, but he was grave and courteous and listened to all she had to say. “You know how I feel, Kit," he said finally. "I can’t go back on my principles Just because it’s Memorial day.” “Then you needn’t come to see me again,” Kit flashed back at him. “I wouldn’t marry any man who wouldn’t fight if the rest did, Just as your grandfather says.” Yet all the success of the celebration could not take away the bitterness and hopelessness. They were both college bred, children of the laterday bringing up In the little New England town, and proud. Kit, standing besida the other girls on the little green, listened while the two selectmen and the town doctor made their speeches, followed by the preacher and the superintendent of schools in this district. Orrie helped him down, and then laboriously but resolutely old Mr. Millard took his place. A cheer went up from the crowd, and he smiled. Right in front of him was Kit, expectant and wide-eyed, and»behind her, tall and silent, stood Walt. “What I’ve come here to say, friends and neighbors,” began the old chap—“what I come here to say is this: I ain’t any speechifyer nor orator, and I ain’t sorry that I fought for the side I believed was right, nuther, but I do say this today—‘United we stand, divided we fall.’ Let’s stand together, back to back, and follow where the old flag calls. That’s my message. Walt, get up here and echo it.”

He stumbled down, and Kit watched In breathless suspense as Walt stepped forward. There was a heavy hush now. Everybody knew young Millard’s sentiments, and knew, too, he was the most promising young man in Buell. “I would fight if the rest had to,” was all he said, very clearly, very firmly. Somebody started up “America,” and he found himself beside Kit, holding her hands fast in his. One of the selectmen spoke to him Jokingly, half in earnest, “That long speech of yours, Walt, will land you in the legislature .next winter.” “It lands me In heaven sooner than that,” said Walt. “Kit’s Just promised to marry me.” (Copyright, 1918, bythe McClure Newspa* ptr tjyno ,