The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-07-04
WHAT'S IN A NAME.
A Fourth OF July story,

she was q blue-eyed, fair-skinned and IN
deniably red-baired little girl who ran furi-
ously home from the country schoolhouse,
GU the afternoon of a July third, not quite
a score ofyears ago. Her face shove ed the
mingling of English and Scotch character
istics; just now it was fearful and angry
besides.
"Why can't they let me alone! Why
did mother give NE such name."' That
was about the sun Of lier vexed thoughts.
Well, 1t was funny. One couldn't exact
ly blame the boys for laughing when al
r%oll-call every morning they heard the
name: Independence Day" II the red
blood sarged back 10 her ears once, it had
a hundred times as She answered: Pres
ent." That I%oll-oall was her biggest trial.
Her mother always called her Pen and
to casual Listeners that might mean Pen
~elope." The girls often said Indie" for
it was in the days VIXEN the les had it all
to themselves, and She didn't mind that 80
much. But boys are nerciiess, and to
hear them Singer and whisper, "Reg'la lar
Fourth o July, amt she?' vas an almost
daily martyIdom; " lille there would sit
Miss Thompson, the teacher, with specta-
cles on her nose, and her short sight intent
on the list OF names, checking them of,
oblivious of what Was passing behind the
desks.
This day a fresh grievance had come III
the suggestion from a y%oungster at recess,
hat they 'sbeg a LOCK of Miss Indepen-
dence Days hair to light fire crackers With
o-morrow.o Well! to have such a name
and rcd hair into the bargain was too
much, and she grew more and more rag
ing. She had one of those strsng, intense
once giving up, give up utterly for the
time. Bursting into the house She threw
herself into her mothers arms in a passion
Of tears, sobbing: why did you give me
such a dreadful name?n
Mrs Day petted and soothed, and
drew from her by degrees the story OF ac-
cnmulated woes. When she was some
what qnieted, she said:
W tain W ySo ctS
your name, Pen dear, but was waiting TIL
you were a little older. I'm sorry l didn't
do it EARLIER, but had no idea What my
little daughter was bearing You know
your father and | lived in England years
be fore you were boin; your brother whom
you never saw, lies in a green churehyard
there. But we were poor and life was
pretty hard for us, SO We decided
States. Everything prospered with
us after we came here. Your father
found constant work and We weIe very
happy. l suppose that was the reason he
became SO devoted to his adopted country.
He used to say lie v al the best kind of an
American citizen; others were born SO, but
he was one from choice. Then came the
Civil War, and | could see he was uneasy
wouldn't until he had saved money enough
to keep me comfortable, SO it got to be in
the second year. | remember 'tw as the
tw entieth Of March be left me, the March
| DciOft yOu ntjC u ~ "a thhhEs ~
whispered to me: When the baby comes.
call it ..Independence." That namc'n
answer Tor a boy or girl either, and it fits
so we'll on Day | h~aif-thought he
meant it for a Joke to make me smile in
stead of cry, but there was no time to ex-
plain, for the next minnie he had kissed
ME and was gone. | needn't tell YOU o
lonely and anxious | was. The time went
on TO those dreadful days in the first week
of July, 1868. Yes, your father was at
Gettysburg. How anxious : watched the
papers, and on the third-that's nine years
ago to-dsy-the evening paper brought
! terrible new to me, as to many another
woman. There was the list of the dead,
and there was his regiment; there was his
company and there was his name-James
Day. No other man named Day in that
company; there could be no mistake. He
had been killed at the first of the fighting.
| can see those fearful letters now when ]
shut my eyes," Here Mrs. Day quite
broke down, and little Pen couldn't say a
word, only stroked her mothers hand
silently.
After a minute Mis-. Day controlled her.
self:
Next morning. the morning of July
fourth, You came, my darling, my COM
iorter. And this is the reason why You
are independence Day couldn't give
yod any other name. You are your
fathers own child; his hair, his eyes, even
his intense nature, are yours. Now thai
she know $, ! am sure my little dsughte,
will be brave as he was, and proud Of hei
name because of him. Remember always,
dear, not a boy of them all would laugh II
The y knew the zeal story they would be
too manly"
So it happened that when Miss Inde-
peudence Day went to school on the MORN
ing of July fifth, there wass certain new
dignity in the child's bearing; when roll
call came her voice had lost its petulance
aud had gained an unknown sweetness;
withal a ring which reminded one Of a
clear toned bell.
Something in her air said" You may