Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-06-14

!
He ran fast, for it WAS growing late.
and people would soon be astir. There
was some one IN the old burying-
| ground. He was about to take a short
cut across it when he caught sight o'
u girls hat Georgianna's best hat;
there WAS Io mistaking 1t.
He dropped his bundle behind
rCck. OF course she had seen him. 1t
VAS so like GeoT gianna to catch a fel-
| lowi She vas all in her Sunday best,
md had flow ers in her hands and in
her open parasol
"Yes, 1t is early" she said, in re
sponse to Dawes murmured exclama-
! ton, as he allowed his head to appear
trying to look entirely at his ease
| over the stone wall. 81 wanted to
decorate gra1dpa's grave first of all. |
thought mother would like to see it
! when she came over. He was such
/ splendid soldier, you know" Georgi.
anna's face lighted up proudly.
| "Of conrse 1 know he was a soldier,
| but | don't see any sense in making
| such a FUSS" growled Dave. Georgi
| anna looked at HIM, and then she sud
| denly came over To the fence and laid
| her hand on his arm.
Dave, 1 want You to help me! ]
| have II great ambiiion!"
"You-got a great smbition?" mur-
INJURED Dave. He ielt that it was very
presuminR for girl to have a great
ambition, but perhaps not more so
| than was to be expected of Georgi
aunai
"People here are forgetting every
thing, Dave everything but the every
| day work and the petty osresl They
don't remember even that wonderful
war, and the heroic men who gave
| their lives. I've made them remember
that. They will keep Decoration Day,
and I'm gong to try for a real Fourth
of Julyl You must help me, Dave.
! My great ambition is to make Ban
bury Crossing grow; to put some life
and hope into il. L can't blame the
boys aud girls who go away. L have
wanted to" o"-Georgisnns had wanted
to go Rwayl this was new idea to
Dave-''but We can't go, you and |, on
account of mother and the others; of
course the descendants of soldiers like
US can't desert our postsi'
The very thing he had said to JEFF
Dawkins, thought Dave, and after
ward he had forgotten all about It'll
"SInce we can't go away" continued
bury Crossing better place to live in |
l think you viii have a good chance to
help me if you go into that msnufsc-
tory"
Dave made a wry face. Mr.. Daw-
kIns had offered him situation in his
mauufactory, and his mother wished
him to take 1t.
81 know it is drudgery, Dave, but
{ - L. Al, d. i
And you co1ld influence the others
there. And more might be made of
that mandatory: did l tell you what
l heard MIR. Filklns, the Summer
boarders at Aunt Abby's, say about itP
thinks she can do great things, but
factory will stir, tool You'll see.
You'll promise to help me, won't you,
Dave? Well make them finish the
town hall I'm going to get up lit
tie entertainment to start the fund.
They'll see what we can do tonight.
o, Dave! can't do without you for a
defamation. There's no one like you
for that. Will you try Listen, young
heroes, your country is calling?'"
Dawes face kindIed. 81 like TO
speak that, 1 wish 1 could be sol.
der" he said.
"You are one-while you stick to
your post of duty" said Georgianna
lightly. "And that reminds me that !
must run home and put on my kitchen
belle apron and help get breakfast.
You must hurry, too, for I'm afraid
mother will have to milk. She's afraid
to trust Albertus, you know"
Dave hesitated for one moment; then
he kicked his bundle into a crevice in
the wall quite out of sight; he looked
back to the foot of the hill where JEFF
Dawkins might still be waiting. And
then he hurried home with Georgi-
anna.
He had not much time to think that
day; he Was helping to decorate the
soldiers graves in the cemetery. Ban
bury Crossing had evidently been
patriotic once, for there were many OF
those graves. And he, happily, re-
membered "Listen, Young Heroesw
so that he could recite il at the memor-
lal exercises which were held IN the
evening III Georgianna's schooIroom
There WAS much excitement in Ban
bury Crossing the next morning. Polly,
whom they sometimes called the Ban
bury Crossing journal, because she
brought home all the news, came run
ming into the barn while Dave WAS
milking.
"What do you think, DaveI JEFF
Dswklns ran away yesterday morning
with three hundred dollars of his m
cle's money, and Mr.. Dawkins found it
ont last night, and sent the sheriff after
him and caught him, and now he's III
the Rockingham jailp'
When Georgianna came ont to call
them to breakfast she saw Dave star
ing speechlessly at Polly, his face as
white as ashes. Dave was remember
ing mysterious hints that JEFF hal
given of his intention to share with
him because "they should both be in
the same boat" lie had shamed-
faced suspicion that he had been a
simpleton, but even this Was almost
lost in his Joy over his escape.
''Georgianna, Pm-Pm glad I've got
you for a sister" he stammered.
Really, Dave?" exclaimed Georgi-
anna, whose astonIshment at his ap-
pearance was by no means lessened by
this unprecedented tribute to her
worth. "Ihen Ii never felt like SO
much of a girl in my lifel"
Sometimes a fellow could stand it to
have Georgisnna look at himl
But it was not until long afterward
that he told Georgianna all about it.
Just then he could not bear to. He
was very thankful that his mother, in
her early morning haste, had stepped
upon the letter which he had slipped
under her door, and it had been drawn
by her dress down into a corner of the
staircase where he had found 1t un-
opened. Long afterwsrd, as has been
said, he did tell GeorgIanns all about
it. But that was after the new town
hall was dedicated, and two new
churches built, and people came from
all the adjoining towns to the Fourth
of July celebration, and and the ccun-
try papers all spoke of Banbury Cross