The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-30

wife, an thai tnow sence Silas was dea
an gone the little one an the mothe
was jist W raj pped up in each other, iv
in there Il alone"
Down in tsa the kitchen clattered tn
boys feet. Merry blue eyes were raisel
to true b i:1e, thoughtful ones in
/ glance tina meant much. and the DO,
/ ran into tn e garden, while the mothe
stepped qui elSly TO and fro laying tn,
breakfast tt Ible. This now old fashioned
! mother, in her tidy ''sprigged'' calico
gown and lean brown checked cling
lam apron, stepping DrlsKIy pacK and
A'rth betwee N stove and table in the
one big ''livi sg room" made pleasant
pick ure. Brea kfast started, she crossed
the room gu ckly to loom in one
cornAr and be gan to weave; for the
neighhor all agreed that ''Widow
BlodgeAt's rag carpets was wove bet
ter than.any tt ey had ever SEEM" and
Neighbof Wag. Ter said:
81 never did zee nocEin' so handsome
as the .hft-an Emiss pattern Widder
BlodgetS wove for me-but I tell We
there WANT noF hit-aH'-niss about the
weavin'.'"
So the 1Nusy' 'hands worked on weav.
ing a parss of her daily ''stint" before
breakfast weaving for bread.
Outside ME birds and the boy
whistled.
Soon the sc tund of a drum told the
mother the en-. uny in her posy bed was
routed by her b, tave little,drummer boy.
The boy ran i'm to breakfast
Down went his tdrum. Off came the
soldier cap, and rom it fell fag-ou,
flag.
Theichild ran ar pund the room wav.
ing the flag above Ms head and watch.
ing it's changing fol Us and colors.
Lets have the flag with US for
breakfast, mother"
The mother nodded and smiled. So
the flag was fastened In the top of the
old-fashioned castor.
They sat down to thes table and the
east sun just Touched lightly the
child's forehead and shcne full on the
mothers head as it was bowed rev.
erently before eating the daily bread
The hungry child,S was full, always,
of questions
us God keeping father for US.
motherP"
"Yes. ,deary." said the!gentle voice.
''And will He keep him till-well,
till we move out of our, bodies and &c
up, mp, up to- the sky?'
Eyes. SilAs"
~ should ;hink. tho. He'd lend him
70 US. mother. Then father would
take care uv.us and you wouldn't
hev ter work so hard; but / help
take care, don't /, mother? But
WHY don't God send, father back? Yer
posies kun back. on risin' day in the
spring. some nv EN-. but father don't
never KUN back. Whyf'
''God knows best, nv child" said the
voice of the one who had loved and |
lost.
SIS father dead like them,weeds?"
mo. child. yer father air't dead like |
the weeds. Think alyFays'that he's like |
mothers plant yer love so-much."
30. l know-the livefrcver Yep. I |
like that there posey. lisa brave 'pn. |
Il amt afraid nv Jack Frost, and it |
lives f'rever and day dom it. mother"
Yes, dear" said the mother, slowly. |
as her thoughts few back 10 the happy /
DAYS when another Silas and she had |
planted that posy bed.
whats the flag got three.colors in |
it for, mother"
because. my boy, every color means |
omethin'-somethin' fer you TO be I
somethin' that Washington was. That
there flag nv ourn talks; listen. an III
tell you The red says: BE brave"
The childish voice repeated: .'Ther+
red says TO be brave"
Remember that forever, nv bov."
"Wha. does the white say7''
The white says: BE pure an the
blue says: BE true"
The red.
TIE white
The blue.
Be brave,
Be pure,
Be true
That's a nice rhyme. amt Il,
MOTHER
Yes, my boy. an It's more then that,
too
Yep" The child looked up thought
fully at the flag that had been draped
around Washington picture ever since
he could remember. while his mother
fastened the little flag in his soldier
cap.
Here we 20. ne an the flag: no. the
aag an me, on the doubleQulck- GooG.