Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-11-19
COLUMBIA'S PLUCK.

COlAuDla WAS ner
Alpin. 81 know it's queer" she used to
explain, ''for strangers, when they're in
PRODUCED, always stare at me as if l were
some sort of foreigner, when I'm not,
thank goodness! But it's the name I've
got, and I'm going to try to live up to it,"
So Columbia vas nothing if not pa
triotic, aud her name, however odd, didn't
seem inappropriate. She had little need
to deck herself with the national colors
which she so persistently Haunted, for ma
ture had printed the red, white and blue
in dawn tints OF her glowing face, and
bright stars shone there, too, right out of
the blue, to make all absolutely perfect.
She was herself our country's fairest,
truest emblem.
But patriotism was at a discount in
Rustival, OF R~ustyvillo, as it vas insult
ingly nicknamed by its hustling neigh
bors in Newburg, just across the lake,
for Rustival was a sour, belated little
country town which had aspired to become
the local metropolis and hadn't realized
its ambition. l remember that when I
went there to start a tannery in 1866, the
year of the preliminary survey for the T.,
V. and W. railroad, it was impossible to
get a rod of ground for love or money, so
extravagant wero the expectations of the
villagers. But they had seen the railroad
and the county seat and all the other good
things which they had accounted their
own one by one slip from their grasp and
tumble into the lap of their upstart rival.
Thus Rustival, %dwindling and dingy, con-
{-,,n1l 1~n;,,~ ~ r. 1or@ ~ i%n 1,,1%I
and retaining only those whose shallow,
rustic conceit found scant encouragement
elsewhere, had become the abode of pee.
wish and carping discomfort, ripe for dis
loyalty. The whole country was going to
the dogs; that was evident. A glance at
their neglected street, weedy yards and
the white paint scaling from a struggling
line Of houses was proof enough to this
widowed community.
Naturally when the war with Spain
broke out there was no enthusiasm. To
be sure, Joel Slocum, the local politician,
made off to Washington to try for an APP
pointment, but he soon came back and re-
ported a general state Of rottenness.
''Them Spaniards," he declared, "are
goin to lick us out of our boots, an I'm
hopin it may do us good. Everything's all
at skies an sevens, an there can't no.
body git any show exceptin a ruck of rich
mems sons"
"Why don't you enlist in the ranks and
serve your country that way?" demanded
Columbia, with characteristic aggressive
ness. sd call that better business for a
big, strong man like you than loatlng
about and %grumbling here"
Sha had i1lct pDtnrnI tho nOctoffica
where Joel vas ~haranguing, and stood like
an animated edition of the 'sStar Span
gled Banner on the edge of the crowd.
"Ketch me servin under them rincom-
poops!" roared Joel. Better run home,
little gal, an stick on a few more of them
red, white an blue posies you've sot out in
your pas front yard. That's the way you
gals fight fer your country, Clumby
Alpin." -.
"I'll just show yor some day." she cried
defiantly as she turned away with a letter
postmarked Newburg.
Even the news of the brilliant victory at
Manila fell fiat in Rustival.
"Jest happened so," commented Joel.
''Likely the Spanish want lookin fer no
sech fool doin's way off t'other side of no.
where, an what's the good on it? Should
say we he'd Switches enough Oh hans
already, specially with that gal ravin
round in her war paint, maxim a walkin
barber pole of herself. Wouldn't mind
givin he, a few feathers, though, to help
out. She's corruptin all the gals in the
village"
For Columbia had indeed succeeded in
firing the maidens of Rustival with. some
thing of her own spirit. The war appeal
ed to them. The element of romance had
been sadly lacking in their lives. They
organized a Soldiers Aid society, held pa
triotic meetings and sent flowers and
dainties to the boys in blue in the volun-
teers' camp near Newburg. They also es-
tablished a boycott against the disloyal
youth Of their own town, though the
young men strenuously insisted that 1t
was just the other way, and the boycott
was on the girls. Anyhow there was a
great dearth Of parties, " and Sparkling
was at a standstill.
Then, as an offset to the hated volun-
teers at Newburg, these brave lads formed
. company of "home guards"
"Fer right here's whore you're goin to be
needed, boys" asseverated Joel, ian purity
soon too. Fancy them crazy gals'n haul
In some of their striped toggery when
once they see the Spaniards marchin into
town."
But when this devoted troop of defend
ers paraded the streets the girls scoffed Mt
them openly, and from day to day the bit
terness grew. Finally, as the Fourth of
July drew near, the men unanimously
voted that they would have no celebration.
It'd jest be a farce an a humiliation at
sich a season as this" Joel assured them,
ian you better keep your eyes peeled, boys,
fer it's more'n likely them striped petit
coats'll be out fer mischief"
And in very truth this blue eyed daugh-
ter Of Revolutionary rebels and Scotch
C%ovenanters was not the sort Of girl to
bear an insult tamely, least of all IN in
suit to her flag. Ard now. a personal
grievance was added, for some of these
chivalrous pumpkins had deemed 1t a
clever joke to break into her garden at
80 49, nz-,o~n -rI k~ov