The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-26
A MEMORY.
Days OF the eos Recalled by Incl
dents of Veterans Parade.

All honor to our soldier boys,
OF sixty and seventy-five;
Honor to all of the gallant few,
That still remain alive.
They love the flag that floats afar,
The flag so tattered and torn,
The Stars and Bars of the cause that is
dead,
In their hearts forever borne.
AS I stood on the street corner watching
the parade of the Confederate veterans
my rebellious heart would not behave
kept trying to get above Itself as it were
and find it's way out of my mouth. They
are sad, these reunions, where the last
of the bravest and best meet to count
their losses. and yet l would do my part
to honor them.
You who did not see this parade, this
remnant of the past, picture to yourselves
the long line of old men, white haired
lame, bent, worn, blind, still following the
colors they fought and bled, and worse
than died for. The flag, like the men, were
and old, but glorious in its very age. The
red. the symbol of courage and suffering
faded and torn, but still there. The stars
the symbol of hope some of them gone
some of them with blood-stains turned
black. The blue, the symbol of truth and
right, still blue, but turning to gray. Like
the men who loved II so well, the cd flag
seems putting on browning itself with the
color 80 like the smoke that hoated over
our battle fields"
There was an Old veteran standing near
me, with only one leg. AS he columns
passed we Involuntary turned and looked
at each other, and our hands met The
tears were streaming down both our faces
"God bless themv' | said
sob.
As the column halted 1 noticed a blind
man being led. leaned over and touched
him, and said:
''stln following the Stars and Bars al
though the light has gomez"
Yes" he answered, "and Til follow
them till the strengths gone"
The veteran next me leaned forward
and stared at the blind man, then almost
roughly pushed me aside.
George George-, don't you
know me?"
II don't know your voice comrade. l
can't see you know. Let me touch you"
and he felt the other mans face mo, /
amt knowed you of tate years"
But back in SO, George, back with
johnson at Kennesaw I'm jim"
Jim. Jim boy, Is It you? Let me touch
you let me feel you. Oh boy, If could
just see you. / lost my eyes at Kenne-
saw, shot clean out"
And / my leg, George. It's on the
mountain now, reckon"
"Air you in the parade Jim? Air you
following the colors?"
mo George. T. just standing up here
blubhern' like a bloomin' baby"
THAT amt the way you did back in CT.
Come along hoy, give me your hand. You
remember" Ard these Two gray headed.
manned men moved on, still following the
colors they loved so well. The column
stopped again soon. You must remember
they we're so old and lame they could not
march as they had n the long ago. One
old man caught sight of my tears and
leaning iowa DIS ne said:
That's rot he way the women sent us
to fight back in the sixties. You wouldn't
do to send a fellow to war, would you,
Misse?"
YES" I answered. And you must re-
memher you didn't see the women folk
after you had gone"
True enough for you. lade," came an
other voice. THE women Of to-day are as
brave az they were back in the six les"
One man came I'd TO lei us look at his
banner 1T amt never been disgraced by
bein' in the hands of but one Yankee" he
said, "and that's me. was horn in YER
mont, but fit for the South, and l love
it."
Lock at the boys now, II may be the
last lime" and I'VE are The same Cd
boys" we could hear now and again Down
the !ine.
Brave fearts and true. How we love
theml But enough tears have been shed
for them 10 drown he world, and row we
cen only say:
"God bless themi
Mary label Eeckwith