Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-07-03

best kind of an American citizen; others
We're born so, but he was one from choice
Then the Civil War broke out and could
see he was uneasy thinking he ought to
enlist, but he would not do so until he had
saved enough money to keep ME comfort
ably, and so matters went on until the
second year of the war. l remember il
was the Goth of March previous to your
birthday. The last think he whispered
to me was: If a baby comes call it hide
pendcnce. That name will answer for a
boy or girl, and it fits so we'll on Day"
II partly believe he meant it for joke
to make me smile instead of cry, but
there was no time to explain, for the next
minute he had kissed me and was gone.
| need not tell you how lonely aud anx-
ious was. The time went on to those
dreadful days in the first week Of July,
1868. Yes, your father was at Gettys-
burg. How anxiously watched the pa
pers and on the third--that's nine years
ago to-day-the evening paper brought
the terrible news to me, as to many an
other 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 mis-
take. He had been killed in the first of
the lighting. can see those fearful let
tiers now when shut my eyes"
Here Mrs. Day broke down, and little
Pen could not say word, only stroked
her mothers hand silently. After min
ute Mrs. Day controlled herself 'NeXt
morning. the morning of July 4, you
came, my darling, my comforter and this
is the reason you are Independence Day.
l could not give you any other name. You
are your fathers own child-his hair, his
eyes, even his intense nature, are yours.
Now that she knows, am sure my little
daughter will be as brave rs he was, and
proud of her name because of him. Re
member always, dear, not Il boy of them
would laugh II they knew the real story
So it happened that when Miss indie
pendence Day went to school on the
morning of July 5. there was certain
new dignity in the child's bearing; when
roll call came her voice had lost its petu-
lance and had gained an unknown sweet
ness, withal ring that reminded one of
clear toned bell Something in her air
said, you may tease me as much as you
like. shan't mind, for Eve got Il secret" "
and we all know that when boys find
teasing does not tease they stop. This
is not all, however, nor even the best part
of the story. One day before her tor
mentors had grown tired of stirring her
up rs they called it she Glanced to wear
a string of coral beads. Jack Lyman,
the would-be wit of the school, snatched
at it rudely, calling out, Here's Indies
coral strand" Seeing her look of per-
pleXity he added mockingly: If yer don't
know what that means, better jine a
girls missionary sciety."
Stung by the contempt in his voice,
resolute little Independence made up her
mind she would know what it meant. or
course she asked her mother, and, though
Mrs. Day was not over wise on mission
airy topics, she had heard Bishop Heber's
grand old hymn and explained its mean
ing as best she could. The story took
hold Of the child with strong fuscina-
ton. She never would put on those beads
again, but she often took them out of
their box and looked at them with some
thing like affection, repeating softly to
herself, Indies coral strand" She nj
ways said Indies, not India's, as il it
We're n personal possession.
God sometimes uses small means to ac-
complish great purposes. BY such little
things the girls interest in missions was
awakened. 1t grew as she grew to wom-
anhood, and India became the country
of her dreams. Her twentieth birthday
found her motherless, with no duty to
bind her to this side of the world; it found
her also strong in purpose to live her
life in thnt fnr-off land WORKING for ito
people. If, mingling with this devotion.
was a lurking thought that no heather
would ever learn to call her by her Chris
tian name, who will blame her?
Thus it was that little Independence
Day grew up to be Il self-reliant woman,
and on this 4th of July she is too far
away for mischieyous> boys to twit her
about her red hair or her name and too
happy in her work to care if they did,
indianapolis News.