Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-05-30
The Color Bearer
I A Story for Decoration Day. !
: BY Manda L. Crocker.

I
~ wM KIN hear the drums a-beatin', Jo-
&-El Sarah Parliman stood in her
humble doorway, leaning her head little
farther out in the May dusks, in listening
/ attitude.
| whats that We hear, Sairee"'
A thin, angular man came out of the cabin
and stood beside the woman. Tapping the
corncob pipe he held in his right hand
medtatively on the thumbnail of his left,
he bent his gray locks to the breeze.
"What was it that ye heard, Sairee?' he
repeated, softly.
| Drums a-beatih'," she answered crisply;
"theyre gettin' ready for Decoration to-
morrow"
As if in emphasis, the wind blew briskly
up from the quarter indicated by they"
and the roll of drums came plainly to the
old mans ear.
'Hurrah hurrah for the old flag, Sairee!"
And he began marching up and down the
white path running to the wicket.
Lets 60 termorrer; say yes, Sairee!"
lie put out his bony hand through the
shadows until it rested on the ample shoul-
ders of his wife.
Josiah she said, warningly. when
ye have served the kcntry like st. Paul, in
fastin's, an pcrls, an marchin's, an fight
in, and then wasted all your livn' on agents
an lawyers to get the pension due We nigh
| onto 20 years and are no whit better off?
| What! Shall we 60 over to Mentone to-
| morrow and parade around with them as
| don't want us or don't miss us? | guess
not! We've said we wouldn't mix in ag'
scnce that day young drunken Dudley car
! red the flag instead o lettin' you; and
so far we've kept our word.' Having thus
delivered herself Mrs. Parkman looked
over the head of her husband away into the
ininitesimal and shut her lips tightly.
you said that, Sairee,' he protested,
feebly, "an' we've kept your word but
somehow | kinder feel as if I'd like to go
/ termorrer. I'm agettn' older every year,
Sairee, an mebbe, by an by, | won't be
hyar to go."
The lank arm fell from the wfe's shoul-
der and Josiah went back into the shad-
owy cabin from whence her remark had
called him. His blood, usually slow and
| sluggish, seemed warmed again by the fire
OF the sixties and ran quickly through his
veins, calling up his latent strength. Whis
Ting the Star Spangled Banner" gayly as
when boy, he began knocking around and
tumblng about among the primitive fur
niture in the semi-darkness. Sarah heard
him whstling and fumbling, and knew he
was bent on going ''termorrer."
IF ! hadn't mentioned them confounded
drums she said, half angry with herself,
'why, he wouldn't "a got the war fever to.
night"
For a moment she stood irresolutely de.
batting the question. Il wouldn't mind if
all through these years OF pinchn' and wait
. ] in ha hol l, a.
sion money, | should think after he's
turned every chip from Maine to Californy
to get it, such doin's would a took all the
hurrah out O. him; but it hasn't! Well!
III go tomorrow, if die by it, jest to please
JOSIAH"
What ye doin'?" she asked little later,
going inside and directing her question to
the man whose patriotism was rising fast
to the stimulation OF Yankee Doodle"
20, nuchin The tune dropped long
enough for the answer to his wife's ques.
tion, and then began again on higher
key, gathering momentum as it went.
But when she lifted the talow dip and
looked around, Josiah was deep in the
"chlst o drawers as was onct his mothers, "
and she knew what he was doing
"Ain't them beauties, Sairee" holding
up to view a suit OF blue and a big hat with
&. a. K, on the front in gilt letters.
I'm a.goin' to air 'em up kinder, to-
night" he continued, wistfully, "fer we
aire a goin' termorrer, amt we, Sairee?"
She folded her hands in her apron and
sat down before she answered him. ther
she said: 81 reckon so, Josiah, you're such
a fool"
The next morning when her husband was
busy "hitching up, Mrs. Parkman stood by
remarking; "lf ye had your pension now