The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-09-19
= :: :: :: & = :: :: :: :: :: = 8:
= IN THE SHELTER: :: :
= = y Of the STRIPES y y
S% By IOFfN HABBERTON 3 -
~---


"Why not, Mr.. Runnels?" asked
Howtree. "They were all Americans;
SO are we. wish they were all alive
ag'in, for somethin' that Beany an l
have got on our minds-it's to get up
good old fashioned Fourth of July cele-
i bration for five weeks from today"
'sI'll represent the whole south in it,"
replied Runnels, "seein' that Virgin
ian-Thomas Jefferson, who stood god
father to me when was baptized
wrote the immortal Declaration Of In
dependence"
"Hoorayw shouted Beantassel. "The
thing'll be go!'
| ''How far have you got?" asked Rum
nels, ''and what have you got?"
SWELL" replied Howtree, we've got
only to firstly as the minister says in
church, an, as to what we've got,
we've got, ourselves-a son of a Revo-
lutionary soldier an another Revolu-
tionary soldiers stepson."
"An' the stepson's got Revolution
ary musket, an it shoots as good as
any, though it's only a f1intlock," add
ed Beantassel
'"That reminds me-" said Howtree,
''that down under my barn there's an
old anvil, bored to use like cannon, to
fire salutes from. Twas way they
had in old times, when cannon were
sca'ce, an like to bust when folks got
too all fired patterotic an put in more
| powder than old cannons We're expect
ed to stand. That anvil was often fired
on the Fourth by my father an other
veterans, but | hid it when my boys
were CROWN up, for you never can
tell what boys'll do an when they'll
try to do it. Boys will be boys. We've
been there ourselves, eh? Well, as l
was sayin', there's the anvil"
can very useful we can make it,
added Runnels. 'The town has a flag
an a fagpole, an if we could raise
the colors at sunrise in the good, old
fashioned way, an if any one knew
how to fire a salute from the anvil
without gettin' hurt, we''-
at takes two men to manage a can
non or anvil" said Howtree, IAN one
Of us here present knows how to teach
the other what to do. l served my
time in stoppin' the touchhole of that
old anvil in the days when my father
fired the salutes, an
II apologize" said Runnels quickly,
"an' I'll supply all the powder" How
tree raised his old straw hat graciously
as Runnels continued, eve used to
have Goddess of Liberty to raise the
flag in old Virginia on the Fourth"
"How'd you git her?" asked Bean
tassel, opening his eyes very wide, for
in his callow days he had been men,
ber of company of strolling players,
and he had never lost the faculty of
seeing possibilities of the picturesque.
eve never had any trouble about it, -
replied Runnels, Strengthening his
somewhat bent spinal column and
slowly lifting his shoulders. "In my
day Virginia was full of goddesses,
bless 'em!" The old man looked senti-
mental for a moment and wiped his
lips reminiscently. Howtree pursed his
lips and scowled perceptibly. His own
daughters were of the salt Of the earth,
but all of them were middle aged, an
gular and married. Suddenly he said,
not entirely without bravado over the
universally known trouble between the
Howtree and Runnels families:
81 reckon the breed hasn't run out
either. Anyway, Mr.. Runnels, if your
grandfather, Virginia, will dress her
self in red, white an blue an stand
alongside Of that fiagpole an wear a
liberty cap ON her head an raise Old