Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-10-09
A FLAG
RAISING
By JAMES BUCKHAM
Copyright, 1901, by James Buckham
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Copyright, 1901, by James Buchcham
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The little white house of the Par
fridge girls lay basking in the sum-
mer sunshine 1t seemed the very en-
bodiment of orderly thrift and domes-
tic peace. The bit Of green yard was
as clean and tidy as If it had been
swept and then every separate grass
blade busted and set in orderly array.
The two glistening paths that led one
up to the front door and the other
along the side of the house to the
Kitchen stoop' were inclosed by slen-
der round posts, through which ran a
! single strand of wire. The posts and
their connecting wire were painted a
| fresh, lustrous green. There were also
six green posts along the sidewalk in
front of the house, strung together by
green wire, and at each corner of
the two paths stood a large white
washed stone so dazzling white that it
made the eyes ache like new fallen
snow. The entire premises had look
Of immaculate neatness that made
them seem sacred, like some fame or
little temple, and indeed they were
sacred to the Partridge sisters, who
had descended from long line of old
fashioned New England worshipers at
the shrine of home.
Inside the place was as neat as out
side. Nobody ever found the Partridge
"girls" in a muss. Even when they
cleaned house they did it so stealthily
and with such amazing rapidity and
precision that no one room was suf-
fered to be out of apple pie order for
more than ten consecutive minutes.
1t was a marvellous little home this
Of the Partridge sisters. The minister
once said that it was a composite of
Puritan conscience and New England
sentiment, and that there was only one
thing more impressive than its sever
ity, and that was its sweetness.
In such a home as this, it would
seem, one might retire and be at rest
from all the cares and strifes and trou-
bles of the uneasy world. There were
not a few who envied the Partridge
sisters their little patrimony and their
little home, the one just equal to the
other, with an eXactneSs beautiful to
contemplate in this world of exasper-
ating misfts.
Yet there is no corner of old earth,
however remote and peaceful, where
some trouble does not find its way.
The skeleton in this quiet closet was
chronic difference of opinion between
the sisters, trouble that is almost
sure to rise between two persons of
the same blood and sex who are COM
PEELED to spend most of their time in
one another's company. With the Par
fridge sisters this mental divergence
seemed to have no root in divergence
Of principle. 1t made practically no
difference what the opinion was. So
long as it was held strongly by either
sister the other felt bound to disagree
with it. Jane and Ellen could be of
one mind on but one matter, and that
was purely congenital-the passion for
neatnesS.
The June sunshine rested like ben
ediction on the Partridge cottage. The
roses in the front yard and the sweet
peas in the back yard were in bloom.
A golden robin was singing in an elm
across the street, and the Partridge
sisters canary was vying with him
from his cage in the open window.
Jane and Ellen were out in the yard
wedding their flower beds and roam
ing hither and thither after the man
ner of hens to pick up infinitesimal
bits of litter between the grass blades.
Suddenly Miss Ellen Strengthened up
and gazed curiously at something that
was coming down the village street.
1t was an ordinary lumber wagon, with
the box removed, and far in the rear
an extra axle and pair of wheels.
Something long and white and taper
ing was stretched from the forward
axle of the wagon to the extra axle
and wheels trailing behind.
"What in the world can that be COM
ing?" asked Miss Ellen.
81 presume it's our new fiagpole," re-
piled Miss Jane, the elder spinster.
"Our new fiagpole?' cried her sister
shrilly. what do you mean, Jane
Partridge? Who said we We're going
to have flagpoleT
II said So" answered Jane. ST Or
dered it, and it's coming. I didn't say
anything to you about it because
knew you would object beforehand,
and I thought you might as well do
your objecting afterward; 'twould save
time. l wanted to have the pole here
in time for the Fourth of July. I've
been thinking for some time that we
ought to be more patriotic than we
are, and 1 couldn't think of any better
way for two lone women to show their
patriotism than by owning a flag and
fagpole. We can't go to war, we can't
vote, we can't speak in town meeting
and we can't fire gun on Independ-
much right to fly the stars and stripes
as man, and you and l are going to
do 1t, and we are going to do it for the
first time on next Fourth Of July"
Miss Ellen Partridge listened to this
long explanation from her sister with
set face. "Old maids have no call to
be patrioticr' she snapped when Miss
Jane COuC1uueu. II dluL Their prov
ince; it's no woman's province. won't
have f1agpole in this yard, Jane Par
fridge, and you may as well under
stand that first as last. They shan't
bring that thing in here if l have to
fight 'em with broom and scalding
water. A f1agpole's dangerous thing
to have around house to begin with.
The first big wind it may snap off and
smash the roof in, just as the college
fiagpole broke off and smashed the
fountain over to Chester. It's more
dangerous than big tree, because it
hasn't any roots. Patriotism Huh!
guess we show patriotism enough
considering our privileges, by paying
our taxesP'
By this time the long fiagpole, at
tended by crowd of boys and village
loafers, had arrived opposite the little
cottage. and the four men who were
perched on its trunk dismounted and