Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-08-14
The Girl With the F1aq
By MRS. GEN. GEORGE E. PICKETT
Copyright, 1sos, by Daily Story Pub. Co.,,

swept up through the green val 1eys of southern Pennsylvania and were weariedly marching northward to a battlefield somewhere, no man of them could have, told where. They. only knew that they were tired and footsore and hungry, and the rich green fields they had passed had brought no comfort. 5~
 A young soldier took off his ragged cap, wiped the precipitation from his face and looked over at a little cot tage with it's encircling vines. It made him think of another little cot tage across the lines, where the vines had embowered his childhood.
 As the head of the column came op- posite the house girl ran out from the open doorway to the front of the portico. She had a United States flag tied around her as an apron and she stepped upon chair that the whole army might see it and waved it defantly at the approaching troops.
 The leader looked around appre- hensively. Some of his men had come from the most frightfully devastated part of the south. How would they take the sudden defiant presentation of the banner under which that ruin had been wrought? With swift, graceful movement he wheeled his black battle horse out of line, lifted his cap, bowed to the warike maid and saluted the flag she bore. He turned to the advancing men, waved his hand, and every tattered cap was l. saluted the enemy's colors. The leader rode forward to his place and the long line moved on.
 ''She is little fighter thought the boy who had waved his cap to her. 1T should like to have her for 8 sister. Only if she were my sister she would wave but one fag:''
 He sighed, remembering the lonely cottage under the magnolias.
 AIn love again, by Jove,' said the older soldier who marched beside him. s'Hi, boys! What do you think? Shivers is in love with the little Pennsylvania amazon
 ''Shivers is always in love" said an- other. He's the victim of chronic affection. Do you remember how he fell in love with the gnerrilla's daughter and came near being shot for a spy? Some day Shivers will have a fatal attack of love and Gen. Lee will quit lying awake nights try ing to keep at the head of the army. in the light of Shiver's increasing military fame"
 Military fame, indeedi" growled a. rugged veteran. "All the fame Jack Shivers will ever get will be for writing verses and singing love songs with guitar accomplishments"
 All the while they were marching on-they who dreamed of home and love, they who professed lofty who went silently to the field where on a cause was to die.
 On the morning of the third poor Jack Shivers was one of those who lay behind the low, long hill and looked eastward into the space be- tween two ranges of fire-crowned peaks. A man was crouched down beside him with his hand resting on his shoulder. Neither spoke, but there was comradeship in the touch that told of 8 love greater than men put into words.
 Beyond the crest they waited as the slow hours went by-waited till the order came, and they went down into the valley of death. What they did on that: fatal field of Gettysburg is inscribed on the page of history.
 In the beginning of the retreat Jack Shivers was wounded. The over whelming force of the enemy were closing in from every point.
 'He is dead,'' thought the man. He scarce noticed the shower of balls that fell about him nor marveled over the apparent miracle that not one of them touched him as he bore the unconscious boy to a spot of greater security. Under the grove of trees not quite in the line of fire he laid his friend on the smooth grass that had been untouched by the storm of war. With his untutored skill he dressed the wound and sat looking at the still face and trying to tug with the fingers of hope against the weight of despair that filled his heart.
 The boy moved restlessly and opened his eyes.
 s'Are we dead?''
 'sNo; unfortunately-we are 1one- somely alive. We'd have more com pany if we were dead"
 stDid we win the batt1e?"
 ''Did we win? Boy, am too heart weary and dazed to know anything but pain, unless it be thankfulness that you are alive"
 But tell me something - where are we and where are the others? O, see; I am wounded and can't go on-but you-you must leave me or you will be taken prisoner or killed"
 ''Not much, old man; here, open your mouth and take swig of this"
 The sun which had risen so bright Ey upon our hopes went down sadly on defeat, and darkness closed around the grove, and still the man