The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-01-22
7, yY,,rr~ - . $3.50 W. -, - ="
BATTLE OF THE BUTTONS


BATTLE OF THE BUTTONS
There were forty of them, twenty
Reds and twenty Blues, marching in
long straight lines across the Garnet.
with the rubber ruler at their backs.
You might have thought that they
were only buttons, but Willie could
nave told you better, for he knew that
they were two armies at war and that
the blue button with the gold rim
was the captain Of the Blues and the
red button, twice as large as the
others, was the captain Of the Reds,
and that the fighting was going to
begin very soon.
Inc Blues were on the table-iand
made by the rug before the crate and
the Reds were in the valley, where
there came the bunch of green leaves
and purple flowers in the carpet. They
would have liked to reach the table
land, too, but the Blues would not let
them, and that was how tbe battle
started.
Two Reds had come close under the
edge Of the table-land wher Blue
sharpshooter saw them.
"Bang!" came the rubber ruler Gown
upon one of the Reds, and it was the
end Of him, for he turned square over
on his little red stomach.
Then his comrade fired back.
"BangP' came the rubber ruled down
upon the Blue sharpshooter and he
never fired again, but turned square
over on his little blue stomach.
And then the Reds came running up
to help their man, and the Blues came
running up to help their man (only
he was dead, and there was a steady
"bang! bang! bangw until six Reds
and seven Blues had rolled over on
their little stomachs and been taken
from the field.
1t was just about this time that |
the captain Of the Blues noticed most |
of the Reds in a long straight line and |
shouted (or Willie shouted for HIM: |
Boys, see there Give 'em grape and |
canister"
So the rubber ruler came down.
"Boomv' along the whole line at once
and three of the Reds rolled over all |
at one time.
That was dreadful thing and in a
second the captain of the Reds shout
ed Tor Willie shouted for HIM: Scat
ter, boys. Spread out. Don't let him
do that thing again"
SO they spread out, and right there
was the turning point OF the battle.
One of the Reds Che had little
white spot Of HIM crawled close up
to the table-land again and took dead
ly aim straight at the captain OF the
Blues.
.sRangw he fred, but it was no use.
Enat captain only bounced-he never
turned over at all.
'Bangw fired back the Blues, but
that white-spotted Red never budged.
"Bang!" he fred once more, but this
time the captain Of the Blues jumped
up in the air and fell over the
edge of the table-lard and rolled down
among the Reds and was captured.
The white-spotted Red saw the dis
Outraged Blues retrcating and with all
his might he shouted Tor Willie shout
ed for him: Bring the bridge. Bring
tie sealing ladder"
and when three men had brought
the bridge, which was a stiff, white
sheet of paper, they set it against the
table-land, and all those Reds went
up.
The Blues by this time had rallied
md begun to fire again, but it was too
late. The ReGs had already climbed
TO the table-land and
and just then little Ruth came run
ming in and tripped over the table
land and sent every soldier flying into
the air, and when they came down
every one of them was rolled over
on his stomach, excepting that white l
spotted Red.
"And what happened then?" asked {
mamma, when she had comforted lit i
tie Ruth and taken up her mending 1
once more.
well" said Willie, "the Reds were I
just going to beat, but there came
an awful, awful earthquake and it {
killed every man OF EN- but one I