Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-23

that was an unheard Of sight in Bea-
yer and the surprise Of its unheralded
was altogether too much
for homesick Mrs Bailey.
For moment Mildred eyed her usu-
ally cheerful mother with astonish-
ment, but suddenly tears rushed to her
eyes. and she, too, went down In
limp heap among the potatoes.
''It's silly" gasped Mrs. Bailey, apol-
ogetically, as soon as he could speak,
''but l can't-can't help It,"
Neither can l." sobbed Mildred. Il
fe-feel as Il the whole flag were stuff
ed down my throat
ri don't know" ,moaned Mrs. Bailey,
what there is about the thing to-to
touch a body's heart this way; but
those wide beautiful. clean stripes
and the stars-it's SO long since-oh!
oh! Mildred"
"If anybody could see us two wo-
men, said Mildred, few moments
later, when both were calmer, sitting
here in the cellar boo-hooing over fire.
crackers and flag-even flag like
this-they'd think we'd gone crazy.
Hadn't we better hide these things be-
fore Dick gets homer"
For the next three days the Baileys
behaved very oddly. The stayed up
nights to cook things, and by day they
sent puzzled Dick on numerically long
but always inconsequential errands
During these absences of Dicks, Mil
dred made several pilgrimages to Pie
Island, sometimes with parcels and
sometimes without, but always in the
family canoe by way of the sluggish
river that flowed within a few feet Ut
the Bailey home.
Pie Island, circular affair some
what less than twenty feet in diane
ter, was two miles from the dull little
town of Beaver. The mainland was
mostly cedar swamp. On July third,
the Pie was just green Canadian Is
land with straight rocky sides; on the
Fourth. however, 1t was most gorge.
GUS red, white and blue island and had
moreover, suddenly become American
soil; for. regardless Of possible inter.
national complications, Mildred had
calmly annexed Pie Island. Bunting
draped the rocky sides-lil1e napkin
round real pie-and from the apex
|of the islands one tree which was
merely straight dead trunk with al
It's branches cut short, floated the
AMERICAN nag. IL udu uceu a luouo'
ately difficult feat even for active
country-bred Mildred, but the deter
mined girl had managed to climb te
the very top without injuring eithel
herself or the precious flag.
| Beavers other inhabitants wen
quietly about their usual occupation:
that day; but the patriotic Baileys
. two miles away and presumably SAT-
: from intrusion, celebrated the Fourtl
after thoroughly American fashion
1t is enough to say that there probabl
wasn't boy in all America that enjo,
: ed that particular Fourth as much a
! Dick did; while both Mrs. Bailey an
t Mildred fired firecrackers and san
+ patriotic songs quite as zealously !,
did the thoroughly delighted boy.
Until four that afternoon. the cello
3 orators had their island to themselves
Then came a curious interruption
! Three miles above the river was tn
8 little village Of Fox Creek. From TIL
! direction came canoe. padded by
: white-haired man Of perhaps sevent!
who all but tumbled overheard tn
8 moment he saw the great flag f1oatin
/ over Pie Island. AS SON as he ha
L satisfied himself that the flag was re:
8 he began to paddle with all his migt
A for the varlegated Pie.-Carroll Wa
= son Rankin in Mothers Magazine.
a (Tn l,e continued