The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-06-06
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SON. INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies WhiIed
Away Life in Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

The heroine of this true tale of war
days was a little, red-haired, chubby
| girl OF years, and we will call her
| Eva, because that was the name of her
best friend, and both of the girls are
yet alive.
Eva was born in q clearing of the
| Wisconsin woods and she had never
seen any sky that was not held up, all
round. by the great arms of tall trees
Even the village, where there was a
courthouse, three stores and a mill,
had rib Of trees around 1t.
| War had come and the men of the
settlement and the village were muster
ing to march away. The county had
furnished a whole company, and the
women had made a flag for the depart
| ing soldiers.
| Eva had been chosen, being the
daughter of the major of the regiment,
TO present the colors to the company
on the day Of its march forth from the
village. The speech, written by the
combined aid of the majors wife, two
school teachers, and minister, was
safely stored in the small brain of the
heroine of the day. She could say that
speech forward or backward, or begin
in the middle and go both ways. She
was. letter perfect"
But something happened On the mo-
mentous morning of the going away of
the troops and the giving of the flag
Eva's aunt brought, from the nearest
city, pair of blue shoes for the gar
nishment of the small maiden. Already
white dress, and a red, white and
| blue sash had aroused the vanity and
pride Of the little girl, and when the
blue shoes came her head was turned
entirely. No one in the clearing or the
town had ever heard Of blue shoes up
| to this time
| 1t was hard to submit to the hair
curling and the general primping up
that was necessary for an appearance
in public, out with fortitude the child
stood the supreme test of being dress
ed up and came out with flying col
| ors
1t was stormy day in early May in
the first year of the war, and the part
ing exercises were held in the great
hall of the courthouse. Here the rus
tic company was drawn up, undrilled,
almost, and as yet ununiformed. But
martial lire glowed in every eye.
and every man looked at least foot
taller than he actually measured.
There was singing and praying and
there were speeches by dignitaries, and
at lasr came the presentation of colors.
The silken banner. surely the most
beautiful thing that had ever been seen
by this small girl-was unfurled, and
Its staff was placed in her hand as she
stood on table to be seen by all in the
hall
| OF all the things there present,
though, the small girl had in mind
only the lovely blue shoes. 1t was GER
tain that the position on the table
| showed them on to the best advantage,
| and she wondered what her envious
schoolmates were thinking as they
looked upon her in all her glory.
The major, in the first uniform ever
seen in the countyLit had come with
him from Madison the day before
stood behind hiA daughter with the
written speech in his hand ready to
prompt in case the child's memory
should fail. None of the women could
see, for tears, that day.
The speech was to the effect that the
made the flag, and that every stitch
stood for prayer for the safety of the
brave boys who were TO carry that ban
ner through the storms of war.
1t was impressed upon the men that
they were expected to bring home the
flag with every star. and every stripe
unsullied by disIynor and made glo-
rious by victory. 1t must be brought
back without fail, and in honor, this
glorious flag or the nation.
Thu, major murmured the opening
| line in the ear OF his daughter. But
she was silent, for the first time prob
ably in her life when there was a
| chance for her TO speak. Rigidly she
stood, and from her face all expression
had fed. Her mind was as blank as
her face, and the major. in pity, was
about to ask his accomplished and. gen
tie wife to present the flag, when, with
a supreme effort, the little maid spoke.
Soldiers" she said, in q high.
strained voice. Soldiers, here is your
flag. We have made it for you, and
we have prayed and cried while we
were making it. Take it and be care
full of it. Don't tear 1t, don't get it
soiled, and be sure and bring it back ~
Then the small speechmaker cover
ed her face, jumped down from the Ia
BILE and fled out of the hall.
The audience went wild Salvoes Of
cheers greeted the flag. but Eva knew
that all her school friends, and all of
her cousins were laughing over her
| failSre. She was inconsolable, and
| she refused to be comforted. From her
feet she tore the blue shoes, realizing
that they had been the cause OF her
undoing. Nothing could persuade her
to wear them again.
Only when the time came for good
bys and the marching away OF the
| company, its flag gloriously to the fore,
the tears of the girl were dried. Then,
awe at the grief and the stern repres-
sion Of tears which she saw all around
her entered her self-absorbed brain,
and for the first time the small woman
wept for others and felt the woes Of
humanity pressing upon her hitherto
untouched heart
She walked along the road in her
white stockings and forgot everything
but the marching men, with the fife
and drum playing The Girl l Left Be-
hind Me"-they, and the women and
| children who walked beside them to
the bridge over the river.
Then the stay-at-homes stood STILL