Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1908-05-28
AT A PATRIOTS
GRAVE
Grandmother's Memorial Day Speech
By DORA 0LiPHANT coz.


arrested by ring at the front door.
AS though suddenly petrifed in her
STOPPING position, grandmother waited
while Susan Ann, her daughter,
creaked through the passage way lead
ing from the kitchen.
At the first words OF greeting grand
mother Strengthened with a snap like
jack-knife, and an angry color famed
on her cheeks.
Why, Marthy Ellen, what lovely
rcsesi Did you ever see the flowers
SO handsome as they are this year?
Come right in. It's dreadful hot,
amt 1t? Seems like / never knowed
1t to warm up as early as it has this
season, but, then. It's been awful fine
for the flowers. Pears like the roses
and laylocks and pinies has just tried
themselves to see who could do the
most bloomin'. Now, that's pretty
idee. amt 1t, Mrs. Rayburn. that lay
lock WREATH"
Yes; laylocks was Dicks favorite
flower, and he set this bush out his
sci, and / thought I'd make a wreath
to hang on the cross on his tombstun."
The expression on Grandmother
Adamson's face would have made
good study. From blaze OF anger
1t passed through all the stages OF
Mortified scorn' to stony determine
ton
The development of the converse
ton beyond the paper-covered board
walls collected her nebuIous chaotic
emotions into a stern resolve.
Susan Ann was stout, and she had
grieved all the morning over the long
walk to the graveyard. As she sank
ponderousE into chair, she la
mented:
II get heavier on my feet every day
live, and the heat to-day is just
awful on me. II mother hadn't had
her heart SO set on 1T. wouldn't try
to 60 TO the cemetery. / just know
I'll be sick
Couldn't she walk up with usoo
Mrs. Rayburn asked Wen not walk
fast
"Oh, mother's as spry on her feet
as you be- | hadn't thought of her
goin' with any one else, but / don't
see why she couldn't. It'd be q real
help. She amt got nothin' to carry.
for she took big basket of flowers
up this morning. before breakfast
She's Just that wrapped up In Decora-
ton day i couldn't disappoint her
about goin. She's gettin ready now
I'll go and see II it'll be all right"
But grandmother, with what was al
| most one movement, had stopped for
ward and slipped off her congress gait
ers, at the same time taking from its
box her bonnet. She slipped a hand
| through the round handle of little
basket and scurried down the passage
| way and out through the back door
On the step she delayed just long
| enough to put on her shoes; then, with
| her best bonnet carried more careless
| Iy than ever before in it's dozen years
| of use, she hurried out through the
| back gate.
| The cemetery was being made bright
| with flowers when grandmother
| passed through the iron gateway, and
| her face hardened as she recognized
some of the STOPPING figures and the
| graves over which they bent.
| At brilliantly-deckcd mound she
stopped and, kneeling. said:
Il hate to do it, Jeremiah. but !
know you'd want me to. won't take
| them to any one else, though, Jere-
| Iniah. though I know you'd say. fur me
4 TO, If you was here. But dearie, i've
keered fur these things ever sence
/ they was buds, jest az tender AZ II
they'd ben babies, and jest SOS you
/ could have them to-day. and Jest
cant see any one else have EN-. How
would you like to look over these
1 posies and sec that laylock wreath
a-hangin on old Dick Rayburn's tomb.
stun? You fought. bled and died al
most fur nothin, Jeremiah, when that
old copperhead gifts Jest as many dow
ers as you do.
/ Grandmother had turned up the
| skirt Of her black alpaca csess and,
into the receptacle thus formed. had
put every flower that had lain on
Jeremiah's grave. she carried them
All over to far corner Of the Gene
terry and buried them under ! pile Of
last years leaves. Then she went
back to the bare mound.
Soon the faraway notes Of Cover
/ Them Over with Beautiful Flowers, !
told that the procession was coming.
Grandmother heard. but she did mot
once lit her eyes. She sat directly
upon the middle Of the grave, her
i skirts spread az far as they would
over the fowerless mound, and she
| was knitting as calmly as II she were
seated on little splint- bottcmed
chair In her own room. She paid no
attention to the astonished group that
stopped before her.
"Ahem!v coughed the master Of
ceremonies, Henry Blake.
GRANDMOTHER looked up sHowdedo,
Henry" Then, looking down again,
"one, two. three, widen: one. two,
I three, turn. Z
We've come to decorate Comrnde
AdamsOn's grave" hesitated the pun
xled blake.
.Comrade Adamson's grave don't
need 40 decoratin ave, six, narrow:
1 ono. two
sYou hain't forgot it's Decoration