The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-13


 children were many of the city's most graceful fancy dancers. but 1t was beautiful. to see their swift adjust ment of dance to suit the old wartime tunesl How they jigged and balanced and patted in the Virginia real to the rollicking strains of "Old Butler" and Money muskr'
 The bountifui table was spread down in che ''barbecue shed.' and the nectar was never so delicious as the ice-coid lemonade, made in true generous South ern fashion.
 Then, after q pleasant rest-time'' the business of the Chapter was. at tended to, and then the floor-no, the rostrum---was yielded to Captain Mas tin, Literally, at his feet, on the floor, sat children. youths and women, drink ing in the thrilling accounts of bloody attacks and war-like deeds. He was urged to tell the story of Emma San som, but he refused; so many had al- ready written and sung of her. while so many nameless heroes were to be rescued from oblivion and placed In | Alabama's '.Kall of Fame"--the heart of a chiIdi So he told Of General Kelly, with tear-suffused eyes and trembling voice, paying loving tribute to one of Alabamas gallant sons. There was a subdued rustling; on | U l perous-looking Yankee was discov- cred on the edge of the group of lis- | teners. He was evidently a brief so- l iourner in Montgomery. and-wasnt 1t | funny for him to happen upon an "old l reb" telling stories of the Rebellion l to A lot of childrenl He looked jolly and resigned. but rather mutinous | expression rested on the face or ms I wifel She was evidently scanoaiiheu, | ]. in,at1 n l yet crushed out!
 1 Happy. though tired. thirty five | youngsters returned at sunset with glowing anticipations of what they VIII do for the Cause next fall.
 | Mrs. E. R. Holt. Jr.. Director. On Sunday, June 6. there were more Confederate Veterans in Huntsville than had been seen at any one time flor many years The fact that the re- union this week was to be held at Memphis, which place Is so easily 1 reached in one short stage by rail' ln- duced a large attendance from this section, and the Egbert Jones Camp held out further Inducements to their comrades in the surrounding counties to assemble in Huntsville the day be- fore and make the start from here. There was grand rally and memo rial sermons at the First Presbytefian lChurch, where the Rev. Mir. Happy, pas tor, and MT. Wasson of the Methodist Church, spoke So touchingly that tears flowed freely in the audience and all hearts warmed toward the old heroes who have borne themselves so unos- tentatiously through all these forty years Most of those now left are prl- yates or men of modest rank, called to the field of activity at an early age, but there Is scarcely one whose per sonal experiences in hard fighting. narrow escapes, hardships, and suffer- ing would not render insignificant by comparison the soldierly careers so heralded and iauded and richly re- compensed, of those who figured in Cuba and the Philippines. So much greater was the demand for courage and endurance in those older unles, that the most thrilling incidents, try- ing positions and almost incredible en- ga Ragements were overlooKed and almost forgotten They scarcely mentioned . them 10 their wives and children even. I noticed myself, when the Cuban war was in progress with its wild enthusiasms and loud trumpetings of every little transaction. the grim and significant smiles which fitted across the furrowed faces of certain old vet- erans of the other war. I managed then to coax a few stories from them
 which were thrilling beyond descrip- ton. These do not adorn the pages
 of history, and yet tiey are not alto- 1 vether lost. since they have earned
 for the veteran the reverence which
 is accorded him by the present gener-
 ation of his countrymn. which is ein-
 phasized by these reunions. And so. at least the worlds approval is placed upon their past.
 The reunions held In Memphis are of l 4..k1 tn of Alabama because of the great promi- hence given General Forrest, whose brilliant career Is so fresh in the minds and so dear to the hearts of