The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-06-02
A Worthy
Veteran HOlOred
How Uncle Luther Came to
Lead the Memorial
Day Parade
By RAY STANDARD BAKER

Luther DowelI We're twins only in age
and patriotism In cvnryt'uu, else
they were as different as black and
white or hot ana cold. Uncle ToulIy
was short and Enffy and bald OF lead.
with reminiscent twinkle in his ne
eyes and Il certain Sprigh .jHr~s in lis
step that quite bcIicd H.; az. $50,
be had two good. stout. $; .hhy logs al
though they were bit bowel and
stiff, so that he thumped S:nartly with
his heels when lie walked
What Uncle Tommy LACKED of reach
ing natures standard of man Uncle
Luther made up. He was gaunt and
stopping and so spare that one almost
expected to hear him rattle in his old
blue clothes like withered peas in q
pod. When he walked he lurched at
every step and bore heavily on his
cane, for he had left his good right leg
on the bloody slopes at Chickamauga.
and for nearly thirty years he had
stumped painfully about on wooden
Neg.
! Uncle Tommy was bluff and prosper
GUS. He lived in a comfortable house
I'm West Alden.
Uncle Luther had little one story
shop across the county line in the ad
Joining town of Amery, where he sol
dered leaky milk pans and tinkered
clocks 1t was next the lane III the
further corner Of his son JOnathan's
land, and he made up his own bed and
cooked his meals in the little room In
the rear. He seemed at least twenty
years older than Uncle Tommy, and he
had become querulous and quavery, so
that Jonathan and his thrifty wife
groaned under the responsibility Of
hooking after him.
And that shows how two brothers
who have been boys together, men to-
gether and soldiers together may drift
apart. For years Uncle Tommy and
Uncle Luther had not met except at
gatherings of old soldiers, and these
were not pleasant meetings. For the
two little towns, albeit they lay out on
the wide Minnesota prairie, with only
an imaginary line between them. could
not agree. 1t was the kind Of dissen.
sion that grows rank and strong in
httle communities where there are few
outside interests to occupy the inter
walls OF attention. And the old soldiers
took 1t up snd fought 1t out as valiant
" as. they had marched on vicksburg.
}They might have had a Grand Army
post with reminiscent camptires. and
they might have had Fourth Of July
and Memorial day pa
rades, but as certainly Us Uncle Tom
my led the hosts Of West Alden In one
direction Amery and Captain Enoch
Bradley could be depended upon to
march In exactly the opposite direc-
ton aas~&saa sss''
AS for Uncle Luther, he always fol-
lowed Uncie Tommy's procession wher-
ever It might lead. Again and again
the old soldiers of the two towns met
In the interests of harmony Uncle .
Tommy would come to preside. and
Uncle, Luther would second the mo-
Itionsy and then they all would slump
kW into the quagmire of dissension.
At such times the fires of stirring
past would blaze up 10 Uncle Luthers
faded eyes, his stopped shoulders would
stiffeu back, faint flush would steal
into his cheeks, and he would nod his
old gray head as IL in time to martial
music tina. none but he could hear
Sometimes the tears came up to his
eyes. and the boy who was fortunate
enough to hear him talk thrilled with
the quick pride of strife aud longed TO
shoulder a carbine and march away to
the music of fife and drum.
For two years the towns had held
Memorial day services, but they mad
been mournfully dispirited. Uncle Tom
my by sheer force of character had
been marshal of the day, and Uncle
Luther and a few stragglers from
Amery had marched with the parade
But Captain Enoch and his supporters
stood by with gloomy forbearance and
offered no word of encouragement.
There was really little need OF Me-
mortal day services except in the alb
stract The cemetery where the dis
cord of the two towns was buried, lay
on bare prairie knoll set around with
precise rows of spindling cottonwoods
that languished half the summer with
thirst and whipping winds and dust
and it contained no soldiers graves
But Uncle Tommy's parades marched
up the road to the cemetery gate and
back again, and Uncle Luther felt that
the country's dead. wherever they
might lie. had been honored.
On the third year the old soldiers
met again. thoroughly determined TO
be harmonious In ten minutes time
Uncle Tommy was humping on the
pine table with his cane. and several
Ut the other old soldiers were clinging
10 Captain Enoch's coattails, while
die, two men glared and threatened
And then Captain Enoch executed a
wen planned flank movement. routed
Uncle Tommy and ran up the Amery
eolors. A few minutes later his fac
tion, acting with the right Of might,
had decided upon all the important