Lower coast gazette., 1913-07-19

er's plain emotion. the youthful faces
were flushed, the youthful eyes were :
shining. Even Tallentyre, who had
tried to harden his heart so that it !
should have no share in a Northern ]
er's sentiment. swallowed at the lump
that kept rising in his throat.
And then, as the speaker went on,
Tallentyre looked up, startled, with
a new glow in his eyes.
"Just before coming into this chap-
ell / saw, for the first time since the
war. a Confederate Battle-Flag. 1t
made me feel a great deal OF SYM
pathy for the young %Southerner who
SO shows his loyalty to the cause OF
his fathers; we Northerners can hon
or him for it, just as he, no doubt,
respects us for our devotion to our
own. The sight Of that flag this
morning recalled to my mind the first
time that / ever saw the Southern
Cross.
NEARLY the whole regiment in
which I was a captain was captured
in the disastrous First Battle OF Bun
Run. was fortunate to escape the
hardships of some prisoners OF war.
The Confederate captain into whose
hands / fell treated me as his guest
And so it happened that saw Gener-
al Beauregard's first review OF his
troops, at which he made the first
and only public delivery of the Con-
federate Battle Flag. From my posi-
ton in the captains tent could see
and hear ali that passed. General
B%eauregard and his staff were sta
toned on a little knoll only a few
wards away. The colonies of the reg
iments were dismounted and stood in
line before him. One of the staff
called out the number and State OF
each regiment; it's colonel then STEP
ped forward; and General Beaure-
gaard-I remember just how he look
ed. that black-haired, handsome,
lashing-eyed, most military general
took from an aid one of the new bat
tle-lags. waved it in the air, and pre-.
scented it to the colonel, saying, Col
onel -, keep it, fight for it, pro-
tect it," And the colonel would sa'
lutte and pledge himself to the trust.
"All the flags were red, except one
that had the blue bars on a pale, al
most white ground. The colonel who
received that flag was a tall, middle
aged. %fine.looking mantle most sol
dierly in appearance OF them all. All
er saluting and pledging himself, ne
said. in a clear voice, 4 have but one
objection, general; the color of this
flag is indicative Of fear; it looks toe
much like a flag Of truce Then Gen
eral ~Beauregard, in his quick way o.
speaking, answered, Dye it red, sir!
Dye it in blood, sir!!' The colonies
face kindled, and he said, 1t shall be
sir! It shall be in the blood Of thu
enemy, general!' In your own, il nee
III essary!!' said Beauregard. Even bet
= ter. general replied the colonel; ant
he saluted and turned away with hi
flag.
. 81 have often wondered what wa
the history of that flag. l fear Their
: is little doubt that it was soon enoug]
dyed red"
The old man descended from tn
:. pulpit, then, to the slow music OF tn
~ organ, the boys filed out of the char
'of ell. For them the solemnity OF tn
ap- day was over; they were free now t
play. And many Of them hurried O
ay- with brisk and eager steps to thei
various games of bat and ball.
Dry But Tallentyre fingered. Kendric
ms, and his grandfather and the rectc
stood together by the gate, and afte
CIV a moment Tallentyre approached hin
a. "Mr. Kendrick,' he said, you ma
be interested to know that my flag
llly the one you we're telling about. TIL;
ms, colonel was my grandfather. And
and it was dyed with his blood. TIL
a covered his face with it when he VIZ
'ldi- killed. But his regiment went On ca
rying it all through the war, and the
at A%ppomattox, n of the soldie'
hid it about himself and afterwal
sent it to my grandmother"
mo WONDER" said the old soldie
and he linked his arm with Tale
tyres, mo wonder that you shou
want to half.mast it on Memoir
day"
He gave Tallentyre's arm a gent
pressure; the boy turned away wi
tear-filled eyes. No longer did he fe
resentful Of compassion; his flag h
been recognized with honor. So
went to his room, and taking doN
the Southern Cross, folded it and p
it away in his bureau drawer. TIL
he hung out the Stars and Stripes
Youths Companion.