The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-06
The Euenine Story
Where OId GLORY Leads.
(By Izola Forrester.)

''What we really need is some war
relics, Kit, don't you know.
Orrie sat down on the top of the
stepladder and surveyed the town
halls Memorial p-y trimmings. They
| were meager in spite of all good in
tentiens. Some of last years Fourth
| of July bunting and flags. some old
portraits of Grant and Mcclellan, Lin
coin and Stanton, and two old army
muskets crossed over the front door.
LAS long as we haven't any veterans
left
She stopped short. Buell. Center was
| fearfully short on spectacles OF any
kind. Out of the company of boys
| who had marched away from the little
triangular green so many years ago,
the remnant had gradually fallen
asleep in life'S last bivouac over in the
little churchyard behind the church.
Still there were left the sons and
daughters of veterans to carry on the
days observances, and the daughters
were attending to most of the work.
There's old Mr.. Millard''-
Kit stopped, too, and frankly gig
gled.
'Tf he'd be willing to let you take
any of his relics
''But they'd be Southern
"Just Virginia. Everybody loves
Virginia. Anyhow, who'd know
which side they came from? Can
teens and things like that are all the
same. And he's got some old swords,
too, and an old army blanket and his
| saddle and lots of odds and ends of
things
IF you'd ask Walt. Kit. ae'd get
them for you"
Kit meditated. Her reddish brown
smudged with dust and CRIME, and
even on the tip of her nose there was
| a dab, but her eyes completely coun-
teracted all impression of frivolity
conveyed by her appearance. They
| were large and very serious eyes,
| brown as a moths wing, and just now
| uncoE1promising.
ST won't ask him. He told me the
whole thing was an idiotic mixup that
should have been avoided by cool
heads and he said the north should
have paid for every slave and not i'm
| poyerished the south, and he said that
cotton and politics lay at the back
of it"
ooh, well, what do you expect :?
He's Just out of college, and thinks he
could take the world just as it stands
and remold it perfectly to his own
| hearts desire"
Hes quarreled with his grand
father, anyway, and Mr.. Willard won't
let him inside the house, he says"
'Then we must get them" In all
emergencies Orrie rose supreme to tri-
fling obstacles. We've got to have
them, and I'd love TO get the old man
to make a speech. He's the sole sur
viyor of the war even if he was on
| the wrong side, and I'd love to have
him get up and talk. I'm going to
ask him."
That morning about II as old MIR.
Willard came slowly and painfully
the well to the barn, he faced two Wis
itors-Kit in her very prettiest gown
of white, with little green and pink
sprigs, and a big white hat dropping
around her face, and behind her Or
RE, plump and positive.
Let me carry the bucket for you,
please. Mr.. Millard," she said. How
lovely your lilacs look. Those tall
white ones are beautiful. We want
some to mix with the pink swamp ap-
pie and dogwood branches, you know,
to decorate the hall.
Only a grunt issued from Mr.. Mil
lard lips, but he relinquished the
bucket thankfully. His eyebrows grew
in regular penthouse lids over his
: keen, suspicious old eyes, and his long
white moustache and imperial gave
him still military air. When they
reached the side porch of the old
house in which he had lived alone for
years, Kit stated their errand. Could
| the Daughters of the Veterans borrow
: his war relics?
side of the line he said shortly. 81
reckon I don't want to show any
{ thing"
"Oh. but please; we haven't hardly
[ anything" Orrie broke in, and for
fifteen minutes the two argued, one
/ on each side of the old chap, begging
t and explaining. When they finished
there was a subdued twinkle in his
: eyes, and he looked at Kit.
"Ain't you the girl my Waits been
r going with 20 he asked cheerfully. Up
: to her forehead, Kit b1ushed, but stood
, her ground.
''Then why don't you get him on
, your side, too? He wouldn't shoot a
, gun if all creation was climbing over
his back fence. He'd go out and read
. a book at them and offer to take down
+ the fence to save them the trouble of
climbing over it,
''Mr. Willard, KIT leaned forward
now in dead earnest-''you're the only
man left here in Buell. who knows
5 really what war is. Won't you get up
) and make speech tomorrow
/ me? Never made a speech in nv
life, but I believe in being ready He
thumped the porch rail heavily. 'And
: what happened back in 81 amt Meth
er here nor there when it comes tc
r what's best for today. You can have
all my things if you'll get Walt to say
he'd fight if the rest had to. That's
all-that he'd fight if the rest had to
v Maybe some day his peace of the
! world IDEAS going to happen. But
. meantime, while there's hell a-poppin,
. you just get him to say he'd fight il
the rest had to. That's'all."
t well" gasped Orrie an they went
. back to the village, 'if that wasn't de.
: licious! Now, we'll have to see Walt
D I'll see Walt" Kit answered firmly
e and when they came to the main stree
e up she went all alone to the little law
t office that Walter Willard had opened
e up over the drug store. He sat at hi.
!, desk by the south window, a big buncI
4 of purple l1acs in white pitcher
= near by, and the fragrance of trees il
Y bloom waited in from many orchards
! From where he sat he could look di.
rectly down on the green and the lit
tie white church with its steep1e point
ing heavenward like a finger and be
hind it the little burial ground. TIL.
!, color left his face at sight of his Wis
= itor, but he was grave and courteous