The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-07-12

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front of the house below, and nearly
lost his balance. He had little heart
now to hoist the flag there, the ma
terial Of which had taken nearly his
last cent and upon which Ivy had
stitched diligently and steadily for
nearly week.
| The flag was hoisted just the same,
but the spirits of the family were deep
| ly subdued. The old man wandered
about uneasily. He was returning
wearied and worried to the house one
afternoon. when he sat down under
the shade Of tree to rest. His eye
caught the flag waving brightly in the
breeze.
swell, we'll have to put our shoul-
der to the wheel afresh and trust in
God" he murmured. ''This is big
country, with lots of chances for the
willing man and-'the flag is still
therer"
The words inspired him. The pres
ence of the flag, memory the STIR
ring words of the great song he had
into battle, of the one he had written
for the company reunion awoke latent
poetic instinct in his nature. 1t was
then that his theme took root. 1t was
pleasant to muse over it and to am
plify it. After that for several days
of woodland, give out the stirring
words of his crude but appealing COM
position to the flower-laden breeze and
the chorusing birds.
Then into that fertile mind of his
came suggestion. The daily papers
had told him that the big city, not far
away, was all aflame with patriotic
fervor. OratOry, melody, sentiment
ruled the times. He recalled the mar
velous popularity of the noble melo-i
dies of the Civil war. He was too
modest and sensible to get the idea
into his head that he was great COM
poser, and could write the national
anthem, but why might not his little
effort become one of the many catchy
songs Of the moment?
Hence his present trip to the city.
He had told Ivy he had business there,
and she supposed it was something to
do with the renewal of the mortgage.
Jed got to the city. He had little
money to spare, and he secured the
cheapest sleeping quarters he could
find, and got his meals at third-rate
restaurant. For two days he went the
rounds of the local music publishers!
They pitied or laughed at him. Jed
was getting discouraged, when one day
he ran across young, active, but
somewhat disappointed journalist at
the restaurant.
"LoOk here" said the keen-witted
newspaper man, after looking over the
song, "Tve an idea"
slave you, nova" questioned Jed
hopefully.
81 have. Those verses are no mar
velous gems, but they hit the occasion.
Patriotism is in the air. I can get
credit to have a thousand slips print
ed with the song on them. Tomorrow
night there's to be great mass meet
ing to encourage enlistment at one of
the armories. They say there will be
fully 10000 people present. Wen get
there early and sell the slips at five
cents each. The verses just hit the
occasion. If you get the crowd en-
Unused and singing your song, you're
a made man."
The songs sold. Little knots of peo-
pie began to hum the familiar melody
they were fitted to. The entire thou
sand went like hot cakes. The chair
man of the meeting suggested that
they sing the song-all voices.
The next day the fertile-minded re-
porter enlarged on the scheme. He
had $4,000 of the songs printed. He
went to leading business houses and
induced them to buy big quantities for
general distribution as a patriotic
duty.
Jed Davis went home with nearly
$500 in his pocket. A glorious moon
was rising as he neared the old cot
tage. Inside a light showed Ivy bus
Ting about. How happy she would be
to hear the news of what was small
fortune to them in their present hum
BILE circumstances!
The old man suddenly, reverential-
ly lifted his ragged cap, for the rising
moon cast rare silver glow over the
cottage and Flagstaff, and the Stars
and Stripes floating in the breeze.
"'And the flag was still there!" he
sang with a will, and FASTENED into
the house to tell the happy news.