Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-08-01
DaWn's Early
Light
o0

By FRANK RIGNEY

SIX rows OF StdTst tiEHt III q 'S''-
Forty-eight white stars twinkling on
a blue square. Seven long lines OF
red and six of white ripping, waving,
gathering up and flying out straight
again. A setting sun sending out red
beams of light that mingled with and
faded away among the early peeplng
stars far overhead dipped parting
salute to Old Glory Old Glory, illu-
mined by the red golden rays, looking
more resplendent and glorious than
ever, waved back an acknowledgment.
Such was the picture Jack Cody
gazed on. Jack fine, hearty, clean
cut boy of fifteen years, was the son
OF lumberman and lived in small
wooden house on the outskirts of a
village that was situated away off ever
SO far from trolley cars, subways and
skyscrapers. Jack was a boy of the
woods. The forest was for him school
and playground and was frequently his
bedroom.
This particular June evening Jack,
resting after a strenuous day, was
sitting on a pile of lumber ana gaz-
ing at the flagpole newly erected on
the town hall"
News, a speedy traveller, where tele-
phones, papers and crowds mix,
seemed to slow up and get down to
crawl when 1t journeyed toward
Jacks town. It had to work miles
upstream against rolling logs, along
old. rocky trails and through long
stretches of woods, lakes and other
things that go to make up virgin
country. This time it had put on
little extra speed, being helped along,
by some surveyors who had come as
the advance guards of a party of rail
road engineers and workmen. The
news was big news. 1t was the presi-
dents war declaration, and it had the
village buzzing with excitement. The
surveyors had brought the flag along
and one of them had left behind him
a pencil, colored blue at one end and
red at the other. Jack was the lucky
finder of the pencil and with it he
was endeayoring on a piece of white
wrapping paper to portray the scene
| NIltNh btlbAt llll1is AC llttHs iiAA5f
houses and view in general proving too
much for him, he concentrated on the
flag.
Forty stars and thirteen
stripes" said Jack. Gosh, but it is
some flag 1 wonder who invented
it?"
His picture finished he climbed
down from the log pile and wandered
towards the "town hair to proudly
display to some of his boy friends his
copy of Old Glory. From nowhere in
particular similar to that mysterious
place from which conjurers produce
| cards and rabbits, Jacks friends pro-
duced pieces of paper of various
shades and shapes and the young ar
fist was surrounded by a noisy crowd
shouting, "A flag for me, Jack p
MAKE me one" DO one for mer
Across the main street, the one and
only street of the village, was a group
and asking questions of an elderly
man whose appearance showed him to
be newcomer to the place.
The commotion created by the clam
oring boys brought the quiet discus
sion of the men to an end and the
stranger strolled over to know what
the uproar meant.
"Goodw he exclaimed, when he
found out. Great, boys, great
That's the spirit, boys" he said, but
easy there, fellows, until ask you a
few questions. What are you going
to do with your flags?'
~Stick it in my window" shouted
one boy, paste it on the wall over
my bed between Lincoln ald Wash
ington," said another--.nd so on I'M
til it seemed that the li-ile village
would be papered froIl end to end With
the flags that Jack had not yet
| drawn.
"FineP said the inquirer, Fine
Let me ask you, boys, now that
know what you are going to do with
| your flag, what you know about your
flag-and what you are going to do
for your flag? l ask you what you
are going to do7"
| SltutG lndL COulU ne almost
heard descended on the crowd and the
boys looked uneasily at each other.
Il didn't know that the flag wanted
me TO do anything for it." spoke up
Jack, much to the relief of his friends,
as the strangers attention was drawn
/ from them and directed to Jack.
Come into the hall, my boy. get
your friends to round up few of the
| men, as many as they can. and let
them all come, and I'll try and ten
| you and your friends a little story of
the flag waving up there on the pole"
Very quickly the big room filled and
IT seemed as though Jack would have
TO get busy penciling out standing
Room Only" notices when the man
who called the meeting had com
menced his story.
There is no occasion to follow in
detail all he told the men and bows
of the Stars and Stripes, for that
would be telling you something friend
reader, that you already know for
wards and backwards. Sufficient n
saw that he commenced witch -, ~,