, 1918-07-04
Dawn's Early
Light
@1
BY FRANK RIGNEY

Forty-eight white stars twinkling on
n 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 peeping
stars far overhead dipped a 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, a fine, hearty, clean
cut boy of fifteen years, was the son
of a lumberman and lived in a small
wooden house on the outskirts of q
village that was situated away off yer
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 n strenuous day, was
sitting on q pile of lumber ana gaz-
ing at the iagpole 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 a
crawl when it journeyed toward
Jacks town. 1t 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 a virgin
country. This time 1t had put on a
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
new was big news. 1t was the presi-
dents war declaration, and 1t 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 1t he
was endeavoring on a piece Of white
wrapping paper to portray the scene
spread before him. The trees, hills,
houses and view in general proving too
much for him, he concentrated on the
flag.
~"Forty-eight stars and thirteen
stripes" said Jack. "Gosh, but 1t is
some flag! / wonder who invented
it?"
His picture finished, he climbed
down from the log pile and wandered
towards the "town hall" to proudly
display to some of his boy friends his
copy of Old Glory. From nowhere in
---&.--z. .tsA. 60 that vNr,rfArtNrt
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 =
MAKE me one! !" "Do one for mel"
Across the main street, the one and
only street of the village, was a group
OF men quietly discussing the new
man whose appearance showed him to
be a 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.
"GoodI" 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 iagsT"
"Stick 1t in my window" shouted
one boy. paste 1t on the wall over
my he'd between Lincoln and Wash
ington,' said another-Apd so or I'M
til 1t seemed that the li-,le village
would be papered froIl end TO end with
the flags that Jack had not yet
drawn.
'Finei" 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
fiag-and what you are going to do
for your flag? i ask you what you
are going to dor
A silence hat could be almost
heard descended on the crowd and the
boys looked uneasily at each other.
81 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 a few of the
men, as many as they can, and let
them all come, and I'll try and tell
you and your friends n little story of
the flag waving up there on the pole
Very quickly the big room filed and
n seemed &c thouph Jock would have