Aunt 'Liza's Hero, and Other StoriesJohnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows)
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Aunt 'Liza's Hero, and Other Stories
Johnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows)
Children's stories; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Youth -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
When the morning train came puffing in from Indianapolis a large crowd
had assembled at the station to catch a glimpse of Colonel Wake, the
orator of the day. Jeff Whitman was there, painfully conscious of being
dressed in his best, and of having a dreaded duty to perform.
He watched the colonel step into Judge Brown's carriage, and as it
disappeared from view he walked slowly down the street in the direction
it had gone.
All the morning Jeff hung around Judge Brown's house, trying to make up
his mind to carry out his plan. At last he set his teeth together, and
resolutely opened the gate. He felt ready to sink into the ground when
the judge himself opened the door. Jeff's voice sounded far away and
unnatural when he asked permission to speak to Colonel Wake.
In another moment the boy was in the dreaded presence, nervously
fingering his hat, and trying to recall his carefully prepared speech.
Then at sight of the colonel's smiling face his embarrassment vanished.
Before he realized it he had poured out the whole story of Aunt 'Liza's
hero.
"We are going to take her out there this afternoon," he said, in
conclusion. "She hasn't been for six years, and maybe she won't live to
go another year. She says people always praise Captain Bowles, who's
buried there, and Corporal Reed, and even the little drummer boy, but
they never say anything about her Mac. And--and--well, I thought if you
knew what a splendid soldier he was, and the brave things he did, maybe
you'd just mention him, too. It would please the old lady so much."
The colonel promised, and gave Jeff a hearty handshake, saying he wanted
to be introduced to Mrs. Barnes, and would depend on Jeff to point her
out to him.
Nearly every one walked out to Cedar Ridge. The way was not long, and
by-paths led through shady lanes, where blackberry vines and wild roses
trailed over the fence-corners.
Colonel Wake and the judge drove in a carriage. The flower girls were
drawn in a gaily decorated moving car, and carried flags and flowers. No
one saw Aunt 'Liza in her strange conveyance, for she had gone long
before the procession started.
"How nice and green it is," she said, fondly stroking the smooth sod. "I
needn't have worried all this time, thinking it wasn't looked after.
Somebody has been kind to my Mac. I was going to give every single one
of these flowers to him, but now I want you boys to take some of them
and put a wreath on every one of those six graves marked 'Unknown.'"
When the procession came up she was sitting on the same old folded quilt
that had done duty in the cart as a seat. She leaned contentedly against
the wooden headboard, marked simply, "McIntyre Barnes," with the number
of his company and regiment. People looked at her in surprise, wondering
how she came there.
The boys had hitched the calves out of sight, on the other side of the
hill; for being boys, they could not bear to be laughed at.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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