Show M I 1 gays of PAST bears 4 E vm have w 5 called tt it in my girlhood AJ to have tailed failed to give 1 very able ble assistance in celebrating Wo memorial morlat day eald said a woman of middle age there nere waa was brat first of all 11 the delight of f gathering the flowers how ilow eagerly we watched the bushes hoping that the loveliest blooms would open la in time or delay their coming till the great day peonies we could count on snowballs balls helped despite their droop droopiness iness and waa was always to be bud we gasped in admiration over miss amy a contributions of exquisite garlands of the pliable bridal wreath with touches of scarlet c or ahe the faint pink of wild honeysuckle clustered here and there but we could never avolee anything half halt so lovely they were at once our joy and our despair boy boys were useful when it came to wild flower gathering even it picking garden posies pastes was not their forte they knew know where early laurel and wild azalea 1 were to be found and they could bo be trusted to bring home colum bine wild and buttercups I 1 or there never was a memorial day with too many flowers there was the town hall to decorate where the veterans et erans assembled tor for a brief session before the march to the cemetery t ary the G 0 A it IL ladles ladies saw to that and beautiful it was to childish eyes whon brave ath bunting and odorous with flowers you saw it the night before under the shelter of at mothers ling gingham apron there Is to only one proper eort sort of bouquet for village memorial day and sorry torry would one woman be houle she ever see it superseded by any thic modern an up to dato florist would be hw rifled at its makeup make up and bewail if its lacis lack of grace an artist might take it ae as a horrible example of crudity of color scheme but to many the tiff tightly tied bunch of posies portion conical or bullet shaped or flattened into a parti colored disk dial means mingled pathos and pleasure pica plea aura sura to the making of these went all the patience and the primitive taste of the grown daughter daughters of the household there must be a rosebud for the center grown in the house for garden roses were still sleeping and flor lids were a needless luxury la in the town of girl hood days aad brou brought ilat to punctual perfection by much watering iva sunning then in exact order ot of precedence circle upon circle came spice pinks white or pale vale mauve mock oranee orange candytuft pansies pan purple and yellow with an encircling fringe ct cf lilies of the valley and around all emphasizing the color sc liene was the green and rose geranium leavea leaves or the acas of ribbon grass it was redolent of spicy sweetness swo etness and of loving care oven ven if it were not artistic this decoration ly bouquet and no debutante ever bore her orchids we incle proudly than did youthful volunteer soldier boy or otter lottering ottering ott ering trig veteran tor the oey of daughter or sweet heart there was one cue comer corner ut u t by the first church where every axim extra bunch of flower flowers found Vs way there in charge of the min minister baters e wife they were ranged in bowl bowls in case aay any eol dier be forgotten should there be any such away raced tom or johnny will or frank or tomboy nell if the boy boys bad had all followed the drum corpa corps to supply the lack ack glad ao 0 o be a 0 use on this day dar of at day days and pleased with the grateful thank yoa you of the recipient one memorial day a trag ic day that I 1 shall never forget aid said the lady of the letter I 1 grandmother promised that I 1 sheild help make un cle ele henrys henry a bouquet an honor that seldom fell to nn an eight year old together aunt emily and I 1 constructed tho the masterpiece a triumph in bought building for or the climbing rose bloo bloomed ined early that year and our out scheme wag was simple yellow and white out but memorial day morning brought somo some child ash aliment ailment and when uncle henry resplendent la in his uniform ae as a captain of at volunteers and carrying a silk flag lust just presented to the company rode up to the door for his flowers he found a weeping email small girl clutching the bouquet and pushing away the eucly balsam remedy that waa was grand mother mothers panacea for all aches 4 in an n instant le was oft bis his horse hors 0 and down on his knees spoon in band hand coaxing me to obedience in a frantic attempt to be good I 1 jarred hie his elbow and the conteL cont eLta ts of the tablespoon splashed over bis bit spotless form and the shimmering red white and blue of the banner in the gen eral confusion that followed the white and yellow pyramid got badly dam used ed e and all that I 1 recall of the remainder It niler of that holiday I 1 the quiet haven of a big tour four poster in a raft ered room and a comforting grand mother who read me to sleep out of her illustrated bible parades were personal affairs in those days every other man in the procession was a friend or at least an acquaintance you knew even the distinguished gentlemen in the car cat biages in the first rode the squire and the first church minister escort ing the orator of the day lion mr brown congressman of tho the district judge smith and the school with the editor of the daily news came next and so oa on down the line of at lesaar notabilities cheers were loudest when tho the crippled age wora worn Tet veteran erans rode by la in the tillage village band wagon followed by grand army men who were still able bodied A goodly array they presented sn in that decade more than half hall have gone since every man who could hobble bild hs we place in the line till the ate reached there waa was a thrill in every blue coat in each bit of 0 tarn dished metal a story in the empty sleeve a tale of adventure in halting step and twisted back dull bull run and Chancell chancellorsville oroville gettysburg and in tri were near at band hand when the thin blue columns passed us by at he the end of the company the last man ot of all in the procession one girl knew there came inevitably german charlie general utility man in the newspaper office attics so bent and crippled by wounds and rheumatic pains that his treacherous legs lego could not be relied on to keep time to tho the martial strains band out but he plodded along eyes shining under his service hat brim a posy in his button hole a loyal veteran of the union army be he bad had enlisted in when a boyish immigrant proud to the core of ot his uniform and bis his right to wear it german geman charlie has his gone and da marcz bae most of the men who marched with him and so alas has his some of the spirit they kept alive mire |