Charlie's, who strode forward to the march, flourishing grandsir's sword.
Not even Alexander, Julius Cæsar, Napoleon, or General Grant, ever had a
sword to be compared with Charlie's that day. The warriors moved out from
their "armory" into the yard. Aunt Stanshy was up stairs making a bed.
Suddenly under her window, arose a wild, semi-civilized, semi-barbarous
shout.

"What is to pay?" she screamed. "O those little boobies!" and she sprang
to the window. The "Grand March" had been inaugurated with full pomp. Sid
Waters, as president, was sitting in the go-cart, his head ornamented with
a huge smothering three-cornered hat, made out of a New York daily. Rick
Grimes, as governor, was walking behind the go-cart, now and then giving
the "chariot" an obsequious push, but impatiently awaiting his turn for a
ride. Billy Grimes and Pip Peckham were serving as horses, and soldiers
also, pulling along the president and sharing the broom-handle between
them. Whether that handle might be a "musket" or a "spear," no one could
say. Charlie served as a body-guard, now looking at Aunt Stanshy's window
and then glancing in pride at grandsir's sword. Juggie was a color-bearer,
and at the same time a color-guard of one appeared in the shape of Tony,
flourishing Aunt Stanshy's clothes-stick. The colors were a very small
American flag on a very long bean-pole. Twenty feet ahead of the whole
procession, in solitary glory, walked Wort. He was a kind of "chief
marshal," Sid had said, but Wort could not forget that he had also been
made "keeper of the great seal" that very day, and in token of it he took
along the borrowed curtain-stick.

"Halt!"

This summons came not from the chief marshal but the president, and was
promptly obeyed by all. Wort retreated from his advanced position and