At a signal the entire ranks waited. Miss Ellis stepped up to the
marshal smiling. She had evidently forgotten his daughter had lost her
place.

"I need two girls to carry the end flags," he began. "These old men have
all they can do to travel. The flags are not heavy--here, the two last
girls will do nicely!"

Dorothy and Tavia stepped to the sides and gracefully took the flags
from the hands of the aged soldiers.

The only girls who could carry real army flags! And walk on either side
of the marshal leading the Veterans!

"If I only could stick my tongue out just once more at Sarah," whispered
Tavia, as she crossed back of the marshal to her place.

"We have both got Betsy Ross flags now," said Dorothy, and in all that
procession there were no prettier figures than those of Dorothy and
Tavia, as they marched alongside the veterans, with the real army flags
waving above their heads, stepping with feet and hearts in perfect
accord to the music of the Dalton Drum and Fife Corps' "Star Spangled
Banner."




CHAPTER II