StNicholas [serial] . und went up fromthe ranks. The commanding officer caught sightof it, and then — Ach, lieber Ffimmel! groaned the sergeant,whatever shall I do? Why did you bring that here? demanded theofficer, furiously, pointing to the small flag Tomwas holding very tightly. Why, you see, it s our flag, explained Tom,who understood German fairly well, his face pal-ing a little as the officers crowded angrily aroundhim. It s our Fourth of July to-day, and Icould nt get any fire-crackers or anything inBlitz, and so I had to have the flag to show I—Iwas celebrating the Declaration of Indepe
StNicholas [serial] . und went up fromthe ranks. The commanding officer caught sightof it, and then — Ach, lieber Ffimmel! groaned the sergeant,whatever shall I do? Why did you bring that here? demanded theofficer, furiously, pointing to the small flag Tomwas holding very tightly. Why, you see, it s our flag, explained Tom,who understood German fairly well, his face pal-ing a little as the officers crowded angrily aroundhim. It s our Fourth of July to-day, and Icould nt get any fire-crackers or anything inBlitz, and so I had to have the flag to show I—Iwas celebrating the Declaration of Independence. Independence! thundered the officer, eyingTom severely, while the other men growled some-thing about American children. Tut, tut! 832 HOW TOM WHITNEY ASTONISHED THE GERMAN ARMY 833 Does that explain why you dare to interrupt ourdrill hy flaunting another flag — The officerhesitated. There was a look in Toms eye thatmade the man remember when he was a lad andthe flag of the Fatherland represented all that. HE SAW TOM WHITNEY WAVING THE RED, WHRIGHT UNDER THE FOLDS OF THE FLAG OF THE prowess and courage and honor had won for theempire. Then, he knew, too, what would be inthe heart of almost any boy whose eyes werefrank and clear, and who could answer the ques-tions of an angry man coolly and politely. Hesaw the grip of the small hand around the slenderstick to which the flag was attached, and therewas a hold fast expression on the boyish facethat made the officer realize that here was theVol. XXXVII.—105-106. same clear grit that had framed the Declara-tion of Independence and then fought to estab-lish it. So you are celebrating your national day withour cannon ! the officer went on, in quite a newtone of voice. You lookupon our firing as a saluteto your flag? Yes, sir, replied Tom,promptly, and it wasgrand, sir. A-hem! coughed theman, as he glanced at hisbrother officers. You see,however, it is against or-ders to allow any foreignflag on these parade-grou
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidstnicholasse, bookyear1873
