d
was going to carry it from the schoolroom across the park and into the
Town Hall on the holiday. All the primary children would march after
the flag, and they were going to sing "America" and "The Star Spangled
Banner." It would be a wonderful day and each child wanted to carry the
flag.

No one was sure who would be chosen as flag-bearer, but their teacher
had said the week before: "It will be the child who loves his country
the most who will carry the Stars and Stripes. Try and do something for
your country during the week."

So the children had been very busy ever since doing all sorts of things
that would show how they loved their country.

Marjory had been knitting for soldiers. Her grandmother had given her
a pair of pretty yellow needles and a ball of soft gray yarn and had
started a scarf. But the stitches would drop, and there was still
enough snow for sliding on the hill back of Marjory's house. Her
knitting was not much further along on Saturday than on Monday.

"I will show how much I love my country," Hubert said, and he asked his
mother to take the gilt buttons from his great-grandfather's soldier
coat that hung in the attic and sew them on his reefer. Then he showed
the bright buttons to all the other children, and they thought that
Hubert looked very fine indeed.

"I shall wear them when I carry the flag next week," Hubert told them.

But the children thought that perhaps Roger would be chosen as
flag-bearer because he bought such a large flag with the money in his
bank, and put it up on the flagpole in his front yard. Roger's father
helped him raise the flag on a rope so that he could pull it down at
night, but once the Stars and Stripes were flying Roger forgot all
about them. His flag stayed out in the wind and sleet, and its bright
colors faded and the stripes were torn.

After all, the children decided, it would be Edward who would carry the
flag. Edward had a dog named Trusty, and he decided to train him to be
a Red Cross dog. He put a white band with a red cross on it around
Trusty and harnessed him to a little express wagon to carry bundles.
Trusty had never worn a harness in his life, or been fastened to
anything. He tried to get away from the wagon, but Edward strapped the
harness more tightly. The straps hurt Trusty, and it hurt his feelings
to be made to drag the cart; but Edward drove him to and from the
drug-store and the grocery and the butcher's, carrying the parcels that
Edwar