The San Francisco call. [volume], November 20, 1910, Page 7, Image 7

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL", SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1910.— THE JUNIOR CALL 1
FOR THE YOUNGER JUNIORS
N
Betty Custer
DOItOTIIV It'ItIEDKNTIIAI-,
Age 12 Yearn
.In the old colonial days, when the
United Stntes was very young, there
lived in a small Pennsylvania town a
little girl called Betty. She was named
after Betsy Ross, tho lady who so per
scveringly made . the first American
flag. How proud she was of her name,
and how she tried' to live up to it!
She wished sho could do something for
her country, too, but feared it was im
possible for a girl 9 years old. She
thought day and night until at last
one morning she struck upon ari'idea.
"I'll do it!" she exclaimed, "no mat
ter if it takes me a hundred years.
And I won't ask mother to help me."
She ran down stairs and knocked at
the door of the big living room.
"Come in/ said a sweet Voice, and
Betty entered softly, dropped a curt
sey and_ kissed her mother. Resplen
dent in a wide hoop skirt and pretty
frilled apron. Dame 'Custer sat in a
large armchair drawn up to the fire
place.
The room was in typical colonial
style— :high backed chairs stood about;
there was a cozy window, seat, a
pocket on the wall containing several
long stemmed pipes; a loom, and a
spinning wheel. A quaint carved side
board stood against the wall, and op
posite was the wide mouthed fireplace,
the logs blazing and crackling and the
iron kettle singing on the crane. t A
cozier room could nowhere be found.
"Mother, dear, may I use the spin
THE WINNERS OF PAINT BOX PRIZES
This is the picture to be colored; Paint it in water colors or crayon and send immediately to the
Editor of the Junior Call.
\u25a0 -
NAM E > Aj-rc
A DDRESS
nlng wheel and loom?" asked Betty.
"Certainly, my child."
"I thank thee, mother," and Betty
seated herself at tho wheel and began
deftly to wind tho flax around the
distaff. . Starting 1 the treadle with her
foot, she spun a great many yards
of linen thread, which took her all
morning, and put It on the loom. When
the cloth was finished she cut it into
pieces and dyad one piece red, tho
other blue, and left the third white.
By the time this was done it was bed
time, and, carrying her treasure with
her, she placed it under her pillow.
Although she was tired from working,
all day, tho excitement was so gr^at
that she awoke very early next morn-
Ing and, after dressing and breakfast
ing, sat down in the living room to sew
her pieces together. '
Betty first cut out a large square of
tho blue cloth and to this she sewed
13 strips of red and white homespun.
After cutting out 13 white stars sho
sewed them in a circle on the blue
field, and the flag was finished. '
It was a very creditable piece of
work for so young a girl, and she
showed Jt proudly to her mother.
"Now^ I have done nearly as much
as Betsy Ross for my country," she re
marked to her big brother, who looked
down at her with admiration in his
eyes.
"Certainly thou " hast, little sister,
and art more worthy of praisa, for thy
efforts were far greater than hers."
"Oh!" and she hid her face in Lodo
wick's sleeve to hide tho tears of Joy
which welled up in her eyes. "What
aileth thee, Betty?" tho boy said, kiss
ing her; then. understanding, he walked
away.
In a few days there was to be a
great gathering in tha-town, and en
' tertainments were to be held on the
hill at the outskirts of the village.
Betty received an invitation to tako
anything she herself had made to the
gathering to exhibit 1 for a prize. She
choose the flag which she had so per
ficverlngly wrought with her own small
hands. When the eventful day arrived
Betty tripped merrily across the log
which served as a bridge on the swollen
brook, over which she had to pass, clad
in her holiday dress and bonnet*
She 'enjoyed herself Immensely at
the merry gathering, skipping gaily
along at Lodowlck's side, nodding a
cheery "Good day" or "God bless thee,"
which gladdened many a heart not bo
merry.
When the time at last came for tho
work to be exhibited she joined !ln the
line goinjr to the booth. Person after
person deposited various things on the
stand, and, last I but not least, came
Betty, her little heart beating wildly
and her hands clasping and unclasping
over the flag sho held.
"Mistress Betty Custer, winner of the
prize for. the best piece of work," cried
a loud voice.
She heard as if in a trance, 'and it
seemed to her a dream when sho was
handed the beautiful distaff wound
with red, whito and blue cotton. She
heard the din of voices in her ears and
the numerous congratulations and ex
pressions of laughing envy.
Thoroughly happy at heart, sho
tripped home with her brother in the
twilight, thp flag floating in the light
breeze from' one "hand arid the precious
distaff under her arm. As she was walk
ing over the swollen brook on the log
bridge a slight wind sprang up, caught
the flag from her hand and carried it
into the swift moving current.
"My flag, my flag!" she cried, wildly,,
and before Lodowick could prevent she
had leaped into the stream after her
treasure. Her brother jumped in aft«»
her, and, catching her skirts, dragged
her out upon the bank, then went back
for the flag and distaff, -which were
being rapidly carried down the stream...
Grabbing them up quickly, he again
reached the bank and ran to where
Betty sat shivering in.the evening wind.
Lodowick was afraid she would take
cold, so without a word he rushed with
her to the house, where Dame/ Custer
undressed her by. the fire. When in
bed she received a hot cup of elder tea
and was sung to sleep by a tender,
mother.
All night she slept heavily, and in
the morning the flush of fever over
spread her. little face. Her breathing
was short and strained, and she lay ns
if in a trance. For several days she
remained thus, only waking now and !
then long enough to be given medicine*
and to murmur deliriously. No one
talked to her or answerod her ques
tions, but all day and. night anxious
faces watched by .the bedside for the
first trace of sanity.
At last one day her .: brow cleared;
she raised her heavy- eyelids, and murr
mured in a soft, weak voice, "Why art
thou here, brother Lodowick, with such
•in anxious face, and mother, why gaze
at one so? I wonder why I am so
weak; I can not lift my head and can
hardly breathe." , ..
Mother's and son's eyes filled, and
they looked at each other understand-
Ingly, while watched by the two large,
puzzled, brown orbs of the child. To
ward evening the change came. Betty
was weakening fast, and her eyes took
on the gentle. appealing look of a little
lamb. She asked for, the flag, looked
fondly at it, and then— her eyes grew
large and gazed wonderingly at some
unseen thing. Raising herself on her
elbow, she cried: "Canst thou not hear •
the music? Oh!" Sinking back'on her,
pillow she quietly crossed the great •
boundary which ' separates life from
death. , - '"
All looked tearfully on while the
mother slowly and sorrowfully covered
the little face. The- whole v village
mourned for the child. The American
flag made by Betty was put reverently,
away in the great old chest, together
with the distaff; and they are both
handed down from generation to gen
eration, in memory 6f the second Betty ,
who made an American flag and the
first who died to savo it.
New Prizes to Be Awarded
The younger Juniors will be pleased
to learn that a new prize has- been,
provided for them. The paint boxes
will be discontinued for the present
and instead 25 sets of "dolls of all, na
tions" will be awarded each week heref
after. Each set contains eight splen
did cut out dolls with clothes and
everything complete. Boys will find
these "dolls of all nations" Just as in
teresting as the girls. find them.; They
are really miniatures' of the people ; of
•eight 'great nations of the world. They
are very beautiful. Color ' the ' picture *
at once; do your best, and win a set of
the "dolls of all nations."
Paint boxes were awarded to the fol
lowing juniors who painted the picture
in the paper ofv November, 6:
lUt'hurd Shaw, 1531 Alcatraz avenue,
Berkeley... )
\u25a0\u25a0 .-;liiicy Savage, 2345 Bryant street, San
Francisco.
DoriN Kddjy Turlock.
John 'Armstrong, Mountain View.
Julln dialling;, Pescadero. .
Klennor llarriHon, 1465 East Seven
teenths avenue, Oakland.
Jane Frederick, 670 Walsworth ave
nue, Oakland.
Emily Mnrtln'elll, Inverness. .V
Nor inn Kent, 1915 Green street, San
Francisco. '.-\u25a0\u25a0'•\u25a0'.
Charlie Mcnmcc, 887 Fifty-sixth street,
Oakland.
Howard Garry, 323 Ilaight street,
San Francisco.
ICinnia Ilillrbrnnd, 1508 Eighth ave
nue South, Butchertown, San Francisco. •
Hugh It. llollenbcak, 1330 North
Center street, Stockton.
fSrncNt I'onwauo, 126 River street,
Santa Cruz.
Ktliel May Zaehrlnjcer, 109 Fifteenth
street, Pacific Grove.
I.lly lVteraou, 597 Sixty-fifth street,
Oakland.
Axel Auderson, box 15, route 2, llay
ward. .' t'.viv
Hoaald JohiiMun, 008 South American
etreet, Stockton.
joNltt iijm.', 444 J street, Fresno.
i:ii/aiM-(h N.mimi.i, St. Helena.
"What shall we name the baby?"
asked Mrs. Newpop, gazing affection
ately at her.
"We'll call it Yorrlck," said Mr. New
pop.
••yorriuk? Why that'b' a masculine
name."
"Indeed, it is not. Shakespeare said,
'A lass, poor Yorrk:k.' "
Little Johnnie asked his uncle, "Were
you made of duwt, too?"
HiH uncle, who was miserly and
afraid Johnny wan K ( >l"B to borrow,
answered hastily: "Yes, my eon, but
1 have little of it now."
7