FLAG DAY 435 
One to open Freedom’s gate, 
One! Ye re-United States! 
Rise — Salute your Flag! 
Stars upon its azure throng, 
Stars for states that stride along, 
Stars of hope that make men strong. 
Blood-red bars for battles done, 
Steel-white stars for peace well won. 
Rise — Salute this Flag! 
* * * * * * * 
The singing ceased, and Gray Lady stood with bent 
head, a smile upon her lips and tears in her eyes, for 
often when one is happiest, the two go together. 
The words of the hymn had been written by a dear 
friend on one of the anniversaries of the day that the 
General gave his life for his flag’s honour, and forget- 
ting that Goldilocks knew, Gray Lady had thought that 
no one remembered the verses but herself. 
Tommy and Sarah, to whom it had fallen to explain 
the occasion in a little speech of Miss Wilde’s wording, 
stepped forward, then looked at each other and seemed 
struck dumb. Sarah found her tongue first and also 
her own wording for the speech; clasping her hands 
nervously, she began: “ Last fall when we had the orchard 
party, you said ‘some day Birdland must have a flag- 
pole of its own,’ so we thought we would all do it and 
Miss Wilde said, ‘yes.’ The big boys cut the pole in 
Haines’ woods (he let them), and they shaped it out and 
polished it all themselves, and Jacob helped set it yester- 
day. We were awfully afraid you wouldn’t go to New 
York so’s they could do it without being seen. 
