DOROTHY was all dressed to see the Fourth of July procession. She had
on her white dress, her blue sash, and her red shoes. Her cheeks were
red, too, and her eyes were blue, and when she pushed up her full
muslin sleeves, she saw how white her fat little arms were as soon as
you got past the sunburn. “I’se red, white and blue mine-self!” said
Dorothy.
She went and stood on the top doorstep, which was very near the street.
Pretty soon the trumpets began to sound and the drums to beat, first
far away, then nearer and nearer. At last the procession came round the
corner. First the drum-major, with his huge bearskin cap, tossing his
great gilded stick about; then came the musicians, puffing away with
might and main at their great brass horns and trumpets, and banging
away at their drums and kettle-drums. It was a splendid noise; but
they were really playing a tune, the “Red, White and Blue.”
The standard-bearer dipped his flag as he passed Dorothy’s house, for
there was a great flag draped over the doorway, and red, white and blue
streamers running up to the windows, and Dorothy waved a little flag
as she stood on the top doorstep. “Three cheers for the red, white and
blue!” sang the soldiers as they marched by.
“Sank you!” said Dorothy, spreading out her frock and patting her sash.
“_I’se_ the red, white and blue! See mine sash!”
The soldiers laughed and cheered.
Then came a soldier who looked straight up at Dorothy, and held out his
arms, though without stopping. And it was Dorothy’s own Papa!
In less than half a minute Dorothy was in his arms, and he had caught
her up, and put her on his shoulder.
Dorothy waved her flag, and jumped up and down on Papa’s shoulder, and
cried, “Three cheers for the red, white and blue! three cheers for me!”
and all the soldiers shouted and cheered and laughed, and so Dorothy
and the procession went on their way all through the village.