My brother watched the boats come in and
after the third day of watching he was rewarded by seeing the craft
moving slowly up the slough, heavily laden with lumber and bags of
potatoes and other articles needed in the market and for building.
When the vessel was made fast to the dock Brother George came home and
reported, and we were all excitement to know if it was to be a
reality or a joke in regard to the flag. Next noon brother went down
and when he saw the captain he went to him and told him that the flag
he had ordered was finished, and it was a beauty, too. "All right,"
said the captain, "let me see the flag and I'll be on hand with the
gold in an hour." The flag was opened in the cabin of the craft and
when the captain saw the beautifully finished flag he had no words to
express himself. He just gazed upon it like a child with a new toy. At
last he turned to his sideboard and took from it two decanter stands
with bands of silver two inches high and heavily wrought edge on the
bottoms of the finest polished wood and in the center a silver deer's
head, with the name of the vessel in silver. He soon wrapped these
beautiful stands up and handed them to my brother, besides the
fifty-dollar slug. He sent them as a compliment to the young lady of
fifteen years who could make a flag of this sort with such exquisite
neatness. When brother returned it was our turn to be astonished to
see these beautiful decanter stands, fit to grace the sideboard of any
mansion in the land, and they were mine, and also the slug which
brother tossed into my lap.
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