At that time, in the eighteen nineties and atthe turn of the century, New England villagesand small towns, and many outside New England as well, provided they were north ofMason and Dixon's line, observcd this sacredday after a carefully prescribed manner; andours was no exception to the rule. In the morning all graves in the villagecemetery, which during the preceding weekhad been mown and clipped by our sexton,were decorated by the families concernedwith potted plants and with jars and vases offlowers; and small American flags were setupright by our town authorities on thosewhich marked the resting place of soldiers,whether of the Revolutionary or the CivilWar. At precisely two o'clock in the afternoon along procession marched from our own hallon the green toward the cemetary one halfmile distant above our small, quiet harbor. Our village band headed the line of march,erect and spruce in gold-laced green uniforms, which upon its original formation hadbeen eagerly provided by local contributions. Its few members played their fifes, cornets,trumpets, and drums with markcd dignity,martial music being the order bcfore the procession entered the cemetery, whcn muffleddrumbeats superseded it. Directly behind the band rode Our one calvalry officer, Captain Augustus Stevens. He wore a broad-brimmed hat with a faded goldcord and in his free right hand held aloft aflashing sword. He was an imposing figure,who each year sent a chill down my back; andalthough his horse was hardly of the mettle ofthose which charged at Gettysburg, he, too,seemed to us magnificent as his hoofs sent upwhirls of dust from the country road. Children completed the line of marchscores of children; boys in tight knce pantsand white blouses, girls in summer frocks ofgingham or percale, all awe-struck and silent. Each child carried a bouquet of flowers—lilacs and apple blossoms if the spring wasearly enough, violets and wild cherry if it wasslow in coming—to place upon the graves ofour honored dead when once the processionwith a final roll of drumbeats should halt inthe cemetery and the signal should be given.

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