Part 17 (1/2)
”Who would he get to join it?” asked Gerald, scornfully
”Oh, he can find plenty to do that,” replied Jack ”You know he always has plenty of money to spend”
”There's Monkey Rae and Looney Burns,” said Pepper, ”they would be in it”
”And Kid Murphy,” added dick
”I wonder--” began Jack, and stopped, seeht
”What is it now, Jack?” asked Rand, ”trying to put two and two together?”
”I was,” replied Jack, ”but it don't seem to come out four”
”What is it this time, addition or multiplication?” asked Donald
”Must be division, I think,” laughed Jack ”I ondering if Sae Taylor's office”
”Of course not,” asserted Pepper ”What would he want to do that for?”
”I don't know,” answered Jack, ”or what any one else would, for that matter But it would be just like hiuilty of that,” remarked the colonel, ”that was the work of men”
”But there was a boy in it,” asserted Jack
”It wouldn't be Saht put others up to it, but you wouldn't find hi of Monkey lately?” interjected Rand
”Not since the day he stole the fish,” returned Pepper
”Haven't seen him in three or four days,” said dick ”It's queer, too, for he used to come in the shop al out somewhere”
”Hope it isn't around here!” cried Pepper ”Say, felloe had better take a scout through the woods and , then,” said Rand, ”and ill rout hi out under the leadershi+p of Rand the boys explored the woods in every direction for sons of any one being in the neighborhood
”Going back to the flag,” said the colonel, when the boys had returned, ”while we are waiting for the dinner to be done, can any of you tell the history of the flag? Of its origin and how it ca was made in Philadelphia by Betsy Ross, in 1775, was it not?”
”According to tradition,” replied the colonel, ”but history doesn't bear it out The earliest flag to be used by the colonies was the Liberty Flag, which was presented to the Council of Safety of Charleston, by Colonel Moultrie, in September, 1775”
”What was it like?” asked Rand
”It was adapted fro with crescent in the dexter corner and the word 'Liberty' running lengthwise”
”There were other flags, too, weren't there?” asked Jack
”Yes, there was the Rattlesnake Flag”