sky. But when the boy, whose name was Caspar, saw
the others looking at him, he ran down the hill and hid behind the
children.

"Any one who can sing the Star-Spangled Banner like that is a good
American," said Uncle Henry, as he drove his bobbin into the ground,
and prepared to open the box of luncheon.

When the foreigners went in to dinner, Caspar did not follow. He took
his sandwiches, frosted cake, and ice-cream, and sat down on the
grass, where he could look at the flag.

There was not a child in the whole park who loved the Stars and
Stripes as little Caspar did, not even the two American children; for
in his own country Caspar had lived in a mission house, where they had
told him all about America, and how the Stars and Stripes protected
the people, even the poorest of little children. They told him that he
must never harm the flag, or allow it to be trampled on. After he came
to America, his teacher had taught him to salute the flag.

He had heard the flag song on the big ship, and he felt that it was
Old Glory that had brought him safe to one of his own country-women in
America, with whom he lived.

Caspar was thinking of all this as he lay on the grass, and saw the
flag fluttering in the light wind. He had watched it for some time,
when he saw it give a quick little shiver, then begin to sink slowly,
and then faster. He looked to the end of the line, and saw that the
great white kite was dipping about in a strange manner; then he looked
up to the hill and saw the kite man leaping down the slope as fast as
he could. The American children were running behind him.

Caspar trembled with excitement. What would happen to the flag? Would
it get trampled upon, or would it go out to sea and get wet and
spoiled? Oh, he must help them get Old Glory! He ran until he was
directly beneath the flag; then he stretched his arms high to catch it
if it fell. But a strong breeze came up, and carried the Big Bear over
the water, and pulled the flag with it. Caspar ran on to the water's
edge.

Caspar did not know what to do next. There were no people on the
shore, and no boats were near. The flag had not been trampled on, but
it might fall in the water any minute. Where were the people? Did they
know that a great calamity was about to happen, to everybody in the
park, to everybody in America, perhaps to the mission ladies who had
been so good to him? How could the people sit about, eating and
drinking, when there was such