At a flag raising at North Plato, Kane County, after the stars and stripes had been duly hoisted, the assembly adjourned to the village church, where some speeches were made by patriotic gentlemen and an opportunity was offered for young men to come forward and enlist, the company at Plato not being quite filled. Not a man went up. This aroused the patriotism, as well as the “dander” of the village school-mistress, who with many other ladles was present, and she walked boldly forward to the Secretary’s desk and headed the muster-roll with a name, rendered illustrious as having been affixed to the Declaration of Independence, with the pre-nomen Mary. She was followed by another lady— and lo! and behold, the Plato company was not long in filling its ranks! The muster-roll, bearing the names of the spirited young vivandiers, has been sent to head-quarters, and the company accepted by “the powers that be.” Since that date four flag raisings have come off In that portion of Kane County, and “Mary” and “May”—the soldier girls—in uniforms of red, White and blue, have attended all of them, at the request of the officers, marching as pioneers at the head of their company. The Captain says he could not get along without them, and after the flag has been sent up he allows them to fire each three guns in honor of the Union, the Stars and Stripes. Whether he will deprive the place of the valuable services of a good teacher, and a lover of a pretty sweet-heart, by carrying his Joans of Arc to the wars with him, remains yet to be seen. Much of the success of the recruiting service, and the patriotic fire burning now in Old Kane, is attributed to the gallant conduct and bright eyes of these young ladies.
The Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL