So he added, quickly:
"Please don't suspect me, Major, of being a braggart. But Hal, Eph and
I have always taken our work with seriousness. We have always acted
just as though the Flag depended upon us for its protection. We have
the desire, every minute of our lives, to be great Americans--that is,
great in our devotion to the Flag, even if we cannot be great in deeds."
"By Jove, I believe you!" cried Major Woodruff, reaching forward and
clasping Jack's hand tightly in his own.
The major went on heartily:
"No, no, Benson, I don't consider you boastful. You're talking the way
I heard some youngsters talk when I was a boy. It's refreshing and
encouraging to hear you talk that way. Do you know, boy, when we older
fellows sometimes get to thinking of the country's past glories, we
wonder whether the boys of to-day are going to make such men as have
carried the United States of America forward in the past? The thought
makes us solemn and anxious. I suppose every man who is grown and on
toward middle life has always, in every generation, wondered whether
boys were as serious and dependable, as staunch and loyal as the boys
of the day before yesterday.
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