"I won't want to hear about any battle," said Phares. "I think war is horrible, awful, wicked."
"Mebbe so," said the girl, "but the poor men who fight in wars ain't always awful, horrible, wicked. You needn't turn your nose up at the old soldiers. Folks call Old Aaron lazy, I heard 'em a'ready, lots of times, but I bet some of them wouldn't have fought like he did and left a leg at Gettysburg and—ach, I think Old Aaron is just vonderful grand!" she ended in an impulsive burst of eloquence.
"Hooray!" shouted David. "So do I! When he carries the flag out the pike every Decoration Day he's somebody, all right."
"Ain't now!" agreed Phœbe.
"Been in the stores?" David asked her, feeling that a change of subject might be wise.
"Yes."
"See anything pretty?"
"Ach, yes. A lots of things. I saw the prettiest finger ring with a blue stone in. I wish I had it."
"What would Aunt Maria say to that?" wondered David.
"Ach, she'd say that so long as my finger ain't broke I don't need a band on it. But I looked at the ring at any rate and wished I had it."