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This young girl's name is Marcelle. She lived in a small French town before the war. Her father owned large quarries there, and she had always played about the passageways and underground chambers.

The little town was taken by the Germans. Marcelle's father was killed; every one she knew was either killed or got away from the village.

But Marcelle would not run away. She knew that many French soldiers were hurt in different parts of the village, so she hid herself in the underground passageways, and at night she went out and found the hurt soldiers, and nursed them. She got ever so many safely into her quarries, where she took care of them. Then she helped them escape out of the village.

Twice the Germans caught her. Twice they had her standing before their firing squad, to be shot. But both times the French gunners got near to the village just in time to frighten the firing party.

At last the French took the village again, and she was safe.

The French Government asked Marcelle to come to Paris, to a famous hall, to be decorated for service to her country. The grand hall was full of famous soldiers and people from all parts of the country.

Every one stood up, and all the soldiers saluted the modest little French girl when she walked up to be decorated. They knew that no man could have been braver or more unselfish for France than she was.

When America entered the war the young men came forward and said, "We will fight, send us." Their sisters came forward and said, "We will serve, send us." For every need of a woman that the Government or the Red Cross or the Y.M.C.A. had, there was a woman ready. They have served with hands and hearts and brains, and some of them have served with their lives.

When I grow up to be a voting American citizen I will try always to be fair to both men and women. I want the Stars and Stripes, which were first made by a woman, to float over a country where women and men together are free and equal.

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HE American flag, the Stars and Stripes, has

not been easy to keep clean and safe. Everything that is very precious has to be worked and fought for all the time. Even liberty cannot be got once for all and then left alone.

The liberty of the American Republic has had to be fought for again since the first time. The first time was the War of the American Revolution, as we have seen. The next time was the American Civil War, in 1861.

Sometimes a nation is attacked by outside enemies,

but sometimes enemies grow up inside the nation. If the citizens grow selfish or get false ideas, they can become the most dangerous enemies of all.

This happened in our country. Some of the States said that liberty meant that every State could decide all things for itself, and need not obey the Federal Government. These States said also that their citizens had a right to keep black men as slaves to work for them. So in the midst of the country that had once fought for freedom, men were keeping other men out of every kind of freedom.

The United States of America said: "We are not many separate countries; we are one country. Every State must obey the Federal Government." And the United States of America also said: "This is a free country, no man shall own or control another man, black or white."

So the Civil War was fought, to decide whether the United States should remain one country or not, and whether every man in the country should be free or not.

The Federal Government that is, the United States of America - won the war. A free and united country was once more bought for us by the suffering of other people.

We must always remember that our freedom de

pends on unity. A lot of separate selfish States can be robbed or spoiled like a lot of weak and selfish children. A union of free States, working each for all and all for each, is a mighty Nation, unconquered, and truly free.

We must always remember, too, that no one is free if all are not free. If one citizen is abused, any citizen may be abused. As an American child I will learn carefully what "Union and Liberty" mean, and will keep in my heart the love of this country, which gives me both.

When I am a voting citizen, I will protect with all my might the sacred unity of this Nation, and the sacred liberty of all its citizens.

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