Darkening clouds didn"t deter the throngs of people who assembled along Main Street for the Memorial Day parade. Looking about at the flags, bunting and garlands of evergreens, one would scarcely wonder why the day was more often called Decoration Day. It was splendidly festive.
Jake took his time walking through the crowd, grinning to hear a mother fussing at a child to stand still while she spit curled his hair and buttoned his knickerbockers. He spotted Hank Garvey under a sycamore tree, taking a swig from a flask and stuffing it back into his pocket. Jake averted his contemptuous gaze in time to curse a pile of horse manure he missed stepping in by a hairsbreadth.
At the start of the parade route, he walked by the swarming people who were just now assembling into groups. The Grand Ar
