fullness of his years and honors to bestow the dignity of American citizenship upon those that had come from other lands. The judge himself, in his youth, had taken out his papers of citizenship and had sworn allegiance to a flag of red, and white, and blue. He had come to the United States in '48 when so many high-spirited young men were leaving Germany to seek a liberty that was denied them in the Fatherland. During the Civil War he had fought for the Union cause under General Franz Siegel, and carried a musket ball in his right hip thereafter. He had sealed his allegiance with his blood. Oliver did not know this; but sitting there, staring at that straight and spare figure on the bench, the boy felt an unaccountable thrill run along his spine.
"One Union," he said to himself, "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." It seemed a queer thing to be running through his mind.
A brisk little man represented the United States Government at the hearing and questioned the applicants. Italian and French, Turk and Greek, German and Slav—one by one they came forward in answer to their names and were admitted to citizenship or else heard citizenship refused them. Presently the clerk of the court called:
"Antonio Miretto."
A man of swarthy skin arose from one of the
