@@@@@ Within a minute the crowd was cheering 508
@@@@@ Within a minute the crowd was
cheering itself hoarse, and it kept cheering until the band came before
them, when silence fellIt was a small band, only two drummers and
two men playing pennywhistles and one man playing a sweet, highpitched
cornetBut they were dressed in gray, with gold sashes and bright
brass buttonsAnd in front of them a man with one arm was holding
the
staff of the Confederate flag in his remaining handThe Stars and
Bars
was honorably tattered, and it was being paraded again through
Peachtree StreetThroats were too choked with emotion to utter
cheersScarlett felt tears on her cheeks, but they were not tears of
defeat, they were tears of prideSherman's men had burned Atlanta,
the Yankees had pillaged Georgia, but they hadn't been able to destroy
the SouthShe saw tears like hers on the faces of the women, and
the
men, in front of herEveryone had lowered umbrellas to stand
bare-headed to honor the flagThey stood tall and proud, exposed to
the cold rain, for a long timeThe band was followed by a column of
Confederate veterans in the ragged butternut homespun uniforms
they'd
come home inThey marched to "Dixie" as if they were young men
again,
and the rain-soaked Southerners watching them found their voices to
cheer and whistle and let out the chilling, rousing cry that was the
Rebel YellThe cheering lasted until the veterans were out of
sight
Then umbrellas swung upward and people began to leaveThey'd
forgot
ten Rex, and Twelfth NightThe high point of the parade had come
and
gone, leaving them wet and chilled but exalted
Scarlett heard it from dozens of smiling mouths as people passed her
gate"There's more parade to come," she said to some of them
"Can't top 'Dixie,' can it?" they repliedEven
she didn't feel interested in seeing the floats, and she'd worked very
hard on hersSpent a lot of money, too, on crepe paper and tinsel
that the rain must have ruinedAt least she could sit down to watch
now, that was somethingShe didn't want to tire herself out when
tonight was the Masquerade BallTen endless minutes dragged by
before
the first float appeared
