half past one
The week went by , and the next Saturday morning brought fair weather . It was a busy morning on the farms -- like any other ; but long before noon the teams of horses and oxen were seen going home from work in the fields , and everybody got ready in haste for the great event of the afternoon . It was so seldom that any occasion roused public interest in Barlow that there was an unexpected response , and the green before the old white meeting-house was covered with country wagons and groups of people , whole families together , who had come on foot . The old soldiers were to meet in the church ; at half past one the procession was to start , and on its return the minister was to make an address in the old burying-ground . John Stover had been first lieutenant in the war , so he was made captain of the day . A man from the next town had offered to drum for them , and Martin Tighe 's proud boy was present with his fife . He had a great longing -- strange enough in that peaceful , sheep-raising neighborhood -- to go into the army ; but he and his elder brother were the mainstay of their crippled father , and he could not be spared from the large household until a younger brother could take his place ; so that all his fire and military zeal went for the present into martial tunes , and the fife was a safety-valve for his enthusiasm .