Harper's Round Table, February 16, 1897

Looking back, the narrator recalls the summer he and a handful of friends formed a tiny archery troupe, naming themselves after the daring Major Ringgold of the Mexican War. Their youthful reverence for romance and heroism drove them to imagine charging with swords drawn and hair flying, even if the details remained vague. The story opens with their earnest plans to create a simple green uniform that would mark them as true archers.

With pocket‑money pooled, they set out to a dry‑goods store, hoping to buy a single bolt of cheap cloth that could be cut into blouses for each member. A comical mishap occurs when the fabric they select, dazzled by the store’s lighting, turns out to be bright blue rather than the expected Robin‑hood green. Undeterred, the boys decide to wear the mistaken material, entrusting their mothers and aunts to fashion the ill‑fated uniforms while their summer campaign looms.