Brother Jonathan , Who Had a Part in Helping to Save the American Army in Nearly Every

“ rid er a r o ur a The g sped, Whe e is y f ther, Faith ?

(See pag e

C OPYR I G H T , 1 903

B Y D . A PPLE T ON A N D

ublish d S t P e ep ember, 1 903 P R E FA C E

T H E writer has heretofore produced in the vein of

o f Miihlbach i fiction , after the manner the nterpretations , several books which were anecdotal narratives of the crises in the lives of public men . While they were fiction , they largely confided to the reader what was truth and what the conveyance o f fiction for the sake o f narrative form . It was the purpose o f such a book t o picture by folk-lore f and local stories the early life o the man . The folk- lore of a period usually interprets the man o f w a the period in a very atmospheric y. Jonathan Trum ’ ” bull, Washington s Brother Jonathan , who had a part in helping to save the American army in nearly every

o f. w h o o u crisis the Revolutionary War, and gave the p p lar name to the nation, led a remarkable life, and came to be held by WVashingt o n as among the ﬁrst of the p a ” - . a l triots The book is fo k lore narrative, with a thread o f k w as ﬁction , and see s to picture a period that decisive

t the o e in American his ory, and h m and neighborhood o f on e of the most delightful characters that America has — ever known the Roger de Coverley o f colonial life and

h but al American knight ood ; very human , very noble,

21 2573 1 V i B R OT H E R JONATHAN

ways true ; the ﬁne old American gentleman Brother ” Jonathan . It has been said that a story of the life o f Jonathan Trumbull would furnish material for pen- pictures of the most heroic episodes of the Revolutionary War, and bring

o f to light much secret history the times when Lebanon,

n o f Con , was in a sense the hidden capital the political and military councils that inﬂuenced the greatest events

o f the American struggle for liberty. The view is in

son o f so part true, and a Governor Trumbull felt that force o f the situation that he painted the scenes o f which ’ in he ﬁrst gained a knowledge his father s farmhouse, beginning the work in that plain old home o n the sanded

ﬂoor . ’ From Governor Trumbull s war ofﬁce, which is still

- standing at Lebanon, went the post riders whose secret f f messages determined some o the great events o the war.

o f Thence went forth recruits for the army in times peril, as from the forests ; thence supplies for the army in f o . famine, thence droves cattle, through wilderness ways Governor Trumbull was the heart o f every need in

o f those terrible days sacriﬁce .

o f His wife, Faith Trumbull, a descendant the Pil

o f grim Pastor Robinson Leyden , was a heroic woman to whom the Daughters o f the Revolution should erect

a monument . The picture which we present o f her in

o f the cloak Rochambeau is historically true . The eminent people who visited the secret town of the

war during the great Revolutionary events were many,

and their inﬂuence had decisive results . PREFACE vii

Look at some o f the names o f these visitors : Washing ton J eﬂerson , Lafayette, Samuel Adams, Putnam, , Frank li lin, Sul van, John Jay, Count Rochambeau, Admiral

e o f Castellax Tiern y, Duke Lauzun , Marquis de , and the

ﬁ o f of cers Count Rochambeau and many others . ’ The post- riders from Governor Trumbull s plain farm house o n Lebanon Hill (called Lebanon from its cedars) o f represented the secret service the war . When the inﬂuence o f this capital among the Co n ’ n ecticut hills became known, Governor Trumbull s person

- was in danger . A secret and perhaps self appointed guard

watched the wilderness roads to his war ofﬁce .

o f One these, were he living, might interpret events of the hidden history o f the struggle fo r liberty in a very

dramatic way. Such an interp reter fo r the purpose o f historic ﬁction ’ O H a o f we have made in Dennis y, a jolly Irishman a

- liberty loving heart . In a brief ﬁction for young people we can only illustrate how interesting a larger study o f this subject o f the secret service o f the Revolution at this place might

be made . We shall be glad if we can so interest the young reader in the topic as to lead him to follow it in solid his

toric reading in his maturer years .

! K HE E IA H BUTTERWORTH .

CO N T E N T S

I —T wo UEE ME N EE . ! R M T

— HE J OLL F E OF N H LL H IS FLO K o r II . T Y ARM R WI D AM HI S C

SHEEP

— HE F OF P O HO E III . T IRST ATRI TS AT M

OUT YOU G O IV.

V — HE W A R OFF E IN HE CE DA R s—A N N N LE— N . T IC T I DIA TA I CI DEN TS

’ V I — HE E V E DA Y OF O HE J ON A T H A N S L PE . T D CISI BR T R I

VIL—W A SH IN GTCN PE K N E W H H N E HE EPUB L S A S A AM IC AM S T R IC .

— - E E . B LE A N D EN N IN HE L PO VIII. P T R NIM D IS T A ARM ST X — ” I . A MA N W ITH A CAN E OFF W ITH YOU R HAT

XI — . THE SECRET or LAFAYETTE

XII — YE . LAFA TTE TELLS H IS SECRET

X — HE B U G LE B LOW III . T S

XI V —A U G r G . DA HTER o THE PIL RIMS

” XV CORN W ALLIS Is TAKEN 1

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

o r a r a ? Where is y u f the , F ith Fro n tisp iece

The surren der o f Burgo yn e

“ ’ o r o na an w ar o fﬁ and nc in ano n Br the J th s ce reside e Leb ,

The battle o f Bunker

Jo nathan Trumbull

Madam Faith Trumbull contributing h er scarlet cloak to the so ldiers o f the Revo lutio n

B R OT H E R J ON A T H A N

CHAPTER I

T w o ! UEER ME N MEET

’ DENNIS O HAY, a young Irishman, and a shipwrecked mariner, had been landed at Norwich , Conn . , by a schoon er which had come into the Thames from Long Island

- Sound . A lusty, hearty, clear souled sailor was Dennis ;

un so the s seemed to shine through him , open to all

people w as his free and transparent nature . ” o f The top the morning to everybody, he used to

o f say, which feeling universal brotherhood was quite in harmony with the n ew country he had unexpectedly

o f found, but which he had heard much at sea. Dennis looked around him for some person to whom he might go for advice in the strange country to which he

. n o t had been brought He did have to look far, for the

town was not large , but presently a man whose very gait

m i r bespoke i portance, came walk ng, o rather marching,

down the street . Dennis went up to him . ’ A n is r it somebody in pa ticular you must be , said i “ Denn s . You seem to me like some high o ﬂic er that has

- lost his regiment, cornet, horse, drum major, and all ; no, 2 BROTHER JONATHAN

— I beg your pardon . I mean well, I mean that you seem to me like one who might be more than yo u are ; I beg your pardon again ; yo u look like a magistrate in these ” n ew parts . u And who are yo with your blundering honesty, my friend ? You are evidently n ew to these parts ? ” And it is an Irishman that I am .

The Lord forbid, but I am an Englishman . ” Then we are half brothers . h ? ” The Lord forbid . W at brings you here

Storms, storms, and it is a shipwrecked mariner that

I am . And I am as poor as a coot, and you have ruf

ﬂes o f . , and laces, and buckles, but you have a bit heart ’ ﬂo w I can see that in your face . Your blood don t ” in ? thro“ugh a muscle . Have you been long these parts Longer than I wish to have been . This is the land

f - o o u . b“lue laws, as y will ﬁnd And it is nothing that I kn ow o f the color o f the

o r . laws, whether they be blue , or red, white Can you tell me o f some o n e to whom a Shipwrecked sailor could ? go for a roof to Shelter him, and some friendly advice You“may be the very man ? No, no, no . I am not your man . My name is

Peters, Samuel Peters, and I am loyal to my king and my ’ o w n c t ountry, and here the people s hear s are turning

n away from both . I am o e too many here . But there is o n e man in these parts to whom every o n e in trouble

goes for advice . If a goose were to break her leg she hi would go to m to set it . The very hens go and cackle i before his door . Ch ldren carry him arbutuses and white TWO QUEER MEN MEET 3

’ - i lady s slippers in the spring, and w ld grapes in the fall, and the very Indians double up so when they pass his house on the way to school . His house is in the perpen dicular o f style architecture, I think . Close by it is a store where they talk Latin and Greek o n the grist bar

o n rels, and they tell such stories there as e never heard before . He settles all the church and colony troubles,

nf liz which are many, doctors the sick, and keeps u acu ed people, as they call the poor here, from becoming an

. di n i expense to the town He looks solemn, and wears g

ed ﬁ clothes, but he has a heart for everybody ; the very dogs run after him in the street, and the little Indian

o f children do the same . He is a kind Solomon . What ’ sus other people don t know, he does . But he has a ” ici us f r p o“eye o me . “ That is my man, sure, said Dennis . Children h and dogs know what is in the uman heart . What may ’ ? that man s name be Tell me that, and you will be doing me “a favor, your Honor . H is name is Jonathan Trumbull . They call him ’ Brother Jonathan, because he helps everybody, hinders ” - u n ew . nobody, and tries to make broken p people over ” A n d ? “ where does he live, your Honor so At a place called Lebanon, there are many

e n o t see cedars th re . I do go to him, because I did so l o n o n e once , but while he smi ed every else, he scowled this w a o n y me , as if he thought that I was not all that I ma e ought to be . He is a gistrat , and everybody in the

n colony k ows him . He marries people , and goes to the ” funerals o f people who go to heaven . 4 BROTHER JONATHAN

- ? That is my man . W hat are the blue laws — One o f the blue laws reads that married people

must live together o r go to jail . If a man and woman who were not married were to go to him to settle a dis ’

sa . pute, he would y to them Join your right hands ds When he rises up to Speak in church, the earth stan

sun o n . still, and the hour glass stops, and the the dial ” h s u But“he a no se for me . “ That is my man, sure, said Dennis . Trumbull,

o n Trumbull, but it was his Ship which I sailed from ” Der“ry, and that was lost . w hi He has lost t o S ps before . It is strange that a man whose meal - chest is open to all should be so un fo r ’ t un t a e . It don t seem to accord with the laws of Provi dence . I sometimes doubt that he is as good as all the him ” people think to be .

o f - But the fruits life are not money making, your ’

. o n o f Honor A man s inﬂuence others is the fruit life,

and what he is and does . A man is worth just what his

o r . soul is worth, and not less more He is the man that ” H ow o n e ? I am after, for sure . does get to his house The open road from Norwich leads straight by his house, all the way to Boston, through Windham County,

millions where lately the frogs had a great battle, and of

them were Slain .

Dennis opened his eyes .

Faix z

. ao Faix, stranger Yes, yes ; I have just written an o f count the battle, to be published in England . After

an d the frogs had a battle , the caterpillars had another,

6 BROTHER JONATHAN

scowl at the same Mr. Peters, and who was this same ? ” Mr . Peters

o ff his o n Dennis took hat as he went toward Lebanon,

his turning over in his mind these questions . He swung hat as he went along, and the blue jays peeked at him

co n uiddles and laughed, and the q (bobolinks) seemed to catch the wonder in his mind, and to ﬂy off to the hazel coverts . Rabbits stood up in the highway, then Shook their paws and ran into the berry bushes by the brooks .

t i o n Every h ng seemed strange , as he hurried , picking berries when he stopped to rest .

o r At noon the sun glared ; ﬁshing hawks, ospreys, wheeled in the air, screaming . A bear, with her cubs, stopped at the turn o f the way. The bear stood up .

Dennis stood still .

The bear looked at Dennis, and Dennis at the bear .

Then the bear seemed to speak to the cubs, and She and her family bounded into the cedars .

n o t . This was Londonderry Everything was fresh , i Sh ning and n ew . At night the air was full of the wings f o f o . birds, as the morning had been songs of birds

sun o f i The the long day fell at last, and the tw light

i . shone red beh nd the gray rocks, oaks and cedars D“ennis sat dow n o n the pine needles . It is a sorry tale that I will have to tell Brother ” - Jonathan to morrow, said he . It will hurt my heart h ” to hurt is heart .

Then the whippoorwills began to sing, and Dennis fell asleep under the moon and stars .

If the reader would know more about Mr . Peters, T wo QUEER MEN MEET 7

Samuel Peters, let him consult any colonial library, and he will ﬁnd there a collection o f stories o f early Co nn ecti

o n e cut, such as would tend to make run home after dark . The same Mr . Peters was an Episcopal clergy

o r man, who did not like the Connecticut main the ” - 1 blue laws . Dennis came to the farming town on the hills among ’ the green cedars ; he banged o n the door o f the Governor s house with his hard knuckles, in real Irish vigor . ’ The Governor s wife answered the startling knock .

And faith it is a shipwr ecked sailor . I am from the

n o w north of ould Ireland, it is , and would you be after ? o f o f a man of all work, or any work There is lots days

n w tw o work o in these ﬁsts, lady, and that you may well ” beli“eve . He bowed three times . The Governor is away from home , said my lady .

He h as gone to N ew Haven by the sea. What is your name ? ” ‘ ’ O H a My name is Dennis y, an honest name as ever

w as o f there in Ireland the north countrie, and I am an ” hon“est man . Yo u Yo u look it, my good friend . have an honest ” face“, but there is ﬁre in it . And there are times, lady, when the coals should ’ o n burn the hearth of the heart , and ﬂame up into one s cheeks and eyes . A storm is coming, lady, a land storm ;

o u there are hawks in the air . I would serve y well ,

t . see lady . It is a true heart hat you have I can it in ” your face , lady.

’ n x fo o o f R ev a o . See Appe di r s me . S muel Peters queer st ries 2 8 BROTHER JONATHAN

’ O H a ? Yo u And what can you do, Dennis y were ” bred to the sea .

And it is little that I can not do, that any man can do with his tw o ﬁsts . You have brains up here among the hills, lady, but there may come a day that you will

fo r need ﬁsts as well as brains, and wits more than all , I am a peaceable man ; I can work, and I could suffer or die for such people as you all seem to be up here . The heart ’ o f Dennis O H ay is full o f this n ew cause for liberty . I

sun . could throw up my hat over the for that cause, lady

I would enlist in that cause, and drag the guns to the

- ﬁeld o f battle like a packhorse Oh , I am full America,

n o w . honest , and no blarney “ ’ w I do not meddle ith my husband s affairs, but I

H ow can not turn you away from these doors . could I send away any man who is willing to enlist fo r a cause ’ ? O H a like ours Dennis y, go to the tavern over there ,

fo r f and ask a meal in the name o Faith Trumbull . Then come back here and I will give yo u the keys to the store

w ar o ﬂic e in the , for I can trust you with the keys, and when my goodman comes back I will send him to you 7,

sa Lady, this is the time to y a word to you . Ask about me among the other sailors, if they come here, so h that you may know that I ave lived an honest life . Does not your goodman need a guard ? ” f I had never thought o such a thing . Yo u are sending soldiers and food and cattle to the

camps, I hear ; who knows what General Gage might be led ? f to do They have secret guards in foreign parts, men o TWO QUEER ME N MEET

‘ ’ the secret service, as they call them . Lady, there are

i o n e o r th ngs that come to , down from the skies, up from ‘ o n the soul . It is all like the pattern the mount o f i vision that they preach about . A voice with n me has been saying, Go and work for the Governor among the ’

o ut . hills, and watch for him But you must test me ﬁrst,

ou lady . I would keep y from harm ; there is nothing that should ever stand between these two ﬁsts o f Dennis ’ O H a u y and such as yo . But that day will come . I will go

the G o d to tavern now, and and all the saints bless you, f and your goodman forever, and make a great nation o

o f this green land America , and keep the same Dennis ’ ” H a f O o . y, which I am that, in the way his duty

nn The tavern, which became an historic i , where some o f the most notable people o f America and o f France

o f were entertained during the days the Revolution , stood ’ at a little distance from the Governor s house . Dennis ’ ’ O H ay went there so elated that he tossed his sailor s hat into the air .

is a It l“ittle that I would not do for lady like that, sea o n . he said . The tossed me here purpose Night, ! thou mayest have my service ; watch me , ye stars Lib ert ﬁf e y, thou mayest have my blood ; call me, ye and o f drum . Let me but get at the heart the Governor, and his life and home Shall be secure from all harm ’

f O H a . under the clear eye o Dennis y Hurrah , hurrah, hurrah ! and it is here I am in America ! ”

The landlord stood in th e door . r ? And who are you, my f iend ” Dennis, your Honor . 1 0 BROTHER JONATHAN

And what brings you here ? ” i N o t the Ship ; for the ship went down . What br ngs — me here ? My tw o legs no

He paused, and looked reverent .

The Hand Unseen . I came to enlist in the struggles for the freedom o f America . Give me a bite in the name ” o f t“he lady down the road . My whole table is at your service, my friend . I like ” your spirit . We need you here . m— And here I a how I got here I do not know, but ’ ”

am O H a . I here, and my name is Dennis y He waited long fo r the ret urn o f the Governor to the

o r o ut o f war office, country store, looking the window over the tops o f the green hills . “ ’ ” An faix, I do believe, he said at last, I minds me that this is the day when the world stands still . But, ” see n o w ? O my eyes, what is it that you A light form of a little o n e came o ut o f the door o f ’ the Governor s house and walked to the war office . It was a girl, beautiful in figure, with a sensitive face, full o f sympathy and benevolence .

She opened the door . ” My name is Faith, said she . I am Mr . Trum ’ bull s daughter . I keep store sometimes when my father, the Governor, is away late . I thought I would open the store this afternoon . Customers are likely to come , ” near“nightfall . ’ i O H a I would help you tend store , said Denn s y, h if I only knew o w . It is not handy at a bargain that

n o w I would be , and barter people , if you call them that TWO QUEER MEN MEET 1 1

o f . here, would all get the best me But I may be able to ” do such things some day . w He looked out of the windo , and suddenly exclaimed Look ! ” o n A man a noble horse was coming, ﬂying as it seemed, down the Lebanon road from the Windham

County hills . His horse leaped into the air at times, as

o f full high Spirit, and dashed up to the store .

Faith , the beautiful girl, went to the door . ” The rider gasped Where is your father, Faith ? N w e . He is gone to Haven , Mr Putnam . I want to see him at once ; there is secret news from

. n Boston But I must see him . I must o t leave here ” until he returns . I will go over to the tavern and wait .

o u t f Dennis came and stood in front o the store . ” ? Yo u Stranger, said the rider, and who are you ” n do o t look like a farmer . ? Who am I I am myself, sure, a foreigner among ’ O H a m h foreigners , Dennis y, a castaway, fro the nort f o I“reland . And what brings you here ? ” ” I came to enlist, said Dennis . h ” e . . u You will wanted, said Mr Putnam Yo have shoulders as broad as Atlas, who carried the world ” o n his back . The world o n his back ? What did he walk upon ? “’ o That is a question t o said the rider . I ll ’ O H a leave my horse in your hands, Dennis y, and go to the tavern and see what I can ﬁnd o ut about the Gov ’ ern r o s movements there . 1 2 BROTHER JONATHAN

He strode across the green .

sun i n The was go ng dow , sending up red and golden

o f lances, as it were, over the dark Shades the cedars . On l l the hil s lay great farms ha f in glittering sunlight, half in d“ark Shadows . Have you any thought when the Governor will ” ? o f — return asked the rider the tavern keeper . “ — No, Israel, I have not but I hear that there is important news from Boston— that it is suspected that the British are about to make a move to capture the stores of American powder at Concord . The Governor,

n o f I mind me , k ows something about the secrets powder ”

o f . hiding, but that I can not be sure ” “ Great events are at hand, said Putnam, I can feel them in the air . I had the same feeling before the

northern campaign . I must stay here until the Gov ” ern o r arrives . “ ” You Shall have the best the tavern affords, said the innkeeper .

o n The sun went down blazing the hills, seeming like

t o f a far ga e heaven, as its semicircular splendors ﬁlled

th e the Sky. Then came hour of Shadows with the advent f o the early stars, and then the grand procession of the night march o f the hosts o f heaven that looks bright

indeed over the dark cedars .

The air was silent, as though the world were dead . The taverners listened long in front o f the tavern fo r ’ the sound o f horses feet o n the Lebanon road . “ ” Will the Governor come alone ? asked Dennis ’ O H a f . y o Israel Putnam, the rider

1 4 BROTHER JONATHAN

’ o f - that cunning animal, a witch wolf, as some call her, h as well as I can . T e people at the taverns often ask me “to kill time for them in that way . 1 49 F I came to Pomfret in 7 . o r some years I was a busy man, toiling early and late, as you may know . I

i an d i ra sed a house barn ; some of you were at the rais ng .

- I chopped down trees, made fences, planted apple trees, sow“ed and reaped . f . o My farm grew I had a growing herd cattle , but f my pride was in my ﬂock o sheep .

i o ut One morn ng, as I went to the hill meadows, I f found that some o my ﬁnest sheep had disappeared . I

fo r called them , and I wandered the woods searching them, but they were not to be found . Then a herdman came to me and said that he had found blood and wool in o n e place, and sheep bones in another, and that he felt sure that the missing sheep had been destroyed by power ful wolves .

In a few days other Sheep were missin g . Day by day

few o f passed, and I lost in a months a great number sheep .

n o ut One morni g I went to the sheepfolds, and found that some animal had killed a whole ﬂock of sheep . ’ she- It is a wolf that is the destroyer, said a herd

- w . man , a witch olf, it may be Would you dare to atta“ck her ? ’ My brain was ﬁred . There lay my Sheep killed

in without a purpose , by some animal which had grown a thirst for blood . Yes es or , y said I, wolf demon, whatever it be, TWO QUEER MEN MEET 5

I will give my feet no rest until I hold its tongue in my

o w n . hands, and that I will do I have force in my head, and iron in my hands . Call the neighbors together and ’ let us have a wolf hunt .

The neighbors were called together, and the conch shell was blown . We tracked the wolf and got Sight o f her . She was no witch , but a long, gaunt, powerful She

o f wolf, a great frame bones, with a sneaking head and evil eyes . h s e . We pursued her, but was gone She seemed to ‘ ’ ‘ vanish . She is a witch , said the herdman . She is ’ sh e no witch , said I, and if were , it is my duty to put

o ut ! her “ of existence, and I will sh e We hunted her again and again, but was too cunning fo r us . She disappeared . She would be absent

sh e during the summer, but in the fall would return, and bring her summer whelps with her . She fed her brood not only o n my ﬂocks but o n those o f the farms of the

n ew country around . We gathered bands to hunt her ; the people rose in arms against her - against that one — cunn“ing animal Put cedar wood o n the ﬁre . I formed a n ew plan . We would hunt her con

tinuo usl tw o . “ y, at a time She lost a part o f o n e foot in a steel trap at last .

Then the people came to know that she was no witch . We could track her n o w by the mark o f the three feet in the snow . She limped , and her three sound feet could

’ not make the quick Shifts th‘at ’ h er four feet had made

o f o ld .

One day we set out o n a continuous hunt . We fol 1 6 BROTHER JONATHAN

lowed her from o ur farms away to the Connecticut River .

- Then the three footed animal came back again, and we follo“wed her back to the farms . But the bloodhounds n o w knew her and had got

o f . scent her, and they led us to a den in the woods This den w as only about three miles from my house . She may have hidden in it many times before .

an d We gathered before the den, lighted straw and

sh e pushed it into the den to drive her out . But did not appe“ar . Then we put sulphur o n the straw and forced it into the den, so that it might ﬁll the cavern with the

- n o t ut fumes . But the three footed wolf did come o of

o n e the den . The cave might be a large ; it might have an o“pening o ut some other way. We called a huge dog, and bade him to enter the cave . He dove down through the opening . Presently

o ut o f we heard him cry ; he soon backed the opening, blee“ding . The wolf was in the cave . Another dog, and another were forced to enter the cave, both returning whining and bleeding . Neither smoke n o r dogs were able to destroy that animal that had f mad“e herself a terror o the country round . I called my negro herder . ’ ‘ Sam , said I, you go into the cave and end that ’ animal . “‘ fo r fo r Not a thousand pounds, nor all the Sheep

o f h f on the hills the Lord . W at would become o Sam ? ’ ou n Look at the dogs noses . Would y send me where o ’ dog could go ? T W O QUEER MEN MEET 1 7

’ f r n Then I shall go myself, said I, o nothi g can stop me from anything when my resolution has gathered force ; there are times when I must lighten . I took o ff my coat and prepared to go down into the cave . My neighbors held me back . I took a torch, and plunged down the entrance to the cave, head ﬁrst, with i the torch blaz ng . “ w Had I made the effort ith a gun , the wolf might

a s h ve ru hed at me, but She crouched and Sidled back before the ﬁre .

The entrance was slippery, but my will forced

n me “o . I could rise up at last . The cave was silent ; the darkness might be felt . I doubt that any human being had ever entered the place before .

I walked Slowly, then turning aside my torch , peered into“the thick darkness . T w o . ﬁerce eyes, like balls of ﬁre, confronted me

she- The wolf was there, waiting for some advantage, but cowed by the torch . Presently I heard a growl and a gnashing o f

I had drawn into the cave a rope tied around my

o u t body, so that I might be drawn by my neighbors if

I Should need help . I gave the signal to pull me out .

I understood the situation . I was drawn up in such a w ay that my upper cloth ing was pulled over my body, and my ﬂesh was torn . I — P t grasped my gun and crawled back again . u more

n cedar wood o the ﬁre . 1 8 BROTHER JONATHAN

saw o f I the eyes the wolf again . I heard her snap and“growl . I leveled my gun . B an ! g The noise seemed to deafen me . The smoke

ﬁlled the cave .

a I I g ve a signal to my neighbors to draw me o ut .

o f . listened at the mouth the cave All was silent . The

smoke must have found vent . I went into the cave

again .

It was silent . ff I found the body of the wolf. It was sti and was growing cold . I took hold of her ears and gave a signal to those outside to draw me o ut . As I was drawn from the mouth o f the cave I drag“ged the wolf after me . Then my friends set up a great Shout . My eyes

Sh e- had met those of the wolf but once, then there was i — n t . living ﬁre hem, terrible but pitiful Hark what is that ? ” ’ There was a sound o f horses feet . ”

o n e o f . The Governor is coming, said the taverners

o ut Israel Putnam ran to meet him, and Spoke to him a fe“w words . Let us go to the war ofﬁce at once, and shut the ” door and be by ourselves, said the Governor .

They hurried to the war ofﬁce, and the Governor shut

. the door , not to open it again until morning ’ Dennis O H ay went back to the tavern, and wondered

and wondered . hi Faix, and t s is a quare country, and no mistake, sa to ? said he . What would the Governor y him T W O QUEER MEN MEET 1 9

Would he be the ﬁrst to tell him that the ship had gone down ?

He talked with taverners about the subject . “ ” “ I must break the news, gently like, he said . I ” wou“ld hate to hurt his heart . o n e He has lost ships before , said

His losses have made him a poor man, said another .

o n But he marches right in the way of duty, as though he owned the stars .

o n n Dennis fell asleep the settle wonderi g, and he must have dreamed wonderful dreams . CH APTER II

T H E J OLLY FARMER O F WINDHAM HILLS A N D H I S FLOCK OF SH EEP

THERE was an old manor in sunny England to which i Lord Cornwallis used to resort, and a certa n Captain

Blackwell purchased a territory in Windham, Conn . ,

among the green hills and called it Mortlake Manor, after

the English demesne . Here Israel Putnam purchased a

f 5 n o 00 ow . farm some acres, at what is Pomfret, Conn , and began to raise great herds o f cattle and ﬂocks o f

- sheep, and to plant apple trees .

He was made a major in the northern campaign, after

ward a colonel , then in the Indian War he became a ” general . They called him Major Putnam, for the title b eﬁtted o f his character, and he wished to be sparing

titles among the farmers of Windham . him Israel Putnam was born a hero . He had in the f spirit o a Hannibal . He had character as well as dar ing ; his soul rose above everything, and he never feared f a face o day .

f n t o f o o a . He had the soul Cincinnatus, and a C esar

He could leave the plow, and return to it again . His conduct in the northern campaign had shown 20

22 BROTHER JONATHAN

go with your sheep and your ﬂock, increase it as it goes ;

us o f but as for that other matter you suggest, let talk

o f o res that, the matter what is to be done if British pp ” sion is to increase .

They talked all night, and Putnam said that the liber

o f ties the colonies were more than life to him, and that he stood ready for any duty. He rode away in the light f o the morning. ’ O H a As he passed the tavern, Dennis y went to the

f t o war o ﬁce, where the Connecticut militia used appear, to m“eet the Governor . o f n The top the mor ing to you, Governor, said

Dennis, holding his cap in his hand above his head . “ ” n o t My good friend, I do know you, said the

fo r Governor, but that you are here some good purpose, ? ” I ca“n not doubt . What is your business with me sir o ur sir I was a sailor, , and Ship went down , , but f sir o n o . I came up, , and am still the top the earth I

o f am an Irishman, sir, from Ireland the North , that

loikliest o n o f breeds the men the other side the world, sir,

o n e . amo“ng which , please your Honor, I am Sir I have heard about the stamp act, . England

sir . has taxed Ireland into the earth , We live in hovels, ’ Sir, that the English may dwell in castles, sir . I wouldn t

sir M be taxed, , were I an erican without any voice in the government , sir . That would be nothing but Slavery .

sir o f I would like to enlist, . I have heard the

i sir - a- m an m nutemen , , and it is a half minute that I ” wou“ld like to become . o f I see, I see , my good fellow ; I read the truth THE JOLLY FARMER OF WINDHAM HILLS 23

sa what you y in your looks . Let me go to my breakfast, and I will talk over your case with my wife, Faith , and

so n . my daughters, and my John In the meantime, go ” and get your breakfast in the tavern .

sir The top of this earth and all the planets to you, . After bre akfast the Governor summoned Dennis to “ ” the store, which came to be called the war ofﬁce . The

in back room the store was the council room . Did yo u notice that man who rode away in the ? ” morning he asked .

Sir Sure, I did, . I heard him tell a story last night

n in the tavern . The ﬂesh was gone from o e o f his ” hands . It was torn from his hand while pouring water o n a ﬁre which was burning the barracks near a magazine 3 0 which contained 0 barrels o f powder . That was in the ” nort“h . Did he save the magazine ? ”

is Yes, my good friend . He a brave man, and he is soon going with a drove o f sheep to Boston . “ ” “ You ask for work , continued the Governor . I G want you to go with that man , Major, Colonel , eneral

Putnam , and his drove of sheep to Boston , and to keep

o n o u your eye out the way, so, if needed, y might go

a few over it gain . I wish to train a men to learn a

Yo u o n e o f . swift way to Boston town . may be them I will have a horse saddled for you at once ; follow that

arm . man to Pomfret , to the manor f at Windham I will write you a note to him, a secret note, which you must not ” open by the way. 3 24 BROTHER JONATHAN

“ ’ ou n I Never y fear, Gover or ; I couldn t read it if

if n o t . did, but I can read life I can read messages

fe In a w minutes he was in the saddle, with his face

turned toward the Windham hills . i o n h . He found General Putnam, the Major, s farm It is the t o p o f the morning that I said to the G o v ern o r t o o f this morning, and it is the p the evening that O ’H sa o u n ow . a I y to y I am Dennis y, from the north o f — I Ireland, and it is this message which may ask that — be relieved o f my head for aught I know that the Gov ern o r he asked me to put into your hand . He wants me

so to learn all the way to Boston town, that I may be

able to drive cattle there, it may be . I am ready to do f anything to make this country the land o liberty. After

t o see all that ould Ireland has suffered, I want America

s — ! s free and gloriou and hurrah, free That word come ’ o ut o f a my heart ; I don t know why I s y it . It rises up from“my very soul . t o You shall learn all the way Boston town , said o r the Major, and I hope I shall not ﬁnd you faithless, give yo u over to the British to be dealt with according ” l aw to the . Putnam w as preparing to leave for his long journey

n e n on the w Boston road . His eighbors gathered around

him , and young farmers brought to him ﬁne Sheep, to add to those he had gathered fo r the suffering patriots

o f Boston town . f The driver o this ﬂock knew the way, the post

houses, the inns, the ordinaries, and the Major assigned

Dennis to him as an assistant . T HE JOLLY FAR MER OF WINDHAM HILLS 25

l i i . Putnam was a lusty man at th s time, in midd e l fe

w n H is He wore homespun made from his o ﬂocks . great farm among the hills had been developed until it was made sufﬁcient to support a large family and many work

e his own cOrn s p ople . He raised beef, pork, , grain , apple

an d . o w n and fruit, poultry His family made their but ter and cheese ; his wife wove the clothing for all ; spun her own yarn . The manor farm might have been iso lated for a hundred years, and yet thrift would have

n gone o . N0 one was ever more se lf- supporting than the o ld

m N ew H is ti e thrifty England farmer . farm was more ’ indepen“dent than a baron s castle in feudal days . o ff o r har tered He p“ut his butter, cheese and eggs, them fo r West India goods but even in these things

m a le trees he might have been independent, for his p might have yielded him sugar, and roasted crusts and nuts a nutritious substitute for coffee and tea .

u hi s - P tnam drove away sheep , stopping at post houses i by the way, and tell ng some merry and some thrilling

o f i o f o f stories there the w ld campaign the north, and his escapes from the Indians under Pontiac . He arrived at Boston and was welcomed by the patriot

Warren .

s f “A Briti h o ﬁcer faced him . w And you have come do n here , said the British f ’ o ﬁcer, to contend against England s arm with a lot of

. o u Sheep If y rebels do not cease your opposition, do ” yo u want to know what will happen ? Y ” es. 26 BROTHER JONATHAN

Twenty Ships o f the line and twenty regiments will f ” be l“anded at the port o Boston . If that day comes, I shall return to Boston, and I ” Shall bring with me men as well as sheep . ! ” o ﬂic er . Ho, ho laughed the British That is ? your thought , is it, hey It is treason , sir ; treason to the ” British Crow n . “ ” Sir, said Putnam, an enemy to justice is my ’ ’ enemy ; is every man s enemy . It is a man s duty to ” stand by human rights . Dennis studied every farmhouse and nook and corner ui by the way. He had a q ck mind and a responsive heart, and he was learning America readily.

so He could read lettered words, he looked well at the sign- boards at four corners and o n taverns and mile ” stones . He stumbled in book reading, but could deﬁne Signs . “ ” Could yo u ﬁnd your way back again ? asked the

o f o n Major him, as they rested beneath the great trees Bost“on Common . w a And sure it is, Major . I would ﬁnd my y back f there if I had been landed at the back door o the world . “ ” “ o u Well, said the Major, then y may go back in advance o f us alone .

Dennis parted from the Major, and dismounted in a ’ couple o f days o r more before the Governor s war ofﬁce with

t o o f is . And it is the p the morning, it , Governor Did you bring a recommendation from the Major ? asked the Governor . THE JOLLY FARMER OF WINDHAM HILLS 27

o n No, no, he sent me ahead, but I can give a good ” report o f him . That is the same as though he brought a good report

o f o f you . A man who Speaks well his master is gener ally to be trusted .

Well, you know the way to Boston town . I think

n o w o u that I can make y useful to me, and to the cause . ” e We will se .

si n Dennis found work at the tavern . He would t o the tavern steps to watch for the Governor in the evenings

n when the latter appeared o the green . He soon joined the good people in calling the Governor Brother Jon e ” than . Dennis was superstitious— most Irishmen are —but he was hardly more given to ghostly fears than the Co nn ecti cut farmers were . Nearly every farmstead at that

n period had its ghost story . Good Gover or Trumbull would hardly have given an hour to the fairy tale, but he probably would have listened intently to a graveyard o r witch story .

n o ld People did o t see angels then as in Hebrew days, but thought that there were sheeted ghosts that came o ut

o r n o f graveyards , made ight journeys through lonely

o f woods , and stood at the head garret stairs , aven ging ” spirits that haunted those who had done them wrong . So we only picture real life when we bring Dennis into this weird atmosphere , that made legs nimble, and cats run home when the clouds scudded over the moon . Dennis had heard ghost story after ghost story o n his 28 BROTHER JONATHAN

journey and at the store . Almost everybody had at least o n e such story to tell ; h o w that Moodus hills would Shake

- and quake at times, and tip over milk pans, and cause the maid to hide and the dog to howl ; h o w the timbers

o n e set brought together to build a church, night to caper ing and dancing ; h ow a woman who had a disease that unjin ted her jin ts (unjointed her joints) came all “ ” together again during a great revival ; how witches took the form of birds, and were shot with silver bullets ; and like fantastic things which might have ﬁlled volumes . ” o f i but I never fear the face day, said Denn s, ! ’ apparitions Oh, for my soul s sake, deliver me from — them ! I am no ghost- hunter I never want to face ’ o n o f anything that I can t Shoot, and this side the water ’ the woods are full o f people that won t sleep in their graves when you lay them there . I shut my eyes . Yes, ’ see fo r when I anything that I can t account , I shut my ” eyes .

That was the cause o f the spread o f superstition . ” People like Dennis shut their eyes . Did they meet a — white rabbit in the bush , they did not investigate they ran .

o f Dennis would have faced a band spies like a giant, but would have run from the Shaking o f a bush by a mouse o r ground Squirrel in a graveyard .

saw old He once a sight that, to use the term, broke ” him up . He was passing by a family graveyard when he thought that an awful apparition that reached from the earth to the heavens rose before him .

o rful ! . o ut Oh , and it was said he It riz right up

CHAPTER III

THE FIRST OF PATRIOTS AT HOME

A NOB LE private school ﬁrst made Lebanon Of the cedars famous . It had been founded by the prosperous

i T o hill farmers under the nﬂuence Of the Governor . i th s school the latter sent his ﬁve children, who prepared

there for college or the higher schools .

so The Governor possessed a strong mind, that was clear and full of imagination as to be almost poetic and

prophetic .

r o f The Scriptu es were his book poems, and he read — J o b J ohn . many books in Hebrew, and in Greek

his At home among ﬁve children, all of whom were

o f w as destined to be notable, and two them famous, he

n e h an ideal father . His o thought was to educate is

children for usefulness .

in 1 756 . One of his sons was named John, born Nearly

o f fo r all my readers have seen his work, it was his gift to

o f paint the dramatic scenes the Revolutionary War, and these great historical paintings adorn not only the rotunda

o f o f the Capitol at Washington, but several them most

o f o f public halls, and tens thousands patriotic homes in

the country, especially The Battle of Bunker Hill, The 30 THE FIRST OF PATRIOTS AT HOME 3 1

o f o f Signers the Declaration Independence, The Death ’ Of o f Wolf, The Surrender Cornwallis, and Washington s

Farewell to his Army .

The home of the Governor may have been matted, but w as not carpeted . It was the custo“m at that time to strew white sand over ﬂoors and to herring-bone spare rooms . Of this sand we have a curious story . T w o of the daughters, Faith and Mary, were born to f a love o art . They were sent to school in Boston after graduating at the Lebanon school , and there Faith began to admire portraits painted in Oil .

She studied painting in Oil, and she returned to her w plain and Simple home . She hung upon the walls t o portraits painted by her own hand that were a local wonder . The Governor looked upon his gifted daughter ’ s work w ith commendable pride .

You have done well , Faith . I did not expect such

o f . gifts you To detain age , in keeping the face at the a e i g in which it is pa nted, is indeed a noble art . It is f ” o . worthy you, Faith

At this time John Trumbull was a little boy . He had been housed and nursed tenderly by his mother, because he had a misformed head which had to be shaped o ut o f a defect by pressure . ’ This boy turned his face to his sister Faith s paintings

o f . with surprise , as they transformed the walls the room ' ” said he I want to paint, too , ” N O for , no, said the Governor, painting is not 3 2 BROTHER JONATHAN

f He asked his sister o r oils . ” Yo u are too young, thought the artistic Faith , who was a loving, noble sister . “ ” But I must, I must .

One day his mother entered the sanded room . The white sand had been disturbed . It was lying about in

curious angles . She stopped ; the sand had formed a

— w as picture . Whose picture probably it intended for herself. ’ The boy s face met hers, possibly at an opposite door . ” so n o u ? My , what have y been doing with the sand ” Painting, mother . But what led you to paint in that way ? ’ n Faith s pictures o the wall . I had to paint . I

if w . must . I will be a painter I gro up The things that father does will not live unless they are painted . — Pictures make the past n ow they hold the past ; they ” mak“e it live . My little boy sees the value of the art like a phi

h r Yo u lo so p e . and Faith have a gift that I little ex

d o f pecte . I have nursed that little head yours many — ” an hour ; there may be pictures in it who knows ? n But father thinks that painti g is girlish . H o w can I ge“t him to let me paint ? ” Yo u so may be able to paint well, that he will be ” proud o f your art . The next day the sand took new form ; another picture

so n w ﬁlled the ﬂoor, and day by day e pictures came to ’ delight the good mother s heart .

The Governor saw them . THE FIRST OF PATRIOTS AT HOME 3 3

is is There a gift in them, said he . It all right fo r a little shaver like him . Boys will have to wield something stronger than the brush in the n ew age that is ” us. w e f upon But must not crush any gift o God .

He turned away .

His family loved to be near him , and he told them wonderful tales from the Hebrew Scriptures . Queer tales o f early times in the colonies he related

to o to them , ; stories that tended to correct false views o f life and character . Suppose we spend an hour with

w n the good Governor in his o home .

It was early evening ; snow was falling on the green boughs o f the cedars o f Lebanon . A great ﬁreplace

- o n blazed before the sitting room table, which were the

Bible and books . On o n e Side o f the ﬁreplace hung quartered apples

n o n drying ; o the other a rennet and red peppers, and the mantelpiece were shells from the Indies, candlesticks, and pewter dishes . ’ The room became silent . The Governor s thoughts were far away, planning, planning, almost always plan

The stillness became lonesome . Then little John , the painter in the sand , ventured to ask his mother for a story, and sh e said I am narrowing n o w in my knitting ; ask your ” - father, he is wool gathering ; call him home .

Little John touched his father on the arm . “ ” o u G ov It is a story that y would have, said the 3 4 BROTHER JONATHAN “ o n cruor . I am thinking all by myself a case that comes

- o f up before me to morrow, a young man who has broken

la law the w , but did not know that there was any such

sea . to b“reak . He had just come in from N o w , what would you do in such a case as that, Johnny ? I am thinking how to be merciful to the man ” and just to others . — I would do what mother would do mother, what wou“ld you do in a case like that ? ” I do n o t know ; there may be things to be c o n sid

n o t ered . I would follow my heart ; if it would endanger othe“rs . ? Father, what will you do Animals break laws ” about which they do not know . I pity them . “ ” Well said, John, said the Governor .

o n o f He added, beating the back his chair I may have to follow my heart ; but I will tell you a story o f an o ld Connecticut judge who followed his

heart, and something unexpected happened .

The Governor dropped his stately tone, and used the

o f language home . That was a charm, the home tone . “ - o f . It was at the time the blue laws, he said Those laws in o n e part o f the State were SO strict as to

- forbid the making o f mince pies at Christmas time . One o f these laws forbid a man to kiss his wife in ” n public o Sunday .

- The Governor seldom used story book language . He

so n o w was going to do , and it would make the very ﬁre

seem friendly. THE FIRST OF PATRIOTS AT HOME 3 5

w Wanderin g Rufus as a merry lad . He married a

h r i e he . young w fe, a very handsome girl, and loved

his Soon after marriage he went to sea, and it was after he went to sea that the law was enacted against the Sun

Of day kissing . The lawmakers little thought the men at sea.

His wife looked out for him to come back, as a good wife Should . She pressed her nose against the pane . She dreamed and dreamed o f h o w happy sh e Should be when he should come leapin g up from the wharf to gree“t her . Three years passed, for he was a whaler as well as a sailor . Three years ! — One day there was heard a boom at sea boom o ff

N ew Haven . The ship was coming in, and it was Sun“day . n The young wife dressed herself in her best gow , and she never looked so pretty before . Her cheeks glowed

dew - like roses in time .

She hurried down toward the wharf to meet him , just as the bells were ringin g and the people were all goin“g to meeting. h er — He came up the highway to greet , leaping not a becoming thing, I will allow . And he rushed into her arms, and gave her smack after smack, and her bonnet d Off an . fell , and the people stopped wondered The mag istrate “wondered , too . There was a man in the seaport who was like Mr . ’ Legality in the Pilgrim s Progress . The next day he had 3 6 BROTHER JONATHAN

the young sailor arrested for unbecomin g conduct o n the

his street on Sunday, and I mind me that conduct w as not “altogether becoming . law The judge came into court, and read the , and asked : “‘ ’ Rufus, my sailor boy, what have you to plead ?

law I did not know that there was any such , your ’ Honor ; else I would have obeyed it .

Yo u see may that he had a true heart, like a robin o n a cherry bough . ‘I must condemn you to have thirty lashes at the ’ ‘ - — — n o whipping post, said the judge No, twenty lashes ,

o f o r do considering all the points the case, ten ; ﬁve will .

- Five lashes at the whipping post . This is the lightest

he n ot sentence that I ever imposed . But did know the

law n ot ; and he was a married man, and he had seen his wife for nearly three years ; I must be merciful in this

n ot sa how particular case, and I will y in this same case ’ n hard the lashes Shall be laid o .

So the young sailor was whipped, and Mr . Legality

n t said“that ﬁve lashes would o have scampered a cat . Rufus, the wanderer, prepared to go whaling again .

N o w , the captain of the ship had caused a chalk

o f mark to be drawn across the deck the ship, and had made a ship l aw that if any o n e but an ofﬁcer o f the ship

law Should cross the mark, the person violating the should ’ - - - be whipped with a cat O nine tails . I am sorry to say t hat o ur young sailor should have

had a revengeful spirit, but he seems to have shown a

disposition not altogether benevolent . He invited Mr.

3 8 BROTHER JONATHAN

Beareth all things, endureth all things, read little

John . Then tears ﬁlled his eyes, and he said

Father, I love you . But there was another side to the love and loyalty o f this sheltered town in the cedars . There were Tories

Yo u here, and they did not like the patriarchal Governor .

of must meet some them , if it does change the atmosphere f o the narrative . It has been said that no dispute could ever stand before Brother Jonathan ; it would melt away like snow o n an April day when he lifted his benignant eyes and

o f n o n put the ﬁnger one ha d the other, and said, Let ” me make it clear to yo u .

Old o r Queer Samuel Peters, the Episcopal agent,

r so missiona y in the colony, made much fun Of the good

o f people in his History Connecticut, and so led England and America to laugh by his marvelous anecdotes and

o f - l description the blue laws, that the rea ly thrifty and f heroic character o these people has been misjudged .

A wonderful family had Brother Jonathan . His

o f children who lived to become age became famous , and they were all remarkable as children . Jonathan

r . Trumbull, J , could read Virgil at ﬁve, and had read

Homer at twelve , and could talk with his father in Latin

uv en al . and Greek, and discuss Horace and J when a boy

He, as we have said, became a great painter, and com men c ed by drawing pictures in the sand which was ’ o n - Sprinkled his father s ﬂoor . They used herring bone to tidy rooms in those days, spare rooms, by dusting clean

o n w a i in sand the ﬂoor, in a wavy y, leav ng the ﬂoor THE FIRST OF PATRIOTS AT HOME 3 9

f n - the angles o a herri g bone . We do not know that it was in such herring-bonin g sand that young Trumbull be

s gan to draw pictures, but it may have been o . We have visited the rooms in the o ld perpendicular

H is house where he began to draw . good father did not

o f approve his purpose to become a painter, but he thought that genius should be allowed to follow its o wn course . A man is never contented o r satisﬁed outside o f his natural gifts and haunting inclinations . So the ’ battles into which his father s Spirit entered, John made imm0rtal n by painti g, and his work may be seen not only

n o f in the rotu da the Capitol at Washington, but in the l Trumbull Col ection at Yale College . Young Trumbull was led to continue to paint by his sisters Faith and Mary, who went to Boston to school .

This was the Copley age o f art in Boston . You may see ’ Copley s pictures at the Art Museum , Boston , and among them the almost living portrait of Samuel Adams . When

n these girls retur ed from visits to Boston, Mary began to paint in spiring pictures and to adorn the rooms with them . She and her brother studied the lives and works o f the o ld H o w ? n o t masters . We do know, but genius makes a w ay .

A thrifty farmer and merchant was Col . Jonathan

Yo u o ld Trumbull in his young days . laugh at these fashioned men , but look at what this man , who could dis his o f cuss Homer and Horace with boys, and the arts

Greece with his girls, accomplished through the good judg ment and private thrift in his early life . Says his prin

i a . c l . p biographer, G W Stuart, of the ﬁne young farmer, 4 40 BROTHER JONATHAN

sea who had ships on the , and was beginning to turn from a farmer to a notable merchant : ’ So the ﬁrst years o f Trumbull s life as a merchant passed in successful commerce abroad, in proﬁtable trade u at home, and with high rep tation in all his contacts, ‘ negotiations, and adventures . And his corn and riches ’ - did increase . A house and home estate worth over four

i six thousand pounds ; furniture, and a l brary, worth hundred pounds ; a valuable store adjacent to the dwell ing ; a store, wharf, and land at East Haddam ; a lot and warehouse at Chelsea in Norwich ; a valuable grist- mill ‘ near his family seat at Lebanon ; a large , convenient malt- house ; several productive farms in his neighbor hood, carefully tilled, and beautifully spotted with rich

o f acres woodland ; extensive ownership, too, in the Five ’ mile Propriety, as it was called, in Lebanon, in whose management as committeeman , and representative at

o f courts, and moderator at meetings owners, Trumbull had much to do ; a stock o f domestic animals worth a — hundred and thirty pounds these possessions, together

- with a well secured indebtedness to himself, in bonds, and notes, and mortgages, resulting from his mercantile trans

o f actions, about eight thousand pounds, rewarded, at the

o f 1 76 3 o f close the year , the toil Trumbull in the ﬁeld o f trade and commerce . In all it was a property o f not less than eighteen thousand pounds— truly a large one for

— o n e the day but destined, by reverses in trade which the times subsequently rendered inevitable , and by the patri otic generosity o f its owner during th e great R evolu ” tio n ar t o y struggle, slip, in large part, from his grasp . THE FIRST OF PATRIOTS AT HOME

Here is a picture Of thrifty life in a country village estate in old N ew England days .

He preached at ﬁrst, then became a judge , and he ” doctored .

They were queer people who doctored then, with wig and gig . Brother Jonathan doctored the poor . He doc tored o ut of his goodly instincts more than from a medi cal code , though he could administer prescriptions from Latin that it was deemed presumptuous for the patient

N ew to inquire abo ut . people know what medicine they take, but it was deemed audacious then to ask any ques

o r tions about Latin prescriptions, to seek to penetrate such an awful mystery as was contained in the Ferro ” ces uic ian urit C n ide o f m o r q of the y Potassiu , to ﬁnd out that a ranunculus bulbosus was only a buttercup . Among the good Old tavern tales o f such old- time

o n e old doctors was of a notional woman, who used to send for the doctor as often as She saw any o n e passing ’ who was going the doctor s way . Once when there was coming o n o n e o f these awful March snow- storms that

u sh e saw buried p houses, a teamster hurrying against the ’ pitiless snow toward the town where the doctor s ofﬁce was . “ ” h - Hay hay ! said s e to the half blinded man . “ , ! — it Whoa, stop Send the doctor to me is going to be ” a desperate case .

The doctor came to visit his patient, and found her getting a bountiful meal. “ ” The dragon ! said he . Hobgoblins and thunder, what did you make me come o ut here fo r in all this dread ful storm ? ” 42 BROTHER JONATHAN “ Oh, pardon, doctor, said she, it was such a good ” chance to send .

In ill temper, the country doctor faced the storm again . There was both an academy and an Indian school in w the to n , and all the children loved Brother Jonathan . The children of Boston used to follow Sam Adams in ’ o ld the street in the latter s benign age, and the white children and red tumbled over their dogs to meet Brother

- Jonathan, when he appeared in his three cornered hat,

ruﬂies - and knee breeches, and all, in the snug village green around which the orioles sung in the great trees .

He had some kind word for them all . When his face lighted up, all was happiness .

Among his neighbors was William Williams, a Signer o f o f o f the Declaration Independence, and a man beauti ful soul . ld The o church gleamed in air over the green . On the country roads they held meetings in smaller churches

and in schoolhouses . A queer story is told o f one o f these churches at the time o f foot- stoves ; h ow a good woman took a foot- stove

to church and hid it under her cloak . The stove smoked, u and the warm smoke rose up nder her cloak, which was

spread around her like a tent , and caused her to go to

h o ut o f sleep . As s e bent over the smoke came her cloak at the back o f her neck and ascended into the sunlight o f

N o w m a window . smoke is likely to for a circle as it

o f ascends, and the good people, who did not know the

- saw of foot stove, thought that they a crown glory hang THE FIRST OF PATRIOTS AT HOME 3 in w g over her head, and that a miracle as being per formed . Brother Jonathan and his good wife and children

w n n were always in their pe o Su day . Probably there was a sounding-board in the primitive church and an hour

. a glass Possibly, tithing man went about with a feather

o ld o n to tickle Sleepy women the nose, who lost con ' scio usn ess 7thl s 1 0thl s between the y and the y , and so ” sa 0 made them jump and y, Lud, massy sakes alive ! o r something equally surprising and improper . CHAPTER IV

OUT YOU G O

OLD o f e o f Peter Wetmore, L banon , was suspected ’ being a Tory, but he kept shut lips . Don t open the doors ” o f sa i your soul, he used to y, and people w ll never know ’ i who you are . They can t mprison your soul without the ” n o r body, the body unless the soul opens its gates, by i which he meant the lips . What I say is noth ng to ! ” nobody. I chop wood

Morose, silent , grunting, if he spoke at all, he lived

- in a mossy, gable roofed house, with a huge woodpile before his door . There was a great o ak forest o n rising ground above him . Below him was a cedar swamp, with a village of

- hi crows and crow blackbirds, w ch all shouted in the morn in sun . g, and told each other that the was rising

He was in his heart true to the King . When the patriots of Lebanon came to him to talk politics after ”

m . the Lexington alarm , he si ply said, I chop wood

d H is Chop wood he di . woodpile in front of his house w as almost as high as his house itself. But he chopped

A n o n ﬂew . d , and all through the winter his ax he split

o n wood, hickory wood, with a warlike expression his 44

46 BROTHER JONATHAN

n A Shot has been ﬁred o the green . ” o n ? ld What, Lebanon green gasped the o man in alar“m . o n . No, Lexington green ’

so ff. That doesn t matter . Lexington green is far o

? u . Who ﬁred the shot The reg lars, he added “ i The young men at Lebanon are all enl sting. I wish I were old enough to go ! ” Fo r what ?

To ﬁght the British . ? ” What, the King ” Yes . ? ? ” The King Do I hear my ears, boy Uncle ? ”

- o ut ou . I am going to pull the latch string, and y go ’ D O o u ? Don t talk back . y hear Out you go, and you ” a ll u may never be able to tell yo lose .

l fo r The boy ha f comprehended the hint, he believed

in that his uncle had money stored in the cellar, or some

A S secret place near the house . the latter would never

o n e - let any but himself go to the soap barrel in the cellar,

o r the boy suspected the treasure might be there, in the

- ash ﬂue in the chimney.

Young Peter turned white .

u c Old Peter tugged his rhe mati body to the door, and turned .

I am going to pull the string, Peter . To the boy the words sounded like a hangman’ s sum“mons . ? Where shall I go, uncle OUT YOU GO 47

’

is fo r u sa . t o o . That y to y I ve g store enough, boy if di e . i Somebody will bury me I But the K ng, my i King, he who goes against the K ng goes against me . Who do you go for ? ” ” The people . ” “ ! ld out The people shrieked the o man . Then ” you“go ; o ut ! o n e There is house, uncle, whose doors are open to ” all people who have no roof. “ — Which o n e is that the poorhouse ? ’ ”

o . N , the Governor s — ! That makes me mad mad I hate the Governor, and hi s’ n and all ! I can live alone !

- He pulled the latch string and cried, in trumpet tone (C out !

o ut i Peter went into the open April air, nto the ’ r wood . He went to the Gove nor s, and told him all, but in a way to shield the o ld man . “ ” n P He is a little touched in mi d, said eter, chari

Yo u o r sha“ll have a home with me, mine, said the s n -in -l w Governor . My o a over the way will employ ’ you as a Shepherd . If he doesn t, others will . And you i can use the hills for a lookout, wh le you herd sheep.

Dennis will ﬁnd work for you to do at times in his service . m Boy, perilous ti es are coming, and you have a true

se i — I heart . I know your heart ; I can e t know your

w ho sow t ril e thoughts, and people thoughts, reap true ’ - w n harvests . Don t be down hearted ; you o the stars . I ” will cover you . He lifted his hand over him . 48 BROTHER JONATHAN

’ ” You won t harm uncle fo r what I have said ?

o ld ou No, no, I will not harm the man for what y is have said n o w . It better to change the heart o f a man and make him your friend than to seek to have revenge

o n . o u him He will turn to y some day, and perhaps he

ou sa will leave y his gold, for they y that he has gold

stored away somewhere . You have a heart o f charity — I can see as well as Of truth . Charity goes with honor .

As long as you do right, nothing can happen to you that ” you can not glorify . Peter was made acquainted with Dennis by the Gov

ern o r , who was a father to all friendless children, and he

b o o n . was employed as a shepherd y, the hills

The hills were lookouts n o w . People went to the Old man to reprove him for his

sa trea“tment of his nephew, but he would only y I am cutting wood !

a While he lived with his Tory uncle, Peter used to he r

strange things at night .

The old man would get up, bar all the doors, light the k bayberry candle, and bring something li e a leather bag

to his table .

Then he would talk to himself strangely. ” On e sa , he would y, putting down something that

rang hard o n the table .

n e if is . O , he stays with me, and true to the King ”

T w o .

There would follow a metallic sound .

T w o to i . , if he stays with me , and is loyal the K ng

T hr ee . , if he stays and is loyal “ ” OUT YOU GO 49

r h m Fou . i o ut All for when I go , if only he is true .

i Then the bag would j ngle . Then would follow a rattling sound . “ ” Five six seven ei ht so o n , , , g , and , adding up to a hundred . He seemed to be counting coin .

o f an Then there would be a sound sweeping h ds . Was he gathering up coin— gold coin ? Presently there

he o f would sounds chubby feet, and a chest would seem to Open, and the lid to close, and to be bolt“ed . sa All, all for him , the Old man would y, if he only stays with me and is loyal to the King, whose arms are like those of the lion and the unicorn ”

Then he would lie down , saying, All for him , and the house would become still in the still world of the cedars .

o r it The boy wondered if him were the King, if were he, or some unknown relative, or friend . He could hardly doubt that the old man had treasure , and counted it

o r fo r . at night, either for the King, himself

n ow o n So , Often when the great moon shone the

o ld cedars, he lay awake and wondered what the man ? meant . Had he“missed a fortune by his patriotic feeling The words, if he stays with me and is loyal to the ” King, made him think that the woodchopper meant him

s o r . elf, so“me unknown relative But if he stays with me suggested himself so

m l Old strongly, that he often asked hi se f, if the hard man really loved him and was carrying o ut some vision for his welfare in his Silent heart . 50 BROTHER JONATHAN

Peter used to meet Brother Jonathan as the latter did crossed the green, which he almost daily . The Gov cru or was usually so absorbed in thought that he did n o t see sun o r n seem to the shining , to hear the birds si g ing ; he lived in the cause . But when he met Peter he would stretch o ut his hand

. se e in the Quaker manner, and look pleasant To the ’ Old man s face light up was a joy to the susceptible boy ; it made him so happy as to make him alert the rest o f the day.

One day as the two were crossing the green, in near

n ways, the Gover or suddenly said Let us con sid er the matter

so m My young man, for you are before your ti e, I must have a clerk in my store, and he must be no common

o n e fo r clerk ; he must be that I can trust, he must do more than sell goods and barter ; he must look o ut for

in w ar o ﬂice me, when I am the back room, the ; and he must be the only o n e to enter the war - o fﬁc e room when the council is in session . The council has met more than f e n o w . o three hundr d times And, Peter, Peter the hills, — - b - m u o o . shepherd y, night watch y heart turns to y You

— t o must be my clerk that is, the people ; meet customers, barter, trade, sell ; but to me, you must be the sentinel of

see the door Of the war ofﬁce . Peter, I can your soul ; ld ’ t o . o sa you will be true me I am an man ; don t y it,

so to but I forget, when I have many things weigh me Y down . ou shall stand between the store and the war

ou Ofﬁce, at the counter, and I will give y the secret keys,

o n e see o u see . and if any must me, y must about the matter

52 BROTHER JONATHAN

des atchmen The couriers, p , the wagoners, the drovers,

oﬂice came to the war and went . They multiplied .

But the activity diminished as the army moved South . People gathered in the front store in the evenings to

. s w hear the news, and often to wait for the news They a the members o f the Council of Safety come and go ; and while the things that lay like weights in the balance o f

di o n the nation were there scussed, the men told tales the barrels that had come from the West Indies, or on the f meal chests and bins o vegetables . What queer tales they were !

Let us spend an evening at the store, and listen to one

o ld Of the Connecticut folk tales .

It is a winter night . The ice glares without in the

o n . is moon , the ponds and cedars There an open ﬁre in the store ; in the window are candy- jars ; over the

o n o n counter are candles rods, and the counter are snuff jars and tobacco . — — One o f the Old time natural story tellers sits o n a rice barrel ; he is a drover and stops at wayside inns, and

o f in s knows the tales the , and especially the ghost

n stories . Such stories did o t frighten Peter as they did

n ew . Dennis, who was to the country Peter had become hardened to them . Let us give you on e o f these peculiar Old store stories

on that was told red settles, and that is like those which

passed from settle to settle throughout the colony. The ” speaker is a grandfather . “ ” OUT YOU CC 53

“ THE TREASURE DIGGER OF CAPE ANN H ow Oh, boys, let me smoke my pipe in peace . the moon shines on the snow, far, far away, down the

sea ! . That makes me think Of Captain Kidd Ah , he was a hard man, that same Captain Kidd, and he had a ”

w as so n o f . hard, hard heart, if he the a Scotch preacher

Here the grandfather paused and Shook his head .

The pause made an atmosphere . The natural story teller lowered his voice, and the earth seemed to stand still as he said

na w as a a n Ki My me C pt i dd, ai as a As I s led , I s iled , na was a a n My me C pt i Kidd, a As I s iled .

na w as a a n i My me C pt i K dd, A nd w k ic edly I did , ’ o aw o rb G d s l s I did f id, a As I s iled .

r r l a o o I mu de ed Wil i m M re, a as a As I s iled , I s iled , A n d him in o left his g re, A S a I s iled .

’ in an I d the Bible my h d , ’ ’ w a a r a o an T s my f the s l st c mm d , n k in an But I su it the s d, a As I s iled .

old Here the man paused, pressed down the tobacco in his pipe with a quick movement of his foreﬁnger , and shook his head twice, leaving the impression that the said

- Captain Kidd was a very bad sea rover . 54 BROTHER JONATHAN

The room was still . You could hear the sparks shoot

- o ld o ut ; the corn sheller stopped in his work . The maiden lady who had come in fo r snuff touched the pepper pods :

on e the air grew peppery, but no dared to sneeze .

old The man bobbed up his head, as making an atmos

h ere fo r o f p highly wrought work the imagination . “ ” o ld There was once an couple, he said, who lived down on Cape Ann, and beyond their cottage was a sandy

o n - dune, and the dune there was a thatch patch .

o ld They had grown and were poor, and both thought

o ld that their lot had been hard, and the woman said to the o ld man : ‘ w h e It was you o made my life hard . I was onc

o n e . a girl, and what I might have been no knows Ah ! me, ah me

o ld One fall morning the man got up, and frisked

a around in an unusual w y . ’ SO ? What makes you spry asked the old woman . ’ I dreamed a dream last night in the morning . ’ And what did yo u dream ? I dreamed that Captain Kidd hid his treasure in an

bo x - i o f iron under the thatch patch , right in the m ddle ’ the patch , where the shingle goes round . ’

ou . Then go out and dig . If y don t, I will Think

if . what we might be , we could ﬁnd that treasure We

might have a chariot like the Pepperells, and ﬁne horses ’ like the Boston gentry, the Royalls, and the Vassals . ’ n But I can have the treasure only o n o e condition . What is that ? ’ I must not speak a word while I am digging . “ ” OUT YOU GO 55

fo r That would be hard you . Your mouth is

o ld always open, answering your wife back . I could dig

- - n o w . a ! without a word, Well, well, ah me If you Should ’ dream that dream a second time, it would be a Sign . The next morning the Old man got up spryer than before . He clattered the shovel and the tongs . ‘ Wife, wife, I dreamed the same dream again this ’ morning .

Well, if you were to dream it a third time , it would

i — i s i f be a certa nty that , you could dig for the treasure

o f without speaking a word, which a woman my sense ’ and wit could do . Go and dig . ‘But the voice that came to me in my dream told ’

o f . me to dig at midnight, at the rising the moon That night as the great moon rose over the waters o f A n n o ld Cape , like the sun , the man took his hoe and

- hung on to it his clam basket , and put both of them over

o ut o f his shoulder . He went the door over which the

- dry morning glory vines were rattling . ’ o w N , husband, you stop and listen to me, said the ‘ old wife . Remember all the time that you are not to

Speak a word, else we will have no chariot to ride past

n o r the Pepperells, cantering horses, leaving the dust all ? in their eyes . Now, what are you to do ‘ ’ Never to speak a word . ’ Under no surprise .

sk Not if the sea were to ro"ar, nor the y to fall , ! ’ nor an earthquake to Uproot the hills , nor anything “‘ n o w Well , you may go , and when you return we will be richer than the Governor himself. I have always 5 56 BROTHER JONATHAN been dreaming that such a day might come to us as a sort

w e of reward for all that have suffered . But they say that Captain Kidd tricks those who dig for his treasures .

His ghost appears to them . Never you fear if he lays ’ hands o n you . “ ld The o man went down to the sea. The moon rose so fa“st that he could see it rising . o ld eat The couple had a black , a very sleek, fat

m o n little ani al, which lived much the broken clams that — the clam diggers threw o ut o f their piles o f bivalves at lo w tides . When she saw that the old man was going down

sea him — to the , she started after , with still feet still, still . The old man measured by his eye the center o f the

- o f thatch patch, and dug into the tough roots the thatch lustily. He became exhausted at last and stopped to rest, looking up to the moon that glittered in the autumn sea. He pushed the handle o f the hoe down into the i sand . It struck something that sounded l ke iron . He

o f felt“sure the treasure . Suddenly he felt something rubbing against his leg . ‘ It was like a hand . Captain Kidd came back to dis ’ ‘ concert me , thought he . But I will never speak a ’ word, thought he silently, not for the moon herself, nor s ’ for “a thou and moons . The supposed hand again rubbed against his leg stl ll still .

He turned his head very slowly and cautiously . He

saw w as . something move . It like a gloved hand Cap OUT YOU GO 57

’ ’ tain Kidd s, sure, he thought, but did not speak a word .

o r The“thing had still feet hands . He turned his head a little more and w as humbled ’ to discover that it was not Captain Kidd s hand at all, but — only Tommy, purring and purring still, still . H is pride fell . He was disconcerted . No o n e can tell what he may do when he ﬁnds a pirate ’ s ghost to be

SO only the house cat, all still . There are some situations that take away all one’ s sens“es, little things, too . He inclined his head more, so to be certain, when the truth was in an instant revealed to him beyond a possibility of doubt, but everything was still , still, still . SCAT ! , 7

- The story teller had been talking in a very lo w tone . He uttered the last word with an explosive voice when he had caused all ears to be strained . His hearers leaped at f this electric ending o his Red Settle Tale . H“e resumed his pipe, and merely added There are some things that human nature can n o t

o ut stand . When a man ﬁnds something to be nothing, ”

o f . for example, like the treasure digger Cape Ann

- After a long time , during which heart beats became

o n e : normal , some might venture to ask “ ” And what became o f the old woman ? ld Oh , after the O man Spoke the sea roared and

- came rushing into the thatch patch and over it, and he ’ and the cat ran , and I mind me that that cat didn t have ” much peace and comfort in the house after that . CHAPTER V — TH E W A R OFFICE I N T H E CE DARS A N INDIAN TALE IN CIDENTS

T H E o ld ﬁ . war of ce at Lebanon , Conn , is still to be

is a seen . That war ofﬁce a relic room and library now . The great cedars are gone that once surrounded

old w as it, and the Alden Tavern, which enlivened by R evo lu colonial tales, and in later times by the queer tion ary tale o f the humiliation o f the captured Pres

o f cott, has now left behind it the borders the village

green . The ground where Washington reviewed the

o f army Rochambeau is still held sacred, and near by

o f — rises the church the Revolution , and in a wind swept

N ew o n England graveyard, the hillside, in a crumbling ’ tomb , sleeps Governor Trumbull , Washington s Brother ” o f Jonathan, whom the great leader the soldier com

mon ers f used to consult in every stress o the war .

In the same lot Of rude, mossy, zigzag headstones rests o n e i o f of the S gners Of the Declaration Independence , ’ wh o William Williams, married Governor Trumbull s daughter . This place o f rare history stands apart from the main T . o traveled roads reach it, go to Willimantic , and take 58

60 BROTHER JONATHAN mi e h tt e o f . w public safety Governor Trumbull, o was

o f the leading spirit it, and three other members, resided in o f Lebanon, and held the early sessions the committee i there . This committee continued ts sessions here durin g the war . The house occupied by Governor Trumbull still

s tands, as we have said, but the tavern is gone . The writer dined in the house a few months before

o f beginning this story, and was shown the part the house ’ - where the alarm post, as we call the guard s room, and

overlook, were .

o f o n e We give a picture this most interesting house , o f ﬁ o f the most signi cant in the country . The Spirit the i Revolution dwelt there, and from this place it exerc sed a wonderful but unseen power . The Connecticut Society o f the Sons o f the R evolu tion in the winter o f 1 8 90 made provision fo r the

f w ar o f preservation o the ofﬁce, as a notable relic the

Revolution .

o ak The building was repaired . The framework was

found to be sound, and the decayed sills were replaced

n ew by timber, and the chimney was restored and fur nished with colonial ﬁrepieces from old houses in Leb

anon . Andirons made in the Revolution , Old iron cranes,

to and primitive utensils were brought the council room, and the place o f the meetings of the Committee of Public Safety was thus made to resume the aspect o f a bygone

age o f the farmer heroes . The celebration o f the restoration o f the war o ﬂice f 1 4 1 891 by the Sons o the Revolution took place May , , ’ ” n c in b an o n Bro ther Jo n atha n s w a r o fﬁ c e an d reside e Le , u C o n n e c tic t .

THE W A R OFFICE IN THE CEDARS 61

o n - n F“lag day, whe there waved a ﬂag with the motto of Brother Jonathan ” in company with the Star

Spangled Banner . On that occasion the modern American flag w as raised over the old war Office for the first time, where

Jo n ath an Trumbull n ever failed In o o n anon il his st re Leb H l . Jonathan Trumbull has well been called the Cedar o f

f n Lebanon . The story o his early life is that o f o e of ’ nature s independent noblemen, than which no title is

w n higher . His o brains and hands caused him to be a powerful inﬂuence ; he made character, and character made

c i him ; he be ame poor, but noth ng lives but righteousness, and character is everything . f The origin o his family name is interesting .

o ut A Scottish king was hunting, and was attacked by a bull . A young peasant threw himself before the ’ ’ king, twisted the bull s horns, and saved the king s life . ” n him h The ki g gave the name of Turnbull, wit a coat f o Fo rtun a avel au daci. arms and the motto, f Hence the name Trumbull .

o f w The wife Trumbull, as we have Sho n , came from a

w as - family equally noble . She the great granddaughter

o f o f Of Robinson Of Leyden , the patriarch the church the w h Pilgrim Fathers in Holland . It was he o said to the Pilgrims o n their departure : Go ye forth into the

n ew Wilderness, and light shall break forth from the ” Word .

He had intended to follow the Pilgrims to America , but died in Holland . 62 BROTHER JONATHAN

Jonathan Trumbull was born in Lebanon, Conn . ,

1 1 0 l sea 7 . He was a successfu trader at for a time ; he then lost his ships and property and became a poor man, t when he was called into the public service, and from tha

m i s ti e devoted h m elf to patriotic duties, without any

o r thought of poverty riches, but only to fulﬁl the duties

hi n o t into w ch he had been called . He lived for himself,

n o t but for others ; for the present, but for the future ; he forgot himself, and it was fame .

H is so n , John Trumbull, the famous historical painter, pictures by anecdotes some o f the scenes o f his early home . Among these incidents is the following story, which carries its o wn lesson :

AN INDIAN TALE

At the age of nine o r ten a circumstance occurred

r n which deserves to be w itten o adamant . In the wars o f N ew England with the aborigines, the Mohegan tribe o f Indians early became friends o f the English . Their favorite ground was o n the banks o f the river (n ow the

Thames) between N ew London and Norwich . A small

o f l sa remnant the Mohegans stil exists, and they are c r edly protected in the possession and enjoyment o f their favorite domain o n the banks o f the Thames . The gov e rnm en t of this tribe had become hereditary in the family o f o f the celebrated chief Uncas . During the time my father ’ s mercantile prosperity he had employed several

o f Indians this tribe in hunting animals, whose Skins were

m n e valuable for their fur . A ong these hunters was o

! o f named achary, the royal race , an excellent hunter, THE WAR OFFICE IN THE CEDARS 63

an d as but as drunken worthless an Indian ever lived .

o f When he had somewhat passed the age ﬁfty, several members o f the royal family who stood between ! achary

o f and the throne his tribe died, and he found himself

o n e him with only life between and empire . In this moment his better genius resumed its sway, and he ‘ reﬂected seriously H ow can such a drunken wretch as I am aspire to be the chief o f this honorable race — what will my people say and ho w will the Shades o f my noble ancestors look down indignant upon such a base successor ? Can I succeed to the great Uncas ? I will ’ drink no more ! He solemnly resolved never again to hi s . tast“e any drink but water, and he kept resolution n o t I had heard this story, and did entirely believe

w as it ; for young as I , I already partook in the prevail

n ing contempt for Indians . In the begi ning of May, the annual election o f the principal ofﬁcers of the (then)

w as . colony held at Hartford, the capital My father i o f attended ofﬁcially, and it was customary for the ch ef the “Mohegans also to attend . ! achary had succeeded to the rule o f his tribe . My ’ ' father s h o use was situated about midway o n the road between Mohegan and Hartford , and the Old chief was in the habit o f coming a few days before the election an d dining with his brother governor . One day the o f mischievous thought struck me , to try the sincerity ’ the o ld man s temperance . The family were seated at

i w as - o n d nner, and there excellent home brewed beer the : ! table . I addressed the Old chief achary, this beer is ’ his excellent ; will you taste it ? The old man dropped 64 BROTHER JONATHAN

f o f kni e and fork, leaning forward with a stern intensity

l w as expression ; his black eye , spark ing with indignation, ’ do n o n . ﬁxed me John, said he, you not k ow what you

Yo u il ! are doing . are serving the dev , boy Do you not

n ? k ow that I am an Indian I tell you that I am, and

s that , if I hould but taste your beer, I could never stop

until I got to rum, and became again the drunken, con t emp tible wretch your father remembers me to have

in t m t a n man . J ohn while ou live n ever a a e been , y g p y ’ t r ak o b“e a good r esolu tion . Socrates never uttered a more valuable precept ; Demosthenes could n o t have given it in more solemn f tones o eloquence . I was thunderstruck . My parents ff were deeply a ected ; they looked at each other, at me,

s and at the venerable Old Indian, with deep feeling of

Th ev awe and respect . afterward frequently reminded

o f me “the scene, and charged me never to forget it . ! o f achary lived to pass the age eighty, and sacredly

kept his resolution . He lies buried in the royal burial

place of his tribe, near the beautiful falls of the Yantic,

o f the o n the western branch Thames, in Norwich , land

n o w . owned by my friend, Calvin Goddard, Esq I visited

the grave of the Old chief lately, and there repeated to ” myself his inestimable lesson .

. u o wn Mr Tr mbull, the painter, also thus pictures his

youth , and what a character it presents in the studies he ! mad“e, and the books he read About this time, when I was nine or ten years old, ’ my father s mercantile failure took place . He had been

for years a successful merchant, and looked forward

66 BROTHER JONATHAN

a . us a pleasure than task Th I went forward, without

o f interruption, and at the age twelve might have been

e E utro ius admitt d to enter college ; for I had then read p ,

uv n Cornelius Nepos, Virgil, Cicero, Horace , and J e al ’ in Latin ; the Greek Testament and Homer s Iliad in

w as Greek, and thoroughly versed in geography, ancient

and modern, in studying which I had the advantage

f - (then rare) o a twenty inch globe . I had also read with ’ care Rollin s History of Ancient Nations ; also his History ’ f Cr vi r o the Roman Republic ; Mr . e e s continuation o f ’ o f the History the Emperors, and Rollin s Arts and f Sciences o the Ancient Nations . In arithmetic alone I

- met an awful stumbling block . I became puzzled by a sum of in division , where the divisor consisted three

ﬁgures . I could not comprehend the rule for ascertain ing h o w many times it w as contained in the dividend ; my mind seemed to come to a dead stand ; my master

t o so would not assist me, and forbade the boys do it, that I well recollect the question stood o n my slate unsolved

m iﬁ i n o rt c at o . near“ly three months, to my extreme At length the solution seemed to ﬂash u pon my mind

u o r at once, and I went forward without f rther let hin

dran c e through the ordinary course Of fractions, vulgar

and decimal, surveying, trigonometry, geometry, naviga f ﬁf . o tion, etc , so that when I had reached the age

teen and a half years, it was stated by my good master

that he could teach me little more, and that I was fully qualiﬁed to enter Harvard College in the middle o f the

third or junior year . This was approved by my father, for and proposed to me . In the meantime my fondness THE W A R OFFICE IN THE CE DARS 67

painting had grown with my growth , and in reading o f the arts o f antiquity I had become familiar with the ” o f te o f ! names Phidias and Praxi les, euxis and Apelles .

This son , who began his great career as an historical

i in o n painter by draw ng pictures sand the ﬂoor, after the manner we have shown , as he grew Older and had seen

u Europe, determined to follow his genius . The yo ng man gives us the following view Of his father, a lovely picture in it“self My father urged me to study the law as the pro fession which in a republic leads to all emolument and

n fo r disti ction, and which my early education had well

so prepared me . My reply was that, far as I understood

law o f the question , was rendered necessary by the vices mankind ; that I had already seen too much of them will ingly to devote my life to a profession which would keep me perpetually involved either in the defense o f innocence

o r re against fraud and injustice, (what was much more volting to an ingenuous mind) to the protection o f guilt against just and merited punishment . In short, I pined for the arts , again entered into an elaborate defense Of my predilection , and again dwelt upon the honors paid to artists in the glorious days o f Greece and Athens . My

n father listened patiently, and whe I had ﬁnished he com plimen ted me upon the able manner in which I had de fended what to him still appeared to be a bad cause . ‘ ’ ‘ I had conﬁrmed his Opinion , he said , that with ’ proper study I should make a respectable lawyer ; but, ‘ o u sa added he, y must give me leave to y that you

o r o ne appear to have overlooked, forgotten , very impor 68 BROTHER JONATHAN

’ ‘ ’ ‘ . sir tant point in your case Pray, , I rejoined, what ’ ? sir Con n ecticu t was that You appear to forget, , that ’ is n ot A then s ; and with this pithy remark he bowed and withdrew, and never more opened his lips upon the

H OW few i subject . Often have those mpressive words occurred to my memory Connecticut is not Athens ! ’

The decision was made in favor of the arts . I closed all 1 78 3 other business, and in December, , embarked at ” H f r o . Portsmouth, N . . , London He could begin to make Connecticut like Athens by his ow n work . i Queer tales they told grave people at the ord naries,

o f fﬁ . and inns, and at the store the war o ce The N ew England mind in the colonial period saw no chariots of angels in the air, and heard no rustlings of ’ angels wings, like the ancient Hebrews, and looked for no goddesses , like the Greeks and Romans . Ugly hags ” - and witches, grave people in winding sheets, scared folks in a cowardly manner in lonely highways and hid den byways ; bad people who died with restless consciences came forth from their earthly beds to make startlin g f f . o o confessions to the living It was a time terror,

o f h o stili people ﬂeeing from persecutions, and Indian

old- ties . Let us have another time store story, to picture the social life o f those decisive times .

n o f o f It was the beginni g the days the drovers,

o ur when tale was told, such drovers as used to go wander

N ew ing over England in the fall and spring, selling

o r w a . cattle, trading in cattle, with the farmers by the y

- It w as fall . Maples ﬂamed ; the grape leaves turned THE WAR OFFICE IN THE CEDARS 69 yellow around the purple clusters that hung over the W alls ; the fringed gentians lined the brooks ; the cran berries reddened ; the birds gathered in ﬂocks ; the blue jays trumpeted, and the crows cawed . Great stacks of

o f - ﬁ lds corn ﬁlled the corners the husking e . The drovers came to the valleys of the Connecticut and to the Berkshire Hills, and rested at last with full

P inﬁeld purses at the la Inn .

the l o f In inn ived an aunt the innkeeper, a Quaker woman by the name of Eunice .

w as There was a young drover named Mordecai, who

. so all imagination, eyes and ears He seemed to be earnest to learn everything that he attracted the notice o f Sh e o n o n e o f Eunice, and said to him his annual

? ” Mordecai , and who may thy father be — ’ Gone gone with the winds . That s him . And thy mother ? ” — ’ him . Gone gone after . That s her Where do you“suppose they are ? ” Did they leave anything? “ ” Left all they had .

h o w w as ? And much that, Mordecai — ” “The earth all . And thou wert left all alone . I pity thee,

Sh n N o w n . , Quaker Eunice k it e not only k it stock n i gs and garters , but comforters for the neck, and gallows, as suspenders for trousers were then called . The latter

all ses n were called g u . She did not k it these useful and 70 BROTHER JONATHAN

wn convenient articles for her o people alone, but for those w h o most needed them . When serene Aunt Eunice saw h o w friendless the drover boy Mordecai was, her benevolent heart quickened, and sh e resolved to knit for him a comforter o f many

o f o f bright colors, a yard long, and a pair gallows stout

o n his twine, to give him return another year, when the cattle traders Should come down from Boston . It took time to fabricate these high - art treasures o f many kinds i and colors . So when Mordecai was leav ng the inn this

: year, she called after him

Mordecai, thee halt in thy goings . M“ordecai looked back . n ow Boy, thee has no mother to look after thee ,

- c o m except from the spirit world . I am going to knit a forter for thee that will go around thy neck three times

set - and hang down at that . I will the dye pot and dye

— - n o A n d the wool the ash barrel is almost full w . thee

listen . I am going to knit a pair o f gallows for — W thew ’ The boy s eyes dilated . He had never heard the word used before except fo r the cords that hung pirates o n in she the green isle Boston harbor . Did expect him to b“e hung ? I will knit the gallows stout and strong, so that they i w ll hold . But I must not tell thee all about it n o w

- thee shall know all another year, after killing time , in the

- Indian summer, when the wich hazels that bloom in the ” fall are in ﬂower .

Mordecai, who had been ﬁlled with N ew England TH E WAR OFFICE IN THE CEDARS 71

’ u superstitions by the drovers tales in the co ntry inns, : stood with open mouth, when Aunt Eunice added I am going to put a n ew invention o n those gallows ; ” it will prove a surprise to thee .

It did . The boy Mordecai passed a year in wonder at what the zigzag journey to hill towns at the west o f the State

ul hi in r wo d bring m the holiday o rest seasons o f the fall . He wandered with the drovers to the towns around “ ” Boston, and on the Ch“arles and Merrimack, trading u and selling cattle, and putting p at the inns by the ’ way, he himself sleeping in the barns, under the swallows nests .

They were merry merchantmen , the drovers . Whit

in tier describes them a poem . Their cattle trades had

o w n law a dialect of its , and there was an unwritten that “ ” ” all was fair in trade, to which honorable dishonesty

- i clear m nded Aunt Eunice made objection, and against ” which She delivered exhortations . Some o f these merry rovers used a boy to help them

o f — th e o f in tricks trade to Shorten age cattle, and the “ ” time when the latter were broke, and like matters . One day in the spring tradings a Quaker o n one of the Sale“m farms said to Mordecai : Boy, thee must never let thy tongue slip an untruth , o r thee w ill come to the gallows . The next year the drovers and Mordecai took their annual journ ey from Cambridge to Springﬁeld and east

n Plainfield . ern Con ecticut, and stopped at the Inn The trees flamed with autumnal splendors again ; the 6 72 BROTHER JONATHAN sun n ow n seemed burning in the air, with a clear flame, ow with a smoky haze ; there were great corn harvests every where . The twilight and early evening hours were still .

o n — o f The voices the farms echoed those the huskers, o f and the boys driving the oxen, with carts loaded with ’ corn . The hunters moon that rose over the hills like a

un u night s lengthened o t the day .

o n so n They went slowly, and allowi g their cattle to

o n graze the succulent grasses by the roadside, and to fatten, and become lazy .

They rested at great farmhouses, bartering and sell

o f ing as long as the light the day lasted, and telling aw ful tales o f the Indian wars and old Salem witchcraft days later in the evening . f ’ Some o the drovers stories were awful indeed . “ ” o f f One them concerned the Miller o Durham . The said miller used to remain in his mill late in the evening f alone . One night he was startled by the dripping o — water inside o f the mill house . He turned from the

saw hopper, and there a woman , with ﬁve bloody wounds,

w et . and garments, and wide eyes “ ” sh e Miller of Durham , said, you must avenge me , o r I will haunt the mill . You will ﬁnd my body in the

- — well in the abandoned coal pit . Mattox killed me h e ” knows why .

an d saw h The miller knew Mattox, he t at the woman

o n had a familiar look , and had probably been employed

o f the farm the accused man , who was a prosperous

th e o f farmer . He resolved to conceal appearance the accusing ghost . But the apparition followed him, and

74 BROTHER JONATHAN

At the next inn, in the lovely Connecticut valley, a

- still more terrible story was told . A forest tavern keeper,

n f after this tale, had trai ed a huge mastif to drown his

in f rich guests a pond in a wood at the back o the tavern . The strong dog had been bought o f a drover named him Bonny, who had treated kindly . Years passed, and

vi the same Mr . Bonny sited the inn, and was recognized

- by the dog, but not by the tavern keeper . The latter

- invited Mr . Bonny t o go with him to the trout pond in

o n n o f the wood, and while they were the margi the pond he suddenly whistled to his mastiff as a signal . The dog whined and howled and ran around in a circ“le . ’ ” Why don t you do as yo u always do ? exclaimed

- the tavern keeper to the dog in anger . ’

The dog s eyes blazed ; he, leaped upon his master and i dragged him nto the pond . But his master in his strug gles drowned the mastiff. Mr . Bonny witnessed the scene

— fo r in horror, and seeing what it meant several rich drovers had disappeared from the inn and had never been

o f n— h e heard agai determined to conceal the matter, as the crime could not be repeated . But the dead dog

so howled nights, and drew people to the pond, and dis closed the crime . ” “ - - : Life, said the story teller, is self revealing every ' ut thing is found o at last . The stars in their courses ﬁght against a liar ! The inward eyes of Mordecai n ow began to expect to “ ” ’ see . sights . The boy s conscience burned He had the ghost atmosphere . THE W A R OFFICE IN THE CEDARS 75

The next time that the lusty drover tried to sell the “ ” co w that had given ﬁfteen quarts o f milk a day he declared that she had given sixteen quarts, and called the milker as before to witness the statement . “ ? ” You milked her he asked . ” o u Yes ; but y measured the milk, said Mordecai . ” in So I did, said the drover an absent tone in which

so . n was the usual false note, I did I remember ow .

But you used to milk her . ” Yes, faltered the boy, feeling that the heavens were i o r t l kely to fall the ear h to cave in .

Pittsﬁeld n A l The story at the next inn , near , o the bany way, outdid all the rest . A man who had robbed his neighbors by deception , after this story, had been f followed nights by the clanking o an invisible chain . A neighbor whom h“e had ruined died, and after that the clankings o f the invisible chain began to be heard in

- his bedchamber . If he ran down stairs they followed

o n o ak o ut him , clank, clank, clank, the steps, and into the garden . Mordecai could fancy it all : the man running half crazed down the oak stairs, with the invisible chain clank ing behind him . When the drover n ext t“ried to sell that c o w he de clar ed that She had given eighteen quarts Of milk a ” day, to which he called Mordecai to witness . The boy gasped Yes to the question if he - had milked her regu larl o f y, but he seemed to hear the clanking the invisible w n chain as he acted his part for the last time . The o derf ul co w was sold . 76 BROTH E R JONATHAN

In this state of mind Mordec ai came to the Plainﬁeld

an d ai the e t ul Inn , ag n met there ser ne and tru hf Aunt

Eunice . “’ I ve kept my promise th at I made to thee a year ” th e y i a w . ago, said s mpathet c woman , g llo s and all The d estuﬁ o c rs o f l y to k, and the olo the comforter are rea ” pretty . Thee looks troubled . Nea r midnight the fo re sticks in the ﬁreplace broke

an d i . fell , and the men went to the r rooms ” ll l c Thee wi s eep in the co kloft, said Aunt Eunice

r f sew to Mo decai , but be ore thee goes up let me so me buttons on thy tr ousers for the gallows ! galluses ! .

Stan d up by me I have some stout thread for th e pur~

oo 03 his Mordecai t k his jacket and loosened belt, and

e o n s as s Aunt Eunice sew d the button he stood be ide her .

h t a to She t en at ched the gallows the back buttons, leav ing them otherw ise fr ee for him t o butt o n o n in front i in th e morn ng .

c sh e a . See here, Morde ai, s id These are no com ’ l s o n — l s mon gal ows. I ve put buckl e them buck e that my grandfather wore in the Indi an wars. Th ese are

ul . to o wonderf buckles If the gallows are long, thee ’ so h t o o can h ist them up, ; if they are t en short, thee i ” t o ut so . can let hem aga n,

o w ai saw th e ws N , when Mordec that gallo had no o n c c n e tion with hanging he felt happy, and he went up to a t“he cockloft, c ndle in hand. B e care ful and n o t let the buckles drag upon th e ” ’ o d c ai r e ﬂ or, Mor e , we e th good woman s last words as T H E W A R OFFICE IN THE CEDARS 77 she saw bo is n the y d appear with the light, holdi g the wonderful suspenders in his hand .

Mordecai could not sleep . The cockloft did n o t look his right, did not fulﬁl moral ideal . The great moon rose over the hills and ﬂo oded the valley with white hi light . He began to t nk Of the three acted lies of which

. c o w he had been a part The that had given ﬁfteen, ” ” i sixteen, seventeen, eighteen quarts of m lk a day had been sold— what if the purchaser should commit

At midnight he heard a cry out in the ﬁeld . Hello ! that steer is out and is at the corn - stack !

o f The voice was that a drover . Mordecai felt that he should get up and go to the corn - stack and help im pound the steer .

H e so forgot the gallows, they hung down to the

ﬂoor behind him after he had dressed . He tried to

Old light the candle after the slow way, for the ladder to ” the cockloft was poky, when he heard something clink

n behind him . He turned arou d, when an iron hoof i seemed to follow him around, clink , clink, cl nk . The

n o r sound was o t alarming vengeful or in a way terrible, but to his imagination it shook the roof.

He whirled aroun d again . ! Clink, clink

Again .

his o n ﬁr e . His heart seemed bursting, brain to be “ ” He rushed toward the ladder and the thing followed t w him . He attempted o go do n the ladder, but after 78 BROTHER JONATHAN

i him some steps the th ng held back, when he uttered a cry that shook the whole tavern and made the people leap from their beds . — — ” Hel up ! Hel up ! Let go ! Let go !

i s w a . The landlord came runn ng, and the situation I never thought that yo u would come to the gal ! lows, said he, but you have All the powers have mercy o n me now ! cried Mo r ’ co n decai . But I ll confess . Will you let me go if I fess“? “ . ou o n Yes, yes, said the landlord What have y your mind ?

The drovers came running in . ’

f . That co w didn t give no ﬁ teen quarts . I connived it— The drover put me up to the Lord Of massy, what will become of his soul ? I’ ll never connive again ! ” Then said the landlord : “’ I ll have to let you go .

He unloosened the galluses, which had wound

around a rung in the ladder, and Mordecai kept his con

science clear even in cattle trade ever after . CHA PTER VI

’ THE DE C ISIV E DAY OF B ROTHER J ONATHAN S LIFE

BEFORE we leave this part o f o ur subject we should study the event that made the great character o f the

G overnor .

All lives have decisive days . Such a day determined the great destiny o f Jonathan Trumbull .

The stamp act had been passed in Parliament, by which a stamp duty was imposed upon all American paper that should be u sed to transact business and upon articles

essential to life . Persons were to be appointed to sell

stamps for the purpose . This was taxation without rep

resen tation in Parliament, and was regarded as tyranny

in America . All persons holding Ofﬁce under England were r e quired to make oath that they would support the stamp

o f duty. Among these were the Governor Connecticut

o f and his ten councilors, and one these councilors at that

time w as Jonathan Trumbull .

The day arrived on which the Governor, whose name

was Fitch , and his councilors assembled to take the oath o r t“o resign their commissions I am ready to be sworn , said the then Governor . 79 80 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f u The sovereignty England demands it . Are yo all ready ?

There w as a grave silence .

Jonathan Trumbull rose . ” “ o o f The stamp act, said he, is a der gation the

o f o ur chartered rights the colony. It takes away free dom . The power that can tax us as it pleases can govern

o ur us as it pleases . The stamp act takes away liberties and robs us o f everything . It makes us slaves and can ” reduce us to poverty . I can not take the oath . “ ” But, said the royal Governor, the Ofﬁcers Of his Majesty must Obey his commands o r not hold his com missions . For you to refuse to be sworn is contempt Of ’ Parliament . The King s displeasure is fatal . Gentlemen ,

n o w ad I am ready for the oath, and I ask that it be ” ministered to me . The Governors o f all the provinces except Rhode

Island had taken the oath . Even Franklin and Otis and Richard Henry Lee had decided to submit to the act Of unrestrained tyranny. They thought it politic to do so . But Trumbull ’ s conscience rose supreme over every

. was argument and consideration In conscience he strong, as any o n e may be . ” “

can n ot . I take the oath , said Trumbull Let Par li m n m a e t . do its worst, and its armies and na es thunder

I will not violate my provincial oath , which I deem to be right . I will be true to Connecticut, and to the lib

r ies f Y u e t o man . o have sworn by the awful name of

Almighty God to be true to the rights Of this colony .

so n . I have swor , and that oath will I keep

8 2 BROTHER JONATHAN

w ho risked all by leaving the room at the dusk o f that

decisive day, their Governor, and they continued him in

Ofﬁce until his hair turned white, and he heard the town bells all ringin g for the independence and peace o f

America . Had his act cost him his life he would have done the him same . He would have owned his soul . Honor to w as more than life

My life and honor both together run ; on Take ho nor fro m me and my life is d e . When Brother Jonathan returned to Lebanon he

was greeted by all hearts . The rugged farmers gathered

o n the green around him with lifted hats . The children

hailed him, even the Indian children . The dogs barked,

o ut and when the bell rang , it rang true to his ears ;

ell f for him forever the h o life rang true .

But his life was forfeited to the Crown . What o f

? in that His soul was safe the Almighty, and he slept

t o . SO in peace , lulled rest by the whispering cedars

o f began the great public career Trumbull . He was

- 1 776 chosen Lieutenant Governor in , and Governor in

1 76 9 .

He was made the chairman o f the Connecticut Coun

o f cil Public Safety, which met at his war Ofﬁce , which

at ﬁrst was a protected room in his little store . His biog r a h er o f p , Stuart, thus gives us glimpses this busy place ‘ ’ Otﬁc e - Within that war , with its Old fashioned ‘ - hipped roof and central chimney stack, he met his Council Of Safety during almost the entire period Of the w r - a . Here he received commissaries and sub commis DECISIVE DA Y OF BROTHER JONATHAN’ S LIFE 83 saries , many in number, to devise and talk over the means

o ur . Of supply for armies From hence started, from time i to t me during the war, besides those teams to which we have just alluded, numerous other long trains Of wag

o ns o ur , loaded with provisions for forces at the East,

the West, the North, and the South ; and around this — spot from the ﬁelds and farmyards Of agricultural Leb — anon and its vicinity was begu n the collection Of many

o f a herd fat cattle , that were driven even to the far

North around Lake George and Lake Champlain , and to the far distant banks of the Delaware and the Schuyl kill, as well as to neighboring Massachusetts and the banks Of t“he Hudson . Here was the point Of arrival and departure for numberless messengers and expresses that shot, in every

o f . direction , to and from the scenes revolutionary strife

o f ﬂeetness Narragansett ponies, extraordinary and aston

— - ishing endurance worthy such governmental post riders ’ as the tireless Jesse Brown , the alert Samuel Hunt, and ‘ ’ ﬁ in —s the y g Fessenden , as the latter was called tood hitched, we have heard , at the posts and palings around , ’ r o r o f o by the Governor s house, at the dwelling his

- in -law o n o f n son Williams, ready, any emergency da ger, i o n to ﬂy w th advices, in any desired direction , the wings

o f o f the wind . The marks Of the spurs the horsemen thus employed were but a few years back visible within — o f the building all along upon _the sides the counters ’ sat t o upon which they , waiting receive the Governor s

orders . SO we ﬁnd him during the period n o w under con 84 BROTHER JONATHAN sideration executing in person the business Of

hi u u furnis ng troops, and of proc ring and forwarding s p — n o w plies ﬂour, particularly from Norwich ; now, from

n o w n various quarters, beef and pork ; blankets ; o w arms ;

but especially, at all times, whenever and wherever he

o f could procure it, powder, the manufacture which vital commodity he stimulated through committees appointed ‘ to collect saltpeter in every part of the State . The

so necessities of the army are great for this article, wrote him Washington to almost constantly at this time, that all that can be spared should be forwarded with the ’ o f utmost expedition . Soon as your expected supply ’ so n - in -law powder arrives, wrote his , Colonel Hunting ‘ 1 4th ton, from Cambridge, August , I imagine General

o t o n e Putnam will kick up a dust . He has g ﬂoating ’ battery launched, and another on the stocks . The pow

— - der was sent at one time six large wagon loads, and at the same time tw o more for N ew York o n account o f

an expected attack in that direction . Our medicine ’ chests will soon be exhausted, wrote Huntington at the

- same time . The medicine chests were replenished . And before September Trumbull had so completely drained his own State o f the materials for war that he was obliged to write to Washin gton and in form him that he could not ' ” then aﬂo rd any more . In these thrilling days the people awaited the news

upon the village green . The village green o f Lebanon ! Across it the Old w ar Governor walked a thousand times t o attend meet ings at the Ofﬁce in the interests Of the State and the

86 BROTHER JONATHAN

1 11 poor . Were any poor man sick, he sent another haste to consult Brother Jonathan ; and Brother Jonathan , in

in gig, and possibly wig, with his greatcoat in winter,

snuﬂ- and vials, and probably box, and all, hurried to the

- sick bed . He carried the medicine o f medicine with him in his heart, which was that of hope and cheer . Whatever

sa : other doctors might y, he Often said I have seen sicker men than yo u recover ; yo u may get well if you only look up ; it is the spiritual that heals, and the Lord is good ” to all . He always asserted that the unspiritual perishes ; that

e that truth was not only the Bibl and the sermon, but that

law it was . He had charity for all men , and he made it the ﬁrst condition o f healing that o n e should repent o f his sins . So he prayed with the sick, and the sick people whom he visited often found a n ew nature rising up with

r escri in them . The sick poor always remembered the p p f tions o Brother Jonathan .

n He was an astronomer and made his o w almanacs . If any o n e w as in doubt as to what the weather was likely to be , he went to Brother Jonathan . The cattlemen and sheep-raisers came to him for ad

a c o w she vice . Did poor fall sick, too found a friend

in Brother Jonathan . He would have given away his hat Off his head had it

n ot on e been a cocked , had he found a poor man with his

head uncovered .

n He gave his ﬁre to those who needed it o cold days . There had been established a school in Lebanon fo r DECISIVE DAY OF BROTHER JONATHAN ’ S LIFE 87

o f n the education I dian children for missionaries . His heart went into it ; of course it did . When he was yet rich — — a merchant worth nearly h e made a subscription to schools ; but when ship after ship was

o f lost by the stress war and other causes, and he became w how poor, he hardly kne to pay his school subscriptions, f so he mortgaged tw o o his farms . “ ” “ I will pay my debts, he said, if it takes a life ” A n d o f n time . none doubted the word Brother Jo a than . him The people all pitied when he lost his property, and came to say that they were sorry for him when he

n ew partly failed, and their hearts showed him a world,

o n e and made him love every more than before . Great thanksgivings they used to have in his per

endicular p house among the green cedars, and the stories that were told by Madam Trumbull and her friends ex pressed the very heart Of o ld N ew England days . What people may have been there that afterward

o f came to tower aloft, and some them to move the world ! Samuel Occum may have been there, the Indian who moved London ; Brant may have been there, whose name became a terror in the Connecticut Colony in the i Wyom ng Valley, and whom the poet Campbell falsely associates with the tragedies o f Wyoming . The o ld church stood by the green ; it stands there ’ n o w . In it Governor Trumbull s stately proclamations were read ; there probably the Declaration o f I ndepen d

ence was proclaimed . — Thanksgiving what stories like Christmas tales o f 7 88 BROTHER JONATHAN to - day used to be told by long log ﬁres after the church i h and the dinner, wh ch latter ex ibited all the products o f the ﬁelds and woods ! A favorite story concerned people who were frightened by ghosts that were not ghosts . Let us give o ne o f these stories that pictures the heart and superstition o f old N ew England and also o n e o f ’ - Connecticut s handicrafts . For the clock cleaner was

- a notable story teller in those Old days . He cleaned family clocks and oiled them, sometimes with walnut Oil .

o r He usually remained overnight at a farmhouse inn , and related stories o f clocks wherever he found a clock to clean . These Connecticut clock stories in Brother Jonathan’ s day were peculiar, for clocks were supposed to be family

— of to oracles to stop to give warning danger, and stop,

o n . as arrested by an invisible hand , the approach Of death Curious people would gather at the war ofﬁce when

n - the wanderi g clock cleaner appeared upon the green . The time—regulator was sure to tell stories at the Alden

n o r ffi Taver at the war O ce, and usually at the latter .

sit Men with spurs would along the counter, and dig their spurs into the wood, under excitement, as the clock tale was unfolded : h ow that the family clock stopped and the

o f the o n Nestor the family died, and oldest s went out the and told bees in their straw hives . Peter the outcast had an ear for these many tales while ’ O H a about his work, and Dennis y was often found o n

to o f s the p a barrel at these gathering . Dennis heard these N ew England tales with increasing

90 BROTHER JONATHAN

over the moon . It had tw o chimneys that seemed to

sk saw stand against the y, and I it once at night when o n e o f o n those chimneys was ﬁre, which caused my

simple heart to beat fast in those uneventful days . I had heard say that the minutemen stopped there o n their march from Worcester to Bunker Hill and were fed with

o ut o f bread from the great brick oven . My father told me another thing which greatly awa

ken ed my curiosity . When the minutemen stopped there ” o n their march to meet the regulars, they were in need

fo r o f lead bullets . They carried with them molds in

which to make bullets, but they could not obtain the lead .

o f Overﬁeld The good woman the house was named , ’ ’

erﬁeld s O v erﬁeld . Farmer Ov wife . She was called Mis

o n e She had daughter, a lithe, diminutive , beautiful girl ,

W with large blue eyes and lips insome and red, Of such singular beauty that one ’ s eyes could hardly be diverted

sh e sa from following her . When had anyth“ing to y in company, there was silence . She was the prettiest girl ” h sa . s e in all the country around, people used to y And h was as good in these early days as s e was pretty. Her name w as Annie sweet Annie Overﬁeld

some people named her . When sh e saw tha t the minutemen were perplexed

about lead she left her baking, wiped the meal from her , “ nose that had been itching as a sign that company was ” coming, and, waving her white apron , approached the captain and said “ I Captain, I could tell you where there is lead if DECISI VE DAY OF BROTHER JONATHAN ’ S LIFE 91

had a mind to . But what would father say if I should ? i And my grandfather and grandmother, who are in the r — ’ graves they might rise up and shake the valances 0 ” s 0 ! night , and that would be scary, Captain ’ i in u Annie s father came stalk ng in a bl e blouse, a

N ew England guard, ready for any duty. ? ” Father, I know where there is lead . May I tell

Yes, girl, and the men shall have it wherever it be .

is ? l Where it, Annie I have no lead, e se I would have give“n it up at once . In the clock weights, father . “ ” “ ! . Stop the clock cried the father Oh, Annie, ’ tis a marvel yo u are !

o ld o ak The clock, with an frame, stood in the corner “ ” f w as o the living room, as the common room called,

whose doors faced the parlor and the kitchen . It had

stood there for a generation . It was some e ight feet high and two broad in its upper part and tw o in its

o n lower . It had a brass ornament the top, and it ticked steadily and solemnly always and so loud as to be heard

in the upper rooms at night . On its face were ﬁgures ’ n o f the su and moon . Annie s hand had for several years

wound the clock .

w as The great clock stopped, the heavy weights were

r removed, and the minutemen car ied them to the forge

o f s Baldwin, the black mith , where they were speedily

melted and poured into the molds .

The company went joyfully away, and as they marched down the hill the captain ordered the men to

Overﬁeld give three cheers for Annie . That that lead 92 BROTHER JONATHAN did much for the history o f o ur country there can be

H o o n w e . no doubt . much can not tell

- One day, shortly after these events, a clock cleaner came to the house o n the hill . The maple leaves were ﬂying and the migrating birds gathering in the rowen mea“dows . He said n o t n ow I can regulate the clock , but I will be ” around again another year .

- k w as When he came back, the sylph li e Annie gone i where, none knew . She had been gone a long t me . h l Why had s e gone ? It was the o d tale . A common English sailor from the provinces came to work o n the

hi in . s farm He received pay the fall and disappeared,

t o o and the day after he went Annie went . It was very “ ’ i mysterious . She had been her mother s g rl . She had spent her evenings with the sailor after the mowing days by the grindstone under the great maple trees . He had sung to her English sailor songs and told her stories o f the Spanish main and o f his cottage at St . ’ - John s . He was a homely man , but merry hearted, and Annie had listened to hi“m as to one enchanted . She carried him cold drinks right from the well ” in the

field . She watched by the bars for him to come in from the meadows and fields . She grew thin, had crying ” “ ” spells, thought she was going into a decline . She was not like herself. The love stronger than that for a mother had found Annie amid the clover- fields when the west winds were blowing . The common sailor had become to

sh e her more than life . She felt that could live better without others than without him .

94 BROTHER JONATHAN

o h so when I was sick, , faithfully, but I shall never ’ o f . feel the touch her hand again, Annie s hand I would is weep, but I have no tears to shed . Life all a blank

since this came upon me . The burying lot, as it looks

is o n . o ut to me, the pleasantest place earth I look of ‘ i sa nn the pantry w ndow sometimes and y, A ie, come ’ t back . Then I shut my heart . Oh, tha this should come to me ! ” i She seemed to be listen ng . — H ow I used to wait for An nie evenings conference meeting and candle -light meeting nights and singing school evenings ! H ow my heart used to beat hard when she lifted the latch o f the porch door in the night ! k She came home li e an angel then . I wonder if ’ i Annie s hand will ever aga n lift the latch in the night .

Trouble brings the heart home and sends us back to God . ’ t o — ! But I wouldn t speak her lud, no, no, no

o ut o f The tenderness went her face, and a strange,

n - foreign light came i to her blue gray eyes . sat dl She looking ﬁxe y toward the hill . The Old graves were there .

O rﬁeld Farmer ve came in . ” n ? Thinki g said he . I was thinking o f h o w Annie used t o lift the latch ’ ” . so n . even“ings I wish it could be agai But it can t . Why not ? There can be n o true life in any house it l ” hold where is forbidden t o any to ift the latch .

- o f The clock cleaner could not ﬁnd the key the clock .

It had disappeared . He pounded o n the case and said : ” It sounds hollow . DECISIVE DAY OF BROTHER JONATHAN ’ S LIFE 95

i i Thanksg v ng day came, and that day w as supposed to o f bring all the family home . ’ Mi s Overﬁeld h watched the people coming, and s e said to her little nurse Liddy as sh e waited : ” Have they all come, Liddy ? ”

n o t . NO, mum ; all Who is there to come ? ” Annie, mum . ’ — She s dead dead here . I sometimes wish sh e would ’ . to come, Liddy But I wouldn t speak her if sh e were to come—that common sailor’ s wife— and he a Tory ! I ’ — wouldn t would you, Liddy

Yes . , mum

n Yo u would ? Tell me why ow . h s e . Because is Annie You would to o . ’ Mis Overﬁeld gave a great sob and threw her apron

in fﬂ : over her head, and said a mu ed voice

o u sa ? What made y y that, Liddy There may come a day when Annie can not come — back . The earth binds fast the grave does . Think what ” you “might have t o reﬂect upon . — I ? “I, Liddy A n d in Yes . there are more folks some Old houses ’ n s . than o e can ee always . They come back There s

saw . A n d been a dead soldier here already. I him last night I heard the latch o f the back door lift up thre“e times . ! in do Oh , Liddy Noth g can ever harm us if we

. w as n . t just right It A nie that went wrong, not I Wha ” d o yo u suppose made the latch lift up ? 96 BROTHER JONATHAN

She stood silent, then said, with sudden resolution u Liddy, you go straight to your d ties and never

o n s answer your mistress back again, not Thank giving ” n day nor o any other day .

The rooms ﬁlled . Brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, came, and some of the guests offered to help the women folks about . The hand o f the new brass clock was moving around 2 1 . toward A savory odor ﬁlled the room . Little Liddy

ﬂitted so to and fro, handling hot dishes briskly as not “ ” to get scalded . Those who were voluntarily helping the women folks carried hot dishes in wrong directions . For twenty min utes or more everything went wrong in the usual way o f

the country kitchen at that hour o f the day .

n There was a jingle in the ew brass clock . Then it

struck , and the farmer raised his hand, and everybody

stood still . Twelve !

N o w , if you will all be seated at the tables, said ”

Overﬁeld . Farmer , I will supplicate a blessing He did . Prayer has a long journey around t“he world w h o o n Thanksgiving day . He arrived at last at all have gone astray but are still a part o f the visible crea tion ”— his mind wavered here grant ’ em all repent ” ance and make us charitable , he said in a lower voice .

The room was very still . One could almost hear the

dishes steam .

There was a sound in the corner o f the room . The

- Overﬁeld e o ld clock case quivered . Farmer b came nerv

98 BROTHER JONATHAN

n The su and moon moving .

s ! ? Mas y Where, Liddy

o f . On the face the clock Something is in there . ” h u to s e o t . That clock comes life sometimes, added, going

r s All eyes were turned towa d the clock . Knives, fork ,

o n . and spoons were laid down, clicking the many dishes

The top of the clock, which was uncovered, seemed

se e animated . Some said that they could it move, others that the supposed movement was merely a matter o f the imagination .

Liddy came into the room again with more dishes . ” “ i sh e - I th nk, said , that the clock“case is haunted . ! . Pshaw, Liddy said the farmer And what makes you say that ? Who is it that would haunt that Old eight day clock ? ” One o f the Britishers who was shot by a bullet made ’ ’

w a o f . from the lead weights . That s my y thinking I ve

known about it for a long time . “ ’ o ff — h Liddy, you re a little bit touc ed in mind ’ that s what you are, Liddy . You never was quite all ” there .

There arose another nervous shriek . Knives and forks dropped . ” Yo u se n o w ? . t What , Liddy asked the farmer

things all into agitation .

n w The house dog joined Liddy in the e excitement . He ran under the table and to the clock and began to

aw r p the case and to bark . There was a ve y happy, lively

tone in his bark . He then sat down and watched the

w a clock in a human y. DECISIVE DAY OF BROTHER JONATHAN ’ S LIFE 99

The guests waited for the farmer to speak . ’ see ? O v rﬁ What did you , Liddy asked Mis e eld . — — . n ow n Ow The planets turned Look there, there —there ! The sun and moon o n the clock face were indeed

o ld agitated . The dog gave a leap into the air and bark“ed more joyously than before . “ o f ! The valley Ajalon said the farmer . That l o d timepiece is bewitched . These things are mightily ’ n o t peculiarsome . I m inclined to be superstitious, but

t o what am I think, the planets turning around in that w ay ? They say dogs do see apparitions ﬁrst and start up . ’ What would Annie say if she were here now ? Yo u don t ’ o f o u ? I su ersti believe in signs, any you, do y m not p

sa . tious, as I said, and I y it again But what can be the matter with that there Old clock - case ? I hope that

nothing has happened to Annie . She used to wind that ? ” clock . What do you suppose is the matter The farmer ’ s eyes rolled like the planets on the clock

face . “ ” ’ see O verﬁeld Let me go and , said Mis , rising slowly

and going toward the case, which seemed to quiver as

she u advanced, s pporting herself by the backs of the

chairs . The nervous fancies o f little Liddy could not be r e

pressed . She called in an atmospheric voice ’ O verﬁeld h o w o u Mis , be careful y open that clock

door . ’ Mis Overﬁeld stopped . h Why, Liddy, you distress me . The things t at you 1 00 BROTHER JONATHAN

sa . y go to my nerves Why, Liddy, should I be afraid to open the clock door ? ” “ ’ O verfield— sa it— Suppose, Mis dare I y suppose ” yo u should find a dead body there ? ’ Overfi eld o n o f Mis leaned the back a chair, and Liddy added in an awesome tone “ ’ — ’ o w n Ov erfield . A girl s your flesh and blood, Mis

Farmer Ov er ﬁeld leaned back in his chair . The table was as silent as though it had been bare in an empty room .

The dog gave a quick, sharp bark . ’ r Mis O ve ﬁeld stood trembling . “ ” “ Heaven forgive me ! sh e said . My heart and ’ our Annie s are the same . We should be good to ” own . “ She shook . If I only knew that Annie was alive ,

I would forgive her everything . I would take her home to my bosom, her Tory husband and all . I never would

n h have o e hour of peace if s e were to die . I never knew my heart before . Her cradle was here, and here should

. l be her last rest Annie was a good girl, and I am b ind ! and hard . Annie, Annie Oh , I would not have any

. f thing befall Annie Albert, where is the key o the clock ? ”

The boy gave his mother the key . ’ Here, mother, and it is a jolly time we ll have . ’ h ow ! Albert , can you smile at a time like this Didn t ’ you hear what sh e suggested ? Don t you sense it ? Yo u

n o w go with me slowly, for I am all nerves, and my ” heart is weak .

1 02 BROTHER JONATHAN

l The guests stood with motion ess eyes . The Opening

door revealed at ﬁrst a dress, then a hand . The Old woman threw up her arms . ’ ’

. n n That s Annie s hand There is o ring o it . Annie

t o o - was poor to have a wedding ring . Open it slowly, ” s she n o t n hu band . If is livi g, I am dead .

w as n The door moved slowly by a trembli g hand . A form appeared . “ ’ n old That s An ie, said the woman . “A face . The lips parted. o ut i u Father, may I come and s t beside yo in the chair at the table ?

The dog whirled around with delight .

ow n o f i o f Annie , my Annie, life my l fe, heart my ” ! h ow o u ? heart Annie, came y here exclaimed the farm“er . s see o f o n I wi hed to —you, father, and all my kin this day, and mother poor mother “ ’ ’ o u sa Don t say that . I m not worthy that y should y ’ that, but my hard heart is gone, faltered Mis Over ﬁeld I got Albert t o prepare the clock - case so I could stand here and move the planets around so that I could

see yo u through the circles made for the planets . You

can never dream how I felt here . My heart ached

o n e o o f to know if any t day would think me, and when you talked o f me my heart made the old case ” tremble . ﬁeld A Over . nnie come here, said Farmer “ , did n n o t . o t to But I was invited, father I intend DECISIV E DAY OF BROTHER JONATHAN ’ S LIFE 1 03

n make myself known to any o e but Albert . I have been ” ui here before in the disg se o f a soldier . o u Annie, y are Annie, if you did marry a Tory ” n sailor ! and the family heart was o e again . The story illustrates the family feeling o f the time

as regards patriots and Tories . CHAPTER VII

WASHI NG TON SPEAKS A NAME WHICH NAMES THE REPUB LIC WHE N Washington was at Cambridge his hea“dquarters n o w o f were at the Craigie House, known as the home ” ’ Longfellow, as that poet of the world s heart lived and

fo r G O wrote there nearly a generation . to Cambridge,

o u see my young people who visit Boston, and y may o f if the past the Revolutionary days there, you Will close

old vour eyes to the present . The tree is there under which Washington took command o f the army ; a memo

o ld rial stone with an inscription marks the place . The buildings o f Harvard College are there much as they ’ were in Washingt on s days . The Episcopal church where

o n e sit n Washington worshiped still stands, and may dow

- — in the pew that the general in chief occupied as in the

Old North Church, Boston . The tree under which Washington took command o f

is the army is decayed and rapidly falling away . It was once a magniﬁcent elm, and Washington caused a lookout

a to be m de in the top, which overlooked Boston and the

British defenses . We can easily imagine him with his

o f glass, hidden among the green boughs this lofty and

f . bowery tree, watching the movements o the enemy 1 04

1 06 BROTHER JONATHAN

He had deliberated, but was not sure as to the wisest course to pursue .

He lifted his face at last, and said

a We will have to consult B ro ther J onath n .

The name had been used before in the army, but not in this o ﬂicial way at a council . o n e It was at this council , or like this, that he began t o impress the worth o f the judgment o f the Connecticut

Governor upon his generals .

Washington had unconsciously named the republic . The Connecticut Governor’ s home name began to rise

to fame .

These ofﬁcers repeated it to others . ’ w as Dennis O H ay heard it . He told that Washing

n it to had spoken , probably at a council in the Craigie

- — H o w o ut o f . House, possibly at some door consultation

b e o f ever this may , the word had passed from the lips the man o f destiny. “ ” n o f Cracky“, said Den is, using the Yankee term resolution, and I will ﬂy back to Connecticut, I will,

o n o f the wings me horse, and I will, and tell the Gov ern o r o f o n that, and I will, and all the people the green ,

n and I will, and set the childre to clapping their hands, a— — and the birds all singing in the green tree tops, and ” I will .

on Dennis leaped his horse as with wings . He slapped ’ the horse s neck with his bridle - rein and ﬂew down the

turnpike to Norwich, and did not so much as stop to

at Plain ﬁeld rest the Tavern . That horse had the swift of f ness wings , and Dennis seemed to be a kind o centaur . WASHINGTON SPEAKS A NAME 1 07

saw u The people him coming, and sw ng their hats, ” sa ? but only to y, Who passed with the wind The people o f the cedars saw him coming up the hill and gathered o n the green to ask : “ ? ” What is it, Dennis Great news ! Great news 1 ” It was a day at the brightening o f spring among the

o f f cedars . The people the country around had heard o ’ D en nis s return and they gathered upon the green, which

o n l was growing green . The buds the trees were swel ing, di the blue air was brightening, and nature was bud ng and seemed everywhere to be singing in the songs of birds .

o f All the world was full joy, as the people gath

’ ered that day o n the green . The Governor came o ut o f his war Ofﬁce to -hear Dennis speak ; the schools were

o f there, and William Williams, afterward a signer the

o f Declaration Independence, honored the occasion with his presence . l Villiams stood beside the Whig Governor under the w glo ing trees .

out o n o f Dennis came the green, full honorable pride . His ﬁrst words were characteristic

o f Oh , all ye people , all the cedars, you well may — n o w . fo r gather together Hear ye , hear ye, hear ye , it h is good news that I bring to ye all . Boston as fallen ; it o ur has tumbled into hands, and Castle William has

sea gone down into the , to the Britisher, and the same

n will never play Ya kee Doodle there any more . 1 08 BROTHER JONATHAN

o u Oh, but y should have seen him, as your brothers — and I did General Washington . He looked as though he had been born to lead the world . And what did he

o ur — n o w call Governor , that is what I am bursting to tell you— what did he call our Governor ? ” “ ” in The ﬁrst patriot America, answered a merry farm“er . n o w Not that, , but something better than that .

n o w Hear ye, open the mouths Of your ears, , and pre — pare to shout ; all shout . He called so the ofﬁcers all — h say e called him what yo u call him n o w . Colonel ?

N O . ? . ? , no ; not that Judge No, no ; not that Governor him N O . , no ; not that He called what the heroes here who ran from the ﬁelds with their guns call him ; what the good wives all call him ; what the o ld men call him ; d what the children call him ; what the ogs, cats, and

all the birds call him ; no, no ; not that, but all nature

here catches the spirit o f what w e called him . He called

r other J on a tha n ! ! ! him B Shout , boys Shout , girls ! ! l Shout, Old men Shout all The wor d will call him

that some day . My soul prophesies that . Shout, shout, — shout ! with the rising sun over the cedars all shout for the long life and happiness o f BROTHER JON AT HAN !

ﬂew Lebanon shouted, and birds up from the trees

Old and clapped their wings, and the modest Governor said I love the soul o f the man who delights to bring

the people good news . I wrote to Washington, when he f : took command o the army at Cambridge , these words ‘ G d o f Be strong and very courageous . May the o

1 1 0 BROTHER JONATHAN — The boy rejoiced over the Concord ﬁght yo u see !

tw o Put your arms around him . I want you should be ” friends . m I will put my ar s around him, for your sake and f ’H ’ for the sake o Dennis O ay. He shall be my heart s

o wn . — Peter had found friends hearts . He used to think o f his old uncle as he slept under the

o ut on cedars of doors, guard after his duties in the store,

amid the ﬁreﬂies, the night animals and birds . He would seem to hear the Old woodchopper counting One Two Three ! He would wonder if the o ld man were counting fo r

o r i . him , if that which was counted would go to the K ng

If w o n the patriots their cause , the counted gold, if such

in ld it were, could not go to the K g . What were the o man’ s thoughts and purposes when he counted nights ?

o f m At the corner the Tru bull house, overlooking the

o f hills and roads in the country the cedars, was a passage

way that connected with the high roof. From this pas sagew ay the approach of an enemy could be signaled by

o f a guard, and there was no point in the movements the

army more important than this . Governor Trumbull became recognized as a power

~ in f that sto o d b eh d the American armies . Lebanon o the

cedars was the secret capital o f the colonies . Here gath f ered the reserves o the war . The common enemy everywhere began to plot against WASHINGTON SPEAKS A NAME 1 1 1

i the iron Governor . Spies cont nued to come to Lebanon in many disguises and went away. The people o f Lebanon warned the Governor against these plots and spies, but he believed in Providence ; that o f some good angel protection attended him . When they told him that his life was in constant peril he would , “ sa o n e y, like who commanded hosts invisible, that the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear

Dennis was in terror when he came to see the Gov ’ “ rn r s . o r e o danger He had a bed in the garret, cock ” loft, overlooking the cedars . From his room he watched the roads that led up to the hill . One day some men o f mystery came to the war Ofﬁce

saw on horseback . Dennis them coming, from the garret o r upper room . He hastened to the Governor at the

f i . war o f ce , and gave the alarm The men had their story,

but Dennis saw that they were spies, and thought that

they intended to return again . Dennis had gained the conﬁdence Of the Governor ’ and o f the good man s family perfectly now . He had

become a shadow o f the Governor, as it were .

After these mysterious men went away, the Governor l his Oﬂic e cal e“d Dennis into war , and said o u Dennis, y know a tremendous secret , and you t warned me against these men . Why do you suspec them“? Because a conniving mancarries an air Of suspicion

see about him , your Honor . I can it ; I have second ” . sight ; some folks have , your Honor 1 1 2 BROTHER JONATHAN

o u . Dennis, y may be right A pure heart sees clear, and you are an honest man, else there are none . Why do you think these men came ? What was their hidden motive ? ”

T o ﬁn d o ut . where you hid your powder, your Honor

o f They are powder ﬁnders . In powder lies the hope the

o n cause, Governor . I have a thing my mind, if I have ” a mind . “ ” o n ? Well, Dennis, what have you your mind

- There must be a military alarm post in the cedars . It must be connected with hiding- places all along the way

o u from Putnam to Norwich . And it is a man that y can trust that you must set in charge o f the same alarm ”

ou . post“. As y said , I do know a tremendous secret Yo u are a man that I can trust, Dennis ; if not,

Your Honor, said Dennis, bowing . Your heart is as true to liberty as that o f Washing

T - ton himself . O be true hearted is the greatest thing in the world ; hearts are more than rank . ” Your Honor, said Dennis, bowing again lower, ” sa I would rather hear you y that than be a kin g .

Good, Dennis . Samuel Adams replied to the agent o f him General Gage who said to , It is time for you to ’ make your peace with the King, and who then offered him bribes : I trust that I have long ago made my peace

o f i o n with the King k ngs, and no power earth shall ’ make me recreant to my duties to my country .

Samuel Adams is a glorious man , your Honor, and

t o o w n . has a heart true your I would die for liberty,

1 1 4 BROTHER JONATHAN

few shall be known to but , if you will trust it to me — — to pick my men . And Peter nimble Peter your trusty ’ ” — — he l clerk who was sent out shal be my heart s own .

I leave it all to you, Dennis . Establish the alarm

. A s post . Select you hidden men for me, I believe like

in the men in the camp Of the Hebrews, helpers invisible .

o f An angel stayed the hand Abraham, and went before

o ut o f the tribes on their march Egypt, and led the feet ’ o f Abraham s serv ant to ﬁnd Rebecca ; and when the

so young king was afraid to encounter great a host, the l ! prophet Opened his spiritual eyes, and o the mountain f w as full o chariots and horsemen . The angel o f Provi

dence protects me ; I know it, I feel it ; it is my mission t o reenforce the American army when it is in straits . ” Faith walks with the heavens, and I live by faith .

. i o n e m Dennis went out He felt free, l ke com is

i n ed s o . by a higher power Yes, he did know a tremeu

dous secret . He knew where the powder was hidden . When he had come to share with the Governor the

secrets of collecting saltpeter and powder, he learned all

the ways o f this secret service . There must be found a

so place where this powder could be hidden, as to be

safely guarded . It was a necessity .

Lebanon abounded in rocky hills in which were caves .

These caves could be guarded, and yet they would not

be secure against spies . Dennis began to put his Irish w its at work to devise a way to protect a storage o f

powder against spies .

o f The tall , nimble boy who had been in the service ’ William Williams came ﬁrst into D en n is s mind and WASHINGTON SPEAKS A NAME 1 1 5

heart . Mr . Williams, for whom the boy had kept sheep,

o f was a graduate Harvard College, and had been a mem ber of the Committee o f Correspondence for the Union

sev and Safety o f the Colonies . This man had written eral pamphlets to awaken the spirit o f the colonies to resist aggression, and the nimble boy to whom we have

n ow referred, the clerk, had listened at doors to the read o f ing of these pamphlets, and drank in the spirit them until he had become so full o f patriotic feeling that he thought o f little but the cause . ’ Dennis e intuitive eye ﬁxed itself upon this boy for secr“et serv ice . Peter Nimble , said Dennis to the young farm

o n e hand day, as the latter was resting under the trees

o f - after the planting pumpkin seeds among the corn, while the sheep grazed, I have come over here to have a l o u o n . secret ta k with y . I have long had my eye you Yo u are full of the n ew ﬁre ; you see things quick ; yo u have long legs, and you are all brain, heart, and legs . ” You are just the lad I want . “ ” Fo r ? what, Dennis

Fo r the secret service . Will you promise me never ” to tell what I am about to tell yo u n ow ? “ ” Never, Dennis . Though the sky fall ?

sk Though the y fall, and the earth cave in, and the

. f r waters cover the land Never, Dennis, if it be o the ” caus“e . It is for the cause, Peter . Hark ye, boy . We

. f must store powder here Powder is the life o the war . 1 1 6 BROTHER JONATHAN

o n e We must store it in a cave, and we must have some

to guard the cave, and to give an alarm if spies shall ” com“e . I can run , said Peter .

Yes , Peter, you can run, and run the right way, too . You will never turn your heels against the country .

You can outrun all the boys . But it is not for your

o u i heels that I come to y . I want a guard with n mble

Yo u thoughts as well as legs . could run to me quickly

o n o f by day, as feet air, but it is for the night that I ”

o u fo r . want y ; a curious service, a queer service “ ” What would yo u have me do ?

Hold a window before your face, with a light in the window, and stand back by the roadside in the ” cedars .

fo r . That would be a strange thing me to do, Dennis How“would that help the cause ? ” Yo u n f Yo u k ow all the people o the town . would

N o w know a stranger to be a stranger . , no stranger

can pass down the turnpike at night without a passport .

o r s . If he does, he is an enemy a py Yo u are to stand behind the lighted window at night

back in the cedars, some distance from the road . If

o u see y a stranger coming down the road at night, or

o n hear him, you are to leave the window and light

a post and demand his passport . The window and light

at a distance will look like a house . If the traveler have

o u o u no passport, y must ask him to follow y at a dis

: tance toward the light in the window . Hear at a dis ’ tance .

BROTHER JONATHAN

the stairs to give an alarm, and found the Governor in

the great room, thinking as always .

o n . A man is coming horseback, riding like mad ” He looks like a general . — — I Spencer I am expecting him sent for him . Sit ” down ; your presence may make a clearer atmosphere . d d Dennis i not comprehend the Governor, but his

sat curiosity was excited, and he down by the stair way . i A horse dashed up to the door . A man in un form

n . k ocked, and entered with little ceremony

i sa Governor, I am d shonored . Let me y at once ” n that I am about to resig my commission in the army. ” Yo u have been superseded by General Putnam . Yes ; I w ho offered my lif e and all in the north in i f o . the serv ce my country, have been superseded Con

gress little esteems such service as mine . Governor, I ” am “undone . General Spencer, Congress is seeking to place the

s n w . n best leaders in the ﬁeld . It has done o o It has o t dishonored yo u ; it honors you ; it wants your service ” under Putnam .

! Y u o sa . o u Under may well y under Would y , with ” un der ? a re“cord like mine, serve any man I would . My only thought is for the good o f the f people and the success o the cause . I have given up

k n making money, for the cause . I have given up see i g

o f i position popularity, for the cause . I am seek ng to

n o r n o r be neither a general, a congressman , a diplomat,

. o r inﬂu for the cause Whatever a man be have, his WASHINGTON SPEAKS A NAME 1 1 9

ence is all that he is. I would do anything that would tend to make my inﬂuence powerful for the cause . I ” have snuffed out ambition, for the cause .

n n General Spencer dropped his hands o his k ees .

Governor Trumbull, what would you have me “ Serve your country under Putnam— as Congress wills— and never hinder the cause by any personal con ” sideration . Be the cause .

see Governor, I will ; for your sake, I will . I my — way clear . I was not myself when I came I am myself ” n ow“. fo r ! Not my sake, General , but for the cause i ’ Denn s had seen the Governor s soul . Giant that he

w as his . o u , tears ran down face He went t into the open air . u It was evening at Lebanon . He looked p to the hills

saw - and the clerk, who had again become a shepherd boy, there in the dusk guiding the sheep to sheltered pastures among the savins .

Dennis was lonesome for companionship . He was but

m o r a com on laborer, with no family fortune, nothing but his honest soul .

He longed to talk with o n e like himself. He walked

- up the hills, and hailed the shepherd boy, who had become a guard in the new secret service . “ ” “ o u Nimble , he said, y believe in the Governor, ’ ”

? . don t you I do, more and more ’ ” F do aw e ore the Lord, I , said the shepherd in an some tone . 9 1 20 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f I have just seen the soul that man . He is more ’ o f . a god than a man But, Nimble, Nimble, my heart s ow n boy, he is surrounded more and more by Spies, and

o f o f think it, wagons powder are coming here and going ! away. What havoc a Spy could make

o ut Boy, my heart goes to that man . I would die

f r . s o him So would you . I am going to act a a guard

n — I n — o t o w . for him, only openly do that but secretly ” You will act with me . “ ” Yes ? , yes, Dennis . But what more can I do

Keep your eyes open on the hills against surprise, ” an d guard the magazines . ? ” That I am doing, but where are the magazines Where are the magazines ? ” ! Oh, boy, boy, do not seek to know . Tish, tish

o n Have an eye the covered ways that are still . You watc“h nights by the w in d ow ? Yes, and I can watch days . The sheep lay dow n in the Sheltered ways of the high

tw o . hill, and the talked together as brothers They had become a part o f the cause . And Dennis found in his heart a n ew and unexp ected

w as - delight . It when he said to the shepherd boy of the ’ Yo u green cedars, as he did almost daily, are my heart s ” o w n o n e ! ; we serve cause, and look for nothing more So these tw o patriots became to Brother Jonathan

helpers invisible .

The Governor n o w hurried levies . Lebanon was a f o w n scene o excitement . Connecticut forgot her perils, h for t e greater need .

1 22 BROTHER JONATHAN

i o f i The school for the train ng Indian m ssionaries, that had been founded in Lebanon and that had trained m Occu , who became the marvelous Indian preacher, had been removed to a log- house college on the upper Co n

n ecticut n ow . , where it was to become Dartmouth College

But Indians still came to the green, and heard the can non thunder with wonder . ’ - The Governor s house, the alarm post , was to become

f o f - the head o a long line signal stations . CHA PTER VIII

PETER NIMB LE A N D DENNIS IN THE ALARM- POST

’ D enn is s f PETER, after being entrusted with secret o

o n e the hidden powder, walked about like whose head was

- - in the air. If he stuck pumpkin seeds into corn hills, he

- did so with a machine like motion . He had listened to

Of the singing the birds in the cedars, but he forgot the

- n ow bird singing ; though he loved rare wild ﬂowers, a white orchid bloomed among the wintergreens by the ferny

n ow brookside, but he did not see it ; the sky, the forests,

and everything seemed to have vanished away . He watched Dennis after their return as the latter came o ut of the alarm - post over the way and went to the

tavern o r the war ofﬁce . Dennis for a time merely bowed to him and passed

o n him by, day by day, when duty ; and the corn grew,

o n e and the orioles ﬂamed in the air . But thought held — f him a picture o the light in the window in the cedars, guarding some unknown cave that contained the light

- h nings and the thunder o f the battle ﬁeld . W at would come o f that service ?

He at last felt that he must see Dennis . He could

stand the suspense no longer. 1 24: BROTHER JONATHAN

’ SO o n e night he crept up to D en n is s chamber under the “rafters . I could stay away from you no longer, after what ” o u . o n y told me, said he Strange things are going horsemen coming and going ; queer people haunt the Col

- - i chester road ; knife grinders, clock cleaners , go ng into the forest to get walnut - oil ; men callin g out Old brass to

see mend and I seem to spies in them, and I fear for him“. ld n o w . o Boy, I fear for him He is an man , but

he walks erect, and seems to think that some host unseen

o f . is guarding him . He wears the armor faith I can

see n o t it, other people do ; and he does not fear the ” o f face“ clay . set Dennis, when are you going to me behind the ? ” window and the light in the cedars, at night

. o ut o f Soon, boy, soon Let us look the window .

. w ar It was a June night Below them was the Ofﬁce, o f — the Alden Tavern , the house William Williams the ’

. n ow boy s home Afar stretched the intervales, full Of ﬁreﬂies and glowing with the silvery light Of the half

- . s moon Night hawks made lively the till air, and the lonely notes o f the whippoorwills rang out from the ’ o w n sad cedars and savins in nature s cadences . The

o f o f wi roads were full the Odors ld roses and sweetbrier,

but were silent . “ ” “ Dennis, said Peter, I have been thinking . Sup

pose I were to watch in the cedars, and an unknown man were to come down the open road toward the light in the

. say window And suppose I were to , Halt, and give

1 26 BROTHER JONATHAN

cruor w as in peril . The Tories plotted a secret warfare against the leading patriots . One day Governor Trumbull met the Council o f Pub lic Safety with the alarming declaration

They have put a price upon my head .

A reward had been secretly offered for his capture . “ ” I must have a guard, he said, and a guard was

o f — a granted him four sturdy, loyal men public guard, who examined all strangers who came by day to ‘Leb

anon .

o f The plots the Tories ﬁlled the country with alarm .

One of these plots was to assassinate Washington . Others t were to abduct he royal Governors . These plotters tried to seize Governor Clinton o f N ew

York, and William Livingston, the patriotic Governor

of N ew Jersey . They did seize General Stillman at ﬁ Fair eld and carried him away as a prisoner .

se Lebanon was exposed to such incursions from the a.

o n e Spy boats were the wat rs, and these might land men o n the highway to Lebanon and seize the Governor and

bear him away . The biographer o f Governor Trumbull (Stuart) thus relates an incident that illustrates the perils to which the “Governor was exposed : o f — Of A traveler, in the garb a mendicant exceed — ingly suspicious appearance came into his house o n e

evening when he was unw ell and had retired to bed .

o f The stranger, though denied the opportunity seeing

so him, yet insisted upon an interview pertinaciously that ’ — at last the Governor s wary housekeeper Mrs. Hyde PETER NIMBLE AND DENNIS IN THE ALARM- POST 1 27

z alarmed and disgusted at his conduct, sei ed the shovel and tongs from the ﬁreplace and drove him o ut o f the

. sh e house . At the same time called loudly for the guard ; s but the intruder suddenly di appeared, and, though care

ful search was made, eluded pursuit, and never appeared ” in that quarter again . One of the reasons that made Lebanon a perilous place and that invited plots and spies was that magazines of powder from the West Indies were thought to be hidden

N ew here, as well as at London and along the Connect i cut main and river . Powder was the necessity of the war ; to explode a powder magazine was to retard the cause .

Lebanon was like a secret fortress to the cause . Pris

oners o f war were sent to Governor Trumbull . It was

thought that they could not be rescued here . But their

ﬁrm n ew detention here by the wise, Governor invited

plots . The thirteen colonies sent their State prisoners

s n f here . Among these prisoners was the Tory o o Benja

a min Franklin , disgrace to the great patriot , that led him to carry a heavy heart amid all o f his honors as the

c . . ambassador to the Fren h court Dr Benjamin Church, a classmate of Trumbull at college , was sent to him among

these prisoners .

Trumbull became universally hated by the Tories . ’ They saw in him the silent captain o f the world s move ment for liberty . The condition became so alarming that in 1 779 November, , “Washington sent a message to him to seize all Tories . They are preying upon the vitals ” o f i n n the country, he sa d . The Co ti ental Congress 1 28 BROTHER JONATHAN

demanded o f him to arrest every person that endangered ” n the safety of the colony . The conditio that became

so n i . alarmi g, then , was beginn ng now

w as What a position was that that held by this brave,

- - ! clear headed, conscience free man Strangers were coming and going ; any o n e o f them might have a cunning plot against the Governor in his

- heart . The way to him was easy. Express wagons with provisions started from Lebanon ; drivers o f cattle came there ; people who had cases o f casuistry ; men desiring

public appointment in the army ; peddlers, wayfarers,

o f . seamen, the captains privateers But he walked among them— amid these accumulating “ ” — o n e perils as who had a guard invisible . He had .

ow n He knew that his people were loyal to him, that they believed him as o n e directed by the Supreme

fo r him Power the supreme good, and that they loved as a father . Dennis guarded the good o ld man as though he had had a commission from the skies to do so . He gave to him the strength o f his great heart . He caused a tower “ ” - — o n e the alarm post over his head, secret room, to protect him a room over the gate —and the room must have seemed to the man whose brain directed all f like the outstretched wing o a guardian divine . The ld Governor was an o man when the war began . Born

1 71 0 o f o f in , he was at the time the Declaration Inde

- p en den ce sixty Six years o ld .

w as i Dennis l ke a guardian sent to him, and Peter

like a messenger sent to Dennis . There w as something

PETER NIMBLE AND DENNIS IN THE ALARM—POST 1 29

in the glances o f each to the other that was o ut o f the o f — it common life was the cause .

- One day there was a shout in the alarm post .

man w as A riding up the Colchester road, dashing,

his o w n o f as it were, as if body and that his horse were f o . only agents this thought He was an Irishman . When the Lexington alarm came, he had heard the clock of

- liber“ty strike ; his hour had come . is A man coming like mad, riding with the wind, said the sentinel in common terms .

The man came rushing up to the store , and drew his “rein . The Governor met him there .

n r . K ox, your Honor, Knox of the artille y I was ” at Bunker Hill .

o . I kn w you by your good name, said the Governor “ ” Yo u know how to put your shoulder to the wheel .

Knox o f the artillery smiled . He had won the reputation o f knowing h o w to put his Shoulder to the wheel in a queer way . There was a rivalry between the N o rth enders and So uth en ders in ’ Fawkes s Boston, and both parties celebrated Guy day efﬁ ies o f with grotesque processions, in which were g Guy

o f Fawkes and the devil . In an evening procession the ’ party to which young Knox belonged on Guy Faw kes s

r c ﬂi day the wheel o f the wagon o ﬂoat bearing an gy,

possibly o f Guy Fawkes, broke, and that the rival party h is might not know it and ridicule party, he said “ ” I will put my shoulder to the wheel . o n He did this , and the ﬂoat moved , and the pride

o f his party w as saved . 1 3 0 BROTHER JONATHA N

Knox o f the artillery had kept a bookstore in Boston . It w as like the N ew Corner Bookstore before the famous

o ut Old Corner Bookstore . When the war broke he

was attached to the artillery . There was a great need

f . o powder, and he had a scent for it He found it, he ” hid it ; he was the powder- monkey o f the great cam

i n pa g s.

i o f L ke Paul Revere, he caught the spirit the minute

fo r ! men . He could ride liberty He was riding for liberty n o w ! Washington recommended you to “volunteer for the ” G artillery service, said the overnor I could have no

u Yo u more favorable introduction to yo . do not ride

n for nothi g, my young friend . May I ask what brings yo u “here ? Your horse foams . There is no time to be lost in days like these , said

the young artilleryman These are days Of destiny, and

we must make the success o f o ur cause sure . I went to Washington for permission to bring the siege - guns and

powder from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston . I have come

f r k o u o . o f to y a li e reason I am sure, in my soul ,

ultimate victory ; I know it will come , but preparation

is is victory . Boston evacuated, and to defend New York

o f we must protect the coast Connecticut . I have con

ferred with Washington, and I must have a word with yo u

T o the tavern with the horse, said the Governor .

o r Into the store, war ofﬁce , as I call my place here,

- we will go and shut the weather door, and I will answer ‘ G O if any call . We will consider the matter .

1 32 BROTHER JONATHAN

— secret hiding places o f powder were known to few b e

n f sides him . The Governor k ew the guards O the maga

So . zines . Connecticut stored powder ! ” Powder, powder, ye gods, send us powder cried

Of i General Putnam at the battle Bunker H ll .

There was a powder famine . The whole army needed powder . One day the Governor sat before his door o n the f o . green, waiting the return Dennis The latter came ui back from a commission which he had executed q ckly, and“dropped from his horse o n the green You have made short time, Dennis .

o f n Yes, Governor ; I never think myself, but o ly f ” o the cause .

Yo u . may well say that, and I know it to be true

n Such a spirit as that i these testing times is invaluable . ” n I have a ew commission for you .

f r Let me have it . I will die o it ; I am in for liberty — ” n ow . head, heart, and heels

n He su k down on the green . ”

Let n . us consider, the Gover or said ; let us consider

Yo u o f have heard me Speak Salisbury, the hidden town

o f o n . in the northwest corner the State, the Housatonic

o f . The world knows little that town , but it hears much ’ There has been a foundry there since 62. I am going u to make an arsenal there , and manufacture g ns there,

- - and make it a powder post . I must have post riders who

can lead teamsters and who can be trusted, and move

' quickly, to go from Lebanon green to Salisbury with my

orders . No spot in America can be made more useful PETER NIMBLE AND DENNIS IN THE ALARM- POST 1 3 3

o u to our army than this . I am going to appoint y as S an ofﬁcer for this business, as a pecial messenger to Sali“sbury in the secret service . so Dennis, no one can do much as when he is doing

tw o many things . When I am doing things well, I can

n o t do three . I never undertake anything that I can do but well, experience enables us to do many things well, ’ ”

o u O H a . as y are learning yourself, Dennis y

Dennis bowed . I . t Salisbury was a hidden place , but rich in nature

- was a place of iron mines, with limestone and granite at be the foot o f the mountains . Here the United States

gan to cast cannon and gather saltpeter. The works

- - grew. Cannon balls, bombs, shells, grape shot, anchors,

- - im le ’ hand grenades, swivels, mess pots and kettles, all p

ments o f war were made and stored here . The arma f ments o ships were furnished here by skilled hands . Here

- the furnaces blazed night and day . Here the ore diggers, founders, molders, and guards were constantly at work .

There came here an army o f teamsters fo r transportation . The Governor wished one Whom he could trust to bear his

orders to this town hidden among the mountains, and

Dennis was such a man . Dennis could be spared , as there

- no w was a regular guard at the alarm post , and the church

afforded it a shelter . The r“eader who makes a pilgrimage to Lebanon to visit the war office should n ote the o ld church and

o f recall the habits a stately past , when men lived less for

- money making and more for the things that live .

o ut o f The solemn bell rings as Old , but it is over the 1 3 4 BROTHER JONATHAN

f h graves o people who were the empire builders, but w o knew it not except by faith . The gray stones are crum

- bling where they lie . The engine whistle sounds afar,

i o f n w and Willimantic reﬂects the l fe e times . Here New — England o f old lives o u apart from the hurrying world

o f steam and electricity .

The great cedars are gone , though cedar swamps are

all in o n e near . Night settles down over silence, and

feels here that this is a lonely world .

l o ut in o ld The ights have gone the Alden Tavern,

and the tavern itself is gone, but nature here is beautiful

among the hills, and to the susceptible eye the hills are

f o f o ld touched by the spirit o the patriots .

1 3 6 BROTHE R JONATHAN

sent to Rhode Island, and had made himself a terror there . The women, children, dogs, and perhaps the farm

rom him house geese, ran f when he appeared ; even the Rhode Island Quakers moved aside when he was seen in a highway.

He carried a cane . When he met a person in the highway he used to

’ ” Off with your hat ! Don t yo u kn ow who I am ?

S n o t If the person O accosted did doff his hat, the pompous General gave the hat a vigorous whack with his ’ stout cane, and the wearer s head rung, and the latter did not soon again forget his manners . — He once met an aged Quaker o n the way and these incidents are largely traditional— who approached him

- respectfully, after the usual way, with his broad brimmed hat “covering his curly locks . o n e Yea, verily, day outshines another, and to good l ” y people this is a goodly world . “ ” ou ? Who are y said the testy General . ” o f A servant the Lord, as I hope . ’ A servant of the Lord ? Off with your hat ! Haven t ’ o u n o r y any reverence for me, the Lord either ? Don t ” you “know who I am ? Nay, nay, softly ; speak not thus, my friend . Off with your hat ! said the irate General None o f y“our yea says and nay says in my presence . o r I never unhat unbonnet, my friend, in the pres o f ence any man . I could not do it if I were to meet K the ing himself . A MAN WITH A CANE 1 3 7

in The General grew red the face . “ ” a There, you Pharisee, take that, and here he p ’ “ his plied cane to the good Quaker s hat, and that, and ” that ! , and THAT

n ew The Quaker strode away, and would need a hat when next he went abroad o n the highway o f the orchards and gardens .

General Prescott, while at Newport, desired to have

o f o f a sidewalk in front his house, so he ordered all ’ his neighbors door- stones to be removed for the pur pose .

w as a ik so He petty tyrant, and he l ed nothing much ” as to make the people rebels, as he called them

o n e dis feel his power . He would order any whom he liked to be sent to the military prison without assigning any reason . He once sent a greatly respected citizen to prison and forbade that the latter should have any verbal communi

o f cation with his friends o r family. The wife the pris oner used to send him notes in loaves o f bread .

sh e One day appeared before Prescott, and desired him to allow her to make o n e visit to her husband . ” ? o r Who do you thi“nk I am said the General , in o f words this spirit . Instead allowing you to visit ”

o f th . him, I will have him hanged before the end eweek Under the petty tyranny o f Prescott no o n e seemed safe on the island . ’ The stories o f Prescott s insults to worthy people roused the spirit o f Dennis . ’ “ ” is n ow to if An sure it , , he said the Governor, 1 3 8 BROTHER JONATHAN

- I were to meet that big feeling Britisher, I would make

Off o w n . him take his hat Look at me n ow . Dennis stretched himself up to a height o f nearly

seven feet . “ ’ n If he sassed me back, I d give him o e box o n the

o f ear with this shovel a hand, and he would never speak o n e word after he felt its swoop ; and it will be a sorry

n o w ! day if he ever says Off with your hat to me,

n He repeated these things to Peter o the green . Dennis had met a man in Providence by the name f — f o Barton Colonel Barton . This man was a native o I . . so n o f Warren, R , and the a thrifty farmer who

owned a beautiful estate o n Touisset Neck . The farm

- and the family buryingg round are still to be seen there,

h e much as t v were in the Revolutionary days . The place i s n o w owned by Elmer Cole .

Barton was a brave, bold man . He conceived a plan to capture the tyrannical Prescott and humiliate the testy

Britisher . For this enterprise he desired to enlist strong,

fearless, seafaring men . He had met Denn is and had said to himself that he ’ must have the rugged Irishman s assistance .

He met Dennis again o n e day in Providence . “ ’ ” H a ou ? Dennis O y, can y keep a secret ’ O H a SureI can , if anybody . Dennis y would not betray a secret if the earth were to quake and the heavens

were all to come tumbling down , sure as you are living ’ ” never that would Dennis O H ay .

Then close you r mouth and Open your ears . I have ” a plan to captur e General Prescott .

1 40 BROTHER JONATHAN

and when I return perhaps I will bring a stranger with ” me . Mum is the word, your Honor . ” is ? Barton, who he asked the Governor .

see A man with a stout heart, who can in the dark . ” Go, Dennis, I have conﬁdence in you . him Then Dennis went to Peter . He did not tell the plot, not all of it, but he said I am going to attempt something that will tip over h the world . I want you to watc for my coming back .

Plain ﬁeld I will signal to you from the Hills, and when ’ see sa : you the signal, run to the Governor and y They ve ”

! is n o w . got him Oh, Peter, it a foine lad that you are

o n his Dennis slapped both hands knees, and laughed in

a strange way. When the evening o f the l 0th o f July came and

i sea Warw ck Point, with its green meadows and great

o ff n ew trees, faded in the long cloudy twilight, the

- n wharfage lay three whale boats, stro g ribbed, and ample enough to hold immense storage o f blubber . In the shadows of the waving trees were Colonel ld Barton and some forty men . The o ballad says :

’ w a on a ark and o n T s th t d st rmy ight, w n and w av o ar The i ds es did r , Bo ld Barton then with twenty men n own on o We t d up the sh re .

There were more than twenty men w h o gathered at

Warwick Point o n that eventful evening .

It had been a windy day, a July storm, and the bay, d so ruﬂl e . usually blue and placid, was

w n Dennis as o hand at the appointed hour . A MAN WITH A CANE 1 41

” o ur i This is a good night for enterpr se, said Barton.

This is a night of darkness, and it favors us ; let it be ” o n e“of silence . Aye, aye, said Dennis. Oh, General Prescott, ho w I long to fold you in my arms and give you a pat, pat o n your face !

Stop your joking, said Barton . We face serious

n w work o .

n Darkness fell o the waters . The men were mostly

o r . sailors, used to seafaring life They heard the boom o f the sunset gun from the — British war ships lying between them and Rhode Island . The boats started toward Rhode Island in the dark ness with silent men and mufﬂed oars . They passed between the ships that were guarding the

British camp . “ ” is o n o n e o f All well, called a sentinel the ships

whose lights glimmered in the mist . “ ” Much you know about it, said Dennis . “ ” Silence ! said Barton, as the oars dipped in the

waters in which lay the cloud . As silent as sea-birds and as unseen as birds in the cloud the boats passed on and reached the shores Of

tw o Rhode Island, beyond the islands Of Prudence and

Patience .

There were lights in the Overing House . They glim

mered in the mist through the wet and dripping trees . The clouds were breaking and the moon w as rolling

through them .

Barton summoned to him four trusty men . Among 1 42 BROTHER JONATHAN

s i them w a the g ant Dennis, and a powerful negro called

Sile Sisson .

This party stole through the side ways to the house . “A guard was there . Halt and give the countersign ! said the sentinel . ” “ We need no countersign, said the leader . Are there any deserters here ? ”

The sentinel was thrown Off his guard .

his Suddenly he found gun wrenched from him , and f s o . he himself, poor man, in the hand the giant Dennis

He was greatly astonished .

Colonel Barton entered the house, and found Mr . f o . Overton , a Quaker, reading in one the lower rooms ? ” Is General Prescott here asked Colonel Barton . ’ The Quaker s eyes rounded . ” He has retired . ” Where is his room ?

At the head o f the stairs . Colonel Barton ascended the stairs and stood before ’ Prescott s door .

He gave a startling rap .

There was no response .

He tried the door . It was locked . He endeavored to force open the door, but it was ﬁrm . ” “ I will open the door, said the giant negro . Stand back .

His head was like a battering ram . He drew back, h bent forward, and struck the door with the top of is head . Crash !

1 44 BROTHER JONATHAN

Raree show ! raree Show ! ” shouted Dennis as he

- o n entered the t“own, and met the open mouthed people the green . Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be

n ow . glad, and all good people shout Colonel Barton has captured General Prescott, and they are bringing him here ! ”

his General Prescott, with spirit unbroken, was

n brought to Lebanon . The carriage i which he was held as a prisoner rolled up to the door o f the old Al den Tav“ern, and Prescott was led into the ofﬁce . i ” I must have someth ng to eat, said Prescott .

o f The good woman the tavern bustled about, and brought o ut her bean-pot and set it down o n the dining

f tw n e . o o o table She had stewed corn, too, and the might

- make the Old time luxur y called succotash .

The beans and corn steamed, and the good woman ,

sh e so loyal as She was, was glad that could present ﬁne

a supper to such a notable man . But General Prescott had been used to the dining- halls o f castles . “ Do you call that a supper ? said he angrily . It ! is not ﬁt for hogs to eat . Take it away

Dennis had come upon the scene .

Take it away ! demanded Prescott haughtily. ’ ” I ll take yo“u away for insulting my wife , said the - i tavern keeper . Dennis, take down the cowh de and I

will make this Britisher dance . The tavern- keeper applied the cowhide to the leaping General as an old- fashioned schoolmaster might have used

a birch switch o n an unruly boy. A MAN WITH A CANE 1 45

It was a terrible chastisement that the General received, and he always remembered it . One day,

o f n in the course the war, after he had bee exchanged

who for General Lee, he met a man looked like the tavern-keeper and he shrunk back in alarm and said “ , w as Oh, but I thought that the man who cowhided ” me .

These incidents are mainly true, and have but a thread o f ﬁction . Dennis became a local hero among the friends of

Brother Jonathan, and took his place as the keeper of

- the alarm post again . “ ” o n e o ur Dennis, said the Governor to him day,

n hearts are o e ; I can trust you anywhere . I will have important service for you some day . When there shall come some great emergency, I will know whom I can trust . General Washington trusts me , and I can trust ” you . ! What a compliment Dennis threw up his arms, and leaped .

n w I feel as though I could shake the heavens o .

o u o u— After General Washington, y , and after y hurrah ’ for Dennis O H ay ! I wish my Old mother in Ireland

n o w . Yo u could hear that, shall never trust the heart ’ o f H a Dennis O y to your sorrow . These times make

o n e no t men , and does get acquainted with himself until ” he is tried .

n De nis had grown . He felt that something noble in i the secret serv ce awaited him . If he could not make

o f . himself famous, he could be a cause success in others 1 46 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f l That he would be, and this sense manhood ﬁ led his ambition . “ ” “ is o f It only a matter time, he said, between ’ Shakespeare and the King and Dennis O H ay . We will

o f all go into oblivion at last, like the kings the pyramids ”

is . o f Egyp t . It only what we do that lasts So our shipwrecked mariner and rustic philosopher night after night mounted the stairs to the outlook win d o w saw set , and the stars rise and , and was glad that he w as living .

- He shared his life with the shepherd boy . He lived — o f . outside himself, as it were all did then — Dennis Often joined the story tellers o n the Alden

- green and in the war Oﬂice store . At the store the way

: farers bartered in a curious way they swapped stories .

o f - The drovers were a pack clever story tellers, but also the

a wayfarers from the se . ’ O H a o f Dennis y, who had been used to the docks

saw Belfast, Liverpool, and London , some strange sights

o n his rides to secure stores for the army, and saltpeter

n among the hill tow s . One cold March day he stopped before the fence o f a

his hillside farmhouse, and eye rested upon the most curi

o u s object that he had ever beheld in his life . It seemed ’ old to be a sheep dressed in man s clothing, eating sprouts

from cabbage stumps .

o n r He sat his horse and watched the man, o sheep man“, as the case might be “ o n e Ye saints and sinners, said he, and did any ’ ’ ever see the like 0 that before ? Not a man in sheep s

1 48 BROTHER JONATHAN

cles from his eyes . He talked almost wholly in scrip

tural language .

The sheltered sheep said baa, and dropped down before

sa the ﬁre . Dennis knew not what to y, bu“t uttered a o ut : yum, when the tall man broke again The sound o f lo w o n the grinding is , and I fear when I walk the places that are high, and the grasshopper is a burden .

Yes, my friend, the silver cord will soon be loosed, and the golden bowl broken and the pitcher at the fountain

Yo u and wheel at the cistern . ﬁnd me a reed Shaken

old by the wind, a trembling man ; but I have never

seen the righteous forsaken , nor his seed begging v bread . I am at your ser ice ; my house, such as it ” is, is yours . He bowed, and turned around and bowed . “ ” I am out and about collecting saltpeter, said Dennis,

and all that I ask is to warm myself by your ﬁre, except, — except well, that shorn sheep puzzles my wits . Pardon w h me, I beg a thousand pardons if I seem uncivil , but y is it“dressed up in that way ? ” I will explain and enlighten your curiosity, my

. o n o ld i friendly traveler The sheep has my cloth ng,

n and I have o his . “ : He continued I am the teacher here, and my pay ' ld is small, and the war taxes take all I can save . My o

o u see clothes became very worn, as y can there, and I

n o f had to maintai my dignity . I am a graduate Yale,

n and so I exchanged clothing with my o e sheep . My noble wife brought it about ; she is at her wheel ” now . Let me call her and introduce her . A MAN WITH A CANE 1 49

He Opened a door to a room where a wheel was whirl i ing and buzzing l ke a northern wind . “ ! ” May, my dear

May appeared . The withered man bowed, holding his o n right hand in air a level with his forehead . May made a courtesy . Behol“d a virtuous woman, said the tall man, with manners . Her price is above rubies .

The heart Of her husband does safely trust in her, f that he shall have no need o spoil . ” She seeketh wool and ﬂax .

Here the sheep seemed to be in a familiar atmosphere,

o n e . and responded in his word, baa

o n She layeth hands the spindle, and holds the dis ’ in t aﬂ . Her household are clothed scarlet . Her children rise up and call her blessed, and her husband praiseth ” her.

o f Dennis had seen many parts the world, but he had never been introduced to any o n e in that way before .

o ld The man added, much to the wonder and amuse men“t o f his guest : she I sheared the sheep and carded the wool , and Sh e spun the wool and wove it into strong cloth , and dyed the cloth, and here I am clothed against the storm . You ” e s e what a wife I have got .

A n d o u to o . what a sheep y have got, , said Dennis

But may the Lord protect yo u both . You have a heart to let the Sheep warm himself by your ﬁre , and that is why you give me a place here . “ ” “ n o w And , wife, said the tall man, place the best BROTHER JONATHAN

‘ o n n that you have the table for the stranger . Be ot ’ forg“etful to entertain strangers . o n e But , my dear consort, we have only cake left ” for “us two . Well, give that to him, and we will go supperless l to Him who owns the cattle upon a thousand hil s . He

is riding in the cause of liberty, and needs the cake more

us than we . God will give the white stone and the hidden manna and to serve the patriots we have gone supperless

before .

Queer as it may seem, this story pictures the time .

c ow This man plowed with a , but treated the animal as if sh e w as a member of the household ; men and animals suf

fered together then in those hard, sturdy, and glorious old N ew“England days . This is a queer country, said Dennis, but what men it makes ! What will they be when they are free !

n f But ow came the disastrous battle o Long Island .

New York was taken, and the fall winds began to blow . ’ There was sadness in every true American s heart .

suc England was rejoicing, and felt secure in the rising f cess o her arms .

Washington appealed to Trumbull . A former appeal

- had come in spring time, when Putnam left his plow in

the furrow .

- e The appeal n ow came in harvest tim . What were the farmers to do ? The wives and boys and o ld men will harvest the ” a ain crops, was the public answer . Save Washington g , Brother Jonathan !

1 52 BROTHER JONATHAN “ ﬂew i winged horse, as it were , who as Denn s had don“e . n ow w as . If you ever rode, ride , the probable order ”

o f n o w . If we ever had need Brother Jonathan , it is

Still Brother Jonathan, whose heart was like a ham k i mer and head li e a castle . Th s courier was destined

to startle indeed the people o f the cedars . The American army was in dire distress and Lord Howe w as on the sea ! Brother Jonathan ! He had grown n ow in reputation so that the hearts o f the people beyond his o w n State were

his . If he could save the situation he would indeed be the f ﬁrst o patriots .

: The messenger came, and said I am sent to you from ” Washington . The Governor turned to the cour ier

Go to the tavern ; take your horse and yourself, and ‘ sa ! y to your chief, It shall be done Wh at w as it that should be done ? f The Council o Safety assembled in the back store . ” i o n e o f Washington waits another reg ment, said

the members in the back store . ” so . i Yes, it seems, said another Every po nt seems ” to be threatened . ” We may ﬁnd it hard to raise another regiment, said i a th rd member . ” o n e ? One, said the Governor, regiment We

must raise NI NE ! We can do it . “ ” Will the men descend from the sky ? questioned ”

n e n . o . We can o t create men A MAN WITH A CANE 1 53

w ho He can thinks he can sai the Governor . “ , d ni Nine regiments he needs, and ne regiments he shall ” n have . Shall he o t ? “ ” “if Yes, said all, you can ﬁnd the men . ” I can ﬁnd the men . Dennis ?

n o There was response .

- The shell was blown . The latch string bobbed .

Dennis, Washington must have NINE regiments for f N ew o . u the defense York That means work fo r yo . — G O to the towns ﬂy ! Tell the selectmen that Washing t on wants men . He has sent his appeal to me ; he has put conﬁdence in my heart, notwithstanding my weak hands . He shall not appeal in vain . Go, Dennis ; these

o f days are to live again . I feel the divinity the times ;

. rw I must act, though I myself am nothing Go to No ich, ” N ew —ﬂ ! Hartford, Haven y, Dennis, ﬂy “ ” I am not a bird, your Honor . ! ” o u . Yes, Dennis, y are Fly That word was the

n w order o . Then the G overnor talked with the Committee o f

Safety in the back store until midnight .

o u t . The candles went , and the men slept there The nine regiments o f three hundred and ﬁfty men each were raised .

Men were few in o ld Windham County no w . Gone ” to the war, answered many inquiries .

The women led the teams to the ﬁeld ; the Old men , old - women , and the boys went to the husk heap and husked use ﬂails corn. The boys learned to the threshing and winnowing sieves in the b arns with open doors . 1 54 BR OTHER JON ATH AN

The young and Old ﬁl led the potato bins in the cellar

and stored the apples there . They banked the houses with thatch . Governor Trumbull was n ow at the full age when the vital powers ripen , and when many men begin to abate

their activities . But he seemed to forget his age ; he

s n w was never o active as o .

o f Washington noted this activity age with wonder, and he wrote to him : I Observe with great pleasure that yo u have ordered the remaining regim ents o f militia that can be spared from the immediate defense of the sea

coast to march toward N ew York w ith all expedition . ” n hi I can o t sufﬁciently express my thanks . To w ch Bro“ther Jonathan replied When your Excellency was pleased to request the militia o f o ur State to be sent forward with all possible

N ew expedition to reenforce the army at York, no time was lost to expedite the march ; and I am happy to ﬁnd the spirit and zeal that appeared in the people Of this

State , to yield every assistance in their power in the

f f in o . present critical situation our af airs The season ,

SO o ur deed, was most unfavorable for many of farmers

and laborers to leave home . Many had not even secured their harvest ; the greater part had secured but a small

o f n part even their hay, and the preparatio Of the crop ’ o f winter s grain for the ensuing year was totally omitted ;

o f but they, the most them, left all to afford their help in protecting and defending their just rights and liberties against the attempt of a numerous army sent to invade

. o f them The suddenness the requisition, the haste and

A MAN WITH A CANE 1 55

expedition required in the raising, equipping, and march ing such a number o f men after the large drafts before ”

o n . made this State, engrossed all our time and attention

The people forgot themselves for the cause . When Washington and Trumbull made a call upon them for help it was like Moses and Aaron . They did not argue or ques

i t o tion ; they hurr ed the village greens, there to receive

s their orders a from the Deity . That autumn the Governor issued a wonderful pro cl a mation for a day of fasting and prayer .

al The bell rang ; the people assembled . Trumbull ways attended church , and the chair in which he used to

Sit is still shown in Lebanon . The people followed his example . They felt that what was best for them would

fo r a t be best their children, and th t whether they lef

o r them rich estates not, they must bequeath them liberty S mi htil i and the examples o f virtue . O they lived g y n “ ’ ” Brother Jonathan s day . CH APTER X

B E A CON s

THE RE is o ne history o f the Revolution that has never

f n in o beaco s. been written ; it is that The beacon , the f o . sense a signal, was the night alarm, the night order The hills o n which beacons were set were those that could be seen from afar, and those who planted these far angles f of o . communications light were patriots, like the rest

There was a beacon at Mt . Hope, R . I . It probably ’ o n w signaled to a beacon King s Rocks, S ansea, which picturesque rocks are near to the Garrison House at Myles u Bridge , and the Swansea church , fo nded in the spirit

o f liberty and learning by the famous John Myles, a

learned exile from Wales, who came to Swansea, Mass . ,

for religious liberty, bringing his church records from ld n ns . o Swa ea, Wales, with him The Hessian buryi g

ground is near the place . Here John Myles founded

education in the spirit o f the education o f all . He made every house a schoolhouse by becoming a traveling

teacher. The King’ s Rocks beacon communicated with Provi

dence, and Providence probably with Boston .

In Boston was the beacon o f beacons . Beacon Hill 1 56

1 58 BROTHER JONATHAN

t o ened wharves, and at last the beacon gave place the monument of its usefulness . In N ew York beacons were set along the highlands

sk i whose tops ﬁred the night y in t mes Of danger . These beacons o r signals probably suggested the sema — phore a system o f signals with shutters and ﬂags used in France during the wars of Napoleon . Governor Trumbull said o n e day to Dennis : We f must consider the matter o beacons .

The two went into the war Ofﬁce to consider . ” I will bring the subject before the Committee, said “ ” the Governo“r after they had considered the matter o u o ut for a time, and y may get Peter to point to you

n sk the longest lookouts o the high hills . The y must be ” made to speak fo r the cause in tongues o f ﬁre .

The Tories more and more hated the war Governor . ” k o ne I would ill him as I would a rattlesnake, said o f these . There were n ew plots everywhere among Tory people

to destroy him and his great inﬂuence .

o n Peter Nimble, though really a guard secret service, stil l herded sheep and roamed after his ﬂocks and guided

o n them in the pleasant seasons of pasturage . He went up

n the hills o f the savins above the cedar swamps . He k ew f f the hills better than many o the people o Lebanon .

One day he met the Governor on the green . ” “ Governor , he said, I watch at nights . You know

all . I watch for spies that are looking for the magazines . Y d ou . o know, Governor I can you a greater service ” than that . BEACONS 1 59

ou . o u ? Well, boy, y speak well What can y do i i ” I can th nk and talk with the Sk es . ? That is bravely said, but what do you mean

se n I can t beacons o the hills . I have studied the

h o w . see h ow hilltops, and to look far I can I could

o n e Plainﬁeld ﬂash a signal from hill to , and to Provi N ew denc“e, and to London .

B o e . s e o u . o u y, boy, you I can trust y Have y

o f ? - - told Mr . Williams this Shepherd boy, shepherd boy,

n e w n u yo u are o after my o heart . Find o t the way to

. H o w set beacons Set signals . did this knowledge come to y“ou ? ” o f My heart is full my country, when I am among the ﬂocks o n the hills .

You are like another David . Talk with Dennis abou“t these things Governor ?

- ? Well, my Shepherd boy

see . One day, it may be , I will something

The Governor went to his war ofﬁce . People were ff coming from four di erent ways, all to consult with the

men Governor : horsemen, men in gigs, from the ships, people with provisions, all with something special to say to the Governor . “ The Governor met William Williams, the signer, at the door o f the war ofﬁce . ou t o That is a bright boy that y keep herd sheep, said“he . Peter ?

has to I Yes . He just said something me that 1 60 BROTHER JONATHAN

d think remarkable . Give him freedom t o o much as he ”

o ut s o f . pleases . He is carrying secret in tructions mine

Peter studied hilltops, and told Dennis of all the curi o us angles that he discerned o n the far and near hills . He set beacons and found out h o w he could communicate

Plainﬁeld t . with , Providence, and Gro on In the meantime he watched in the midnight hours at an angle in the turnpike road behind the curious w in do w n a e . He k ew that the mag zin was near ; he did not ’ seek to learn where . While the young patriot s mind w as employed in these things there came to him o n e night

him see how a very strange adventure, which led to to ’ great peril the Governor s person was exposed .

o f Peter thought much his aged uncle, the wood ! chopper, who had said to him, Out you go The boy

n f had a forgiving heart . He did it o account o his love fo r i the K ng, and he thinks that a king is appointed by ”

sa . God, he would y to the Governor Do not disturb ” him .

The Governor would not disturb him . He, too, had a forgiving heart . ’ o ld Peter s heart was true to the man . He sometim es ’ wondered as to where would fall the o ld man s gold at — o r . last to the King, him But he had no selﬁsh schemes

— w as in the matter for him to do right to live . In his

o f midnight watches, and with his most curious means

- communication with the alarm post in the cedars, he held on e : t o purpose uppermost it was, protect from harm the unselﬁsh Governor who had spoken so kindly to him when

e his heart was hungry, and whom all the p ople loved .

1 62 BROTHER JONATHAN

— ’ An o ld man who used t o live with a boy his brother s boy ? ”

s No, no, an wered Peter in much surprise . Do you know o f any o ld man that lives all alone ? ” sa th e bo h as him They y that y left .

o ld I have in mind such an man, stranger . ” What became o f the boy ?

He tends sheep during the days . Can you direct me to the place where the o ld man 5,

” What would you have o f him ? him I would have help me . I need help . Did you ever meet him ? ” ” No . H o w did yo u hear o f him ?

n I am partly an I dian . The scholars o f the Indian school that were once here used to meet him o n the road

- in front of his wood pile . They heard that he had con

l . di c ea ed money In an need heap money . Indian mus t ” have help . The last sentence showed that the In dian spoke true in regard to his nationality . ’ A suspicion ﬂashed across Peter s mind ; this stray In dian was o ut in the forest at this time with no honest purpose .

He simply said : FOllo w me .

- He led the Indian to the alarm post . The Indian ’ thought that he was going to the woodchopper s

cabin . Dennis received the night wanderer and de m t ained hi . BEACONS 1 63

” o I must g and alarm my uncle , said Peter to Dennis, privately . ’ Old - He hurried away toward the wood chopper s cabin .

o n : He beat the door, and cried “ ” Lift the latch !

w as There a noise within, and presently the latch was lifte“d . Yo u ? Yo u ? , boy What brings you here at this ” time o f night ? f To warn you o danger . There has been a man in

o u the cedar swamp who is seeking y , and he has no honest

- purpose in his heart, as I could see . He is a half breed . ” He says that you have money concealed . ’ The o ld man s face took on a look o f terror .

n He bega to dance around . Who— ah— says that I have money concealed ? ” he

— — ? an said, lighting a candle who who who He lit other light .

B o ? y, you are not deceiving me You never deceived

o u anybody . And what a heart y must have to c"ome here to protect an Old man like me , who said to you, Out you go ! And you have held no hardness against me— I have — cursed you because yo u have turned against the Kin g . ’ in —si — I Yo u Come t down am afraid . don t think that ? the “Indian meant to rob me, do you I think he intended to ﬁnd you in the night and him beg money, and if you refused to demand money,

o ut and if you refused him, then to ﬁnd where you hid ’ n o t l money . If I had turned him aside, I don t be ieve that yo u would have been living in the morning . Bad 1 64 BROTHER JONATHAN

s w as Indian murder lone men by lonely ways . There ” crime in his eye .

Boy, let me bar the door . I know your heart . You ’ had a mother who had a true heart, and a boy s heart ’ hi s is mother s heart . You only come here for a good

- purpose . I know that . And you have come in to night

o ut . to p“rotect me, who turned you o u n o w Boy, I have money. I am willing to tell y where it is ! — I But, uncle, I am not seeking your money do not ” n wish to k ow where it is . — But you must yo u must ; you are the only friend

h n ! o . sa that I ave earth What made me y, Out you go when I needed you ?

— if o u The money ever I should die, do y come back here and take all I leave, and wash and wash and wash

- o f . until you ﬁnd the bottom the soap barrel There, I ’ ’ in haven t told you anything . People don t hide money

- — — n o . the soap barrel no, no ; lye eats no , You know ? ” enou“gh n o w . Will you stay with me until morning No ; I have come to take you to the war ofﬁce, — l fo r protection to the store . One room there is a most ” always Open . ’ To the Governor s ! He suspects me o f being a Tory .

sa What would the King y, if he were to know that I ? went to the rebel Governor for protection No, no, no, — I . n o . Let the Indians kill me will die true to my king — ” Yo u may go you will not betray me .

n o t i I can leave you until morn ng, and then I will ” e s e that yo u are guarded .

1 66 BROTHE R JONATHAN

- n tender hearted and affectio ate . Her daughter Faith , who could paint and who had inspired her brother, the great historic painter, in his boyhood, died of insanity after hearing the thunders o f B unker Hill . She had mar ried Colonel Huntington, who went to the camps around

Boston . She hoped to meet him there, but arrived just as the battle o f Bunker Hill was rending the air . When sh e thought o f what war might mean t o her ﬁ father, her husband, and her brother, who was an of cer, her mind could not withstan d the dark vision that arose

o u t . before her, and it went . She died at Dedham One o f so o f her brothers, too, had much the human and elemental nature as to have become greatly depressed by ul disappointment . The Trumb ls were a marvelous fam

in ily, with a divine spark them all, but not all the children had the rugged nerve o f their father . The wife of Governor Trumbull guarded her family when the Governor was absent o n Ofﬁcial duties at Hart ford . — The family n o w were like so many listeners to get

w ar tidings from the was their life , and anxiety ﬁlled their faces as messengers from Boston, Providence,

N ew London , and Hartford, and the great powder mills and ordnance works o f hidden Salisbury came to them .

One evening, when the Governor was away, a mes

senger came to the green , and stopped before the tavern .

w as It “dark and rainy . It is the shepherd-boy ! said Faith Trumbull stand “, ing in the door, with a lantern in her hand . He has BEACONS 1 67

returned from Valley Forge . I almost shut my heart against the news . His face is white . The boy came to the house and Madam Trumbull r e ceived o n him by laying her hand his shoulders . a Dennis c me running in .

You bo ? You , my y Nimble made a quick jour

sat The family down by the broad, open ﬁre . Their anxi“ety was shown by thei“r silence . ” i Well, said madam, the t me has come to speak . What news ? ” “ o u see - Oh, could y , said the shepherd boy, shoe — less men , foodless men snow and blood . When the men move, the snow lies red behind them . Oh, it makes my heart sick to tell it . I would think that the stars would ” look down in pity . ” o f Dennis, said madam, call the women the Relief ” - — n ow . Committee here to night, all of them

Let us hear what more the boy has to say . N O ; suffering has no right to be delayed o n e moment ”

f . n w o relief Go o .

n n Dennis went out into the ight. He retur ed with the so l women, who began to knit stockings for the barefoot diers o f Valley Forge . M“adam addressed the women . sh e o f I belong t o the Pilgrim Colony, said , but that I would not boast . Hear the rain , hear the sleet, and the wind rising ! You have met here in the rain .

The ﬁre burns warm . “ — Let me tell you my thoughts something that comes 1 2 1 68 BROTHER JONATHAN

to me . It was such a night as this when John Howland

o f with a band Pilgrims sailed in the deep darkness, near

o n o f th e Ma ﬂo w er n the coast, the shallop y , and he k ew ” not where he was . ” ? n e What did he do asked o of the kn itters .

n him He sang in the storm . Dark ess covered

w as o n there ice the oars as they lifted and fell . There

n was no light o the coast . The wind rose and the seas — ” were pitiless, but he sang John Howland . What did he sing ? ”

That I can not tell . I think that he sang the Psalm that we sing to the words

G od of a n is the refuge his s i ts, ’ o or of ar r nva Th ugh st ms sh p dist ess i de .

Let us Sin g that n o w . The storm that tossed the shallop if o f the Mayﬂower broke ; the clouds l ted . So it will be ” at Valley Forge . Knit and sing .

And the knitters sang . The storm rose to a gale .

Shutters banged, and there was only the tavern lights

to be seen across the black green .

Suddenly a strange thing happened .

Peter opened the door, hat in hand . ” “ ? Madam Trumbull, said he, may I speak to you ” b o sa ? Yes, Peter, y ; what have you to y w as I saw a strange man at Valley Forge . He young

- a Frenchman . One cold night he was standing near Washington in i the marquee, and Washington, the great Wash ngton, put

n tw o his o w cloak about him, and the stood under the

o ﬂicers him . same cloak, and some gathered around And

CHAPTER XI

T H E SECRET OF LAFAYETTE

THE STORY OF THE WHITE HORSE

on 6 1 757 LAFAYETTE was born September , , in the

o f n o w - - D Ome province Auvergne, Cantal, Puy de , and

- a Haute Loire . His birthplace was the Ch teau de Cha

n a ix B ri n d va c s o e . g , situated some miles from ancient Auvergne w as celebrated fo r men o f character and honor rather than wealth and distinction— men who de

served to outlive kings, and whose jewels were virtues . It became a proverb that the men o f Auvergne knew no stain, and hence the ensigns and escutcheons of the rugged soldiers o f the mountain towns were associated with the ” motto , Auvergne sans tache . These soldiers kept this motto o f their mountain homes ever in view ; they would die rather than violate the f spirit o it .

o f Lafayette was noble family, and appeared at court

o f when a boy . But the gay court did not repress the spirit f . o Auvergne which lived in him, and grew He was noble f o . family, and his father fell at the battle Minden The battery that caused his father’ s death was commanded by P General hillips, against whom Lafayette fought in the

great Virginia campaign . 1 70 THE SECRET OF LAFAYETTE 1 71

o f of At the age sixteen, the spirit the mountaineers o f Auvergne rose within him . He became an ar dent ad

o f o f vocate the liberties men, and he seemed to see the star of liberty rising in the Western world, and he was restless to follow it . He heard o f the American Con — gress as an assembly o f heroes o f a n ew era the n ew

o f Senate God and human rights . Princes, after his view, should not violate the law o f the people .

o f o f The heart the King France, while France at

in w as ﬁrst professed neutrality the American struggle, with the patriots ; so was the sympathy o f the gay French court . The boy Lafayette knew this ; he longed to carry this secret news to America .

He came to America, as we have described, with this hi secret in s heart .

‘ o f 1 777 The capture Burgoyne in October, , delighted

o f France . The clock liberty had struck ; it only needed the aid of France to g1 v e Independence to the Americans .

Lafayette became more restless . He had married into o f a noble family, but the companionship a beautiful and true woman could not stiﬂe this patriotic restlessness . He saw that he might be an inﬂuence in bringing France

T o . to the aid o f America . do this became his life The Queen espoused the cause of America ; let us ever remember this, notwithstanding that there are so many unpleasant things about her to remember . Then the American cause seemed to fail in the Jerseys and France to lose her interest in it . ’ Young Lafayette s heart w as true to America in these

dark hours . He knew that France could be aroused to 1 72 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f action . He espoused the cause America in her dark

o f to ness, and doubtless dreamed being able to convey

few men saw . Washington a secret, that other so clearly France would espouse the cause o f America when events should Open the way . Never such a secret crossed the sea as young Lafayette bore in his bosom to Washington . It came, as it were, o ut o f Auvergne ; it was borne against every allurement o f luxury and self ; it was an inborn imperative . When

n ew a world was to be revealed, Columbus had to sail ; when liberty was to be established among men, Lafayette,

the child of destiny, had to face the west ; where was there another race of liberty- loving men like those of the Co n n i f ec t c ut farmers ? In Auvergne . Who O all men could

represent this spirit of liberty in America ? Lafayette . He w o n the heart o f America ; even the British r e

spect ed him . His true sympathy was the cause o f his

great popularity ; his heart won all hearts . In the terrible winter o f 1 778 the American army with Washington and Lafayette were at Valley Forge ;

the British were in Philadelphia, spending a gay winter

reveling. No pen can describe the destitution and suffering o f

the o r more patriots at Valley Forge . The white snows o f that winter in the wilderness were stained with f the blood O naked feet . Famine came with the cold . The men were hutted in log cabins The gen ’ ” er al s apartment is very small , wrote Mrs . Washington ;

he has a log cabin built to dine in, which has made our ” quarters much more tolerable than they were at ﬁrst .

1 74 BROTHER JONATHAN and the most vigorous and active exertions on his part will not procure more than sufﬁcient to supply the army

so . during this month, if long This being the case, and as any relief that can be obtained from the more southern

o f t States will be but partial, triﬂing, and a day, we mus

o ur o ur turn eyes to the eastward, and lay account o f support from thence . Without it, we can not but disband .

I must, therefore, Sir, entreat you in the most earnest di i terms, and by that zeal which has eminently stingu shed

s your character in the present arduou struggle, to give every countenance to the person o r persons employed in

the purchasing line in your State, and to urge them to the most vigorous efforts to forward supplies o f cattle

from time to time, and thereby prevent such a melan

ch oly and alarming catastrophe . Read these words twice : Without it the army must

disband . As soon as Governor Trumbull had received the letter l he cal ed together the Council o f Safety . He read it

to them . They wept .

o f mi o n e . An army cattle ght save the cause, said ” r o f Our suffering brothers Shall have the a my cattle,

said Brother Jonathan .

o f He at once aroused the farmers Connecticut . m Horsemen dashed hither and thither, away fro Hart hi ford and from the war office to the llside farms .

Cattle ! cattle ! they cried . Our army is perishing . Washington has appealed to Brother Jonathan ! ’ f O H a At the head o these alarmists rode Dennis y, awakenin g the villages with his resonant brogue : THE SECRET OF LAFAYETTE 1 75

m o f It is cattle, an ar y cattle, that Washington must

n o w ! H is i have men are go ng barefooted in the snow .

o f ! Oh, the shame it His men have no meat to warm

. o f ! their veins in the cold Oh, the shame it They fever, they wither, they are buried in clumps and clods . Oh,

! o r n the shame of it Arouse, the heavens will fall down o you ! Cattle ! Cattle ! The thrifty hillside farmers had made many sacriﬁces already, but they responded .

An army o f cattle began to form . It increased .

o n e Nearly every farm could spare or more beeves, armed with fat ﬂesh and warm hides .

SO it started , armed, as it were, with horns, Dennis leading them under ofﬁcers .

Three hundred miles it marched, gathering force along the way . It entered at last the dreary wilderness o f the suffer

saw . ing camp . The men it coming There went up a u great shout, which ran along the camp, and went p from even the hospital huts : “ ” The Lord bless Brother Jonathan !

- The Ofﬁcers hailed the cattle drivers . “ ’ 7 o ur an Should we win independence, said ofﬁcer, what will w e not o w e to Brother Jonathan and his army ” o f cattle from the provision State !

Dennis froze with the others that winter .

In the Spring he returned, moneyless, fameless . Half o f his face was black, and one hand had gone . The ex plosion of a powder-wagon which he had been forcing ’ o n toward Washington s army had caused the change in 76 BROTHER JONATHAN

’ w as O H a his appearance, but it rugged work that Dennis y had done during that past winter for the army .

The Governor heard his story . ’ ” “ O H a Dennis y, said he, when America achieves her liberty, and her true history shall be written, the inspired historian will see in such as you the cause o f the mighty event . It is men who are willing to suffer and be forgotten that advance the welfare o f mankin d ; it is

: not wealth or fame that lifts the world it is sacriﬁce, ’

! O H a . sacr“iﬁce, sacriﬁce That means you, Dennis y ff Dennis, did you know that they once O ered me

o f ? the place the colonial agent to London They did, and I refused for the good o f my o w n people at home .

That is a sweet thing for me to remember . The only thing that a man can have in this world to last is right

eo us . : life This is true , Dennis that the private soldier who seeks all fo r his cause and nothing fo r himself is the

o f nl noblest man in the annals war, u ess it be a Wash ” n to n i g .

And you, Governor Trumbull . hi Dennis took Off s hat and bowed low . ff The Governor also took o his hat and bowed twice, and the people who had gathered around took o ff their hats and shouted . The stars will hear ye when ye shout for Brother ” ’

O H a . Jonathan , said Dennis y I have brought home

a secret with me . ” Wh at may it be ? asked many .

It would not be a secret w ere I to tell it .

Dennis, after driving his army of cattle, with under

1 78 BROTHER JONATHAN

I i hin o f w ll think of these t gs, my good friend the f n o n ow . honest heart . I do thi k them I will entrust

o u . ll o u y , a stranger, with a secret Wi y never tell it until the day that makes it clear arrives ? ”

—o h I Never, never, never , my heart dances when hear good things o f the cause o f these people struggling

b e — so mightily for their li erti s no, no, the tail goes with ” the “kite ; I will never tell . I am n ow wr iting to the court o f France . If I get

fo r good news, I will ask the French mountaineers whose bann“er is A uvergn e sa n s tache ! May the heavens all take o ff their hats to ye and

n e . can see n o w the evil o never get ye I them coming , ’

0 n . a kind vision, with their banners ﬂyi g I have second

see sight, and see good things . Why do not people good

n o w o f n o t things , like the prophets Old, and witches and ’ ’ ghosts ? To Dennis O H ay the passing clouds are angels

. o u chariots Oh, I will never forget y , and I would deem it an honor above honors if you will n o t forget Dennis ’H ” O ay .

i sa o u One th ng more, good Dennis, I have to y to y before we part . If a French ship should come to Norwich from Lyons, you may learn more about Auvergne, which f ” is th“e Connecticut o France . o u Then y must be like the Governor, who is so all w rapped up in the cause that he has forgotten to grow

Old .

o ﬂic er The young French drew his cloak about him,

and touched his hat and went to the marquee . Dennis laid down to rest among some wasted men o f THE SECRET OF LAFAYETTE 1 79

saw the army by a ﬁre of fagots . He dreamed, and he

French ships sailing in the air . He had read the success o f the cause amid all these miseries in the heart o f young

Lafayette . f ” o . That boy general has the vision it all, said he The Irishman as a bearer o f despatches from Governor

Trumbull was not without importance . Dennis lin gered to rest by the marquees of the ofﬁcers

i Of under the moon and stars . He l stened for words hope .

One night Lafayette talked . He engaged all ears .

Of I was born at Auvergne, in the mountain district ” o f France, said he, and the soldiers Auvergne are sons f n . o liberty . They are mountai eers I would that I could induce France to send an army of those mountaineers to

America . They are rugged men ; they believe in justice , and equal rights, and equal laws, and for this cause they are willing to die . They have a grand motto, to which they have always been true . It is Auvergne sans tache — A u Auvergne without a stain . I love a soldier of

o f vergne, a mountaineer the glorious air in which I was ” born .

H is mind seemed to wander back to the past . ’ Auvergne sans tache, said he . Auvergne sans — tache these words command me, they have entered into my soul . Would these men were here, and that I could lead them to victory ! “Dennis caught the atmosphere . ﬁn d And sure , your Honor, people what they seek , o u and all good dreams come true sometime, and y will bring them here some day. I seem to feel it in my soul . 1 80 BROTHER JONATHAN

The Ofﬁcers shouted .

And it is from Connecticut I am . The young Frenchman may never have heard o f the plac“e before . And brought despatches to General Putnam from Bro“ther Jonathan . May I ask what were these words o f the French mountaineers who are just like u s Auvergne sans tache I wonder if this poor head can carry those words — back to Lebanon green Ovan - 3 a an - tar che ! The words

n hell ri g true , like a that rings for the future . I some h o w Ovan feel that I will hear them again somewhere . saan - tarehe Ova n - sa a n - tar che! n o w , I will go . I must tell the Governor and all the people about it o n the

— - green Ovan -saan tar che! W hat shall I tell the people ” o f the cedars ? Tell the people o f the cedars that there is a young French ofﬁcer in the camp here that thinks that he car ries in his heart a secret that will give liberty to Amer ica ; that aid will come from a district in France that ” grows men like the cedars . N ow the secret o f Lafayette haunted the mind o f Den“nis . - A Spandy dandy boy told me somethin“g strange,

o n . said he to the Governor, his return He was a

Frenchman , with a shelving forehead and red hair, and

Washington seemed to be hugging his company, as it

, were ; the General saw something in him that others did

n ee o t s . I think he has what you would call a discern ” saw . ing of spirits . I thought I the same thing

1 82 BROTHER JONATHAN

fo r trees . The birds were gathering migrations . The

l o f ﬁelds were ful goldenrod and wild asters, and the oaks by the wayside were here and there loaded with purple grapes . The people came to the cedar grove from near and

o n e in ni . from far, and every seemed interested Den s h The Iris man towered above them all, bringing dead wood for the ﬁres .

o n The feast was eaten the ground, and the people

r were merry, all wonde ing what story Dennis, who had been to the army and seen the great Washington him self, would have to tell . The people watched him as he brought great logs o n his shoulders to feed the ﬁre where the corn was roasted . Brother Jonathan and his good wife came to the good

l . y gathering The people arose to greet him, and the him children gathered around him, and looked up to as

- i o ld . a patriarch . He was then some s xty seven years After the feast he lifted his hands and spoke to the

in people . The cedar birds gathered around him the trees,

o n e s and adventurous crow came near and cawed . Denni

: threw a stick at the crow, and said Be civil n o w and listen to the Govern or ! , “ After the Governor had spoken, Elder Williams i spoke . But it was from Denn s that the people most wished to hear .

They called upon the village esquire to speak .

w as : He a portly man . He arose and said

I will not detain you long . It is Dennis for whom ” you are waiting . THE SECRET OF LAFAYETTE 1 83

He said a few words, and then called “ ’ Dennis ? Dennis O H ay ? “ ” i n At your serv ce, said Dennis, drawi g near, In h“and . i u Denn s, they say that yo met a prophet in

sir That I did, , and I mind me the secret Of the ” skie“s is in his heart . H o w did he look ?

o f - Oh , he was a skit a man, with a slanting roof to

- his o f . forehead, and lean to at the back it He was all covered with spangles and bangles, and he followed the i great Wash ngton here and there , like as if he was his i ” w n so n . h ow s r . o That is it was,

n o t o f The people wondered . This was the kind a prophet that Elder Williams had preached about in the Lebanon pulpit for twoscore year“s . : The elder stood up, and said Be reverent, my young ” man“. sir . That I am, I answered the esquire after the ” ir s . truth , And what made you think that such a frivolous- look ing man as that could be a prophet ? Prophets are elderly men , and plain in their dress and habits, and grave in

o u n face . Why did y thi k that this gay young man was a pr“ophet ? see Because , your reverence ,_ I could that Washing — ton believed in him the great Washington, and the man

too . prophesied , T o whom did he prophesy ? 1 3 BROTHER JONATHAN

ir s . To me, to your humble servant ,

w a The people laughed in a suppressive y, but won

dered more than ever . ” sa ? What did he y, Dennis ’ sir That I can never tell, . He has a woman s heart, ’ sir she sir , and has a man s heart, , and both have the ’ sir o n e ﬂ people s heart , ; and day there will be eets on

sea sir o n o ur the , , and strange armies will appear shores,

i ir s r . s They may come here, , and encamp in the cedars, ”

sir . Oh , I am an honest man, and seem to see it all, sir ” H ow o ld ? is your prophet, Dennis

sir I would think that he might be twenty, ; no, a

o ld sir hundred ; no, as as liberty, , with all his bangles

and spangles .

That is very strange, said the esquire . I fear that

o u — y may have wheels in your head, Dennis were any ” o f your people ever a little touched in mind ? ’

. b e No , never ; they had clear heads An why do I lieve that this young man carries a secret in his heart that will deliver America ? Because he has the heart of

f - o f the mountaineers o God . He belongs to the sons

his liberty in France, and little he cares for bangles and ” span“gles . But he is too young .

sir No, no ; pardon me , , he has an ardent heart, that ’ . n he has It is all o ﬁre . Wasn t David young when he took up a little pebbly rock and sent the giant sprawl ing ? Wasn’ t King Alfred young when he put down his foot and planted England ? Wasn’ t Samuel young when he heard a voice ? ”

1 8 6 BROTHER JONATHAN

She archly turned her head, raised her crown and

- ﬂew gave a trumpet call, and over the people .

n The men shouted, and the wome and children

: cheered Dennis, and the grave Governor said “i — L fe is self revealing, time makes clear all things, and if o u r good man Dennis has indeed discovered a prophet, it will all be revealed to us some day . Elder ! Williams, pray The old man stood up under the cedars ; the women

o f bowed . Then the people went home to talk the strange tidings that Dennis had brought them .

o f Was there, indeed, some hidden secret personal power in the heart o f this young companion o f Wash in t o n g , who had made honor his motto and liberty his star ? CHAPTER XH

LAFAYETTE TELLS H rs SECRET

T H E R E is o ne part o f the career o f young Lafayette

that has never been brought into clear light, and that

part was decisive in the destinies Of America . It was f his letters home . From the time o his commission as an ofﬁcer in the American army he was constantly writing to French ministers, asking them to use their inﬂuence to send aid to America .

He had the favor of the court, and the heart o f the popular and almost adored Queen . He felt that his let

ters must bring to America a ﬂeet . He poured his heart into them . The surrender o f Burgoyne brought about a treaty between France and the United States . It was one of

alliance and amity . France recognized the United States

o f . among the powers the world, and received Dr Benja

min Franklin as minister plenipotentiary to the court . For this great movement the letters o f Lafayette had

helped to prepare the way. H is heart rejoiced when he found that this point o f

vantage had been gained .

o f He was the ﬁrst to receive the news the treaty. 1 87 BROTHER JONATHAN

i He went with the tidings to Wash ngton . It revealed

to the strong leader the future . ' W o f ashington was a man silence, but his heart was touched ; a sense of gratitude to Heaven seemed to in spire him . Let public thanksgivings o f gratitude ascend to ” “ Heaven, he said . Assemble the brigades, and let us return thanks to God . ! The brigades were assembled . The cannon boomed

n f So gs o joy arose and prayers were said . Then a great shout went up that thrilled the young heart o f Lafayette . — Vive le r oi l Long live the King o f France ! That thanksgiving set the bells o f N ew England to

ringing, and was a means of recruiting the army every where .

w i th Lafayette heard the news a full heart, and he himself only knew how much he had done silently to re

new the contest for liberty.

Congress began to see his value . They honored him, and that gave him the in ﬂuence to say : “ ' fo r I came here the cause . I must return to France ” fo r the cause .

o f ow n He said this crisis, and we use his words here

o f From the moment I ﬁrst heard the name America, I began to love her ; from the moment I understood that u She was str ggling for her liberties, I burned to shed my

in best blood her cause, and the days I Shall devote to the

o f service America, whatever and wherever it may be,

will constitute the happiest o f my life . I never so ardent

1 90 BROTHER JONATHAN

i . eral Wash ngton What a man he must be , and what a friend he h as in the Marquis ! it i The court Opened s doors to meet him . The K ng m hi . welcomed him . All Paris acclaimed The people m o f France were all eager to hear o f hi .

What an opportunity ! Lafayette seized upon it . f He was not moved by the ﬂattery o France . Every heart-beat was full of his purposes to secure aid fo r

America .

This he did .

a i . I will send ﬂeet to America, said the K ng i The young K ng was popular then, and this decision

- won for him the heart o f liberty enkindled France . Lafayette ’ s heart turned home to the heroic moun tain eers “ . If it can be done, he said to the military depart

o f ment, let there be sent to America the soldiers

o f o f Auvergne, they the banners Auvergne sans ’ tache . T w o hundred young noblemen Offered their services to Lafayette .

- He left France fo r America . Banquet halls vied with each other in farewells . But the night glitter o f the palaces “were as noth ing to the words of the young King : You can not better serve your King than by serving the cause o f America ! ”

He left France in tears, to be welcomed by shouts o f joy in America . He brought back the news t o Washington that hence LAFAYETTE TELLS HIS SECRET 1 91

o f forth the cause America and France were one, and that he hoped soon to welcome her e the grenadiers o f — Auvergne Auvergne sans tache ! the bugles of A u vergne ! Peter brought the message that announced this great

t o news the war Ofﬁce . The Governor’ s face lighted when the boy appeared at the door. “ ” is n o w ? Y u What it he asked . o always bring joy “to my heart ! France in alliance, said the Governor . May l France herself live to become a repub ic . And the ” Queen h as espoused o ur cause !

o ﬂic e f Peter went from the with heart full o joy. Good new s from the seat Of war made his heart as light — i as a bird t made him whittle and whistle . ’ r Out in the cold, watching nights, Peter s heart tu ned to - w ho the wood chopper, had seemed to love the King

o ld more than him . He felt that the man must be lonely in his cabin, with only the blue jays and the squirrels, him and the like to cheer him . Peter could seem to hear chop, chop, chopping wood .

old He met him once in the way, and the man talked ” o f the King my king . “ ” o f He is only a man, said Peter, in defense the cause . ” “ w - Only a man ? said the ood chopper . His arms are like the lion and unicorn— and they have taken down the King’ s arms in Philadelphia and overturned n his statue in N ew York . But the lion and the u i 1 92 BROTHER JONATHAN

on old - corn still stand the State house, Boston . Hur rah for King George III ! They may do what they will ‘ l sa : with me, but my heart wi l still y Long live the King ! He seemed to think that the King wore a real lion

o n o r so i and unicorn his arms, to magine him . Poor old man o n the by -way o f the Lebanon cedars !

b ad Peter pitied him, for he felt that he , after all, a very human heart . Dennis went again to the camp of Washington to con

h o fer wit the General in regard to movements of p wder, and there he saw Lafayette .

The Frenchman, indeed, did not look like a prophet n o w o n e o f - o f , nor like of the yeomen the hill towns

Connecticut . He was in comm and o f the advance guard o f Wash ’ ingto n s army composed o f six battalions of light

sun . n o t artillery. These men glittered in the They did

look like Connecticut volunteers . The ofﬁcers were armed — with spontoons and fuses ; they wore sabres French sa

bres, presented them by Lafayette . Their banners shone .

Their horses were proud . An’ I fear I have missed my prophet that I cal ” culated him to be, said Dennis, and that the

cedar folks will all laugh at me . Prophets do not dash on about in such ﬁnery as this . There he comes, sure,

a spanking horse . I wonder if he would Speak to ” me now . The young Frenchman came dashing by in his r e

galia .

1 94 BROTHER JONATHAN

is There true blood in yours said Dennis, and the secr“et o f the skies is in your soul . And there are tw o crowns in that secret and the ’ o n e o f heart o f France . And the crowns is a woman s ’ see o ur a glorious woman s . Oh, Dennis, you should ” ! t sh e ! Queen She admires Washing on, loves America

n hi Dennis dropped down o s knees .

The glittering Frenchman rode away, bowing to the

prostrate man . ’ A n I do believe he is a prophet, after all, said

Dennis . It would be great news that he would have to take

H o back t o Lebanon n o w . w that French prophet bowed

and bowed to him . H is heart rejoiced to bear good news to the G o v

ern or .

Peter, as we have said, delighted in bringing the Gov

fo r erno r good news . One day he was sent to Boston

letters which were expected to arrive from England . One was given him for the Governor which was marked Im ” portant . He hurried back to the war Ofﬁce with it, run

ning his spirited horse much o f the way.

He delivered the letter to the Governor, in the war

ofﬁce . ” ! . Wait said the Governor, as he was about to go

The Governor read the letter, and then walked around

and around in the little room . “ ” is so n . h as It from my John, said he He been ” The arrested in London , and is in prison . Governor

continued to walk in the room . LAFAYETTE TELLS HIS SECRET 1 95

1 780 John Trumbull had gone abroad in , to study painting under the great master, Benjamin West . The British Secretary for American Affairs had assured him that he would be protected as an artist if he did not interfere in political affairs . Colonel Trumbull once thus related the story of his arre“st in a vivid way A thunderbolt falling at my feet would not have

fo r u o f been more astounding ; , conscio s having done noth

o f ing politically wrong, I had become as conﬁdent safety

Fo r few in London as I should have been in Lebanon . a moments I was perfectly disconcerted, and must have ll i . saw a looked very like a gu lty man I , in its force, the folly and the audacity o f having placed myself at ease ’ in the lion s den ; but by degrees I recovered my self fo r possession , and conversed with Mr . Bond, who waited ’

o n e . the return o f Mr . Tyler until past o clock He then asked for my papers, put them carefully under cover, i which he sealed, and desired me also to seal ; hav ng done

- u this, he conducted me to a lock p house , the Brown

ff . Bear in Drury Lane , opposite to the (then) police O ice

Here I was locked into a room, in which was a bed, and

- o f a strong, well armed ofﬁcer, for the companion my ’ night s meditations o r rest . The windows, as well as the

door, were strongly secured by iron bars and bolts, and f i seeing no possible means o mak ng my retreat, I yielded

to my fate, threw myself upon the bed, and endeavored

to rest . ’ At eleven o clock the n ext morning I was guarded u across the street, thro gh a crowd Of curious idlers, to the 1 96 BROTHER JONATHAN

ﬂic e o f o , and placed in the presence the three police magis

— n an trates Sir Sampso Wright, Mr . Addington, and

w as c o n other . The examination began, and at ﬁrst ducted in a style so offensive to my feelings that it soon

n su d roused me from my momentary weak ess, and I den ly exclaimed : You appear to have been much more habituated to the society o f highwaymen and pick f pockets than to that o gentlemen . I will put an end to all this insolent folly by telling you frankly who — m and what I am . I am an American y name is Trumbull ; I am a son o f him whom yo u call the rebel Governor o f Connecticut ; I have served in the rebel American army ; I have had the honor o f being an aide- de- camp to him whom y ou call the rebel General ” Washington . “ He had said t o o much ; he slept that night in a bed ” with a highwayman .

is This not your accustomed good news, my boy, said“the Governor . Another ship with letters is soon expected in the ” ” n fort“, said Peter . That may bri g good news . o f s Peter, I love the bearer good new . Go back to

o u Boston, and if y bring me news to comfort me , it is

ou well ; if not, y will have done your duty. Ride with ! ” the wind These were common words of hurry.

few Peter rode with the wind . In a days he returned o n a foaming horse to the war ofﬁce .

The Governor met him . ! He is released said the boy .

The Governor stood with beaming face .

1 98 BROTHER JONATHAN

” fo r few But, West, said he, after musing a moments, i him go to Mr . Trumbull mmediately, and pledge to

in the w orst ossible even t o the my royal promise, that, p f law his life sha ll be safe ! ” I pity him from my soul ! The poor Kin g had

i o f a heart to feel . Th s is the most beautiful anecdote

King George that we have ever found . CHAPTER XIII

T H E B u G L E s B L O W

A HIG H sound o f bugles rang o ut in the still sum mer air . — It stopped all feet in the country o f the cedars it

seemed as though the world stopped to listen . — Again the tone ﬁlled the summer air nearer .

The ospreys and crows were ﬂying high in air, down

the odorous way where the bugles were blowing .

Again, and nearer .

o f Were the bugles those Rochambeau, who had land

o r o f o f ed at Newport, a troop the enemy coming to surprise the town ?

o f f o . It was a time expectancy, and also terror Why of terror ? It w as known t hat Rochambeau had landed at N ew — it port , and was coming to Lebanon was in the air . He would stop at Newport, and it was believed that Wash in t n g o would go there to meet him . Washington might go by way o f N ew London and Lebanon o r over the great turnpike road o f Massachusetts and Connecticut ; but what t ever way he migh take, it was believed that he would stop in the hidden Connecticut town . 1 4 200 BROTHER J ONATHAN

- “One day a courier had come to the alarm post . is Are the ways guarded ? he asked . There a plot to capture Washington if he makes a progress to meet ” Rochambeau .

w ar fﬁ Let us go to the o ce and consider the matter, said“the Governor . If the matter is serious, I will bring it before the f ” Committee o Safety .

They considered the matter . The Governor was alar“med, and he said to Peter Leave the store and go back to your post o n the ” b - y road . ’ The danger at this time is thus treated in Sparks s Life o f T“rumbull : Intelligence had come from N ew York that three hundred horsemen had crossed over to Long Island and proceeded eastward, and that boats at the same time had been sent up the Sound . It was inferred that the party would pass from Long Island to Connecticut and at tempt to intercept General Washington o n his w ay to

Newport, as it was supposed his intended journey was known to the enemy. Lafayette suggested that the Duke de Lauzun should be in formed o f this movement as soon as possible, that he might be prepared with his cavalry, ” then stationed at Lebanon , to repel the invaders . There had landed at Newport with Rochambeau a

ﬁ o f most brilliant French of cer cavalry, who was destined

-in - f to become the general chief o the Army of the Rhine, and to lose his head in the French Revolution . It was m 1 747. c o the Duke de Lauzun, born in Paris, He

202 BROTHE R JONATHAN

The people gathered around him uncovered . The i farmers shouted . Ch ldren danced in the natural way ; l o d men wept . Dennis approached a French Ofﬁcer who could speak

English . ’ An have you been blowing the bugles of A u ? vergne asked he, hat in hand

so . You may well call them , said the courtly ofﬁcer ” The bugles o f Auvergne are the heralds of victory ! ”

o f m . The cause liberty in A erica is won, said Dennis Lafayette said it woul d be so when the French bugles ” Should blow .

o n Peter fell down “the green and wept like a child, : o f ! saying, over and over The bugles Auvergne The bugles of Auvergne !

It was a glorious day . The very earth seemed to be glad .

sat o n The Hussars for a time their restless horses, i surveying a scene unusual to their eyes . That s mple ’ church was not Notre Dame ; the Governor s house was i not the Tuileries, nor Versailles, nor Marley, nor Sa nt

n o t Cloud . The green was the Saint Cloud garden , the people were not courtie rs . Yet their hearts glowed . They m saluted the si ple Governor .

i — o f Then the bugles blew aga n the bugles Auvergne, and a great sound rent the air .

The Hussars went to the ﬁelds for quarters , and the Duke followed the Governor into the war ofﬁce to con ” sider .

n r e Washi gton came to Connecticut in safety. He THE BUGLES BLOW 203

o n at viewed the army Lebanon green and Hartford . Near Hartford he planned the campaign in Virgini a that was to end the war .

AUVERGNE SANS TACHE —AUV ERGNE WITHOUT A STAIN

This motto a part of the French soldiers b o re proudly wherever they went . They carried it out o f France with shoutings, and trailed it across the sea . They bore it into

Newport amid booming guns, and to Lebanon amid the

n shouts of the heroic farmers . They planted it o Leb

I - anon green . t should be put to day among the mottoes o f fo r schools Flag days and Independence days . — That day o f review it may well rise again in o ur fancy !

Spring is in the air . The birds in the woods are appearing again . There is new light and Odors in the cedars .

o f The French heroes Auvergne, the mountaineers,

o n . whose aid Lafayette had sought, assembled the green

o n e o f o n On Side the green was the tavern , and the other side rose the country village church . The hills every f where were renewing their circle O green .

Rochambeau was there with the escutcheon . The — Marquis de Chast elleux was probably there a man o f

o f . genius, who wielded the pen a painter The gay, and

— he perhaps profane, Duke de Lauzun was there who ’ laughed at the Governor s prayers at the table , and who

n died many years afterward o the guillotine . Men were there wh o had sought the animal delights o f the glittering 04 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f palaces Versailles, Marley, and Saint Cloud . The heroes were there whose descendants made France a re public .

sun n The rose high o the glittering hills . The bugles sounded again, horses neighed and pranced, uniforms glit d tere . , and the band ﬁlled the air with choral strains

The simple country folks gathered about the green,

- - bringing training day ginger bread, women with knit ted hoods, boys and girls in homespun . — The cedar o f Lebanon w as there Governor Trum

— if o f bull and his w e, also, more noble than most the stately dames o f Trianon .

m o f The A erican ﬂag arose, and was hailed as the ﬂag the future .

n A shout fo r honor went up in which all joi ed . The hearts o f the French heroes and American heroes were o n e . Honor and liberty was the sentiment that ruled the

o f o f hour, and here the pioneers liberty the two republics o f the future clasped hands .

w as ! A glorious day, indeed, that Keep it in eternal ! memory, O Lebanon hills Make your old graves a place

o f o u o f pilgrimages . Sons the Revolution, have y ever visited Lebanon ?

There came an August night, misty and still . A cloud

n covered the hills, and seemed to fall dow like a lake on

few out . the cedar swamp . The distant stars went ” It lightened heat lightning, as the lightning with o ut thunder was called in the Old N ew England villages . ds The turnpike road was silent . There were no soun

- o f night birds in the deep cedar swamps .

206 BROTHER JONATHAN

mask in the window and broke it . Then all was dark ness“and silence “ Follow me, said the lad . Your shot was vain .

o u . Y are a traitor, and you are in my power I could take your life in a minute . Follow me .

But your house moves, said the man in a voice that trembled .

few He may have had a brave heart, but brave men f at that time were proof against the terrors o superstition . The man evidently believed that he was in the power o f some evil spirit .

w as There another lightning ﬂash . The man had turned .

o r . Follow me, said the lad, you are a dead man ” Will you spare me if I will follow ? asked the ad vent“urer . t I Follow me until I tell you o stop, and will be your ” friend if yo u speak fair .

The steps followed the moving window at a distance .

o f Suddenly they went down, and there arose a cry as

a penned animal . The man had fallen into a cave . The moving window went up the hill in sight o f the

- o ut . alarm post, and then the light went Peter went dow n in the darkness to the rescue o f the fallen stranger . “ ? ” Where am I asked the stranger .

In the cave . ” In the cave o f the magazine ? The stranger had asked the question in an un guarded f moment o terror . THE BUGLES BLOW 207

Yo u s are a py, and were seeking for the maga zines, said the boy. I know your heart. Let me

o ut t o f help you , and come with me the shelter o the ” cedars . ’ m Peter took the stranger s hand, and led hi by ﬂashes of lightning to a covert under the cedars . Some crows cawed in the darkness above . tw The o sat down . ” Yo u are in my power, said Peter .

Then yo u must be the Evil One . Why am I in your power more than yo u in min e ? Do you live in a house that travels ? Where has your house gone ? ” ”

n o w . Tell me , , who you are, said Peter ” I am a traveler . Why did yo u give me a false countersign ? ” n T o put you o ff so that I might go o . Who are you seeking ?

I was going to the war ofﬁce . ” Fo r what ?

To see the Governor . But why did yo u say magazine ” I deal in saltpeter .

The clouds were lifting . The great cedars seemed to

shudder n o w and then as a faint breeze stole through them .

ﬂa ed Then the full moon rolled out . The crows pp away

from the place when they heard voices . “ ” o u Let us go, said the man . For what are y wait ing ? ’ There was a sound o f horses feet . Dennis had seen

the signal . 208 BROTHER JONATHAN

” W h o is coming ? asked the man . ” The guard .

So you have entrapped me . Where is the house ? ” There was none .

Dennis and tw o men rode up . “ ” “ is s This man, said Peter, a py ; he has given a ”

fo r . false countersign , and is looking magazines “ ? ” Who are you demanded Dennis, with a leveled musket . “ ” I am your prisoner, said the man, and more is the pity . I have been tricked . I followed a window ; it is gone . ” Stranger, no triﬂing, said Dennis . What brought

u ? yo here If you will tell me the truth, I will befriend i : o f yo u as far as I can . But l sten you have no hope o f am o n e o f anything outside my friendly heart, and I the guard o f the ﬁrst o f patriots in the land . I am an

Irishman, but I am loyal to America . Tell me the truth w“hat brought yo u here ? Yo u speak true when you say that I have no hope ”

o u . but in your heart, and I am inclined to tell y all Dennis and the two men whom he had brought with

sat him dismounted, and down under the cedars , through whic“h the moon shone . I was led here through the suggestion o f a bad ex

ample . We are led by the imagination . Imagination

follows suggestion . Benedict Arnold went over to the o f S cause the King, and he is a power now . I once erved r under A nold . It was in the northern campaign . I will

n — ack owledge all . I am seeking to do him a service to

21 0 BROTHER JONATHAN

is Well, here my confession . I hoped to ﬁnd the secret places o f the magazines where the powder that supplies the army is hidden, and to report to Ar

a nold . This is the whole truth . I m sorry for what I planned . I would not do so again . N ow I ask your mercy.

o u sa ? o u To Arnold, did y y Where did y expect to meet Arnold ? ” — On the coast it might be at N ew London o r ” Groto"n . (6 W hen ? 7)

Soon . ” . P set on ! Soon, soon eter, the beacon the hill i The boy ran ; a light streamed up . Denn s hurried

- with his prisoner to the alarm post . The prisoner knew not what to make o f that night when windows moved and a shot that shattered a head did ni not kill, and the heavens ﬂamed before the mble feet of a boy. Had he been drawn into a witch’ s cave ? What had ? ! led him to disclose the secret He thought of Andr ,

- sat and when he w as led into the guard house he down, wondered, and wept .

n . But he hoped Den is, his captor, had a human heart Was he a second Andr! ? Dennis went to the guard- house the next day to visit

a n ew prisoner . The suggestions that the latter made

were most alarming . If Benedict Arnold was to make attack along the coast w as his object was to divide the American army, which THE BUGLES BLOW 21 1 n o w moving south for the great Virginia campaign against Corn“wallis . It would be like the British to strike us n o w upon ” the coast , said the Governor, but he would be more than a traitor who would Slaughter his own kin o n the ” soil where he was born and bred . The man gave his name as Ayre ; probably from the suggestion o f the name o f the British colonel w h o was under Arnold .

sat - He was despondent, and in the guard house with drooping head . “ ” “ Of what are you thinking ? asked Dennis . You may give me your thoughts with safety . The Governor is o f the soul honor, and he will not cause me to violate ” the “spirit Of my promise that I have made . I am thinking of the moment when the captors of ’

! . Andr said to him , We must take off your boots Fo r in the boots o f the unfortunate ofﬁcer were the despatches from Arnold o ﬂering to treacherously surren der West Point . That moment must have stricken terror to Andre 3 ”

. saw heart, said the man Then it was that he the whole

f i - o l fe . Your Governor seems t o be a very kind hearted — man the people love him . I am sorry that I ever had

o f . evil thoughts him But, my friend, send me away ; for

o f Should a ﬂeet descend upon the coast, the hatred all

these people will fall upon me . The man who suggests

an evil that comes is held in detestation . I would not be ” safe here .

Yo u to . are right , and you shall be sent Boston 21 2 BROTHER JONATHAN

It w as in the air that the Connecticut coast w as to

s be attacked again . Connecticut mu t be defended by her o w n people, should it come, for it would not do to divide the American army in its great movement to crush the f main army of the British o the south . “ ’ I will send you, with the Governor s approval, to

N ew Fort Trumbull, at London , and I will accompany ”

ou . y there myself, decided Dennis It was the 6th o f November when the tw o set o ut o n

N ew — a i horseback for London and Groton bright , gl m

mering day, the wayside bordered with goldenrod . The meadows were clouded with the aftermath and webby

wild grasses, and seemed to sing with insects . Boom ! What was that ? Boom ! Boom !

i o n N ew There is a cannonade go ng at London,

said Dennis .

o n They hurried .

The air thundered . ! ” It is Arnold said the prisoner .

w a As they passed down their y amid cidery orchards,

they began to meet people ﬂying with terror . ” What has happened ? asked Dennis . ” f n e Arnold ! was the answer o o . He is burning — everything the streets that he trod in his boyhood, the

n very houses that sheltered him . He is standing o the

ow n hill , glass in hand , gloating in the power to kill his ’

. o n e neighbors sons Oh, is it possible that should come to kill his o w n !

21 4 BROTHER JONATHAN

One o f the British ofﬁcers ran from place to place to restrain the soldiers . ” “ f ! ! . o Stop stop said he In the name heaven, I — say stop I can n o t endure it !

o f o n o f But the work killing went , and killing the wounded and stabbing the dead .

Night fell . The British set a bomb to the magazine

and passed up the river, expecting to see a terrible ex plosion that would ﬁre the heavens . But the explosion

o f extin did not come . A brave band Americans had

u ish ed g the fuse . There is no Fort Trumbull to whi“ch I can take you Yo n ow to . u , said Dennis his prisoner may go to

n your ow .

Then I will return with you, and you will never ﬁnd a heart more true to your Governor than mine will

n o t ? be . Christ forgave Peter, and was Peter true Our truest friends are those whom we forgive . To know all

n ow is to forgive all . I know your Governor . I once

o f n G o d hated him ; he is led by the spirit the livi g , and

I would die for a man like that . It is better to change

o f the heart an enemy than to kill him . Let me follow you back, and the people will receive my repentance even ” at this awful hour .

o f o f Dennis, through fear his safety, left him outside

Lebanon at a farmhouse, but when he had told his tale

to the people, they said

n Bring him back ; he is another man ow . CHAPTER XIV

A DAU G HTER O F T H E PIL G RIMS — I T was past midsummer the shadow o f change was in the year . The birds were gathering in ﬂocks in the row en ed meadows, and the woods were displaying their purple grapes and ﬁrst red leaves . Rochambeau had been receiving the hospitalities o f

n ew the Governor, and had also received lessons in the

o f l school iberty from Faith Robinson Trumbull, the wife

f ee o the Governor . The hero of Minden had come to s this grand woman, and wished to make her a present before he marched o n to join the army o f Washington

six against Clinton , with his thousand heroes . What should his present to this noble woman be ?

w as He had among his effects a scarlet cloak . It

suitable for a woman o r for a man . It covered the whole

form , and made the wearer conspicuous, for it was made

o f ﬁne fabric, and represented the habit of the battle

ﬁeld . He took the cloak out o f his treasures on e evening

- o f and came down into the public room the forest inn , where some o f the French ofﬁcers o f the regiment o f A uvergne sans tache were seated in a merry mood before

the newly kindled ﬁre . 1 5 B ROT HER JONATHAN “ . is He held up the scarlet cloak Here, said he,

a garment to be worn after the war for liberty is over.

ﬁeld - t o f A marshal might wear i after the day victory. This war will soon end ; I am going to present this cloak

o n e to of the most patriotic souls that I have ever met . Who do you think it is ? ” ” o ﬂicer The Governor, said an , a colonel ; Wash ’ ’ in t o n s g own Brother Jonathan . He has made himself f poor by the war, but has been the inspiration o every

- ﬁ ld s sa e o . o u battle , they y Well , y do well to honor the

rustic Governor . The world is richer for him . That is

of a good thought, General . You honor the soldiers ” er he A uv gne sans tac .

Lafeldt The General, the hero of , held up the cloak

before the cooling summer ﬁre . A soldier turned a burn

ing stick with iron tongs, and ﬂames with sparks like a little volcano shot up and threw a red gleam o n the scarlet

cloak with its gold thread . ” Yo R o u have made a wrong guess, Colonel , said

fo r ll chambeau . This cloak is Madam Faith Trumbu ,

o f who has the blood o f Robinson Leyden in her veins, ” and who is the very spirit o f liberty.

Immediately the Ofﬁcers leaped to their feet . ” Cheers ! said the Colonel . Cheers for Madam — — ” Faith may sh e soon wear the cloak after the war !

er n e sans tache The soldiers of A uv g were chivalrous, and they swung their arms in wheel - like circles and cheered

- for the w ife o f the self forgetful Governor . In the midst o f this en thusiastic outpouring Of feeling the Governor himself appeared in the reception- room o f

21 8 BROTHER JONATHAN

- — sleeps ton ight o n the battle ﬁeld is nobler than I my ” heart would cover him with this cloak . ” The Ofﬁcers shouted enthusiastically : Auvergne ! The Governor stood Off from his wife and her dazzling garment . — You do look real pretty, Faith wear it in memory of the French— wear it to church— your wearing it will

to . honor the cause, and be a service liberty I wish Wash ” in ton ee n ow g “could s you . ” t I will wear it, said Madam Faith . My hear ” h thanks you ! s e said to Rochambeau . She began to retreat from the room , her face almost as red as the

ou cloak, and her eyes bright with tears . I thank y in the name o f Liberty ! She moved farther away and out o f the door . ” ? . Going, Faith asked the Governor There came back a voice God bless you ! ” —the scarlet cloak had gone . She thought that it was unworthy o f sh e her to remain where would secure homage, when the Connecticut soldiers had had scarcely clothes to wear in their march against Clinton in the m idst of the poverty that had befallen the colonies during the war .

f r She became greatly distressed . In her enthusiasm o the French deliverers she had promised to wear the cloak

o f until some one more worthy it could be found, some one who needed it more . She too k o ff the garment in her own room and sat

. saw down She thought o f the past . She in her vision her godly ancestor, Robinson , addressing the Pilgrim

fo r Fathers the last time . A DAUGHTER OF THE PILGRIMS 21 9

G O n ye into the wilderness, he had said, and ew ” o ut light shall break from the word . I will follow you .

saw She in fancy the Mayflower sail away, lifting ’ saw n ew horizons . She the many Pilgrims graves amid the May flowers after the first winter at Plymouth . She rose and put on the cloak and stood before the glass . ” h s e . I can not wear it, said I must wear only

ow n i . the clothes made with my hands, in t mes like these

She looked into the glass again . ” But my promise ? she asked . I must keep that — I must be worthy o f the conﬁdence that these soldiers o f liberty have given me . I must honor Rochambeau and f w ? the soldiers o the land Of Pascal . H o shall I do it I will wear it once and then seek some o ne more worthy ” to wear it ; he will not be hard to ﬁnd . Governor Trumbull had become famous for his Fast

Day and Thanksgiving proclamations . His words in these documents had the ﬁre o f an ancient prophet .

This year his proclamation sang and rang. He called

- Upon the people to assemble in their meeting house, and to bring with them everything that they could spare that could be made useful to the soldiers o n the battle- ﬁeld and be laid upon the altar o f sacriﬁce . Madam Faith heard his message as the pastor read it '

- from the tall pulpit under the sounding board .

She thought o f the scarlet cloak . She must wear it to the church on that great day to honor Rochambeau and the soldiers o f Auvergne . But of what use could her garment be to the soldiers in the stress o f war ? 220 BROTHER JONATHAN

- It was a bright mid autumn day. The people were

- n gathering on the harvest laden plateau o Lebanon Hill .

o n The church the high green, founded some eighty years

e sun . before, op ned its doors to the The yeomen gath ered o n its steps and looked down o n the orchards and f harvest ﬁelds . The men o the great farms assembled in groups about the inn and talked o f the fortunes of the h war . They were rugged men in homespun dress , wit the purpose of the time in their faces . The women, too, were in homespun . While groups Of people were gathering here and there ’ the door Of the Governor s plain house opened, and in it appeared Madam Faith in her scarlet cloak . All eyes

o ut were turned upon her . She stepped on to the green . She did not look like the true daughter of the Pilgrims that she was ! The gay and glittering garment did not become the serious purpose in her face .

She waited outside the door, and was soon joined by

tw o church the Governor . The approached the under the

‘ o f gaze many eyes, and entered the building, which is to— day in appearance much as it was then, and the people followed them . The chair in which Governor Trumbull sat in church is still to be seen in the Old Trumbull house . A colored picture o f the church as it then ap

e - pe red, with its high pulpit, sounding board and galleries, ’ f ” may be seen in Stuart s Life o Trumbull .

A silence fell upon the assembly. The people felt that the crisis o f the war had passed with the coming

o f of Rochambeau, but the manner the issue w as yet doubtful .

222 BROTHER JONATHAN

forth in homespun, and in homespun he faces the glitter

fo e . ing , and falls His honor is in himself, and not in his garments . He courageously goes down to the chambers ” o f silence without stripe o r star .

red stri es on e At the words p , all eyes, as by impulse,

turned to the scarlet cloak. It would furnish the orna

o f o f ment dignity and honor to a score uniforms .

o f Women Lebanon, you have with willing hands f laid much o n the altar o liberty . Under the pul pit stands

a rail that guards holy things . I appeal to you once more — — I hope that it may be for the last time to spare all

o f you can for the help and comfort the soldier . Come up to the altar o n e by o n e and put your Offerings inside f o the rail, and I will lift my hands over your sacriﬁces ” in prayer and benediction .

few Silence . A women began to remove the rings

from their ﬁngers and ears . One woman was seen to

T w o loosen her Rob Roy shawl . Indian girls removed

o n strings o f wampum from their necks . But no e rose .

All seemed waiting .

a The Governor s t in his chair, and beside him his good

wife in the red Rochambeau cloak . They were in the

middle aisle . ff Madam Trumbull w as thinking. Could She O er the scarlet garment to the cause without implying a want o f gratitude toward the noble Rochambeau ? Would she not hon or Rochambeau by offering the gift to the camp and battle- ﬁeld ? ’ Stripes on the soldiers garments are inspirations,

she may have whispered to her husband . I am going

M adam Faith Trumb u ll c o nt rib utin g h er scarlet c lo ak t o the o r o f R vo u i o n s ldie s the e l t .

224 BROTHER JONATHAN

of and made history, and some the uniforms bearing them are yet to be seen . To Dennis and Peter was entrusted the sending of the n ew uniforms with the red stripes to the army gathering around Yorktown . The faithful Irishman and the lad rode away from the alarm- post in the cedars amid the f cheers o the people . What news would they bring back when they should return ?

It was an anxious time in the cedars . In the even ings the people gathered about the war Ofﬁce and at the

- w as Alden Inn . A stage driver, who a natural story

o n teller, used to relate curious stories at the latter place, t the red settle there, and in hese silent days of moment the people hugged the ﬁre to hear him : it was their only amusement .

One evening a country elder, who had done a noble work in his day, stopped at the tavern . This event brought

a the Governor over to the place, and the elder w s asked

n to relate a story o f his parish o the red settle . He had a sense of humor as keen as Peters, who was still telling strange tales in England of the people that he had found ” in the n ew parts . ’ Let us give you on e o f the parson s queer stories : it pictures the times . THE COURTING STICK — Asenath Short I seem to see her n ow (said the

to elder). One day she said her husband ’ Kalub , now look here ; we ve got near upon every ’ — ’ thing so far as this world s goods go spinnin wheels and A DAUGHTER OF THE PILGRIMS 225

hatchels, and looms and a mahogany table, and even a board to be used to lay u s out on when the ﬁnal time shall

- . o u come The last thing that y bought was a dinner horn , and then I put away the conch shell from the Indies along ’ Kal . ub with the cradle and the baby chair But, , there s

n o e thing more that we will have to have . The families down at Longmeadow have all got them ; they save ﬁre and fuel , and they enable the young folks and their elders all to talk together at the same time, respectfully in the

sa same room , and when the young folks have a word to y N w ’ to each other in private it encourages them . o I m ’ 0 - kind sociable like myself, and I like to encourage young ’ people ; that s why I wanted you to buy a spinet for Man ’ d see y. I don t like to young folks go apart by themselves, especially in winter ; there is no need o f extra lights or ” o n e o f them . ﬁres, if only has one things ? One o f them things Massy sakes alive, what is it, Asenath ’ ou o n e Kalub ? Why, haven t y never seen , It is a ’ ’ courtin stick . They didn t used to have such things when ’ ’ we were young . A courtin stick is like Aaron s rod that ” budded . ’ A courtin stick ! C o n quiddles ! Do I hear my ears ? ’ There don’ t need to be any machinery fo r courtin in this world no more than there does to make the avens

o r to U . bloom , the corn cockles come p in the corn What ’ ? ” is a courtin stick , Asenath ’ Kalub Well , , a courtin stick is a long, hollow wooden — o ne tube, with a funnel at each end funnel to cover the o n e to mouth o f the one that speaks, and cover the ear 226 BROTHER JONATHAN

— it s o f the on e that listens . By that stick is all o proper and handy when it works well and steady— young people

n ot old can talk in the same room, and disturb the people ’ o r set the work folks and the boys to titter in as they used to do when we were young. It was discovered here in

o f the Connecticut Valley, which has always been a place ’ o f providences . Just as I said, it is a savin ﬁre and

- lights in the winter time, and it suggests the right rela

of tions among families Of property . It is a sort guide post to life . ’ a ou ou on e ? Kal b, don t y want that I should show y

ou Where did y get it, Asenath h . ow Asahel made it for me I told him to make it, but when I came to explain to him what it was for his

H o r iffo ! face fell, and he turned red and he said, yp p g I wonder where he got that word hyppogr iffo It has a pagan sound ; Asahel, he mistrusted .

Mistrusted what, Asenath ’ Well, I haven t told you quite all . When the head ’ o f a family knows that a certain young man is comin to visit him at a certain time and hangs up a courtin’ stick

- o r over the mantel tree Shelf the dresser, it is a Sign to the visitor he is welcome . f o . But there is no need a Sign like that, Asenath

- Asenath rose, went into the Spare bed room, a place o f the mahogany bureau, the mourning piece, valences and esc on ces out , and brought a remarkable looking tube, which

to seemed have leather ears at each end, and which was some dozen feet long. ! ” ! Moses said Caleb, and all the patriarchs he

228 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f in the domestic life the worldly wise, and could have been hardly unwelcome to m armlet maidens and rustic beaux .

Caleb Short continued his shelling corn for a time, but he worked slowly. He at last turned around and looked

fo r - beat his wife, who was sewing rags a to braided mat .

n ow Kalub Well, what is it , asked the latter . ” Asahel . — — ’ ’ Yes I know I ve been thinkin much about him of l late . He came to us as a bound boy after his fo ks were ’ ’ n o w w e a ? dead, and we ve done well by him , haven t , Kal b ’ — I ou I ve set store by him , but might as well speak it t, ’ he s too sociable with our Mandy n ow that they have

to grown up . It stands reason that he can never marry ” Mandy. ? Why not, Asenath Why n ot ? H ow would you like to have people say ’ that o ur Amanda had married her father s hired man ? H ow would it look on our family tree ? Asenath glanced up to a fruitful picture o n the wall

- bo Asahel is a true hearted y, said Caleb . Since

n our o w son has taken to evil ways, who will we have to

o ur old depend upon in age but Asahel , unless Mandy should marry ? ” ’ Kalub O , think what a wife I ve been to you and

is to . listen to me . Mandy going marry I am going to

o n invite Myron Smith here Thanksgiving, and to hang ’ see up the courtin stick over the dresser, so that he will ’ tw o . it plain . That stick is goin to jine the farms It is

s — n ow ! w as a yard tick there, , there I always great on A DAUGHTER OF THE PILGRIMS 229

’ so calculation ; Abraham was , and was Jacob ; it s scrip ’ tural . You would have never proposed to me if I hadn t ’ ou encouraged y , and only think what a wife I ve been to ” yo u ! Just like tw o wives .

B ow But Asahel is a thrifty boy. He is sensible and ’ savin , and he is ' Kal b Kalu n u b ow . , Short, that will do Who was his father ? Who but old Seth B ow ? Everybody knows what he was, and blood will tell . Just think of what that man did ! ? What, Asenath

Why, you know that he undertook to preach , and he hi thought that if he Opened s mouth the Lord would ﬁll it .

And he opened his mouth, and stood with it open for ’ nearly ten minutes, and he couldn t speak a word . He ’ - m eetin was a laughing stock, and he never went to much ’ ’ meetin s ; after that, only to evenin in the schoolhouse ’ ” - e in s candle light me t .

B ow Yes, Asenath, that is all true . But Seth was an

how . honest man . Just hear he used to talk to me He — — used to say to me I often think o f it he used to say ’ ’ Caleb Short, I ve lost my standin among the people, but ’ h law I haven t lost my fait in God , and there is a that ’

U . makes p for things I couldn t preach , but Asahel is ’ ’ o f goin to preach . He s inherited the germ intention from me, and one day that will be something to be thankful for,

- come Thanksgiving days . I will preach through Asahel

law yet . I tell you , Caleb, there is a that makes up for

N O . things . good intention was ever lost One must do

and right, then believe that all that happens to him is 230 BROTHER JONATHAN

f J ob fo r . o his good That is the way the Book reads, and ! I have faith, faith, faith You may all laugh at me, but Asahel will o n e day be glad that his old father wanted

in to preach, and tried, even if he did fail . The right

o f l tention the father is fulﬁlled in the son, and I tel you ’ there s a law that makes up for things, and so I can sing ’ o f Thanksgiving Psalms with the rest um, if I don t dare ’ ’ to Open my mouth in doin it . Asenath, I look upon Asahel as a boy that is blessed in the intention o f his

i o f father . The right ntentions a boy live in the man, ’ ’ and the gov nin purpose o f the man lives in his boys o r ’ ou those whom he inﬂuences, and I tell y , Asenath, there s nothing better to be considered o n Thanksgiving days than the good intentions o f the folks o f the past that live in k l e u . us . There are no harvests in the world to those ” ee You wait and s .

o f At this point the story, the clergyman said

old That is good Connecticut doctrine, Brother Jona than . The story- teller continued

- o f The weather door slowly opened, and the tall form

a young man appeared . “ ” “ ’ s eakin o f Asahel , said Asenath, we were just p

n ow to you and your folks, and I want have a talk with ’

ou . y Take off your frock, and don t be standing there

sit o n like a swamp crane, but down the uniped here close

ou ou . by me, as y used to do when y was a small boy I ’ set store by you, and you just think what a mother I ve been to you since your own mother was laid away in the ’ ! - S eakin juniper lot But I am a proper plain p woman,

23 2 BROTHER JONATHAN any darkness at all in regard to her solution o f their social f equation . Asahel stepped into the middle o the great kitchen ﬂoor . His face was as ﬁxed as an image, and the

n veins were mapped o his forehead . He bent his eyes on Asenath for a moment and then his soul ﬂowed o ut to the tone o f the accompaniment o f honor .

as Mrs . Short, you were good to me a boy, and I will never do a thing against your will in your family affairs . My father prayed that I might have the ability to fulﬁl what he was unable to do in life . To inherit such a purpose from such a father is something to be grateful for n ow , and that I am disappointed in my expectation ’ o f Am anda I shall devote all that I am t o my father s ”

to . purpose in me. I am going be a minister “ ’ You ? be, hey But where is the money comin from ? ” ”

o f tw o . Mrs . Short, it is to come out these ﬁsts

- Poor tender hearted Caleb, he shelled corn as never

n before duri g this painful scene . Suddenly he looked up and about fo r relief . His eye fell upon the courting stick

Here, said he to Amanda, who was crying, just

n ew see how let us try this comical machine, and it ’ works . Mandy, let s you and I have a little talk together . ’ ou I ll put the thing up to my mouth , so, and y just listen ’ — m s at the other end o f it . There I going to ay some ” . ? ? thin“g Ready now, Mandy Did you hear that Yes, father, I heard it just as plain as though you ” Spoke it into my ear . A DAUGHTER OF THE PILGRIMS 23 3

’ You didn t hear anything in particular, did you, Asenath ?

0 N , only a sound far away and mysterious like . ’ n how Curis, ai t it, that thing will convey sound in that way ? I should think that some invention might come f o ut o . ow it some day N , Amanda, you just put your “ ” ear up to the funnel and listen again . Mandy, he

sot o n continued through the tube, if your heart is Asa hel, do you stand by him, and wait ; time makes changes ” n ow pleasantly . He put aside the tube . There, , do you hear ? ’ ” ou ? You didn t hear, mother, did y said Caleb to

Asenath, glancing aside . l Ka ub . No,

This is a great invention . It works well . Now ” let me just have a word with Asahel . ’ Amanda conveyed on e end o f the tube to Asahel s

” Asahel . He took his mouth from the tube . Did you hear ? ’ ” ou ? o You didn t hear anything, did y he said, lo k ing toward Asenath . ”

Kalub . No, ou N ow Asahel, y listen again , said Caleb, putting , “ so t on his mouth to the tube . If your heart is Mandy,

o u o n . m y just hang , and wait Ti e will be a friend to ? ou an d . n ow y , I will There, , did you hear, Asahel “ ’ ? ” You didn t hear anything, did you asked Caleb o f Asenath again with a shake . “ ’ ” I don t know, said Asenath , it seems to me as 23 4 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f though the hands are the hands Esau, but that the voice f ” is the voice o Jacob . ! Show Well, now, Amanda, you and Asahel talk ’ ” now with each other . Here s the tube . ” “ B ow Asahel , said Amanda, through the tube, I believe in you through and through . ” ! o f Amen said Asahel, speaking outside the tube .

sa Amen whenever your mother Shall y Amen, and never

until then . There is no need o f any courting stick for ” me .

o f At this point family history Caleb leaped around . — I know what I did with it I do n ow ! K l ? ” a ub . Did with what, asked Asenath That letter for Asahel— it is right under my ban danna in my hat ! Caleb went to his hat and handed the lost letter to

Asahel . “ ! ” The latter looked at it and said, England He read it with staring eyes and whitening face, and handed

r s. it to M Short, who elevated her Spectacles again ” Old That case in chancery is decided, said he, and ’ I am to get my father s Share o f the conﬁscated property.

- r I may have yet to wait for it, though . My great g and

w as of father was B ow of B ow . He accused resisting the

f . Act o Uniformity, and his property was withheld

Asenath lifted her brows . ” B ow o f B ow . w as , she repeated He a brave man , ? I suppose . Resisted the Act Of Uniformity How much did he leave ? ” An estate estimated at

23 6 BROTHER JONATHAN

? Asahel Pride is a deceitful thing, and it got the better

f . l o . me I only meant we l for Amandy, same as you do ’ I m sorry for what I said, Asahel . Marry Mandy, and ’ I ll be a mother to you as I always have been . As good

m o r as two co mon mothers, more, same as I have always ” been to Kalub . “ ’ And I am Asahel . Have my father s intentions been fulﬁlled in me ? Y ” ” es . ! , elder, said the Governor They have

shouted all . That is a tale that makes me pray to be come all I can, said a taverner from Boston . f o t . The purpose life is grow h, said the Governor

Growth is revelation . Grow, grow, and past intentions will be fulﬁlled in you .

He crossed Lebanon green in the moonlight .

Lebanon , the place that had been ﬁlled with life, with ! ! ” hasty orders to couriers, as Fly Haste was Silent n o w t o ? . What would be the next news come by the green CHA PTER XV

” C ORNWALLIS I s TAKEN !

THESE were thrilling days . The American armies were marching south, and with them were advancing the o f bugles Auvergne .

Simple incidents , as well as incidents tragic and dra matic , picture times and periods, and we relate some o f the

o f family stories of General Knox the artillery, who had

o w n collected powder and directed, often with his hands, — o f o f the siege guns the great events the war . When the French ofﬁcers arrived in Philadelphia after their journey from Lebanon , they were entertained at a

z banquet by Chevalier de Lu erne, the ambassador from f the French court . Philadelphia was the seat o the Amer

Ican Govern ment then .

The banquet was a splendid one for those times, and

it had a lively Spirit . The American guests must have been ﬁlled with expectation . Fo r the plan to shut up Lord Cornwallis at York

town was full of promise, and the military enterprises to effect this were proceeding well . The lord himself was

dissatisﬁed with the plans he was compelled to pursue, and any fortress is weak in which the heart o f the com mander is n o t strong in the faith o f success BROTHER JONATHAN

of In the midst the banquet, there was a summons

for . . silence The Chevalier arose, his face beaming He looked into the eager faces and said

ou . My friends, I have good news for y all

- o f Thirty three ships the line, commanded by Mon

sieur de Compte de Grasse, have arrived in the Chesa ” peake Bay.

A thrill ran through the assembly. The atmosphere

o f became electric, and amid the ardor glowing expecta tion the Chevalier added

And the ships have landed three thousand men, and ” the men have opened commun ication with Lafayette .

The guests leaped to their feet . l ! ” Cornwal is is surrounded and doomed said they. ’ They grasped each other s hands, and added This is the end ! ”

n ow o f The army, conﬁdent victory, marched toward f o . Yorktown, under the command Washington The inhabitants along the way hailed it as it passed women, children . There were cheers from the doorsteps,

fences, and ﬁelds, from white and black, the farmer and laborer . The towns uttered one shout, and blazed by

. on e night The land knew no common night, every was

s . o ﬁlled and thrilled with joy All ﬂags were in air .

sun The morning of liberty was dawning, the was coming, the people knew it by the advance rays . The inva“der must soon depart . Cornwallis is doomed ! ” was the salutation from place to place, from house to house .

o f General Washington , with Knox and members his

240 BROTHER JONATHAN

- - w as Knox with his siege guns, twenty three in number, f preparing for the ﬁnal tempest o the war . And against Yorktown were marching the heroes o f

old o f A uver ne s n tache the liberty banners g a s . In the early autumn o f 1 78 1 the ﬁeld o f war had

o f l become the scene a thril ing drama in the British camp .

Lord Cornwallis had taken his army into Yorktown , and under the protection o f the British fleet o n the York River had fortified his position by semicircular fortifications which extended from river to river .

He must have felt his position impregnable at ﬁrst, with the advantage which the ﬂeet would bring to him

in the wide river, until there came news to him that h unsettled his fait in his position . But he soon began

to lose conﬁdence . He seemed to foreshadow his doom . Yorktown was situated on a projecting bank of the

o York River . The river was a mile wide, and deep . L rd Cornwallis expected to have the place fortiﬁed by middle

fall and that Sir Henry Clinton would join him there . I have no enemy n ow to contend against but Lafay

ette, he thought until the coming of the French ﬂeet

was announced to him . Washington determined to cut o ff Lord Cornwallis

from any retreat from Yorktown by land o r by sea. His plan was to pen up the British commander on the penin

sula , and there to end the war . He largely entrusted the

siege by land to young Lafayette . He probably felt a pride in giving the young general the opportunity to end

so the war . He liked to honor one who had trusted his

so . heart, and whose service had honored him “ CORNWALLIS IS TAKEN 241

Washington ordered the French army to the Virginia peninsula, and with them went the grand regiment o f o r Gatinais, Gatinois, with which many years before R o chambeau had won his fame . The heroes of old Auvergne were to be given the opportunity to ﬁght for liberty here, as they had done in the days of Old . These heroes had had their regimental name ofﬁcially taken away from them on being brought to America

A uver ne sans tache g . They desired to serve liberty under of this glorious name noble memories again . They ap pealed to Rochambeau for that distinction .

a fo r Their he rts beat high, they were going to reen force Lafayette, who was born in Auvergne, and who had desired their presence and inspiration . So on sea and land a powerful force was gathering to shut up Lord Cornwallis in Yorktown and to shatter

n the British army o the banks o f the York . Washington himself was approaching Lafayette by

o f way Philadelphia, Rochambeau by way of Chester and

sea. Philadelphia , and De Grasse by the General Thomas

o f o f Nelson , Governor Virginia , was arousing the spirit

Virgin ia again and calling o ut the militia . At the great banquet which was given in Philadelphia hi by the French minister, Chevalier de Luzerne, to Was ng t o n and the French Ofﬁcers, when came the news that Count i De Grasse and Marquis St . S mon with troops had

a joined Lafayette , all Philadelphi had rung with cheers , and the news thrilled the country . At that hour the des

o ne tiny Of America was revealed . There could but thing — happen at Yorktown no w Cornwallis must surrender . 242 BROTHER JONATHAN

The General was certain to be blocked up in York

River .

Everything was going well . Washingt on and R o chambeau went to Baltimore and found the city blazing

o f . as with the assurance victory At this time, with vic w tory in vie , Washington visited Mount Vernon, from

ix which he had been absent s anxious years . He passed the evening there with Count Rochambeau, and they were

n l joined there by Chastellux . Washington ow left his o d

f r f home o the ﬁeld o ﬁnal victory.

The great generals next faced Yorktown, with their

. saw forces, some men They the helplessness of

Cornwallis, and as De Grasse wished to return soon to

the West Indies, the combined forces prepared to move

on the British fortiﬁcations at once . Seven redoubts and

six ﬁeld- batteries faced the allies, with abatis, works, and

barricades o f fallen trees . The allies began to prepare for an immediate con i ﬂ ct . They erected advancing earthworks, in a semicircle,

l st and with the French ﬂeet in the bay, the of October

heard the sound o f the cannonade .

The peninsula thundered and smoked, and the drama

there begun was watched by Washington , Rochambeau,

Chastellux, and Count de Grasse . What men were these with Lafayette at the front !

on 9th o f A great cannonade began the October,

n Washington himself putting the match to the ﬁrst gu .

Governor Nelson o f Virginia was in the ﬁeld . His ’ house was there, too, within the enemy s lines in York “ ” see ? town , DO you yonder house said he to a com

244 BROTHER JONATHAN

The regiment o f Gatinais rushed forward . They t faced the hardest resistance of the s iege . This redoub was powerfully garrisoned and fortiﬁed . an d Baron de Viomenil led his heroes into the ﬁre, his men fought like ancient heroes, to whom honor was

o f more than life . In the midst the struggle an aide came to him from Lafayette . ” I am in the redoubt, said the message . Where ” are you ?

I will be in my redoubt in ﬁve minutes . not Strongly fortiﬁed as that redoubt was, it could f withstand the men o Gatinais . They entered it with a

on e third o them force that nothing could withstand , but f fell

sur Royal Auvergne, said Rochambeau, your ” vivo rs shall have your own name again .

He reported the action to the French King, and the latter gave back to the heroes their regimental name o f

ld A r n he o u ve g e sans tac . These men are worthy of a monument under that noble

n motto . We repeat , the words Should be used o decorative ensigns o f the Sons o f the Revolution ; nothing nobler

a in war ever s w the light .

o n o f 1 7th Yorktown fell the morning the , and a courier sped toward Philadelphia, crying, as he went : ! ” Cornwallis is taken Bells rang, people cheered . The messenger reached Philadelphia at night Corn wallis is taken ! ”

Windows opened . The citizens leaped from their beds . “ ” CORNWALLIS IS TAKEN ! 245

o n The bells rang , and the city blazed with lights, and

o f Congress gave way to transports joy .

- Dennis and Peter came riding back to the alarm post, ! ” shouting by the way, Cornwallis is taken

The Governor knelt down in the war ofﬁce, and the people shouted without the silent place .

Peter could afford to be magnanimous n ow to his ’ feeble old uncle . He hurried to the Old man s cabin and knocked at the door . ” I chop wood , said a voice within . ! Uncle, it is Peter . Cornwallis has surrendered

-c The latch was lifted , and the wood hopper appeared as o n e withered and palsied . What is that you tell me ? Cornwallis has surren dered ? What has become of the King ? ” ” The cause o f the King is lost ! Then I don ’ t see that I have anything more to live

fo r. . n ow Come in I have nothing against you , so far ’ fo r ou came back—d as I am concerned , y on t you remem ber that o n the nigh t that I was to have been robbed you came back ? I have never forgotten that . You came back . “He tottered to the chest beside the table . now Here, let me open the chest while I have

! ! H ow strength to unlock the lid . The King the King he will feel when he hears the news ! And he said o f ’ w young Trumbull , I pity him . His heart will go do n

n sea o n . like a sailor o the a stormy night Peter, I feel ’ f r ? . o him . Don t you pity him Sit down by me 246 BROTHER JONATHAN

o f o He lifted the lid the chest, and took ut o f the

- chest a leather bag . He untied the bag string, and turned

f n a pile o doubloons o the table .

n Yo me O e. That is yours . u ca back to your poor old uncle on the night when the robber was trying to

ﬁnd me . T o w . It is yours, for you came back . T h ree . ou . My sight is going It is all yours, for y cam“e back . My hands grow numb, the world is going . I can feel it going. But all that I leave is yours . My breath ‘ G o d ! grows cold . I have only time to say, save the King

I want to go, and leave what I have to you , Peter, for

- ou . b y came back Good y, earth ; I leave you my wood pile ; warm yourself by my ﬁre when I am gone . God — — save the King ! ’ He sat Silent . Peter bent over him . The Old man s breath was cold, and soon the last pulse beat .

Peter gathered up the gold . He would turn it into

education at Plain ﬁeld Academy and at Yale College .

a Then he would go way, after Dennis, perhaps, to the Western territory which would become a n ew Connect

ic ut .

T H E E N D