Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-09-20
LYDIA DARRAH:
A Revolutionary Sketch.

/ On the second day Of December
l1777, late in the afternoon, an officer
lin the British uniform ascended the
isteps of a house in Second street
PhiIadelphia, Immediately opposite
the quarters occupied by Gen. Howe,
who at that time, had full possession
of the city The house was plain
and neat in it's exterior, and well
known tobe tenanted by William and
Lydia Darrah, members Of the Soeie-
/ ty of Friends. 1t was the place cho-
}sen by the superior officers Of the
army for private conference, wheney-
er it was necessary to hold consulta-
tons on subjects Of Importance; and
selected, perhaps, on account of the
unobtrusiye character Of its inmates,
whose religion inculcated meekness
and forbearance, and forbade them to
ipractice the arts Of war. l5.h 80
The officer, who seemed quite IA
miliar with the mansion, knocked at
the door. It was opened; and in the
neatly furnished parlor he met the
mistress, who spoke to him, calling
him by name 1t was the adjutant-
general; and he appeared in haste to
give an order. This was to desire
that the back-room above stairs might
be prepared for the reception that
evening of himself and bis friends,
who were to meet there and remain
late.
eAnd, be sure, LYDIA he conclu-
ded, that your family are all in bed
at an early hour. I shall expect you
to attend to this request. When our
guests are ready to leave the house, |
viii myself give you notice, that you
may let us out, and extinguish the
fire and candles
Having delivered this order with
an emphatic manner, which showed
that he relied much on the prudence
and discretion Of the person he ad-
dressed, the acknowledgement departed.
Lydia betook herself to getting all
things in readiness. But the words
she had heard, especially the injunc-
ton to retire early, rang in her ears;
and she could not divest herself Of
the indefinable feeling that something
of Importance was in agitation
While her hands were busy in the du-
ties that deyolved upon her, her mind
was no less at work. The evening
closed in, and the officers came to the
place of meeting. Lydia had ordered
all her family to bed, and herself ad-
mitted the guests, after which she re-
tired to her own apartment, and threw
herself, without undressing, upon the
bed.
But sleep refused to visit her eye
lids. Her vague apprehensions grad
ually assumed more definite shape
She became more and more uneasy,
until her nervousness. amounted to
absolute terror. Unable longer to
resist the impulse-not of curiosity,
but surely of a far higher feeling
/ she slid from her bed. and taking off
her shoes, passed noiselessly from her
chamber and along the entry. Ap-
preaching cautiously the apartment in
which the officers were assembled, she
applied her ear to the key-hole. For
a fewmoments she could distinguish
but a word or two amid the murmur
of voices, yet, what she did hear but
stimulated her eager desire to learn
the important secret of the conclave.
At length there was profound 81
lence, and voice was heard reading a
paper aloud. 1t was an order ior the
troops to quit the city on the night OF
the fourth, and march out to secret
attack upon the American army, then
eneamped at White Marsh.
Lydia had heard enough. She re,
treated softly to her own room, and
laid herself quietly on the bed. In
the deep stiffness that reigned at that
time through the house, she could
hear the beating of her own heart
the heart now throbbing with, emo
tions to which no speech could give
utterance. It seemed to her that ou'
a few moments had elapsed, when
there was a knocking at the door
She knew well what the signal meant
but took no heed. 1t was repeated
and more loudly; still she gave nc
answer. Again, and yet more ioud,
| ly, the knocks were repeated; ana
then she rose quickly and opened the
doer. =
1t was the acknowledgement who