Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-08-15

soon. The port bill was to take effect the LIST
OF June; and then from many hundreds of the
poorer citizens would arise a daily cry for
food for the hands of industry were most
ehectually bound. There was IL grand rally
from every quarter of the town on the dav
appointed for the meeting. The old meeting
house was crowded to its utmost capacity. and
there was no lack Of zeal or enthusiasm. A
number OF young men expressed their deter
mlnatlon to offer their services to the bockadcd
city III case of outbreak and to do it in person.
These would bear whatever contributions
their fellow townspeOpe had to offer. The
galleries were full of women and children.
eager to hear and see all that was done and
some OF the former OF these had widows mite
to add to the offering
Sally Lincoln says her brother is going to
volunteer, whispered Susa White to her
oder sister 81 should hate to have our Dyer,
shouldn't you?"
mo, indeed" was the speedy response; 81
should be ashamed of him if he wouldn't if
there was any need Of him. I'll teach him to
lire gun myself, if nobody else will"
But he may be killed, you know" said
Susa, shudderingly, "like those young men
father told us about last evening at Gray's
rope walk"
~, "WeII, that's patriots privilege, susa.
There's no use in holding back the purchase
only wish were man myself, to help drive
every British officer out of Boston,"
~ dear everybody is drawer and more
generous than L." thought Susa, bending down
her head, thoughttuy "There'S the poor
widow Lincoln, whose eldest son has offered
to go, has just given a sheep. May be she
brought 1t up by hand, and likes it as much as
like Nebby. Then, she is a poor woman,
with ever so many little children to take care
OF. saw her wipe her eyes just now but
then l think it is because Nathan is going
away, and not the sheep"
he galleries were beginning to be cleared
but Susa White fingered for She had not vet
learned the full amount of the contribution.
Ii was not long, however, before Mr.. Solomon
huntington, who was moderator, gave notice
that two hundred and fifty seven sheep and
lambs were then on the paper, ready for de-
hVery. The young men who had volunteered
TO drive them would be ready to start the
next day at noon. If there was no more
business before the meeting, they would ad
journ.
Then Susa went down and stationed her
self little way from the front door, to wait
for her father. Nebby was not there; he
had taken the precaution to shut him up in
the stable before leaving home, lest his fat
body should excite further remark Her IA
ther came out at last, talking with one of their
neighbors. She went and put her hands in his
softly, and looked up in his face % attract at.
tentiOn.
Whats the matter, Susa? What do you
want! he asked, in a careless way.
10 give Nebby to the PATRIOTS she said
bursting into tears
Mr.. White stood regarding his little daugh-
Tor moment without uttering a word. His
companion turned away to wipe tear from
his eye. Everybody in town knew the chiId'S
tondness for her pet.
$50 you wish to send Neb to the hungry
children of Boston, do you - her father in.
CURED at last. 81 am glad you are willing to
make sacrifice for the good of others, my
daughter The liberal soul shall be made
fat
81 want to speak to Deacon Carey about
it, she said, "tor he may think it strange"
And again the child's feelings were too much
for her
"A cause that has not only the widows
mite but the infants sacrifice, will be pros
pered of the Lord, sir and no mistake" said
Col Dyer Let the women and children
work with us, malt the barley, and dry the
sage; leaving alone the tea and the coffee, and
the foreign gew gaws, and the old country
will come TO her senses by-and byp Then,
while the minister went back to add the last
gift to the roll, he laid his hand caressingy on
Susa's head, and said, you have a brave,
generous heart, my dear little girl"
Susa only shook her head i'll reply. She did
not spea all the way home and when they
reached the lane, perceiving some children
there who had come to play with her and Neb-
by, she ran along to the orchard gate, slipped
through, and was soon lost sight of amid the
thick trees.
Not word was said in Susan's presence
about her offering that night but at the break
fast table next morning her father told her that
Mr.. Tinker had been over to offer to send one
of his sheep in place of hers. 1t was the
same old man who had spoken to her about
Nebby on the way from church. and whom
she had suspected of sinister motives.
Good old man p she exclaimed, with quiv.
ering lip, 81 am ashamed, because l thought
so hard of him." Then she frankly confessed
what feelings possessed her when he praised
her lamb. But she would not allow him to
redeem Nebby. He was a poor man, whose
children were obliged to go out to work, and
she knew he could not afford it. She had Civ
en- the lamb, and she would not take it back
for when Susa had fully made up her mind
there was no shrinking from its decision of
right /; and then, the minister's children were
every one as staunch patriots as their father.
Every member of the family, except little
black Kate, approved the child's sacrifice.
She stamped, screamed, and pulled away at
her stout tow frock with vgor which would
have been destruction to a modern fabric,
when she heard that Neb, her own pet as well
as Miss Susa's, was to be driven away to Bos-
ton.
"Massa Whites folk on'y got one little
sheep" she said "eberybody else got heap
on EN- Ole Wobetic mountain all alive wild
'em-good enutf sheep, too, to be eaten. They
wanted Neb thar own sefp'
But though Hates demonstration sorely af
fected the children, not Il voice was heard
pleading for their dumb favorte.
'Never mind about it, Susa, said her bro
ther Dyer. "Pll catch rabbit for you this
all, when 60 a nutting, and gray squirrel,
too We can keep them in the house all win
ter, and feed them on walnuts. Molly has
promised to learn me how to fire a gun, and in
two years more shall be fourteen then, if
the British don't look out, | shall be after
them. l aint a coward, Susa. Hurrah for
liberty Never mind sheep. I'd send the
Boston folks dozen on em if | only had EN-,
cause like their spnnk."
Before noon the farmers came driving in
their locks, and the volunteers were ready for
the long march. I,co hundred and .fty-eigM
sheep-a noble offering from one small country
town. Susa Whites lamb was so conspicuous
amidst the flock-for his white coat had been
carefully washed that morning, for the last
time, at the wooden trough beside the well,
and q garland of green leaves was fastened
around his neck. "That is the way the old
heather used to dress up their victims, Susa,
said her brother al don't know about fathers
letting a Christian sheep go off in that shape.
But Parson White found no fault with the
garland he thought only OF the altar on which
the victim was to be laid
An the children in the village followed the
flock up the eastern hill, very proud oil their