The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-04-14

that II was no common person who ha,
spoken. Nevertheless, with the sturd,
good-as-any-bodv air that made IN,
men Of April l. and june Il fight >,
gloriously, he demanded.
What do you know"
" That General Washington woul,
gladly change places with YOU tonight
II you are the honest lad you seem e
be. I"
Go and ask him in his comfortabl,
bed over there in Cambridge was
Jeremy's response, uttered in the same
breath with the word 10 his oxen Il
move on. They moved on. The fagots
reeled and swayed, the cart rumbled
over the logs Of the bridge, and boy,
oxen, and cart were presently lost 70
sight and hearing in the cedar thickets
OF the swamp.
Through the next two hours they toll
ed on, Jeremy on foot, and often ready
10 lie down with the healthy sleep that
would not leave its hold on his weary
brain.
Ii was day-dawn when the fagots had
been duly delivered at the appointed
place and Jeremy reached home.
He had been cautiously hidden to see
that the cart was not left outside, With
it's tell-tale rigging. He obeyed the
injunction, shut the oxen in, gave them
double allowance Of hay, and was
startled by Aunt Hannah's CHEEKY call
of; Jerry, my boy Come 10 break
fast -
" Breakfast readyin said Jeremy.
"Why, YES. was up early this
morning, and thought of YOU - And
that was the only allusion Aunt Hannah
made to his nights work. He longed
to tell her and chat about II all ut the
table; but, remembering his promise in
the swamp, he said not word.
Six nights out of seven Jeremy and
his oxen worked all night and slept
nearly all day.
The brook in Cedar Swamp was rob
bed of its willows, and many another
bit of woodland and watercourse suffered
in like manner.
Then came the order To make the
fagots into fascines. Two thousand
were got To work 10 effect this.
Jeremy Jaeger began 10 understand
what was going on behind the lines IT
Roxbury. He was the happiest lad in
existence during the ensuing days. He
forgot 10 eat, even, when the fascines
were in making. Perceiving the man
ner in which they Were to be formed, he
to help, and soon found he
could drive the crossed supports into
the ground. lay the saplings upon them,
and even aid in twisting the green
withes about them, IS well as any other
soldier Of them all.
Bales Of screwed" hay began to APP
pear in great numbers within the lines,
md empty barrels by the hundreds
'prang from somewhere.
And this time, guess as every man
night and did, the coming event was
Known only to the COMMUNICATIVE
md to the six generals forming the
council OF war.
Monday night, before shutdown. Jere-
ny Jaeger received an order. Ii was :
MARCH ATM.
JAEGER.
With oxen and cart (hay- rigging on), be /.
I the Roxbury lines by moon rise to- night. 1
AXE pccketful OF gingerbread along.
WOOSTER.
With manly pride the boy set forth. 4
lie longed TO put the note in his aunt's 4
Iand ere he went but she Qong ago it
eemed. though only few DAYS had
'assed) seemed To take no note of his
requent absences. He had scarcely
'one a rod ere the cannon-balls began
heir march into Boston from all the
of the Americans; and in
eturn from Boston, flying north and
outh and west, came shot and shells.
Undaunted and excited by the mere
possibility Of being hit. Jeremy went
inward. When he arrived in Roxburv
e found every body and every thing
stir. His cart was seized, filled with
undles Of :. screwed" hay, and ere he
new it he was in line with two hun
red and ninety-nine other carts, march
~ forward to fortify Dorchester
Ieights. Before him went twelve hun
red troops, under the command Of
'eneral Thomas; before the troops
-undled an unknown number of carts,
lied with intrenching tools; before
ne tools went eight hun
red men. Not a word was spoken. In
lence and with utmost care they trod
ne way. At sight of the clock the COW
ring party Of eight hundred reached
he Height and divided-one-half going
,ward the point nearest Boston, the
Their to the point nearest Castle Will
am, on Castle Island, held by the
ritisb.
Then the working party began their
dor with enthusiasm unbounded, won
ering what the British general tcouid
link, when he should behold their work
! the morning. They toiled in silence
Y the light Of the moon and the home
'usic of IA shot and IL shell going into I
oston, and unnumbered shot and shell
,ming out Of Boston. Gridley, whose
nick night work at Breeds Hill on the
It'll Of June, had startled the world,
eaded the intrenching party as en- I