Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-07-28

A4A~A'a@A-'
They were sitting by the great blazing
wood.iiFe. It was July, but there was an
east wiad and the night was chilly. Be.
sides, Mrs. Heath had piece Of fresh pork
80 roast. Squire Blake bad "killed" theday
before-that was the term used to signify
the slaughter of any domestic animal for
food-and had distributed the fresh" to
various families in town, and Mrs. Heath
wanted hers for the early breakfast. Meat
was the only thing to be had In plenty
meat and berries. Wheat and corn, and
vegetables even, were scarce. There had
been 2 long winter, and then, too every
fImily had cent early in the season all they
could possibly spare to the Continental
army. As TO sugar aud tea and molasses,
it was many day since they had had even
the taste of them.
The piece of pork was suspended from
the ceiling by stout string, and slowly re-
volved before the fire, Dorothy or Arthur
giving q fresh start when it showed signs
of stopping. There was q settle at right
angles with the re-place, and here the
little cooks sat, Dorothy in the corner
nearest the FIRE, and Arthur ourled up on
the floor at her feet, where he could look
up the chimney and see the moon, almost
at the full, drifting through the sky. At
the opposite corner sat Abram, the hired
man aud faithful keeper of the family in
the absence of its head, at work on an AK
helve, while BAthsheba. or Basha," as
she was briefly and sffectionately called,
was spinning in one corner Of the room just
within range of the freight.
There was no other light-the freight
being sufficient for their needs-snd it was
necessary to economics in candles, for any
day raid from the royal army might take
away both cattle and sheep, and then
where would the tallow come from for the
annual candle-msking There was a ru-
mor-Abram had brought it home that
very day-thst the royal army were sd
Yancing, and red coats might make their
appearance in HaTtland at any time. Ar
thur and Dorothy were talking about it as
they were turning the roasting fork.
Wish was man, said Arthur, glanc.
ing towards his mother, who was sitting
in low splint chair knitting stockings for
her boys winter wear. I'd like to shoot
red coat"
go Arjy," exclaimed Dorothy reproach-
fully; you're always thinking of shooting
Now / should like to nurse o sick soldier
and wait upon him. Poor soldiers it was
dreadful what papa wrote to mamma about
them.
Would you nurse red coat p asked
Arthur, Indignantly.
Yes" said Dorothy. Though of
course should rather, great deal rather,
nurse one OF our own soldiers. But Arty,
continued the little elder sister, papa
says il we must fight, why, we must fight
brayely, but that we can brave without
lighting"
"Well, mean to be hero, and heroes
always fight. King Arthur fought. Papa
said so. He aud his knights fought for the
5sngreal, and liberty is our Sangreal I'm
glad my name ia Arthur, anyhow, for Ar.
thur means noble and high, he said, lift.
ing his bright boyish face with its steadfast
blue eyes, and glancing again towards his
mother. She gave an answering smile.
81 hope my boy will always be noble
and high in thought and deed. But, as
papa said, to be hero one does not need to
fight, at least, not to fight men. We can
fight bad tempers and bad thoughts and
cowardly impulses. They who fight these
things successfully are the truest heroes,
my boy.
"Ah, but mamma, didn't hear you tell
grandmsmma how you were proud of your
nero. That's what you called papa when
General Montgomery wrote to you, with
his own hand, how he drove back the en-
envy at the head of his men, while the balls
were flying and the canaons roaring and
flashing and when his horse was shot I'M
der him how he struggled out and cheered
on his men, on foot, and the bullets whizzed
and the men fell all around him, and he
wasn't hurt and Here the boy stopped
abruptly and sprang impulsively forward,
for his mothers cheek had suddenly grown
pale.
''Trus grit, remarked Abram to Basha,
in an undertcne, as she paused in her walk
60 and fro by the spinning. to Join a
broken thread. "But there never was a
coward yet, man or woman, 'mong the
Heaths, an I've known 'em off an on these
seventy year. Now there was ole General
Heath, he continued, holding up the ak
helve and viewing it critically with one eye
shut, =" he was q marster hand for fightin.
Fit the Injuns s though he liked it. That
gun up there was his'n."
Tell US about the sassy one said Ar
thur, turning at the word gun.
"YoungsteI, i I've told yer that story
once, I've told yer fifty times, said Abram.
Tell it again, said the boy eagerly.
And take down the gun, too"
Abram got up as briskly as his seventy
years and his rheumatism would permit,
and took down the gun from above the
mantelpiece. It was very large one.
Not quite so tail as the old Gineral
himself, said Abram, "but purity near
to it. This gun is bout seven feet, an yer
gran ther was seven feet two-a powerful
built man. Wall, the Injuns had been
mighty obstepTOus long bout that time,
burnin' the Widow Browns house and her
an her baby a.hidin' in boiler tree near
by, an carryin' off critters an HOSES, an
that day yer gran'thsr was after EN- with
posse o men, an what did that pesky In
Jun do but git up on a rock quarter O.
mile off an jestickerlste in so outrigerus
manner, like sarcy boy, an yer gran'ther,
ne took aim and fred, an that impudent
Iniun just tumbled over with yell his
last, mind ye, and good enough for him.
81 like to hear about old gran ther, I"
said Arthur.
As Abram was restoring the gun to its
place upon the hooks, sound was heard at
the side door-a sound as if heavy body
falling against it, which startled them all.
The dog Caesar rose, and going to the door
which opened into the side entry, shifted
along the crack above the threshold. Ap-
parently satisfied, he barked softly, and
rising on his hind logs lifted the latch and
sprang into the entry. Abram followed
with Basha. As he lifted the latch of the
outer dooT-the string had been drawn in
early, as was the custom in those treublous