The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-01-26
A Son Of His Forefathers.
BY SUSAN COOLIDGE.

Iom Brewster was as patriotic liz tie boy
as New England has ever produced His
father was remotely descended from the IA
nous Elder Brewster of the Mayfower, a
fact in which Tom took great satisfaction
and pride. Theif home was near Plymouth,
place which is, as should be, the fountain
head of American patriotism, aud Tom had
grown up on intimate t., rms IS it were
= with the famous sRock" aud all the tradi-
tions of the town. He was only twelve, but
he had read so many stories about the Phi
grims and their struggles and their fights
with the Indians, about the stirring days of
the Revolution and the 'sBoys of to- that
he seemed more at home with these old
times than with his own. He knew all the
battles of Independence by heart and had
fought them all through from beginning to
end with an army of paper soldiers, which
he had constructed nominally for the amuse-
ment of his little sisters, but really for his
own.
Tom was clever with his fingers, aud this
pasteboard ara y was triumph OF art in its
way There we're not less than 900 of these
soldiers, all divided into regiments and com
panies. Each tiny figure was neatly cut out
and painted in uniform, scarlet or blue as
the case might be, and each had small
cardboard support under his feet which held
him firmly in an upright position. The
Highland regiment wore their plaids and
uniform and the Hessians theirs-rom had
studied them all carefully out of books.
The captains and leutenants had swords
and epanlets. The generals were mounted
on horses-such pretty horses, with waving
names and tails, painted roam or gray or
black There were army wagons. and CAN
mons aud caissons forts, all made Of
pas aboard; oh, it was a very complete army
indeed, and it would have given the chill
dram l1usniypd aatiefaetinn avaant for IN a
unhappy Giro instance, which was that none
of thu little Brewslers were willing TO be the
BfitisbI
Isabel, who was next in age to Tom, used
to run away and hide, sometimes, in order
to escape the odous necessity.
SIT is such shame" she told her moth
er, tom will always make me he The Eng
lsh. 1t isn't fair, is il mamma? / love my
own country just as much as he does, and
he ought to lake turns; but he never will!
So have tc wear uniform which / dislike
and disappfoVe of, and | don't take any
pleasure iii beating, for Of course I'd rather
have my own countrymen victorious.
hate to play at armies, and Tom keeps on
making mora soldiers all the time, and be
says he always shall And when won't
play he calls me un-pa-tri-ot-icP' With this
last long word, Isabels eyes overlooked.
The charge seemed too heavy to be borne
Mamma couldn't help smiling, but she
comtorted Isabel as well as she could, and
she told Tom in private that he absolutely
must let her be the American army some
times. This, however, Tom could nos do.
He did not meau TO be selfish, but his love OF
liberty was so strong that even in fun he
was not willing TO take the sue Of the ty-
ranncal mother Country He lost i, ter
est in the soldiers after his mother said that,
aud before long he gave them all away to
some baby cousins.
Tom, with all his good qualities, had the
faults Of his age. He was lazy, sometimes
selfish. He was inclined to be dainty as to
what he ale and had sad habit of careless
ness and disorder. Only a week after Fore
fathers Day his mother noticed him at sup
per, looking rather disc3nientedly at the
dishes on the table. "B idget, pass the
corn bread to Master Tom" she said
mo, thank YOU" quoth Tom, Il don't
like corn bread. Why didn't we have muf-
fius tonight, mamna~
''How about some apple saucer" asked
his father.
81 DON'T like that either, papa. Couldn't
have little orange marmaiade, MANN
mo, Tom, l think not. You know what
have told you, that can't have you chill
dren sending away for different sorts of
jam at tea TO please your seuarate fancies.
There are too many of you foT thai, but
shouldn't approve of il even If there was but
one. Eat what is on the table, dear, or go
Without"
Tom said no more, He ate a slice of
bread and butter rather laBguidly, and then
asked to be excu ed. Mamma found him
in the library after tea, absorbed in Pioneers
and Founders, book of whichShe was very
fond. He had already forgotten his little
grievance about the jam, and looked up
brightly as she bent over his shoulder.
''Weren't tue Pilgrims grand, mamma?
AREN'T you glad we're descended from
them?'
''Yes, very glad, provided the things
that male them SO grand descend to us
Also"
''Oh, yes-bravery and all that"
ssSnne smaller things too, Tom. Think
how patiently thew bore hardships in the
outset That first wear they hardly ever mad
enough III eat. Won know. All The stores
thew lad brought in The ships were used up
ami the grain t1ey planted was not ripe.''
81 remember. And how they had the
first Thanksgiving because the ships came
back with more supplies"
W S, aud because they had reaped their
first harvest How good that first corr
bread mus have tasted to them! DOM
you think So, Tom?"
There was meaning tone in mammals
voice which made Tom $ checks turn a little
red.
Cant you fancy them at SUPPER" she
went on, ''eating their own corn-cake, thu
first made from their own fields? | dom
believe they had any apple sauce to eat with
1.-THE apple orchards we're not planted then
you knoW-but even without that it mus