The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-07-16
A Girl's Fourth.

Fourth of July ?" growled Roger.
Trudy did not notice him, but con-
tinued to sing and to swing at the same
time, and now her words ran :
"oh myl oh myl oh myl
To-morrow's the Fourth Of July"
"What if it is 2" said Roger, "girl's
don't keep the Fourth-guns and pistols
and firecrackers are for boys"
But Trudy's muse was fully inflated
and her voice at concert pitch, and she
almost shouted fuller amplifcation of
her lyric,
"0h my! oh n.y. I. Oh ,Sd N.Y. oh my y ,,,v
Roger was beginning some very I'M
complimentary answer when a click of
the gste-latch nearest the house an
nounced the entrance into the garden of
some one else; both children stopped and
looked at the new conner.
"What's the matter ?" said Grand.
mother Gerry, noticing the sudden silence.
At first neither answered, and then, stimuli
taneously, both voices said,
"Trudy's singing some ridiculous non
sense"
"Roger saws girls haven't anything to
do with the Fourth of july"
zone at time," said grandmother,
gently, putting her hands to her ears.
"But she is"
"But haven't they ?" exclaimed both
voices at once again.
"Haven't they what ?" said grand
mother, dropping into garden seat and
answering the shrillest voice.
Anything to do with the Forth of
July like frecrackers and torpedoes
and ice.cream and cakes and celebrations
just as well as Roger does, every Bit"
"But grandmother" said Roger, " Fourth
of July's soldiers day, and girls can't be
soldiers, they can't fire guns and cannons
and"
"Trudy, come sit down here and tell
me what you think the Fourth of July
means ? :"
"Why, lists the Revolution and the
Declaration of Independence, isn't it ?"
EYES," said Roger, proud of his su-
perior knowledge, con the Fourth of July,
1776, our forefathers, that's our great
grandfathers, Trudy, signed declaration
that all men were free and equal, and
wouldn't pay any taxes on tea and paper"
"But, Roger, were not the women free
and equal too ?" asked Trudy.
Roger couldn't quite answer that ques.
ton, so he looked appealingly at grand
mother to help him out.
"Oh yes,' she said, "but in 8 different
way-that is, the men and the women each
had different kind of work to do. Lis
ten, children, while tell you true story
that will convince even you, Roger, that a
girl once had something to do with the
Fourth of July. That girl was your
greatgreatg Trudy."
"And mine questioned Roger.
"Yours of course, only | did not know
as you would care to claim relationship
with girl"
az like stories," said Trudy, settling
herself upon the garden seat after first
depositing the little white kitten she had
thus far carefully clasped in her arms on
the broad, shaggy back of the great New
foundland.
"Take good care and don't hurt her,
Leo" she said, "because she's a poor
little girl, and you're both free and
equal" Leo accepted his trust as quietly
as though he quite understood the woman
question"
eft was in June, 1776, that your great
great-grandmother father, children, went
to Philadelphia to attend the continental
congress-"
"That was my great-great-geatgrand.
father" interjected Trudy; "what big
fellow |"
He left his two sons to attend to the
farm, and expected to be at home himself
before the harvest. But about the middle
of July his wife received letter from
him stating that on the fourth of the
month, after much deliberation, the men,
haru oft hn hoI o,on L.
ton by which they declared the thirteen
American colonies free and independent
states. This meant war, and those who
had been foremost in bringing it about
must not shrink from the consequences.
He should therefore 60 into the army, and
after the harvest at least one of his sons
must come and join him in fighting for
his country. That is, if his wife thought
she and the girls could get along with her
younger son. She not only thought so,
but she and Bethiah, that was your great
greatgrandmother's name, set to work
and made shirts and collars and every.
thing else the two sons needed, and when
the harvest was over sent them both off
to their father to fight for their country.
"Then they managed the farm alone
with the help of one old negro man,
and Bethiah, who was only twelve when
the war commenced, used to drive
the cows to pasture early in the mornin G
and bring them back at night, milk them
and help her mother make the butter
and cheese. Somehow they got the grain
harvested and sent to market, and in the
winter they spun fleece of the sheep into
yarn, wove it into cloth, and knit stock
ings and made garments to send to the
soldiers in the army. All over the land
the women and girls were doing just the
same thing, and the war would never have
come to such successful issue if the
women at home had not so efficiently
aided the men in the field"
al don't see what that had to do with
the Fourth of july" said Roger, as grand
mother paused to take breath.
await and you shall hear. My grand
mother, she was Bethiah, you know, has
often told about the Fourth of July,
1850. She was sixteen that year, and as
her mother had been sick all the spring
and early summer, and her father and