The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-02-18
go whencethe boy md his mother 81
bibed their Patriotism. 81 6 3 So

tno present suffering, and we are talk
ing OF trying to help our poor soldiers,
s'Oh. that's It. . replied grandmother
We'll, if you really want to, Il don,
think the Lord stands In the way !
Father and John won't be back til
tomorrow" observed Gideon, who hai
pulled of his heavy shoes, aud wa.
warming his feet on the hearth. ..'ant
it you are willing will go over ant
see Bert. atterFl've done all the chores
Because if we 60 up to the valley to
day we ought to start in couple o.
hours"
ut will be pretty cold" said hi.
mother. hesitatingly. s.However, let,
sit up and eat breakfast, and vel
think the matter over: I am certain
you will need q hearty meal whatever
you do this cold day."
It was the SD day of February
though they did not think of tho mat
ter then in that gloomy year of thu
Revolution, TIT. The American army
encamped at Valley Forge, on thu
Schuylkill, was ia a terrible condition
The men were sheltered in cold, com
fortress huts, with little food or cloth
ing: Barefooted, they left on the
frozen ground their tracks in blood.
Few had blankets, and straw could
not be obtained. Soldiers, who were
enfeebled by hunger and benumbed by
cold, slept on the bare earth. Wash
ington did all that he could for his
men encamped amid the snowdrifts,
but that was little enough. The con-
tinental paper was SO deprecated in
value that an officers pay would not
keep him in clothes. The surrounding
farmers, many of whom were of Troy
proclivities, preferred British gold tc
colonial scrip, and even with the gold
it is doubtful if Washington could have
made his. soldiers comfortable. How.
ever, there were patriotic hearts
around them. and the great leader did
not lose faith in his cause.
The Granger family lived at Paoli,
only few miles from the American
encampment, and were familiar with
the restitution and suffering of thei,
heroic defenders. The elder Granger,
however. as the reader has already
guessed. was not an ardent patriot,
nor was he exactly tory He be.
lieved the Americans ought to accept
the proposals of the mother country.
which had been offered by the English
commissioners through Lord Howe,
and close the war at once. He had
steadily refused to give any aid to the
army, and would not sell stock or prod.
uce even when offered gold by the
Americans. The previous day the
farmer and his hired man had started
for Philadelphia with herd of ten fat
cattle, leaving Gideon to care for the
barn and the house during their alb
sence. That he would be feasted by
the British and bring back bag full
OF English guineas they all knew.
Meanwhile, why should they not of
their abundance render aid to the suf.
fering Anericans? Mrs. Granger
thought the matter over with all the
natural diffidence of faithful wife and
devout woman, and, although she did
not forget the Scriptural prediction
that house divided against itself can
not stand, the fires of patriotism
burned too holly in her heart for her to
resist Gideon's earnest entreaty. Nav,
more, she had determined to do her
part, and send housewives token to
the American camp. SO when Gideon
sat back from the table and looked at
his mother, inquiringly, she answered:
"4es, Gideon, you may go, and while
we are about it you might as well
catch half a dozen of the hest chickens,
l will have time to pick and dress them
while you are getting ready"
Gideon kissed her and ran out to the
barn, where the outcries among the
poultry proclaimed the inroad that was
being made in that department..
In something more than an hour the
two boys had their team ready, and,
warmly wrapped in thick overcoats,
mufhers and mittens, stood in front of
farmhouse door. They had yoked their
great yearlings to a small sled, and, as
they were well broken to the yoke,
they calculated to reach Valley Forge
by little after noon.
"Well, mother!" shouted Gideon.
Mrs. Granger appeared at the door.
her hands full of baskets and bundles.