Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-11-30

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derful winged thing, and opened ont
ITS beautiful folds to the sea breeze.
again we all cheered in wild excite
ment. But | observed that nv mother
and Miss Vincent furtively wiped their
eyes. And when the next year Mis-
Pess Nlneents only son was killed at
punker Hill, / knew what she was
thinking Of
hardly know, my cousin, how to
convey to you, so that you can under
Stand II, our feeling concerning that
Lloerty pole. 1t was only a straight
hlaH Oh fragrant pine, it is true, but it
was also more than that; it was a SYM
bol, my father said, pointing straight
mp to the free heavens, it stood for
Ieedom-for fr' edom, not for our
selves only, but for Englishmen the
world over and for all time and for all
peoples. And 1t also meant, he said,
self-denial for freedoms sake
We girls understood that in a vague
way, not as understand it now, that
SO many OF my cOuntrymau have suf-
tered and died for freedom on our
battie-felds, and | have seen women
weeping and little children hunger
ing for bread. But still we d 4 com
prehend In measure, and it was
the daily habit of 'Trix and Priss and
me, after our spinning stent was done,
TO go up to the hill top as 20 shrine
ana talk OF these things till the fire
burned bright IN our hearts, and We
| longed to do as we'll as talk. not know
ing that we had plenty to our hand,
, and such work as ii is womnu's prov
lnee and privilege to do in time of
stress. For our mother said we must
? GT,In
there were stockings to knit aud
/ clothes to be made for our men, who
would soon be called upon to fight for
our freedom. For, as you know. cons
IN, we never trusted to hireling sol J.
dlery, as did King George, who sent
his bloody Hessians to crush and kill
the desce dants of free born English
! men. And We run our lead into bul
! lets, and made bandsges and lint from
! the soft old linen in our mothers
! chests, all (which We were proud and
} glad to do.
CIhese letters bore no dates, but
! from internal evidence | infer they
| were written somewhere abont 17S45l.
| One morning we were spinning in
/ the garret of my fathers house, 'Trix,
! Prlss, and for Priss was almost al
: ways with us, bringing her wheel
across the orchard " which lay between
the two hOUses-and We were lust say
! ing how much rather we would fight
I than spin, when Jack Daggetts, Priss's
! brother, rushed up the garret stairs
and shouted before his head was fairly
I above the floor, "Girls girisl the
British have comel there's a brig an
chOred in the harborr' Down he went
without stopping to say more, and we
after him, leaving the garret door wide
| open and Our rolls swinging from the
splndles for the cats to chase and
spoil. And there, sure enough, lying
OF East Chop, was British war brig,
the Union Jack flying from her mast,
her port holes showing the mouths of
( her guns, and the sun, which was Just
breaking over the sea to the east,
touching her with a rosy flush.
All the people came focking down
to the sands, and pretty soon boat
put off from the brig and l couId but
admire the even stroke of the oars,
though the rowers were our enc
mics. Furthermore, as they stepped
on shore, l could but admire the
bravery of their uniforms. like
Joseph's coat of many colors; neither
could | refrain fr N contrasting their
appearance with that of our select men
who, as the fathers of the town, went
forward to salute them and to inquire
of them their business. But fine
feathers do not make fine birds, my
cousin, and my father in his working
clothes did not look a whit less manly
and true than the bravest officer of
them all.
Their brig had lost spar, they said,
and they had come to search for one
in our woods. They looked about, but
could find no tree 10 suit them. And
then they fixed an evil eye on our
Liberty pole, and said that was exactly
what they wanted, and would we sell
it to them.
Fancy, if you can, my cousin, our
feelings when we were asked to part
with our brave Liberty pole, that it
might be converted into a spar fer a
British war-briGl
At first some said "No," and others
spake outright and slid they would
rather die than give 1T up; it were bet
ter TO get out our muskets and fight in
its defence. That would be absurd,
said others, for they would at once
open upon us with their ships guns,
and batter our wooden houses about
orr ears; they would take it any way,
anu We Iui8uI rs well spare ourselves
the loss; and Jacob Morse, the school
master. made wretched jest, the ar
rant traitor! about British gold being
better than British lead Thus it was
that our Liberty pole was sold, and the !
ships carpenters we're to come and /
take it away the next morning.
We watched the boat as it rowed !
across to where the brig lay at East |
Chop, and then we went back to the |
garTet, and Priss and l sat down on !
the floor and cried, but more in anger |,
than in sorrow. Then We wiped our /
eyes.
''They sha'n't have 1t they sha'n't |
have itr' said Priss. And her eyes |
flashed fire as she sprang to her feet |
and stamped so hard upon the floor |
that the boards ratified, and a bit OF |
the loosened plaster dropped from the |
ceiling into my mothers dough which |
she was kneading for the baking. She |
came TO the garret door and called out, |
"Girlsl girlsl what are you doing?"
Stamping on the Britishr' replied !
Priss, and mother laughed.
sOb, It's shamel disgracel" Priss |
went on. "And to sell it, tool If they |
had taken it and we couldn't help our
selves-but SCI ltl what will the Bos-
ton folks say when they hear of i'll Do |
Won think <By would sell Liberty
pole to the British? Oh, l wish L were
a mani"
oWhat would you do?" asked 'Trix.
Grow out and blow up the brig, re-
piled Priss. -,
.'Better blow up the Liberty polel"
said 'Trix grimly-
'Trix had not sat down on the floor
and cried. She had gone right to
spinning, and was walking back and
forth by the side of her wheel with
quick. imperative step: deep red spot
burped on either cheek, and her mouth
was set after fashion we all under