The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-05-03
A CAPTURED HESSIAN

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valley Of the Brandywine not far from
whore the historic stream cnrveo a,ound
! the hold bIpfy ~ po,r, IooL.,t -
80 a. W nS ooAou', 'ns a,s
sVoo. Ne'oiu''ohary oays ana stil
STANDS farmhouse OF the good old colo.
NAL type. The blue smoke curling up.
ward from Its wide ohimneys seemed al.
ways to SAVIOR of the good cheer within.
and over its spreading roof tho br, roho, a,
great ,non,oo hunu = r "a
e,oho., ~, .. cav ono S,uo was 'ie
Vnau, an" W ''s euse wound inc lane,
!" JOIN eno road beyond.
One day In October, INT, the autumn
sunbeams sitting down through the leaves
of tho naples fliokored upon the mr,v
heads and bomespun clothes ~ tuo bovs
who ueoted o,, Az, 800 $50.
go - Az "a sAo sie'V s''ppihs s.oho III
IN, y, sae uoor' "efe puSily digging IN
sno uuso wi'n tneir pare toes They were
protners, and their father, whose name,
with the date 1850, was cut on the stone
beneath them, was Quaker of the strict.
est type.
AS this was Fifth day, he had ridden of
with bis wife behind him To Birm,nohan,
meeting house, a few miles I'M tho valley
In spite of the danger from rowing bands
from the British army, The boys were
left at home, for the father iudped them
safer there, especially as body of conti.
nentals were encamped by the stream no.
low tho house.
Suddenly David, tho elder bow, dropned
a walnut bur on his brothers. toe. then
jumping behind tree to protect his own
feet, he shouted: Lets feed our chiokens
III race thee to the barn."
In o moment two pairs of brown leus
were twinkling in the sunlight as their
owners spurted toward the great stone
barn, hidden from the house bv the orovo
of naples. Past the corncrib thew raced
and up the slope to where the great harm
doors stood wide onsn Iatt,n1, ,,e az -
sunshine on the bay strewn floor II uas
still quite early in the dav
They had reached the threshold nesr,v
abreast when both lads stunned short and
stood amazed, Well they might be for on
a pile of hay lust within the door. Inv n
redcoat-a Hessian captnin. Judging from
his long boots and his NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
heavily. with his sword md nistolo Irins,
beside him 'N p'''''' A'ine
With ono impulse the bows turned and
ran, never stoppinR until thew yere safo
behind tho corncrib. ont of SIGHT Of thp
redcoat, should he awake What cop,d n
British soldier be doing IN their barp9
There could be but one exn,nnation-be
must be tho leader of a nigbt fora o;nn
party; no must have lain down in tho
barn for a nan while his men went about
the neiehborhood, They must have st,,cl
the American camp and been driven across
tho Brapdywine. away from tbo;r s,eenina
captain. Thst would exnlain the firine
which the bows had heard in the nicbt
They could NOT allow Hsos,.n 20 s,oo,,
In their barn, especially as thew had soon
some of their pet chickens with twisted
necks lying beside him. rendv to he car.
ried of.
What should tbey dop If tbev won't to
the continental camp for mid he ,nigbt
awake whilc they were gone and cscsne
with the chickens Young os they were
they readily imagined that he yyouid bnrn
tho harm and even tbe hove. ;tsoIf 10 -
were time, for they never reflected that be
would DO exceedingly careful tn do nothino
likely to attract notice from tbe CONT
nentals.
Ezra" said David. "wo must oct bis
sword and pistols and then force him IN
go down to the campI It is the only wavn
Little Ezra trembled at the andncity NJ
this proposition, but both felt that the
case was desperate and neryed nv this thov
crept stealthily back until tIov coulJ
again look on the sleeping enemy Tbon
David, angered BY the sight of tho mnr.
Tered fowls softly stole the pistols and tho
sword away from the sleener,s side He
gave pistol to Ezra. who Immediately
got as far away from the hand which held
t as possible and kept the sword and the
,ther pistol for himself.
AT this juncture the prostrote soldier
nored, and the boys, as if pulled bv n
tring, sca1npered backward ont Of tbe
,arn. David, tripping over the sword fell
prawling down one side of the incline.
While Ezra rolled down tho other Rnt
lothing threatening followed, and after
autiously reoainino tbeir woaro,,, Ar,
cld n council of war and decided upon