Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-12-20
The DrunbeatS
OF Liberty
...By M. QUAD.
...By M. QUAD.


They had brought him home one
day, that loyal and stout hearted pa
triot, Jacob Van Brunt, with his vision
gone forever. A Hessians bullet had
blinded him, and a comrade walked
hand in hand with him and warned
him of distractions in the road
One night months later, as the blind
man slept, there was a gentle tapping
at his window, and as he opened the
sash and asked who was there a pa
triot sergeant replied:
"Hist, Jacob! l have been with oxen
and wagon for muskets, powder and
lead. l have had long pull of it, and
the oxen can go no farther, and there
is a Hessian picket on the road to the
south. We must hide the munitions
and come for them again
Ten minutes later the blind drummer
and his three daughters We're assisting
the soldiers to unload the wagon and
hide its contents in the dark and emp
ty cellar of the barn. In all haste and
yet with due caution the work was
speedily finished and the vehicle driven
back over the road, and by and by
when patrol of cavalry came trotting
that way no man saw or heard any
thing unusual.
And when the muskets had been oil
ed and the lead cast into bullets which
cleaned bright as silver there was Il
drill on the bare floor of the old barn.
With drum at his side, but the sticks
beating softly, and with Ruth, Mary
and Esther in line before him, the blind
man whisperingly commanded:
Attention, company! Right face!
Left face. Order arms! Shoulder
arms! eady-aim-recover! R-r-r-r!
Rat-tat-tatw
And there came n November day
when the snowflakes futtered down
now and then. and the skies were dark
with winters warning, and the gale
whipped the dying leaves off the apple
and pear trees and tossed their branch
es about in wild disorder. The blind
drummer was nodding in sleep in his
chair, and his daughters were in the
field searching for potato hills which
might have escaped the raiders. OF a
Slibth thC up anu pttIth
into vacancy with his sightless eyes
and listened With beating heart.
The daughters found him standing
erect, with drum at his side and sticks
in his hand, as they came running in.
AYE, they are coming, the enemy"
he said as the painting girls essayed
to speak. "They have heard of the
arms and are coming to take them
away. You, Ruth and Mary, to the
barn and bring as many muskets as
you can carry, and you, Esther, lead me
to the lane and stone wall. Forward
straightforward march!
Attention, companyw cried the drum
mer as he ceased to rattle his sticks.
Load each and every musket Let
them come half way up the lane before
you fire. Tell me, Esther, what do they
do?"
'They have halted. father, and ap-
pear surprised and confused"
"R-r-r-r! Rat-a-tat. Rat-tat-tat! They
are brave men and will come on, but
they are enemies of liberty. Aye, |
hear their tramp on the dying grass.
Steady, girls-steady! When they are
even with the wild cherry tree, fire at
them to kill. Tell me, Esther, tell me-
Bang! bang! bang, roared the three
muskets, and with pulses jumping the
blind man grasped his sticks and made
the drum rattle till the half dozen
horses down in the road reared up and
plunged and whinnied at the sounds.
Fresh muskets! Fire again! Tell
me, Esther, tell me If any of them are
DOWN.
Three, fatherv' Bang, bang! bang!
give, father-live are down now, and
one is leaning against the wall! We
have stopped them! They halt-they
waver-they give back!'
The enemy fell back, rallied and ad-
vanced for the third time. Now some
of the troops left the narrow lane and
advanced upon the 1anks Of the de-
fense. They crept along the stone
walls or skirmished across the fields,
and the firing became brisk.
"R-r-r-r! tat-tat-tatw ratified
the drum, and the drummer shouted
above the noise: "You are using but
two muskets now! What has become
Oh Rutn
"Oh, father" replied Esther, Ruth
Ruth is dead"
"Rat-a-t a-tat-tat-tatl Attention, COM
pany! Load-ready- aim-fre-recover!
Tell me, Esther, can we hold themT'
"No, father. They are in front-to
the right--to the left. l see them aim
ing at you. father! Crouch down be-
side me or you will be killed"
81 cannot sec, ! cannot shoot but |
will stand to the last. R-r-r-r! R-r-r-r!
Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat! 'Tis the drum
beats that called the minutemen to-
gether at Lexington. You are using but
one musket now. What has become of
Mary?"
Dead, father-dead as she rested her
gun barrel over the walln'
Attention, company! Only blind
man and girl, but the muskets in the
barn belong to Washington and liber-
ty, and we must die for them! Are you