The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-05-02
SPIRIT OF WASHINGTON
Continued From First Page.

and Secretary, Col. Varick 1t delights
my soul to gaze upon that face. Who
SO appropriately could have bid me
welcome to this house?" And, with
an involuntary motion. the figure ex-
ended it's right arm as if to shake
hands with it's old friend; but it
turned away, and in the next moment
I saw that tall form, hat in band, and
with head reverently bowed before
portrait on the other side of the hall
Silently moved away; the portrait
was that of Martha Washington. In
few minutes | heard voice beside
me:
"Come, SIR" he said, we must not
tarry; l would investigate these
rooms, and there is so much to see, so
much that is familiar, so many things
which seem as if they had been pres
emit to ME yesterday, that am bewil-
dered, sir, and crave your guidance.
Feeling that I must conduct my
companion to those objects which
would naturally be of greatest inter
est to him without trying to show
him everything in the house, I con-
Quoted him to the dining room, and
Immediately pointed out to him the
actual Commission under which he
had taken command of the American
army. l moved quickly and spoke in
a low tone. I believe that if anyone
had been awake in the house our
voices would have sounded but as the
whispering of the wind.
My companion stood close to the
framed document and leaning
slightly forward he read every word
of it from beginning to end, and as
he did so I could see a CLEAN of plea
sure stealing over his countenance
generally SO sedate. When he had
finished reading he turned to me:
"No one can ever know, sir" he
said, the proud satisfaction with
which I received that document.
have never been in the habit of ex-
pressing my emotions in an exuberant
manner, but my heart swelled within
me at the honorable distinction which
that Commission conferred upon
me-
From this moment the manner of
my companion greatly changed. He
seemed so agreeably impressed by the
objects about him that he entirely
lost that air of reserve and gravity
which must have been his general
outward characteristic. and spoke
with me pleasantly, almost familiar
ly, as if had been friend who had
been dining with him.
81 do not we'll remember this
room" said my companion; cit was
one of those retained by Mistress
Ford" remarked that it was the
original dining room of the house.
eyes," was the reply; "but not
mine, but it reminds me of Mrs.
Thomson, good Mrs. Thomson, who
presided over my housekeeping de-
partment. Is there portrait of her,
sir, in this house, I should be glad
to look upon her face again.
I was obliged TO say that 1 did not
think there was any such portrait
on the premises.
'She was an honorable woman. o.
rare discretion. l remember an Incl
dent connected with her which made
an impression on me at the time of
it's occurrence. It was period, sir,
when provisions were very scarce
with US, not only in our army, but
even here in Headquarters, and one
day Mrs. Thomson came to me and
informed me that she had moth
ing to cook for our meals but the
ordinary rations. I told her that
she must then cook the rations,
for l had no money to give her
with which to purchase more sa-
worry articles of food. She then asked |
me if she might have an order for six
bushels Of salt, and on my inquiring
her reason for such an unusual re-
she told me that she wished
to use it in preserving some fresh
beef. One Of my aids was empowered |
to give her the order and l thought
no more of the incident. But the next |
day my table was bountifully provid-
cd with an abundance of palatable
dishes, and when perceived this, /
Immediately sent for Mrs Thomson
and told her that she had done very
wrong in expanding her own money
for these provisions of such excellent
quality; that 1 already owed her
amount and could not
afford to increase the debt There
upon she confessed to me that she had
not spent her own money, but that
she3 had Besorted to subterfuge,
which she thought excusable i'll order
to obtain six bushels of salt, which,
being now very scarce and selling at
eight dollars bushel. she had been
able to exchange with the country
people ON very advantageous terms,
for the various articles of food we
needed. Her sagacious mind had in
formed her that under the circum-
stances salt would be as useful as a
circulating medium as silver or