Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-06
When Nancy Hart
Quilted Down

uulieQ Down
IGrace MACEDONIAN Cooke in National
Magazine.
Il was mott"
Il tell thee. l saw thee draw up thy
apron to wipe thy silly eyes. Out upon
We. Temperance Hart, for sniveling over
{, good for naught whom We shall never
wed! Nathan Alsopp marches today
with the patriot army. says you, and SO
YOU would be a-hanglng about his neck
no doubt, to bid him farewells. Daugh-
ter of mine. ye surely are not! lis thy
fathers blood in thee to weep over a
lad who is naught but mouthy fool
and will run, | warrant me, from the
redcoats so soon as lie sees EN-.
Temperance wiped her patient eyes.
IA coward he is not she muttered
But why should I care? You miscalled
father in well-nigh the selfsame words
this morning. and the whole country
side knows we'll whether my father is 4
coward
The girl rose to take up the well plen-
ished basket of food which she was car
rying to her father and the boys, hidden
as were most of the patriots of that
time and section, in The wilderness and
swamps adjoining their homes.
In was 1913, in Georgia, and this was
this redoubtable Nancy Hart for whom
Hart county is named, and whose coun-
ty seat of Nancyville points the compli-
ment.
This somewhat verbose tho undenia-
bly, courageous heroine set her hands on
her hips and volleyed after her daugh-
ter's retreating form any amount of de-
traction concerning this lover of the
girls. whose sole offepse was that he,
being something of q talker himself.
and withal a brilliant, dashing fellow,
had on more than one occasion taken
the wind out of old Nancy's sails.
The daughter went on to blow the
conch shell which lay upon a high,
nag-topped stump ut the edge of the
swamp. One soft note meant Food
two short notes, Danger one soft and
two loud, Come to the house.. There
was further code which this rude
trumpet voiced, but these three come
down to us in history.
The elder woman turned, mutteringly,
to her household duties. She was as
famous a cook and housewife as she
was a patriot. From Broad river to
Tugaloo. Nancy Harris pies and her
roast turkey were famous. Nay, she
shall never wed him." the mother reit-
Grated to the empty kitchen. I'D as
soon marry her to tcry!" This was In
the days when parents married" their
children; and Nancy Hart could not
have spoken with more emphasis had
she mentioned the Prince of Darkness
himself. since to her the terms tory,
Britisher and devil were one. Il wusht
she hadn't a-took it so meek" old
Nancy ruminated. ruth for the suffer
ings of this, her favorite child, begin
ming to work in her tough old heart. Il
wusht she'd "a spoke up to mel de-
spise a thing that qu.les down."
Something darkened the sunlight at
the cabin door, and Nancy looked up to
find a tall man in red coat, musket on
shoulder. smiling down at her. With
ell her bravery. the doughty and high
handed Nancy was a small woman. She
locked beyond his shoulder and saw the
yard full of British uniforms and tory
reighbors. "Well?" she asked with as
perity, have you come a-hunting OF
more spies?"
May, mistress. we are after pleas
enter game this time
But you did not ind your spy, last
week" old Nancy tainted them. why,
man, had you looked about you when
you came last week, instead of letting
me tell you--me, that all the country
side knows for wh;g-as how I had
ii; n CT har
the Savannah road--had ye not been
the fools to ride off at my word, We
might have traced the very hoof marks
of the horse give him to ride, goin' in
t'other direction thru the swamp! Oh,
ho-ho -ho-h o!
She burst into a great roar of laugh
ter at the blank black faces before her.
"F'ooled by a woman!" she shouted.
"Nay, never look so downcast. Why,
bless us, there's brave work for Brit
ishers and spies here. Take this old
woman out and hang her to a tree, and
you can boast of it in every tap room
in Savannah"
There was muttering among the
men to the effect that she went too far.
Keep civil tongue. mistress, groWled
the sergeant who seemed to be IN
charge of the five or six soldiers gath
cred, keep a civil tongue. or warn you
I can not answer for my men,"
Sergeant, sergeant, I'll tell you
what! Let's have no talk of hangings
and the like; do yon order Mistress
Hart for to cook us one of her famous
dinners. We be footsore and hungry.
and this is the inn which Providence
provides for us"