The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-07

And would you do less of your duty because I am your wife, Major Dun woodie?" asked Frances.
 Henry is safe anyway said Dun. woodie. "Harper will save him even if l capture him. but l will show the world a bridegroom who is not afraid to arrest the brother of his bride."
 But now Frances broke down. "I can- not enter into such a relation with a fraud upon my souli' she cried. Then she confessed that she knew-no matter how-that time was all important and that she had been trying to detain her lover until the clock was on the stroke Of nine.
 "Time enough" said Dunwoode 1.-Two hours will take me through the hills. and tomorrow 1 shall return with Henry to enliven our wedding feast with Wash ingtons pardon for him in my pocket.
 A clergyman was called in and, just as the clock struck nine Peyton Dun woodie and Frances Wharton were pro- nounced man and wife. Kissing his bride the young officer ran to mount his horse. But before his foot touched the stirrup an orderly from headquarters dashed up and handed him a note. It was an order from Washington ordering him to imme- dlate duty at Croton Heights, and adding; "The escape of the spy has been reported | to me, but his capture Is unimportant compared with the duty I now assign | you"
 So there was a merry wedding party, after all. and a few days later Harvey | Birch placed his charge safely on board | of a British man-o'-wa lying off fonk- | CTS.
 Poor Lawton rode away with Dun | woodie and found his longed-for fighting | at last. But when it was over he did not l ride back on his black charger Roanoke, for ha low field l and beauty
 ,,ome time later Harvey Birch, at the headquarters of the American army in !. | New Jersey town stood before a stately | and noble man. It was the stranger | whom the family at The Locusts had known as MT Harper. But the world l knows him as George Washington. ! George Washington was looking at the l spy with appreciation and regard, for l Harvey Birch, while pretending to be 1 royalist spy, had in reality been a spy l in the personal service of Washington d secret known to those two only.
 The movement at Yorktown was about to be made and Washington, having no | further need for the spy in the north, where alone he was useful, now proposed | to pay him for his work. But Birch re- l fused sternly to touch the offered money, | and the two patriots separated with feel- ings of mutual admiration and respect. The war over and the country free. | Peyton Dunwoodie and his wife lived hap | billy to a good old age on their Virginia | plantation Captain Wharton resigned
 from the British army at the close of tho
 struggle and settled down with wife as
 an American citizen.
 In the war of 1872 an old, old man again
 went about as a peddler and did good
 service as a spy for the Americans on the
 Canadian frontier. One day, when bat | tle was poined near him, he threw away
 his peddler's pack, seized musket from
 a fallen soldier and rushed into the fight.
 After the battle they found the old man
 lying there dead, with smile on his lips,
 and in little packet next to his heart
 was a letter from Washington addressed
 to Harvey Birch, and certifying to the
 virtues of "a faithful and unrequitted
 servant of his country"