The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-02-21

w Westmoreland County il
the Old-fashioned farm
house on the Potomac, where he wal
born. You have all seen pictures %
this house. with its low, slanting roo
and its two huge chimneys, one al
each end. outside the house. n was
burned down when Washington Wa.
about four years old; and the family
then removed to a farm on the Rap.
pahannock. opposite Fredericksburg
in Stafford County.
A. this latter place young Wash
ingtOn received the rudimonts OF cdu-
cation al an old field school-hOusc,
humble enough I'm It's pretcnsiOns,
and kept by one OF his fathers ten
ants, named Hobby, who was also the
sexton Of the parish The instruc-
tion dOI"d out 90 him was of The
simplest kind reading, writing and
ciphering. and, later ON, suryeyHg;
but this was supplemented by excel
lent training at home
On the broad meadows Of the Rap.
pahannock, near by his homo, Wash
ington gave the first exhibition Of his
martial inclinaNons The boys at
Master IlObby'5 school were divided
into two military companies; and th"
rivalry between thom was sustained
by many a parade sham fight and
SNOWFALL battles and snoW-ior.
Fiogos one OF these spirited con-
tests took place ou p pod Of Fohru-
AIRY. and thc account has cnm. down
pretty straight, and presents au OK
citing picture of That old time
u was the February OF 1742, and
Washington was eleven years old.
The day was damp and stormy, with
plenty of snow; and the two sides
had II out on the meadows. or
course. Washington was the leader
on one side, and a boy named VIII
liam Bustle commanded the rival
troop. The mimic battle terminated
I'm Washington favor. the other side
being so completely pummelled that
we do not hear anything more OF
the claims Of William Bustlc. ~~">
When Washington was sixteen, he
gave Hp going TO school and became
n surveyor This took him out into
all sorts OF dangers and risks. His
sixteenth birthday he passed i'm the
wilds OF Western Virginia whore he
was Surveying n vast tract Of land
for its owner. Lord Fairfax. He had
now fairly entered upon the stern
,f Ut "a A.
the rude camp, the brilliant frelight
under the trees, and the cool winds
blowing down from the hills, rs
young Washington ate his late supper
on the 22d of February, 17tS, in
the wilderness Of the great Kanawha
Valley
His next birthday he spent at
Mount Vernon. where he had gone to
live with his brother Lawrence. He
was then a tall, fine looking follow,
with manly ways, and Had had his
first love affair-a sort of boy and
girl attachment with Anne Carey, his
"Iowland beauty" On February %,
1852, George and his brother Law
renee were ON their way home from
n trip to Barbados, whittier they
had gone i'm the hope of finding
health for the master OF Mount Ncr-
non, who the same year died at his
beautiful home, which was afterward
20 be mseparahly associated with the
younger brother.
About this time Governor Dinwid-
die, of Virginia, commissioned Wash
ington as an officer in the army; and
he was sent the next year as a COM
missioner TO a French fort, claimed
20 have been built rs a hostile demon
stration on English lands. He was
absent about three months on his
mission. which ne accomplished with
tact and Judgment But the war
cloud spread in a broader and darker
shadow. and February %, 1854, saw
George Washington at Alexandria
collecting military supplies for use
in the impending conflict In that
war Washington received his first
baptism of fire. and is said 60 have
fired the drst shot that ushered I'm
the old French War
Washington birthday In 1856
was spent in the Northern States, he
being ON mission To Governor Shir-
ley, OF Massachusetts, at Boston. He
was absent from February TO March
IS. and the whole journey was made
on horseback ~ his next anniyer-
gdry we find him laying papers be
fore the Earl of Loudon. with the
object of having The Nirgiuiau troops.