Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-02

village out of reach of guns and cam
mons. murderous Indians and starvation.
But there was one difficulty. MIR. DodR-
son had left behind him Uncle Tommy.
his Older brother. who was too old TO en-
dure night journey, and was safe from
the Indians because he was peculiar,
or, as we would call his trouble today,
he was a trlfie ''off his head"
He. however, blandly refused to be left
behind. proposed. with one servant in
the farmhouse. He had a great terror
of being Scalped; there.pre il was decided
that he should be placed on a farm was-
on. between two feather mattresses. with
few light pots and pans scattered over
the top of them. The remainder Of tha
party were to occupy the cross-seats be-
fore and behind.
AS soon the next morning breakfast
was eaten and the house placed in charge
of an old servant who volunteered TO re-
main behind, the wagon was brought
around To the door and Uncle Tommy
placed in position between the mattresses
AN uncomfortable place, to he sure but
safe one as long as he kept still. When
all was ready the old farm horses started
off with their odd wagon lead for the
British lines that invested the town.
Those i'm the wagon were Aunt Polly,
sagacious old lady. whose fertile brain
had evolved the feather-mattress plan.
and five little girls, her nieces. Aunt
Polly had obtained the password from
the British officer in command. and as
smoothly.
The wagon reached the lines and as
Uncle Tommy had been quiet all seemed
secure.
Halt" cried the sentinel. "No wagon
nor team permitted through the lines
without the word for the day
Aunt Polly was about In give the word
when TO her dismay. Uncle Tommy. from
beneath the mattress. squeaked out in "A
high voice England and glory. Polly
yln i,rir inst
Aunt Polly was without power To move.
Then. with sudden sweep Of her arm.
she knocked all the children off the seats
on to the feather mattress and told them.
under her breath, to go Ia lighting.
They did. Shrieks. laughter and the noise
of rafting pots and pans drowned Uncle
Tommy's calls. and Aunt Polly said calm
ly. Yes. Jane, that's the w"rd-'Ensland
and glory The sentinel had 10 accept
this: but he demonstrated.
II thought | heard a mans voice in the
wagon. madam. crying the word.
No answered brave Aunt Polly: that
was only Jane. here; she has very mas
culine voice" And she drove calmly by
the sentinel. and off down the road.
She had saved Uncle Tommy.
When the wagon reached Ten Mile
creek near the American boundary. Aunt
Polly drove il down the valley to A place
where many other fleeing. families had
camped. Here stood some large -four
mills which had been seized by A detach-
ment of British foragers. These men
started to drive away all the cattle col
lected there and to burn down the flour
mills.
But here again Aunt Polly's sagacity
came to their rescue. She pleaded with
the officer asking what all those little
children would do If the -four was burned
and the cattle driven Off: they would
simply starve. This made some impress
sion on the officer. and Aunt Polly seized
the favorable moment To propose that tine
soldiers. instead. set fire 10 the mills but
that she and the others he allowed 40
carry off as many barrels as they could
before il became too hot and dangerous
To this the British acquiesced But aunt
Polly did not wait until the mills were
fired; she ordered al the children, both
her own Dieces and the children of the
other families near to follow her. and
the mill was stormed. Barrel after bar
rel was rolled 10 the door and was turn-
bled out on the grass, where dozen
youngsters rolled them away to safety.
AS for the father, Mr.. Dodgson, and
his brother and sons. who had started out
at midnis mt. they had a long and weary
tramp through the woods. lasting days
and had il not been for the slice Of bread
that Jamie had saved they would never
have reached Niagara