Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-10-04
A Story Of the
New Republic
By EDWARD T. STEWART

independence of the United States was
established. My regiment had been
disbanded, and | was on my way to
my home in Pennsylvania. | had nei-
ther horse nor money for travelling pur.
poses and got on as best could. Sc
curing a lift here and using river cur
rents there, till l reached a point not
dozen miles from home. There !
found friend. who got out his coach
and started me on the last relay be-
tween Yorktown and my fathers es-
tate. for was sick and weary and
could 30 no farther.
| started shortly before dark and
had made half the distance when the
coach came to a sudden stop, and a
voice at the window cried out:
Your money or your ife.''
Money have none," replied, b.,
my watch is at your disposal"
Taking from my pocket a timepie.e
that my father had given me and to
whose fob hung a dainty locket con-
tanning a miniature likeness of my
mother, l handed it to the robber, who
without another word made off. uis
horses hoofs beating the road, the
sounds dying away in the distance.
| had seen nothing of him through
the darkness, and all had heard was
his demand for plunder. By this
judged that he was very young or that
his voice was pitched in high key for
man, since it had none of that grufT-
ness to be expected in a robber. In
deed, there was a shrinking in it that
would have led me to fight for my pos
sessions had been armed.
| was long while after reachilA
home in recovering from the exposure
| had so long endured in the war Of
independence and several wounds Civ
en- me by the redcoats. but at last | re
gained my strength and took sufficient
interest i'll what was going on about
ME to ask after certain friends | had
ieft when had Joined the army. it
was then that learned what my coun-
try had endured during the long war.
There was little left to eat or to wear,
and many farmers had been reduced
to pitiab!e condition.
such times are prolific of crime, and
| was told that same persons of re-
spectability had been reduced to get
ting living in any way they could.
some resorting to robbery, while others
had been obliged to pilfer. This led
me to think Of the youngster who had
robbed me Of my watch on the road
One Of the first visits made after
had regained my strength was to the
Leslies. had fancy that if any
families pulled through the hard times
they would be among the lot, for they
were rich in lands. But found that
the more land a person had during the
Revolution the poorer he was left, for
the land was not productive. and the
taxes On it. being badly needed by the
state. were vigorously collected.
found Mrs. Leslie at home with htr
younger children. Her husband and
Oldest son had gone down in the war.
Her daughter Madge, who. to tell the
truth, l wished especially to see. was
not at home. When asked the moth
er where she was the poor woman
stammered out several contradictory
statements, by which | knew the girl
had met with mishap. / shuddered.
because | knew that great were the
dangers to young girls in times of war
But now that our people had got rid
OF king who must needs appropriate
all our gains to himself we began to
pluck up spirit and start in for recov-
cry My father in order to help the
courage of the others. decided to give
a ball. to which he invited the country
gentry. There were some who had no
fit clothes in which to appear on such
an occasion, but they all came in what
they had. Most of the women prepared
their own costumes out of old stores.
and but few wore gems.
On the afternoon before the ball
was told that Madge Leslie had re-
turned to her home, and | saw to it
that she received a special invitation.
though this was not necessary since
no well bred person would be so rude
as to leave out any member of a fam
lily in an invitation. When l had gone
to the war several years before. Madge
was girl of sixteen. and wondered
how she would now appear.
When Mrs. Leslie was announced by
the servant at the door of the ballroom
she was accompanied by tall girl who
was dressed in more fnery than any
other woman present. soon learned
that she was Madge Leslie. and Won
dered how. since her family had be-
come so impoverished. she had been
able to deck herself out so splendidly
l approached her and was about to ask
her to dance when another man engag-
ed her. AS she danced | noticed that
an ornament suspended to her neck by
a gold chain bobbed up and down on
her bosom.
AS soon as she was disengaged |
joined her and saw near by the orna-
ment had noticed. 1t was duplicate