Year: 1861

full Of detection and the serious eonse
quences. Having provided the rope
the mother hastened to bring up larg,
quantity Of food, which her SON begar
to devour with a nervousness tha
showed he had told no untruth. when
in the character Of q beggar. be hsC
declared himself in a state bordering or
starvation.


While he was eating. his mother
piled him with questions concerning
the army at Valley Forge. in which he
held q heutenant's commission, and
which he had left on a furlough; and
the answers Of the young soldier de-
picted state OF destitution and suffer.
ing that caused his hearer TO weep for
very sympathy. Three thousand sol.
diers had been down on the sick list al
one time, and. without the common ne
cessaries Of life, had perished by hun
dreds; while Of those capable Of do
3 ing duty. scarcely one had blanket to
cover him at night, or food enough to
keep soul and body together. Pale.
emaciated, ragged and dirty, many with
bare feet upon the frozen earth, they
walked shiVering through the camp by
day, and crowded themselves together
at night, to get what warmth they could
+ from each others bodies, the most for
lorn and wretched set Of beings that
ever a nation called to arms.


God help us!' calculated the mother,
in a detected tone. i suppose after
all our hardships. we shall be CON-
PEELED to succumb to our tyrannical
foes.'


Never cried the young officer,
while there is a thousand men left in
our country to make desperate stand.
We can only be conquered by annihila-
tion; and il it is Gods will that a ty-
rant shall rule over this broad continent.
not single true heart will live to feel
the oppression and degradation. Ere
that time. dear mother, for one shall
be beyond the reach Of earthly mon
archs.'


God bless you, WiIliamP cried the
mother enthusiastically. grasping his
hand; your fathers spirit speaks in
you. He died on the battle field with
those sentiments in his heart; and l
freely give you-my only son and
hope--to the glorious cause which his
blood and that Of thousands of others
has hallowed.'


For several days the intrepid young
officer remained concealed beneath his
mothers roof. his presence supposed to
be known only to themselves. But one
fsssssi-s- near the end of his furlough,
when he was beginning to think about
preparing for his secret departure. an
officer with six men appeared at the
door. and said he had orders to arrest
one William Ruggles. supposed to be
somewhere in the dwelling.


why, that's my sonP said the wild.
ow, in great trepidation.


so much the more likely that he
should be here then,' was the unfeeling
reply.


'And for what would you arrest him?
and what will be done with him il
found?


I'VE shall take him for spy, and, if
found guilty. he will be hung Of course.
as every cursed rebel should be. Here,
Badger and Wilcot, guard the back
door, you. Bent and Walters, begin
the search; and you, Jones and John
son, remain where you are. Sharp
now, all of you! Let the fellow be
taken alive If possible-but. alive or
dead, let him be taken. Now, good
woman, if he is in the house, Of which
we are very strongly assured, let him
appear and save yourself much trouble,
otherwise the consequences be on your
own head


If you think nv son is in the house,
search to your hearts content!' return
ed the mother, externally calm, inter-
nally suffering.


And forthwith the search began.


Meantime, the young lieutenant, who
had heard enough to comprehend his
danger, had set about affecting his es-
cape, but not altogether in the manner
first intended. He went on the roof, it
is true, and tied the long rope to the
chimney, casting one end down toward
the street, but this only for blind. He
had seen that the bricks Of the dividing
wall, between the house occupied by
his mother and one of the two adjoin-
ing buildings. had been loosely put up
under the ridge pole, and his present
design was to remove a few of these,
crowd through INTO the loft Of the other
house, and then replace them. This
purpose he effected before the soldiers
searching for him came up near enough
to hear the little noise he was COM
PEELED to make. The open trap door OF
the roof, and the rope around the Chin
ney, served to mislead them, as he had
hoped; and it was with feeling of in
tense satisfaction that he heard them
announce the manner OF his escape
Immediately after, the whole party left
in haste, first threatening Mrs. Ruggles
with subsequent vengeance, for harbor-
ing. conceaIing and conniving at the
escape Of rebel spy, even though the
man was her son.


When fully satisfied that all the sol.
diers bad gone. young Ruggles at.
tempted to return to his mothers
dwelling by the way he had left. but, in
again displacing the bricks for this pur-