LAFAYETTE'S VISIT
The May sun streamed warmly into the big square chamber where Ruth
slept, and she awoke to the song of birds, and the fragrance of
blossoming lilacs.
For a few moments she lay quite still, looking wonderingly about the
room. It seemed a "shining" room to Ruth, with its whitewashed walls,
and its smooth polished floor, and only a chest of drawers, a
light-stand and a rush-bottomed chair for furniture.
She got up and dressed slowly, wondering if her mother missed her very
much, and if Hero would go scratching and whining to her door in search
of his little mistress. Aunt Deborah's house was much larger than the
little brick house which was Ruth's home in Philadelphia, and as Ruth
came slowly down the wide stairs she thought what a fine house it would
be for little girls to live in; there seemed so much room and so little
furniture.
Aunt Deborah lived alone, but the Withely farm adjoined hers, and Farmer
Withely took care of her farm and stock.
"Good-morning, Ruth," said Aunt Deborah with her sunny smile, as her
little niece came into the big kitchen to find breakfast awaiting her.
"I trust thy pleasure in being here is as great as mine in having thee.
And I have great news for thee. Thy dear father came over from Valley
Forge a week ago, and was sorry enough to find thee not here. And he had
great tidings for me. He says that France has now joined with America in
the war against England, and Washington hopes for great aid from so
powerful an ally."
"Oh, Aunt Deborah! Won't my father come again?" responded Ruth. "May I
not go to Valley Forge to see him?"
"It may be that he will come again," Aunt Deborah replied thoughtfully.
"And who knows but he may come with Lafayette! For General Washington is
sending scouting parties about the country to discover the plans of the
English. So any day we may see the troops of either army come marching
up the road."
Ruth was almost too excited to eat her breakfast after listening to
Aunt Deborah's news, and even the sight of the pink lustre cup from
which Lafayette had drunk seemed of little consequence. If English
soldiers came marching that way Ruth knew well that their purpose would
be to capture American scouting parties, and she became more eager than
ever to go to Valley Forge, and again asked Aunt Deborah if she could
not go. But Aunt Deborah promptly responded that such a visit was
impossible.
"Tis a ride of over ten miles, and a ford to cross," she said. "Farmer
Withely has no spare time at present to take thee; besides that, General
Washington does not care for visitors."
Ruth looked so disappointed that Aunt Deborah added: "And who knows what
day Lafayette may ride this way again? It may even be this very morning!
Take thy doll and walk to the church; from there thou canst see both
ways. If the English redcoats come along the river road thee must hasten
back and tell me, so that we may start some one off at once to warn our
American soldiers."
"Might I go?" asked Ruth.
"How could a small girl like thee cross the Schuylkill?" questioned
Aunt Deborah. "'Tis most likely I should have to go myself."
Ruth now felt that she could really be of use if she kept watch from the
top of Barren Hill, and she ran through the garden, and climbed up the
rough slope to the little square church, from whose steps she could
watch the quiet road which curved along by the woods to the riverside.
She thought of Hero, and wished it had been possible to bring him with
her. "Just for company," she whispered to herself, for she began to feel
that she was a long way from home.
"Unless Father or Lafayette comes to-day I must go to Valley Forge
to-morrow," she resolved.
But the day passed without a sign of any advancing troops, and at
supper-time Ruth was so quiet and sober that Aunt Deborah began to fear
that her little niece was homesick, and tried to amuse her by telling
her of a tame squirrel who lived in the wood-shed and had made friends
with a family of kittens. But the little girl did not seem interested;
she wanted to know if the water was very deep at Matson's ford, and how
long it would take to walk to Valley Forge; until Aunt Deborah wondered
if Ruth really thought such a journey possible for a little girl. She
recalled the visit Ruth had made to the English General in order to
rescue Hero, and said to herself that she was sure Ruth would not again
undertake any plan without asking permission.
"I'll wait until to-morrow," Ruth resolved, as she went to bed that
night. "I mustn't wait any longer," and comforted by that resolution she
was soon fast asleep.
She awoke before daylight, to find Aunt Deborah standing beside the bed.
"Get up, my dear child. Lose no time. General Lafayette is below, and I
am preparing his breakfast," she said.
"Oh, Aunt Deborah!" exclaimed Ruth, sure that this was a dream from
which she would soon awake.
"Hasten, child, if thou wouldst see him," and Aunt Deborah, candle in
hand, disappeared from the shadowy room.
Ruth dressed more quickly than ever before, but she did not neglect to
brush her hair neatly, but not until she opened the kitchen door did she
realize that the strings to her stout leather shoes were unfastened.
It was broad daylight now, and the morning sunshine was all about the
Marquis de Lafayette as he looked up with a smiling nod to the little
girl who stood gazing at him from the doorway.
"If thee please, sir, this is my niece, Ruth Pennell, who has long
cherished the hope of seeing thee," said Aunt Deborah.
The young Frenchman rose from his seat, and bowed as ceremoniously as if
Lady Washington herself stood before him.
Ruth could think only of her thick shoes and the wandering strings, as
she endeavored to make a proper curtsy.
Lafayette was in the uniform of an American officer, and two American
soldiers were on guard at the open door. The little party had ridden
over from Valley Forge under cover of the night to discover a
camping-ground for a body of troops which Lafayette was soon to lead
toward Philadelphia, for Washington had discovered that Sir Henry
Clinton had orders to evacuate the city.
"Will you not share my breakfast, Mistress Ruth?" asked the young
Frenchman, drawing one of the high-backed wooden chairs to the table
beside his own.
"The child will indeed be honored," replied Aunt Deborah, and almost
before Ruth could realize the great honor in store for her she found
herself seated at the table. She looked up to find Lafayette smiling at
her shy word of thanks.
What a wonderful breakfast for any little girl to have to remember. Ruth
wished with all her heart that Winifred and Gilbert could see her.
"I have a small daughter of my own in France," said the kind young
Frenchman, "and I hear that your father is at Valley Forge."
"Yes, sir," responded Ruth faintly, wondering to herself why she did not
at once tell him what she had heard the English officers at Southwark
say of General Howe's intention to capture him.
"Well, very soon he will be safe at home," continued Lafayette. And now
Ruth resolved to speak.
"If you please, sir----" she began, but at that moment Lafayette sprang
to his feet, and with a word of thanks to Aunt Deborah for her
hospitality, and a smiling nod to Ruth, he started toward the door,
saying:
"I have indeed lingered too long. I must lose no time in getting back to
camp."
But now Ruth was out of her chair in a second; she was no longer in awe
of the young Frenchman.
"I must tell you. I heard two Englishmen say you were to be captured and
taken to England," she declared eagerly, running along by his side.
The young man smiled down at the eager, half frightened child.
"Ah, well, _ma chere_, they have been saying that for a long time," he
responded lightly, "but thou art a kind little maid to warn me; and I
assure thee I will remember it," and with a word of farewell he hurried
across the garden, mounted his horse, and in a few moments had vanished
behind the thick growing trees.
Aunt Deborah and Ruth stood on the garden path listening until they
could no longer hear the sound of the horses' feet on the hard country
road. Then Aunt Deborah smiled at Ruth.
"Thee should be a happy girl now, I am sure," she said, "and thee did
right to tell him what his enemies threaten. Perhaps that was one reason
thee was so anxious to visit Valley Forge?"
"Oh, yes, Aunt Deborah! If he had not come I should have had to run away
so he might surely be warned," Ruth responded.
"I would have taken the message myself had need been," said Aunt
Deborah; "but thee sees that he already knew of their wicked plan. He
did but smile at such a threat."
A few days after this visit there was great excitement on Barren Hill. A
troop of American soldiers, the very flower of Washington's army,
commanded by Lafayette, were in camp on the hill. Farmers were bringing
buckets of milk and freshly baked bread for the soldiers' breakfast, and
Ruth could see and hear the bustle of the camps.
At first Mistress Farleigh and Ruth had hoped that Ruth's father might
be one of the company, but as the day passed and he did not appear at
the stone house they became sure that he was still at Valley Forge.
Mistress Farleigh had told Ruth not to go to the summit of the hill
where the troops were camped.
"Thee may walk toward the river, or in the paths at the edge of the
wood," Aunt Deborah had said, adding that she wished Hero were at
Barren Hill. "Then thee could go wherever thee pleased."
But that day Ruth was content to play with Cecilia in the pleasant
garden, hoping until long after sunset that her father might appear.
Neither Aunt Deborah nor Ruth slept well that night, and both were up
very early in the morning. After their simple breakfast Aunt Deborah
busied herself with bread making, that she might send hot corn bread to
the American soldiers.
"And wilt thou not run over to Farmer Withely's and ask Mistress Withely
for the loan of a covered basket of good size, Ruth," she suggested, and
Ruth willingly obeyed. The Withely farmhouse was at the further side of
a broad field, and hidden by a small grove of pine trees. It was a
pleasant walk in the early morning, and as Ruth ran along she could see
that the American troops were harnessing their horses, and that it was
evident some movement was at hand.
"Oh! Perhaps I shall never see Lafayette again, and I did not help him
after all," she thought.
And now another and more startling sound came to Ruth's ears. Along the
Ridge road she could hear the sound of horses' feet and the rattle of
musketry.
"Perhaps it is more American soldiers coming," thought the little girl.
But she felt vaguely troubled, as she went slowly on. She had just
entered the little woodland path which led to Farmer Withely's when she
saw a glimmer of a red coat in the underbrush.
Ruth stopped, and crouched low behind a small tree. She heard low
voices, and in a moment a laughing voice said:
"We have the fine Frenchman just where we want him. He is preparing his
men to receive Howe's soldiers on the Ridge road, but he does not dream
that General Grant with seven thousand troops is coming up in his rear.
General Howe has invited a dinner party to meet Lafayette to-night in
Philadelphia."
"'Tis a fine thing to get the Frenchman," came the low response; "we'd
better move farther up the hill now."
For a moment Ruth hesitated, hardly realizing the importance of what she
had overheard. Then she turned and ran toward the American encampment,
where she could see troops of soldiers already moving forward toward
the Ridge road.
"Oh I suppose I do not get there in time to tell him that there is an
English army coming behind him," she thought.
Once she stumbled and fell over an unseen root; but at last breathless
and tired she found herself facing a number of American soldiers, one of
whom called out:
"Run home, child; you are in danger here."
"Lafayette! Lafayette!" she called wildly. "Tell him there are thousands
of English soldiers coming up the road behind his army. The road from
Swedes Ford," called Ruth.
Almost before Ruth finished speaking one of the soldiers had turned his
horse and galloped away to find his commander, and tell him of this
unexpected enemy. Ruth turned and hurried home. She had entirely
forgotten about her errand to Farmer Withely's.