Flying the kite is a pleasant amusement for boys, and when we see the
kites flying high in the air, we are always reminded of a kite whose
history we heard when a little child, and which we give our readers.
Shortly after the close of the Revolutionary war, there was a little boy
whose parents had left their home and friends in England on account of
their sympathy with the struggle of freedom for their rights in America.
Their first home was in Norfolk, Va.
This little boy was very much delighted with the American eagle, and he
determined to make a kite as much like his favorite bird as he could. He
had a friend who was a painter and gilder, and a person of great
ingenuity. Together they contrived a beautiful kite, representing an
eagle of gigantic size. It was painted and gilded in the most beautiful
manner, and a small but very brilliant lantern was attached to it just
below the breast.
They kept their secret very carefully, never suffering any one to enter
the room while it was making.
On a dark, cloudy, windy night, the kite was flown. Its mechanism was so
perfect that it sailed very beautifully. The lantern illuminated every
part, and it made a very brilliant appearance. Crowds of people thronged
the streets, wondering what the strange visitor was. Some were alarmed,
and thought it was an omen of fearful events.
Great was their admiration when they discovered that the wonderful bird
was the ingenious contrivance of a little boy; and they could scarcely
be convinced that what looked so much like a real bird was only an
ingenious combination of sticks and painted paper.