第40章 The Twenty-Second of February(2)

It would have been very successful if,all of a sudden,one of the rowers had not "caught a crab"with disastrous consequences.The oars were not moving,but a veteran,who looked very much like Joe,dropped the one he held,and in trying to turn and pummel the black-eyed warrior behind him,he tumbled off his seat,upsetting two other men,and pulling the painted boat upon them as they lay kicking in the cambric deep.Shouts of laughter greeted this mishap,but George Washington never stirred.Grasping the banner,he stood firm when all else went down in the general wreck,and the icy waves engulfed his gallant crew,leaving him erect amid a chaos of wildly tossing boots,entangled oars,and red-faced victims.Such god-like dignity could not fail to impress the frivolous crowd of laughers,and the curtain fell amid a round of applause for him alone.

"Quite exciting,wasn't it?Didn't know Gus had so much presence of mind,"said Mr.Burton,well pleased with his boy.

"If we did not know that Washington died in his bed,December 14,1799,I should fear that we'd seen the last of him in that shipwreck,"laughed an old gentleman,proud of his memory for dates.

Much confusion reigned behind the scenes;Ralph was heard scolding,and Joe set everyone off again by explaining,audibly,that Grif tickled him,and he couldn't stand it.A pretty,old-fashioned picture of the "Daughters of Liberty"followed,for the girls were determined to do honor to the brave and patient women who so nobly bore their part in the struggle,yet are usually forgotten when those days are celebrated.The damsels were charming in the big caps,flowered gowns,and high-heeled shoes of their great-grandmothers,as they sat about a spider-legged table talking over the tax,and pledging themselves to drink no more tea till it was taken off.Molly was on her feet proposing,"Liberty forever,and down with all tyrants,"to judge from her flashing eyes as she held her egg-shell cup aloft,while the others lifted theirs to drink the toast,and Merry,as hostess,sat with her hand on an antique teapot,labelled "Sage,"ready to fill again when the patriotic ladies were ready for a second "dish."This was much applauded,and the curtain went up again,for the proud parents enjoyed seeing their pretty girls in the faded finery of a hundred years ago.The band played "Auld Lang Syne,"as a gentle hint that our fore-mothers should be remembered as well as the fore-fathers.

It was evident that something very martial was to follow,for a great tramping,clashing,and flying about took place behind the scenes while the tea-party was going on.After some delay,"The Surrender of Cornwallis"was presented in the most superb manner,as you can believe when I tell you that the stage was actually lined with a glittering array of Washington and his generals,Lafayette,Kosciusko,Rochambeau and the rest,all in astonishing uniforms,with swords which were evidently the pride of their lives.Fife and drum struck up a march,and in came Cornwallis,much cast down but full of manly resignation,as he surrendered his sword,and stood aside with averted eyes while his army marched past,piling their arms at the hero's feet.

This scene was the delight of the boys,for the rifles of Company Fhad been secured,and at least a dozen soldiers kept filing in and out in British uniform till Washington's august legs were hidden by the heaps of arms rattled down before him.The martial music,the steady tramp,and the patriotic memories awakened,caused this scene to be enthusiastically encored,and the boys would have gone on marching till midnight if Ralph had not peremptorily ordered down the curtain and cleared the stage for the next tableau.

This had been artfully slipped in between two brilliant ones,to show that the Father of his Country had to pay a high price for his glory.The darkened stage represented what seemed to be a camp in a snow-storm,and a very forlorn camp,too;for on "the cold,cold ground"(a reckless display of cotton batting)lay ragged soldiers,sleeping without blankets,their worn-out boots turned up pathetically,and no sign of food or fire to be seen.A very shabby sentinel,with feet bound in bloody cloths,and his face as pale as chalk could make it,gnawed a dry crust as he kept his watch in the wintry night.

A tent at the back of the stage showed a solitary figure sitting on a log of wood,poring over the map spread upon his knee,by the light of one candle stuck in a bottle.There could be no doubt who this was,for the buff-and-blue coat,the legs,the nose,the attitude,all betrayed the great George laboring to save his country,in spite of privations,discouragements,and dangers which would have daunted any other man.

"Valley Forge,"said someone,and the room was very still as old and young looked silently at this little picture of a great and noble struggle in one of its dark hours.The crust,the wounded feet,the rags,the snow,the loneliness,the indomitable courage and endurance of these men touched the hearts of all,for the mimic scene grew real for a moment;and,when a child's voice broke the silence,asking pitifully,"Oh,mamma,was it truly as dreadful as that?"a general outburst answered,as if everyone wanted to cheer up the brave fellows and bid them fight on,for victory was surely coming.

In the next scene it did come,and "Washington at Trenton"was prettily done.An arch of flowers crossed the stage,with the motto,"The Defender of the Mothers will be the Preserver of the Daughters";and,as the hero with his generals advanced on one side,a troop of girls,in old-fashioned muslin frocks,came to scatter flowers before him,singing the song of long ago.