On the day he was able to put on his clothes, it poured down rain and work in the fields was impossible. A sense of delicious joy filled him. He worked because he had to, not because he liked it. He was too proud to shirk, too brave to cry when every nerve and muscle of his little body ached with mortal weariness, but he hated it.
The sun rose bright and warm and shone clear in the Southern sky next morning before he was called. He climbed down the ladder from his loft2 wondering what marvellous thing had happened that he should be sleeping with the sun already high in the heavens.
"What's the matter, Ma?" he asked anxiously. "Why didn't you call me?"
"It's too wet to plow3. Your father's going to chop wood in the clearing. He wanted you to pile brush after him, but I asked him to let you off to go fishing for me."
He ate breakfast with his heart beating a tattoo4, rushed into the garden, dug a gourd5 full of worms, drew his long cane6 rod from the eaves of the cabin, and with old Boney trotting7 at his heels was soon on his way to a deep pool in the bend of the creek8.
Fishing for her! His mother understood. He wondered why he had ever been fool enough to disobey her that Sunday. He could die for her without a moment's hesitation9.
It was glorious to have this marvellous day of spring all his own. The birds were singing on every field and hedge. The trees flashed their polished new leaves. The sweet languor10 of the South was in the air and he drew it in with deep breaths that sent the joy of life tingling11 through every vein12.
Four joyous13 hours flew on tireless wings. He had caught five catfish14 and a big eel—more than enough for a good meal for the whole family.
He held them up proudly. How his mother's eyes would sparkle! He could see Sarah's admiring gaze and hear his father's good-natured approval.
He had just struck the path for home when the forlorn figure of a rough bearded man came limping to meet him.
He stepped aside in the grass to let him pass. But the man stopped and gazed at the fish.
"My, my, Sonny, but you've got a fine string there!" he exclaimed.
"Pretty good for one day," the Boy proudly answered.
"An' just ter think I ain't had nothin' ter eat in 'most two days."
"Don't you live nowhere?" the youngster asked in surprise.
"I used ter have a home afore the war, but my folks thought I wuz dead an' moved away. I'm tryin' ter find 'em. Hit's a hard job with a Britisher's bullet still a-pinchin' me in the leg."
"Did you fight with General Washington?"
"Lordy, no, I ain't that old, ef I do look like a scarecrow. No, I fit under Old Hickory at New Orleans. I tell ye, Sonny, them Britishers burnt out Washington fur us but we give 'em a taste o' fire at New Orleans they ain't goin' ter fergit."
"Did we lick 'em good?"
"Boy, ye ain't never heard tell er sich a scrimmage—we thrashed 'em till they warn't no fight in 'em, an' they scrambled15 back aboard them ships an' skeddaddled home. Britishers can't fight nohow. We've licked 'em twice an' we kin1 lick 'em agin. But the old soldier that does the fightin'—everybody fergits him!"
The Boy looked longingly16 at his string of fish for a moment with the pride of his heart, and then held up his treasure.
"You can have my fish if ye want 'em; they'll make you a nice supper."
The old soldier stroked the tangled17 hair and took his string of fish.
"You're a fine boy! I won't fergit you, Sonny!"
The words comforted him until he neared the house. And then a sense of bitter loss welled up in spite of all.
"Did I do right, Ma?" he asked wistfully.
She placed her hand on his forehead:
"Yes—I'm proud of you. I know what that gift cost a boy's heart. It was big because it was all you had and the pride of your soul was in it."
The sense of loss was gone and he was rich and happy again.
When the supper was over and they sat before the flickering18 firelight he asked her a question over which his mind had puzzled since he left the old soldier.
"Why is it," he said thoughtfully, "British soldiers can't fight?"
The mother smiled:
"Who said they couldn't fight?"
"The old soldier I gave my fish to. He said we just made hash out o' them. We've licked 'em twice and we can do it again!"
The last sentence he didn't quote. He gave it as a personal opinion based on established facts.
"We didn't win because the British couldn't fight," the mother gravely responded.
"Then why?" he persisted.
"The Lord was good to us."
"How?"
The question came with an accent of indignation. Sometimes he couldn't help getting cross with his mother when she began to give the Lord credit for everything. If the Lord did it all why should he give his string of fish to an old soldier!
The grey eyes looked into his with wistful tenderness. She had been shocked once before by the fear that there was something in this child's eternal why that would keep him out of the church. The one deep desire of her heart was that he should be good.
"Would you like to hear," she began softly, "something about the Revolution which my old school teacher told me in Virginia?"
"Yes, tell me!" he answered eagerly.
"He said that we could never have won our independence but for God. We didn't win because British soldiers couldn't fight. We held out for ten years because we outran them. We ran quicker, covered more ground, got further into the woods and stayed there longer than any fighters the British had ever met before. That's why we got the best of them. Our men who fought and ran away lived to fight another day. General Washington was always great in retreat. He never fought unless he was ready and could choose his own field. He waited until his enemies were in snug19 quarters drinking and gambling20, and then on a dark night, so dark and cold that some of his own men would freeze to death, he pushed across a river, fell on them, cut them to pieces and retreated.
"The number of men he commanded was so small he could not face his foes21 in the open if he could avoid it. His men were poorly armed, poorly drilled, half-clothed and half-starved at times. The British troops were the best drilled and finest fighting men of the world in their day, armed with good guns, well fed, well clothed, and well paid."
She paused and smiled at the memory of her teacher's narrative22.
"What do you suppose happened on one of our battlefields?"
"I dunno—what?"
"When the Red-coats charged, our boys ran at the first crack of a gun. They ran so well that they all got away except one little fellow who had a game leg. He stumbled and fell in a hole. A big British soldier raised a musket23 to brain him. The little fellow looked up and cried: 'All right. Kill away, ding ye—ye won't get much!'
"The Britisher laughed, picked him up, brushed his clothes and told him to go home."
The Boy laughed again and again.
"He was a spunky one anyhow, wasn't he?"
"Yes," the mother nodded, "that's why the Red-coat let him go. And we never could have endured if God hadn't inspired one man to hold fast when other hearts had failed."
"And who was he?" the Boy broke in.
"General Washington. At Valley Forge our cause was lost but for him. Our men were not paid. They could get no clothes, they were freezing and starving. They quit and went home in hundreds and gave up in despair. And then, Boy——"
Her voice dropped to a tense whisper:
"General Washington fell on his knees and prayed until he saw the shining face of God and got his answer. Next day he called his ragged24, hungry men together and said:
"'Soldiers, though all my armies desert, the war shall go on. If I must, I'll gather my faithful followers25 in Virginia, retreat to the mountains and fight until our country is free!'
"His words cheered the despairing men and they stood by him. We were saved at last because help came in time. Lord Cornwallis had laid the South in ashes, and camped at Yorktown, his army of veterans laden26 with spoils. He was only waiting for the transports from New York to take his victorious27 men North, join the army there and end the war, and then——"
She drew a deep breath and her eyes sparkled:
"And then, Boy, it happened—the miracle! Into the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, three big ships dropped anchor at the mouth of the York River. Our people on the shore thought they were the transports and that the end had come. But the ships were too far away to make out their flags, and so they sent swift couriers across the Peninsula, to see if there were any signs in the roadstead at Hampton. There—Glory to God! lay a great fleet flying the flag of France. The French had loaned us twenty millions of dollars, and sent their navy and their army to help us. Had the Lord sent down a host from the sky we couldn't have been more surprised. They landed, joined with General Washington's ragged men, and closed in on Cornwallis. Surprised and trapped he surrendered and we won.
"But there never was a year before that, my Boy, that we were strong enough to resist the British army had the mother country sent a real general here to command her troops."
"Why didn't she?" the Boy interrupted.
Again the mother's voice dropped low:
"Because God wouldn't let her—that's the only reason. If Lord Clive had ever landed on our shores, Washington might now be sleeping in a traitor's grave."
The voice again became soft and dreamy—almost inaudible.
"And he didn't come?" the Boy whispered.
"No. On the day he was to sail he put the papers in his pocket, went into his room, locked the door and blew his own brains out. This is God's country, my son. He gave us freedom. He has great plans for us."
The fire flickered28 low and the Boy's eyes glowed with a strange intensity29.
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1
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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plow
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| n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough | |
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tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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gourd
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| n.葫芦 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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7
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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8
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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9
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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10
languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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11
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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13
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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14
catfish
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| n.鲶鱼 | |
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15
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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16
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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17
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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18
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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19
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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21
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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22
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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23
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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24
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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27
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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28
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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