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[Entered according to Act of Congress,in she year 1887, by Jamas Exvarson, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.)
PHILADELPHIA, FEBRUARY 19, 1887.
N.W. corner NINTH
‘and SPRUCE Sts, TERMS: j $3.00 PER ANNUM,
[x ADVANCE,
No. 12.
“Voti.: VILL: 74" "Publisher
Washington's Birthday at Valley Forge
The Twenty-second of February was
not a legal holiday in 1778. The thirteen
United States of America had as much as
they could do, at that time, to perpetuate
the birthday of the nation, and, moreover,
it was by no means a unanimous opinion
then that George Washington would be
remembered as the “Father of His Coun-
try.” In fact, there were a good. many
greata task as that of leading his coun-
trymen to victory in their struggle for in-
dependence, and who held that some
other general ought to be appointed to
command the army.. There were a good
many more—and not a few of these were
numbered among the well-to-do farmers
of the neighboring conntry around the
fwinter quarters.of the army at Valley
_Forge—who looked on him as nothing
“better than a rebel, engaged in carrying
on a wicked war against his lawful king.
grandfather, and the old gentleman was
giving loud expression to his views upon
the subject, as he leaned back in his
comfortable arm-chair beside the blazing
hearth and sipped a mug of spiced cider
with one of his neighbors who had just
dropped in.
It was a cold, lowering afternoon in
Febrnary, and the neighbor, as he stamp-
ed off the snow from his feet and came
into the farmhouse kitchen, had made the
remark that it looked as if they were go-
ing to get another snow-storm.
‘Lhe conversation had very soon turned
on the state of the country, and old Mr.
Barlow became indignant, as usual, over
the doings of the “rebels,” as he called
them. .
It was well known that the camp at
Valley Forge was very poorly furnished
with provisions, and the commander-in-
chief had issued an order requiring all
persons who had breadstuffs in store to
open their granaries and supply the
troops. “. .
_ The Tory farmers, however, refused to
furnish the needed supplies, and neither
offers of payment nor threats could in-
duce them to obey the order. But only
those among the people whose loyalty
could be trusted were aware of the state
of actual starvation to which the patriot
army was reduced. : :
“T's enough to turn a man’s hair gray,”
said old Mr. Barlow, whose own hair,
what little he had left, was. nearly as
white as the snow which lay in. drifts
around his door, “to see tne way things
are going on in this distracted land. If I
wasn’t'a God-fearing man, it would al-
most make me use strong language, to
. think of that impudent trooper, riding up
to my door and ordering me, in the name
of General Washington, to give up my
good wheat and rye to feed a parcel of
vagabond rebels.’ I'll set fire to the barns
and burn ’em all down to the ground be-
fore I'll do it.”
“Wal, I dunno,” said the neighbor,
who was a Tory, also, but not quite so
violent, or perhaps not so fearless, as
Grandfather Barlow. ‘Ishould hate to
in’ down the barns,
I’ve understood that
Gin’ral Washington agreed to see the
folks paid for everything he takes.”
“General Washington !”snorted Grand-
father Barlow. ‘Pretty kind of a gen-
eral heis! If I could set eyes on him,
I'd give him a piece of my mind, and tell
let my grain go, but I dunno about burn- | him just what I think of him, too—train-
ing ’round the country with his good-for-
nothing rogues, enticing men to go and
fight against our good King George!”
These irate remarks were not all agree-
able to Nat—otherwise Nathan—Barlow,
who had been out to feed the stock, and
had ushered in the visitor, and who now
stood warming his hands before the huge