Newspaper Page Text
December 29, 1909. THE PRESBYTERIA
legionary, Bannester Tarleton, the fiercest and most
unscrupulous of all the British commanders in the
South, but her voice did not tremble, and she looked
the formidable partisan bravely in the face as she an
swerea:
"My father is not in the house."
Then ensued a dialogue in which Polly showed considerable
strategy in evading the literal truth, and in
not committing herself to falsehood. She could not
Detray ner tatner, ana yet Folly felt it would be
wrong to tell an untruth.
"If the captain is not at home, where is he, then?"
questioned Tarleton.
"I can not tell."
"You mean you will not tell," said Tarleton, rattling
his saber in its sheath. "But did your father tro
lip or down?"
"I think he went down," replied Polly, satisfying
her conscience with the mental qualification that he
could not have gone up.
" 'Tis as I feared," said the British leader. "We
have been anticipated, and the bird has flown. But
we may yet overtake the rebel. So, on, men, on !"
And the haughty Tarleton put spurs to his horse
and galloped out of the door-yard followed by all his
troop, their sabers rattling and clattering as they disappeared.
After the British had been gone sufficiently long,
Captain Eager was helped out of his hiding place, and
the family sat down to their Christmas dinner which,
though a little belated, was none the less enjoyable.
They had hardly finished their repast when there was
another clattering of sabers and smashing of hoof in
the door-yard, and a voice_ called for Captain Eager.
"It's Marion himself," said the captain, as a small,
wlrv mnn -.? 11 ?J A ~ x 1 J - -
mail uioniUUllLCU dllU WdlRCU lip tO IflC QOOI".
"Yes, it's the Swamp Fox," admitted the new comer.
"We are after Tarleton and his men, and we thought
you would like to help us."
And while the captain was having his horse saddled,
Mrs. Eager and Polly brought out the rest of the
Christmas cheer for the hungry patriots to eat in their
saddles.
"General," said Captain Eager, "if it hadn't been for
Polly there, I shouldn't be here ready to ride with you.
I should be yonder handing on one of those trees."
and he related briefly how his little girl had probably
saved his life by her thoughtfulness and bravery.
"Polly, you are a heroine, a brave little Christmas
heroine, declared the famous leader, stooping to kiss
the brown little face. "If America is ever free she will
owe it to our women."
Today in a South Carolina mansion there is preserved
the sampler which Polly worked on the day she
turned the tables on the redoubtable Tarleton and
tllfl T7 1 1 1
p i kja, auu ii is an iicinoom prized
indeed as a memento of the patriotism and heroism of
a little girl who lived and acted well her part in the
times that tried men's souls.?The Advance.
If we urge men to enthrone Christ in their hearts,
we must ourselves believe in his universal triumph.
t yt
N OF THE SOUTH n
ANIMAL FRIENDSHIPS.
Friendship is not uncommon among the representatives
of different species. In the New York Central
Park Zoo, a big Polar bear and his distant cousin, a
grizzly, were confined in the same pit, but it was
considered expedient to separate them by a strong
partition of bars. Both were full-errown. huskv sne
/ J ~~ t?
cimens of their breed, and had they ever come together
with intent to kill, it is probable that the entire
force of keepers could not have separated them.
One day, a small boy threw a paper box, containing
some sugared popcorn, into the grizzly's side of the
pit. It fell close to the partition, and, in trying to
shove it away with his muzzle, the grizzly clumsily
pushed it into a ho1r? inc* ?
_ ? juci uuuti me jjcii iiiion Dars.
The greater part of the hole was on the Polar bear's
side of the house, and he could have easily pushed
out the box, but he seated himself on his haunches
and watched his neighbor trying to get his big paw
down the opening of the hole. It proved too small,
and the box was too deep down./ At last the grizzly
gave it up, and sat ruefully regarding his lost treas
lire.
Suddenly the Polar bear rose to the occasion. He
waddled over to the hole on his side, rolled over on
his side, thrust his paw down, and shoved the box
up into the grizzly's yard.
Ever after that the two giants were good friends.
The Polar bear would often stretch himself out beside
the partition on a hot day and poke his long, slim
muzzle in between the bars. Grizzly would drop
down, too, and shove his snout against his friend's,
and thus they would sleep for hours, grunting their
dreams into each other's ears.
A PRETTY DOG STORY.
Here is a pretty dog story, which is also quite true.
During one of the last birthday celebrations of the
poet Whittier, he was visited by a celebrated singer.
The lady was asked to sing, and seating herself at
the piano, she began the beautiful ballad of "Robin
Adair." She had hardly begun before Mr. Whittier's
pet dog came into the room, and, seating himself
by her side, watched her as though fascinated, listening
with delight unusual in an animal
had finished, he came and put his paw very gently into
her hand, and licked her cheek. "Robin takes that as
a tribute to himself," said Mr. Whittier. "He also is
'Robin Adair.'"
The dog, hearing his own name, evidently considered
that he was the hero of the song. From
that moment, during the lady's visit, he was her devoted
attendant. He kept by her side while she was
! 1 ?
muoors, ana wnen she went away he carried her
satchel in his mouth to the gate, and watched her
departure with every evidence of distress.?"Scottish
American."
Little Dottie, aged three, while eating a piece of
?- ?- - ?? - -
...iw uiuidascs tanuy, uu ncr tongue. Un being-asked
her trouble, she exclaimed, "Why, my teeth stepped on
the end of my tongue."?Boston Journal.