Elsie on the Hudson Part 3

"Who owns this house now?" asked the boy, turning to the woman.

"The State of New York," she answered. "It used to belong to the Hasbrouck family, but the State bought it to keep as a relic of the Revolution."

"I am glad they did," said Lucilla. "I think everything that Washington ever used should be kept in memory of him."

"Yes, indeed," a.s.sented the woman. Then, leading the way, "And we have a cabinet here of relics of the Revolution which I am sure will interest you."

All were much interested in what she showed them, especially in some muskets, of which she said, "They are some of those bought in France by Lafayette, with his own money, and presented to his own favorite corps of light infantry."

"Oh, that makes them very interesting!" exclaimed Lucilla, her cheeks flushing and her eyes sparkling.

Sydney said inquiringly, "Lady Washington was here with her husband, was she not?"

"Oh, yes," was the reply; "in the summer of 1783; and as she was fond of gardening she had some flower beds out in the grounds."

"That was about at the end of the war," said Sydney.

"Yes," said the captain, "and it was in this old house that Washington wrote his address to the officers of whom we were speaking a while ago, and a circular letter addressed to the Governors of all the States on disbanding the army. They were admirable doc.u.ments.

"A good many of the troops went home on furlough, and then Washington, having leisure for it, went up the Hudson with Governor Clinton to visit the princ.i.p.al battlefields of the North--Stillwater, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point; also to Fort Schuyler, on the Mohawk.

"He returned here, after an absence of nineteen days, to find a letter from the President of Congress asking him to attend upon that body, then in session at Princeton, N. J. He did so, after waiting a little for the recovery of his wife, who was not well. And while waiting he had, out yonder upon the lawn, an affecting final parting with many of his subalterns and soldiers. That took place upon the day he left to answer the call of Congress."

"Did he return here, captain?" asked Evelyn.

"No; he made his headquarters at West Point for a few days in November, and from there went down to New York City and took possession of it on its evacuation by the British."

Our party pa.s.sed out upon the porch again, feasted their eyes upon the beauties of the landscape for a few moments; then, having generously remunerated the woman for her services, returned to the yacht.

Again seated upon the deck, they chatted among themselves, their talk running for the most part upon the scenes through which they were pa.s.sing and the Revolutionary events connected with them.

The captain pointed out New Windsor, as they pa.s.sed it, with the remark that it was where Washington established his headquarters on the 23d of June, 1779, and again near the close of 1780, remaining till the summer of 1781.

"Oh, can you paint out the house, father?" exclaimed Lucilla.

"No," he replied; "it was a plain Dutch building, long since decayed and demolished."

"Did not Washington go from New Windsor to Peekskill?" asked Grandma Elsie.

"Yes," said the captain. "Oh, yonder is Plum Point also, and of that I have a little story to tell. There, at the foot of that steep bank, there was, in the times we have been talking of, a redoubt with a battery of fourteen guns designed to cover strong _chevaux-de-frise_ and other obstructions placed in the river. A little above that battery, and long before it was made, a loghouse used to stand. It belonged to a Scotchman named M'Evers. When thinking of emigrating to America, he asked his servant Mike if he would go with him. Mike, being much attached to him, replied, 'Indeed, gude mon, I'll follow ye to the gates o' h.e.l.l if ye gang there yersel.' So they came over. The ocean could not be crossed so rapidly in those days as in ours, and their voyage was long and tempestuous. Then the vessel, instead of entering New York Harbor by the Narrows, sailed through Long Island Sound and the East River. At the whirlpool called h.e.l.lgate the ship struck upon the Hog's Back with a terrible crash. The frightened pa.s.sengers--none of them more frightened than Mike--rushed upon the deck. 'What place is it?' he asked. 'h.e.l.lgate,' answered a sailor.

'G.o.d ha' mercy on me!' groaned Mike; 'I promised my master I'd follow him to the gates o' h.e.l.l, but I didna say I'd gang through with him.'

However, the vessel floated off with the tide, carried its pa.s.sengers safely into the city, and Mike lived to be a gardener on Plum Point."

"Is that a real, true story, papa?" asked Elsie.

"I think so," he said.

"I suppose," said Grandma Elsie, "some--perhaps all--of you have heard an anecdote in connection with that dining room of the Hasbrouck House--published in the New York _Mirror_ for 1834?"

Several voices answered in the negative and urged her to go on and tell it, which she did. "During the Revolution," she said, "a Frenchman named Marbois was secretary of that legation here. Shortly before Lafayette's death he, with the American minister and several of his countrymen, was invited to dine at the house of Marbois. At the supper hour the guests were shown into a room which presented a strange contrast to the elegance of the apartments in which they had spent the evening. There were numerous small doors; one uncurtained small window; a low boarded, painted ceiling with large beams; all together giving it very much the appearance of the kitchen of a Dutch or Belgian farmhouse; and on the table was a repast quite in keeping with the appearance of the room. There was a large dish of meat, uncouth-looking pastry, and wine in bottles and decanters, accompanied by gla.s.ses and silver mugs such as seemed but ill-suited to the habits and tastes of modern Paris. 'Do you know where we now are?' the host asked, addressing Lafayette and the other guests. They were too much surprised to answer for a moment. They knew they had somewhere seen something like it before--but where? 'Ah! the seven doors and one window!' Lafayette exclaimed presently; 'and the silver camp-goblets, such as the marshals of France used in my youth. We are at Washington's headquarters on the Hudson, fifty years ago.'"

"A great deal must have happened in this region during the Revolution," remarked Mrs. Leland. "Haven't you another little story for us, mother?"

"Yes; I was just thinking that the taking of a spy occurred not far from here. At the time that Washington's headquarters were at Newburgh, Generals Greene and Knox had theirs in a house on the New Windsor Road about three miles west from Plum Point; and about a mile farther west was the house of Mrs. Falls. There Governor Clinton had his headquarters. He and his brother were in command of Forts Clinton and Montgomery, among the Hudson Highlands, when the British succeeded in taking them in spite of the desperate defence of the American patriots. It was then General Clinton established his headquarters at the house of Mrs. Falls and collected his dispersed troops preparatory to marching to the defence of Kingston. About noon on the 10th of October a horseman came riding up into the camp in great haste. The sentinel challenged him.

"He replied, 'I am a friend and wish to see General Clinton.'

"The man was a Tory, bearing a message from Sir Henry Clinton to Burgoyne, who was at that time hedged up in Saratoga. This messenger supposed the American forces on the Hudson to be utterly broken and destroyed; and, as the British never gave our officers their t.i.tles in speaking of or to them, he thought General Clinton must belong to the British Army, so believed himself among his friends.

"He was taken to Clinton's quarters, and when he was ushered into that officer's presence he perceived his mistake. 'I am lost!' he exclaimed to himself in a low but audible tone, and hastily taking something from his pocket, swallowed it, evidently with some difficulty. This aroused the suspicions of those about him; a physician was summoned, and gave the prisoner a powerful dose of tartar emetic."

"Why, grandma, what a foolish fellow he was to take it!" exclaimed Eric Leland.

"I think it was administered surrept.i.tiously," she replied, "in a gla.s.s of wine or beer probably, without letting him know their suspicions or intentions. I have been giving you Lossing's version of the affair, but years ago I read another, going rather more into detail. It said the patriots did not let the Tory know their suspicions of him, but, acting as if they thought him all right, invited him to eat with them, and secretly put the tartar emetic in the drink furnished him at the meal; that he grew very sick after drinking it, left the table, and went out of doors. They watched him secretly and saw that after getting rid of what he had eaten he covered it with some chips. When he had gone back to his companions at the table some of them went out, sc.r.a.ped away the chips, and found the silver bullet. Lossing says he (the Tory) succeeded in swallowing it a second time and refused to take another emetic until Governor Clinton threatened to hang him upon a tree and have his stomach searched with a surgeon's knife. At that he yielded, and the bullet presently again appeared.

"It was a curiously wrought, hollow sphere, with a compound screw in the centre; inside of it was a note from Sir Henry Clinton to General Burgoyne, written from Fort Montgomery, telling of their success, and expressing the hope that it might facilitate his (Burgoyne's) operations.

"This made the guilt of the prisoner very clear. He was not allowed to escape, and when, soon afterward, Governor Clinton marched with his troops to the help of the people of Esopus, or Kingston, he took the spy with him; and at Hurley, a few miles from Kingston, they tried, condemned the spy, and hung him on an apple tree near the old church.

The British had reached Kingston first, and it was then in flames."

"Oh, what a dreadful thing war is!" sighed Grace. "So many people are killed, and so many others robbed of everything but life."

"It is, indeed, an awful thing," a.s.sented Grandma Elsie. "May we of this land never again know anything of its horrors by experience."

CHAPTER III.

The next day was Sunday. There were several churches within easy walking distance, and Evelyn and her guests all attended the morning services. Toward evening they held a little Bible service of their own on the porch, overlooking the beautiful river. Captain Raymond was, as usual, the leader, being the oldest gentleman and the unanimous choice of those who were to take part.

He selected the third chapter of Proverbs, and had them read it verse about; then made a few remarks.

"'In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.'

That is a precious promise," he said; "one to plead and to rest joyfully upon in time of doubt and perplexity such as come to all of us. Thus leaning upon G.o.d and his promises, we may be free from care and anxiety; content with our lot in life, because he appoints it.

'G.o.dliness with contentment is great gain.' Lucilla, can you tell us of a Bible saint who had learned this lesson?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, turning over the leaves of her Bible as she spoke. "Here in Phillipians, fourth chapter and eleventh verse, Paul says, 'I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.'"

"Yes; and he teaches the same to those he addresses in his other epistles. I see you have a pa.s.sage ready, mother. Will you please read it to us?"

"Yes," Grandma Elsie said in reply; "here in Hebrews thirteenth chapter and fifth verse, he says, 'Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'"

Then Violet read, "'But G.o.dliness with contentment is great gain; for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.'"

"A Christian may well be content and joyful, even though he have but the bare necessaries of life," remarked Grandma Elsie, "for he may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'"

"No," said Mr. Leland, "those who belong to Jesus need fear nothing; for he will never forsake his own, and he has all power in heaven and in earth."