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Show - c I I The Tory ; Valley Forge i ! By GILBERT PATTEN ERCTC'N j from tho ' CHRISTIAN HERALD l C JT WAS a cold day in February in thy year of grace 177S. and the patriot army lay in winter quarters quar-ters at Valley Forgo:. The bleak winus that swept across Cedar Hollow Hol-low were tearing through the huts oi the freezing soldiers. Down near the Potts mansion is seen an old man slowly making his way toward the outpost out-post of Washington's guard. "Who comes here?" asked the picket. "Peter Davis," was the reply, "and I want to see Mr. George Washington, the rebel chief," continued the aged peasant. If you, reader, will now approach the scene, I will introduce to you a Torv, an Englishman by birth, a strong defender of the king, and a spy for Lord Howe's army while they are en-joving en-joving the festivities of gay Philadelphia. Philadel-phia. His two sons are soldiers in the Continental army, and the old man has come to ask permission of Washington Wash-ington to visit them as they are now freezing at Valley Forge. Soon a tall man comes upon the scene. The Tory trembles. It is General Gen-eral Washington, who has come to greet the old man and to hear his pitiful story. "What is your mission, my dear man?" asked the patriot chief, as he looked with love into the face of the stranger. "Well, Mr. Washington, you see it is like this: you're a rebel and I dm a Tory; but I want to see my two boys." "Come in and get warm, sir,, and 1 will try to find them," replied the distinguished dis-tinguished Virginian. Soon General Washington summons to his headquarters the adjutant general gen-eral of the Continental army. "General," said he, "this man is Mr. Davis, a farmer and a Tory; but even the rights of a Tory must be respected by the army of the Thirteen Colonies. You will find among the enrolled men James and John Davis; Pm9 MMi It Is General Washinaton. and if they are well, dispatch them to my headquarters." At this juncture, the countersign is given at the door, and there enters the spacious room Rev. Israel Evans, chaplain of the New York brigade. "Good morning, chaplain," said Washington. "Good morning, general," was his reply. "On this, your forty-sixth birthday, birth-day, I bring to you the greetings of Chancellor Livingston, and here's a box of dainties with the compliments of Mrs. Livingston." "May heaven bless them!" replied the glad recipient. "So, general, this is your birthday; forty-six years? I am nearly twice Tour age," slowly remarked the Tory; "and I fear God has forgotten me long ago." The care-worn features of the general gen-eral and the peaceful face of the chaplain chap-lain seemed deeply to affect the aged man. A moment of silence prevails, when the old man bursts into tears. "Let us pray," said the army chap-Iain. chap-Iain. "Will you not kneel with the r;eneral and myself. Mr. Davis?" asked the reverend gentleman. The stranger fell to his knees, and a prayer went forth that Peter Davis should no longer remain a Tory or an enemy to human justice. Feter Davis went homo a changed man that afternoon. He no longer acted act-ed as a spy for Lord Howe's army. The Davis farmhouse was at the service serv-ice of the Continentals during the remainder re-mainder of their stay at Valley Forge. He lived to see the independence of the Colonies, and many times during the evening of his life, he thanked his Maker that to his heart there came courage to visit General Washington , among the huts of the Continental ' army during the darkest days of war waged against British despotism. |