During the American War of Independence, a governor of one of the colonies found himself in great danger of being captured by British soldiers.
The governor, whose name was Griswold, contrived to reach the house of a relative, and, while there, was informed that the soldiers had found out his place of refuge, and were then on their way to seize him.
Griswold, at once realizing his peril, determined, if possible, to reach a small river, where he had left a boat so hidden by the foliage that it could not be seen from the road.
In great haste, he left the house and proceeded towards the river. Passing through an orchard, he saw a young girl, about twelve years old, who was watching some pieces of linen cloth, which were stretched out on the grass for the purpose of bleaching.
She started up when she saw a man leaping over the fence; but soon recognized him as her cousin. "Oh, it is you, cousin?" exclaimed Hetty, for that was her name; "you frightened me. Where are you going? ""Hetty, " he replied, "the soldiers are seeking for me, and I shall lose my life, unless I can reach the boat before they come.
I want you to run down towards the shore and meet them. They will surely ask for me; and then you must tell them that I have gone up the road to catch the mail cart, and they will turn off the other way. ""But, cousin, how can I say so?-it would not be true. Oh, why did you tell me which way you were going? " " Would you betray me, Hetty, and see me put to death? Hark ! they are coming. I hear the clink of their horses" feet. Tell them I have gone up the road, and Heaven will bless you. ""Those who speak false words will never be happy, " said Hetty. " But they shall never compel me to tell which way you go, even if they kill me; so run as fast as you can. " " I am afraid it is too late to run, Hetty. Where can I hide myself? ""Be quick, cousin. Get down and lie under this cloth; I shall throw it over you and go on sprinkling the linen. " "I"ll do it, for it is my last chance. "He was soon concealed under the heavy folds of the long cloth. A few minutes afterwards, a party of cavalry dashed along the road. An officer saw the girl, and called out to her in a loud voice, "Have you seen a man run this way?" "Yes, sir, " replied Hetty. "Which way did he go?" "I promised not to tell, sir. ""But you must tell me this instant, or it will be worse for you. " "I"ll not tell, for I must keep my word. ""Let me question her, for I think I know the child, " said a man who was guide to the party. " Is your name Hetty Marvin?" "Yes, sir. " " Perhaps the man who ran past you wasyour cousin? " " Yes, sir, he was. " "Well we wish to speak with him. What did he say to you when he came by?" "He told me that he had to run to save his life. " "Just so-that was quite true. I hope he will not have far to run. Where was he going to hide himself? ""My cousin said that he would go to the river to find a boat, and he wanted me to tell the men in search of him that he had gone the other way to meet the mail cart. ""You are a good girl, Hetty, and we know you speak the truth. What did your cousin say when he heard that you would not tell a lie to save his life? ""He asked if I would betray him and see him put to death?" "And you said you would not tell, if you were killed for it. Those were brave words, and I suppose he thanked you and ran down the road as fast as he could. " "I promised not to tell which way he went, sir. " "Oh ! yes, I forgot; but tell me his last words, and I"ll not trouble you any more. " He said, "I"ll do it, for it is my last chance. "Hetty was now oppressed with great fear; she sobbed aloud, and hid her face in her apron. The soldiers thought they had obtained all the information she could give, and rode off towards the river side.
No sooner had they ridden away than Griswold"s friends, who had been watching their movements from the house, signalled the boatman to put out to sea. By the time the soldiers reached the shore, the boat was far out. This caused them to conclude that Griswold had escaped.
After lying quiet until the evening, Griswold signalled the boat to return. He reached it without being seen, and by this means made his escape.
In better days, when the war was over and peace declared, he named one of his daughters Hetty Marvin that he might daily think of the brave young cousin whose sense and truth speaking had saved his life.
Author.-Anonymous.
General.-Where is the scene laid? What would be the date? Why did the Americans want independence? Who are the two principal characters? What others are there? What was Hetty"s strongest excellence? With what emotion had this to struggle? Recall other stories of people who put truth first. Do all these stories end happily. Is it worth while? Why?
