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Christmas In 1776 · The Children's Book of Christmas Stories

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  Speaker 1: Story number twenty eight of the Children's Book of Christmas Stories.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Alisa mc caslin, July
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  Speaker 1: two thousand, twelve. Children's Book of Christmas Stories by various artists.
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  Speaker 1: Christmas in seventeen seventy six by Anne Hollingsworth Wharton. On
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  Speaker 1: Christmas Day in seventy six, our gallant troops with bayonets
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  Speaker 1: fixed to Trenton marched away children. Have any of you
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  Speaker 1: ever thought of what little people like you were doing
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  Speaker 1: in this country more than a hundred years ago, when
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  Speaker 1: the cruel tide of war swept over its bosom from
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  Speaker 1: many homes. The fathers were absent, fighting bravely for the
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  Speaker 1: liberty which we now enjoy, while the mothers, no less
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  Speaker 1: valiantly struggled against hardships and discomforts in order to keep
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  Speaker 1: a home for their children, whom you only know as
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  Speaker 1: your great grandfathers and great grandmothers, dignified gentlemen and beautiful
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  Speaker 1: ladies whose painted portraits hang upon the walls in some
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  Speaker 1: of your homes. Merry, romping children they were in those
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  Speaker 1: far off times. Yet their bright faces must have looked
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  Speaker 1: grave sometimes when they heard the grown people talk of
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  Speaker 1: the great things that were happening around them. Some of
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  Speaker 1: these little people never forgot the wonderful events of which
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  Speaker 1: they heard, and afterward related them to their children and grandchildren,
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  Speaker 1: which accounts for some of the interesting stories which you
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  Speaker 1: may still hear if you are good children. The Christmas
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  Speaker 1: story that I have to tell you is about a
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  Speaker 1: boy and a girl who lived in Bordentown, New Jersey.
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  Speaker 1: The father of these children was a soldier in General
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  Speaker 1: Washington's army, which was encamped a few miles north of
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  Speaker 1: Trenton on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. Bordentown,
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  Speaker 1: as you can see by looking on your map, if
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  Speaker 1: you have not hidden them all away for the holidays,
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  Speaker 1: is about seven miles south of Trenton, where fifteen hundred
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  Speaker 1: Hessians and a troop of British light horse were holding
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  Speaker 1: the town. Thus you see that the British in force
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  Speaker 1: were between Washington's army and Bordentown, besides which there were
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  Speaker 1: some British and Hessian troops in the very town. All
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  Speaker 1: this seriously interfered with Captain Tracy's going home to eat
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  Speaker 1: his Christmas dinner with his wife and children. Kitty and
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  Speaker 1: Harry Tracy, who had not lived long enough to see
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  Speaker 1: many wars, could not imagine such a thing as Christmas
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  Speaker 1: without their father, and had busied themselves for weeks in
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  Speaker 1: making everything ready to have a merry time with him. Kitty,
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  Speaker 1: who loved to play quite as much as any frolicsome
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  Speaker 1: kitty of to day, had spent all her spare time
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  Speaker 1: in knitting a pair of thick woolen stockings, which seems
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  Speaker 1: a wonderful feat for a little girl only eight years
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  Speaker 1: old to perform. Can you not see her sitting by
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  Speaker 1: the great chain place, filled with its roaring, crackling logs,
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  Speaker 1: in her quaint short waisted dress, knitting away steadily and
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  Speaker 1: puckering up her rosy dimpled face over the strange twists
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  Speaker 1: and turns of that old stocking. I can see her,
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  Speaker 1: and I can also hear her sweet voice as she
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  Speaker 1: chatters away to her mother about how surprised Papa will
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  Speaker 1: be to find that his little girl can knit like
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  Speaker 1: a grown up woman. While Harry spreads out on the
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  Speaker 1: hearth a goodly store of shell barks that he has
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  Speaker 1: gathered and is keeping for his share of the surprise.
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  Speaker 1: What if he shouldn't come, asked Harry. Suddenly, Oh, he'll come.
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  Speaker 1: Papa never stays away on Christmas, says Kitty, looking up
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  Speaker 1: into her mother's face for an echo to her words. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: she sees something very like tears in her mother's eyes. Oh, Mamma,
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  Speaker 1: don't you think he'll come. He will come if he
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  Speaker 1: possibly can, said missus Tracy. And if he cannot, we
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  Speaker 1: will keep Christmas. Whenever dear Papa does come home, it
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  Speaker 1: won't be half so nice, said Kitty. Nothing so nice
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  Speaker 1: as really Christmas. And and how's Chris Kringle going to
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  Speaker 1: know about it? If we change the day, we'll let
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  Speaker 1: him come just the same. And if he brings anything
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  Speaker 1: for Papa, we can put it away for him. This
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  Speaker 1: plan still seemed a poor one to miss Kitty, who
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  Speaker 1: went to her bed in a sober mood that night
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  Speaker 1: and was heard telling her dear Dolly Martha Washington, that
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  Speaker 1: wars were misable and that when she married she should
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  Speaker 1: have a man who kept a candy shop for a husband,
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  Speaker 1: and not a soldier. No, Martha, not even if he's
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  Speaker 1: as nice as Papa. As Martha made no objection to
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  Speaker 1: this little arrangement, being an obedient child, they were both
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  Speaker 1: soon fast asleep. The days of that cold winter of
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  Speaker 1: seventeen seventy six wore on, so cold it was that
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  Speaker 1: the suffering of the soldiers were great, their bleeding feet
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  Speaker 1: often leaving marks on the pure white snow over which
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  Speaker 1: they are arched. As Christmas drew near, there was a
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  Speaker 1: feeling among the patriots that some blow was about to
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  Speaker 1: be struck. But what it was and from whence they
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  Speaker 1: knew not, And better than all the British had no
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  Speaker 1: idea that any strong blow could come from Washington's army,
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  Speaker 1: Weak and out of heart as they thought. After being
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  Speaker 1: chased through Jersey for Cornwallace, Missus Tracy looked anxiously each
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  Speaker 1: day for news of the husband and father, only a
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  Speaker 1: few miles away, yet so separated by the river and
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  Speaker 1: the enemy's troops that they seemed like a hundred Christmas
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  Speaker 1: Eve came, but brought with it few rejoicings. The hearts
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  Speaker 1: of the people were too sad to be taken up
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  Speaker 1: with merrymaking. Although the Hessian soldier in the town good
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  Speaker 1: natured Germans, who only fought to the Americans because they
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  Speaker 1: were paid for it, gave themselves up to the feasting
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  Speaker 1: and revelry. Shall we hang up our stockings, asked Kitty
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  Speaker 1: in rather a doleful voice. Yes, said her mother. En
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  Speaker 1: o'claus won't forget you. I am sure, although he has
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  Speaker 1: been kept pretty busy looking after the soldiers this winter.
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  Speaker 1: Which side is he on, asked Harry. The right side,
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  Speaker 1: of course, said Missus Tracy, which was the most sensible
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  Speaker 1: answer she could possibly have given. So the stockings were
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  Speaker 1: hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint
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  Speaker 1: Nicholas soon would be there. Two little rosy faces lay
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  Speaker 1: fast asleep upon the pillow when the good old Soul
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  Speaker 1: came dashing over the roof about one o'clock, and after
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  Speaker 1: filling each stocking with red apples and leaving a cornicopie
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  Speaker 1: of sugar plums for each child, he turned for a
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  Speaker 1: moment to look at the sleeping faces, for Saint Nicholas
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  Speaker 1: has a tender spot in his great big heart for
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  Speaker 1: a soldier's children. Then, remembering many other small folks waiting
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  Speaker 1: for him all over the land, he sprang up the
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  Speaker 1: chimney and was away in a trice. Santa Claus, in
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  Speaker 1: the form of Missus Tracy's farmer brother, brought her a
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  Speaker 1: splendid turkey, but because the Hessians were uncommonly fond of turkey,
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  Speaker 1: it came hidden under a load of wood. Harry was
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  Speaker 1: very fond of turkey too, as well as of all
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  Speaker 1: other good things. But when his mother said, it's such
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  Speaker 1: a fine bird, it seems too bad to eat it
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  Speaker 1: without father, Harry cried out, yes, keep it for Papa,
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  Speaker 1: and Kitty joining in the chorus. The vote was unanimous,
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  Speaker 1: and the turkey was hung away to await the return
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  Speaker 1: of the good Soldier. Although it seemed strange as Kitty
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  Speaker 1: told Martha Washington to have no Papa and no turkey
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  Speaker 1: on Christmas Day, the day passed and night came cold,
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  Speaker 1: with a steady fall of rain and sleet. Kitty prayed
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  Speaker 1: that her dear Papa might not be out in the storm,
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  Speaker 1: and that he might come home and wear his beautiful
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  Speaker 1: blue stockings and eat his turkey, said Harry's sleepy voice,
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  Speaker 1: after which they were soon in the land of dreams.
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  Speaker 1: Toward morning, the good people in Bordentown were suddenly aroused
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  Speaker 1: by firing in the distance, which became more and more
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  Speaker 1: distinct as the day wore on. There was great excitement
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  Speaker 1: in the town. Men and women gathered together in little
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  Speaker 1: groups in the streets to wonder what it was all about,
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  Speaker 1: and neighbors came dropping into Missus Tracy's parlor all day long,
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  Speaker 1: one after the other, to say what they thought of
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  Speaker 1: the firing. In the evening, there came a body of
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  Speaker 1: Hessians flying into the town to say that General Washington
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  Speaker 1: had surprised the British at Trenton early that morning and
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  Speaker 1: completely routed them, which so frightened the Hessians in Bordentown
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  Speaker 1: that they left without the slightest ceremony. It was a
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  Speaker 1: joyful hour to the good town people when the Red
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  Speaker 1: Jackets turned their backs on them, thinking every moment that
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  Speaker 1: the Patriot Army would be after them. Indeed, it seemed
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  Speaker 1: as if wonders would never cease that day, for while
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  Speaker 1: rejoicings were still loud over the departure of the enemy,
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  Speaker 1: there came a knock at Missus Tracy's door, and while
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  Speaker 1: she was wondering whether she dared open it, it was
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  Speaker 1: pushed to and a tall soldier entered. What a scream
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  Speaker 1: of delight greeted that soldier, and how Kitty and Harry
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  Speaker 1: danced about him and clung to his knees, while Missus
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  Speaker 1: Tracy drew him toward the warm blaze and helped him
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  Speaker 1: off with his damp cloak. Cold and tired Captain Tracy
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  Speaker 1: was after a night's march in the streets in a
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  Speaker 1: day's fighting, but he was not too weary to smile
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  Speaker 1: at the dear faces around him, or to pat Kitty's
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  Speaker 1: head when she brought his warm stockings and would put
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  Speaker 1: them on the tired feet herself. Suddenly there was a sharp,
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  Speaker 1: quick bark outside the door. What's that, cried Harry. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: I forgot open the door. Here, Fido, Fido into the room.
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  Speaker 1: There sprang a beautiful little King Charles Spaniel, white with
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  Speaker 1: tan spots and ears of the longest, softest and silkiest.
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  Speaker 1: What a little dear, exclaimed Kitty. Where did it come from?
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  Speaker 1: From the Battle of Trenton, said her father. His poor
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  Speaker 1: master was after the Red Coats had turned their backs,
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  Speaker 1: and I was hurrying along one of the streets where
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  Speaker 1: the fight had been the fiercest. I heard a low groan,
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  Speaker 1: and turning saw a British soldier lying among a number
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  Speaker 1: of slain. I raised his head. He begged for some water,
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  Speaker 1: which I brought him, and bending down my ear, I
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  Speaker 1: heard him whisper, dying last battle, say a prayer. He
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  Speaker 1: tried to follow me in the words of a prayer,
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  Speaker 1: and then, taking my hand, laid it on something soft
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  Speaker 1: and warm, nestling close up his breast. It was this
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  Speaker 1: little dog, the gentleman, for he was a real gentleman.
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  Speaker 1: Gasp out, take care of my poor Fido, good night,
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  Speaker 1: and was gone. It was as much as I could
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  Speaker 1: do to get the little creature away from his dead master.
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  Speaker 1: He clung to him as if he loved him better
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  Speaker 1: than life. You'll take care of him, won't you. Children.
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  Speaker 1: I brought him home for you for a Christmas present,
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  Speaker 1: pretty little Fido, said Kitty, taking the soft, curly creature
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  Speaker 1: in her arms. I think it's the best present in
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  Speaker 1: the world. And tomorrow is to be real Christmas because
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  Speaker 1: you are home, Papa. And we'll eat the turkey, said Harry,
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  Speaker 1: and shell barks lots of them that I save for you.
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  Speaker 1: What a good time we'll have. And oh, Papa, don't
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  Speaker 1: go to war any more, but stay at home with
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  Speaker 1: mother and Kitty and Fido and me. What would become
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  Speaker 1: of our country if we should all do that? My
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  Speaker 1: little man, it was a good day's work that we
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  Speaker 1: did this Christmas, getting the army all across the river
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  Speaker 1: so quickly and quietly that we surprised the enemy and
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  Speaker 1: gained a victory with the loss of few men. Thus
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  Speaker 1: it was that some of the good people of seventeen
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  Speaker 1: seventy six spent their Christmas that their children and grandchildren
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  Speaker 1: might spend, many of them as citizens of a free nation.
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  Speaker 1: End of the Christmas in seventeen seventy six by Anne
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  Speaker 1: Hollingsworth Wharton