Boys and Girls of Colonial Days Read online

  THE STAR LADY

  From Tabitha Wells, aged ten, at Philadelphia, in the year 1776, to hercousin John Bradford, at Boston--a letter.

  "My Dear John:

  "It does seem more than a month ago that I said good-bye to you, and youtook your long journey home again. Your visit was a bright spot in thesetroubled times. Do you remember the pair of robins that we watchedbuilding their nest in grandmother's old apple tree. They have raisedtheir brood of young ones now and the little birds have flown away. Theold birds still live in the apple tree, though, and each day at sunriseand sunset they sing as if all the world were gay instead of fallen intothis sad Revolution. And the early apples are as red as the coat of aBritish soldier and are dropping all over the grass of the garden.

  "Grandmother gave me a pewter canister that used to hold tea--she knew itwould be a long time before we have any more tea to put in it. I havefilled it full of apples, one layer of fruit and then one of leaves tokeep them from bruising. It is as sweet smelling as our garden, John,where you played with me so many happy days this spring. It is for you;the apples shall go to you by the next packet.

  "But here I am writing you of such everyday matters as robins andapples, and wasting paper which is rising in price, and using up one ofmy grandfather's best quill pens and his ink stone. I had other thingsin mind to tell you, John, when I started this letter--things of fargreater importance.

  "Strange happenings have come to your cousin Tabitha Wells inPhiladelphia since she said goodbye to you, John. I feel as if I, alittle girl of only ten summers, and not as learned as I should be, wereof a part with these great and stirring times in the Colonies.

  "To wit, as the barristers say. And now, my dear John, I will tell mystory.

  "I mind that we played so much at home when you visited me, John, that Ihad no time to take you to the little upholstery shop on Arch Street,near grandmother's house, which is my special delight.

  "It is kept by one Mistress Betsy Ross, not much more than a grown-upgirl. They say she is little past twenty in years, and she has a greatpleasure in letting me visit and watch her at work. Her husband was abrave young patriot of our Colonies and was but a brief space sincekilled. Mrs. Betsy always helped him in his shop and now that he will bethere no longer, and she being most skillful with her needle, she iscarrying on the work of the shop herself.

  "When I have finished wiping the dinner service for grandmother, I oftenask leave to go down for the rest of the afternoon to the shop ofMistress Betsy. I mind that we are both of us lonely; I, the only childin so quiet a house as this in which my father left me when he joinedthe army; and she a slim, sweet lady, all alone in her shop.

  "Such pretty stuffs as she has, John! If you were a girl your eyes wouldstick out for envy, and your fingers ache for scissors and needle. Shegave me a bit of yellow satin brocade, picked out with a pattern ofbutterflies. I made a court dress of it for my wooden doll--althoughgrandmother says such finery is not for a doll even in these days.

  "But here I am letting my quill go wandering again, John. It is not ofmy doll that I am minded to write you, but of the important thing thathappened in the shop of Mistress Betsy Ross this summer time. I wasthere, John. I saw it with my own eyes.

  "Mistress Betsy was fitting new covers to grandmother's bestfiddle-backed chairs, and I had come down to her shop to see if theywere done. It chanced that they were, but I lingered a while forMistress Betsy was busying herself at what she likes best to do. She wasstitching a flag.

  "You know, of course, John, that each of our American Colonies has itsown flag, each of a different design, although they all favor the samecolors, red, and white, and blue. Such days as these, when troops aremarching to war, there is need of many flags, and so Mistress Betsy isas busy stitching them as she is in making her furniture covers. Soquick and deft, she is, John.

  "I wish you could but see how neatly she sews together the colors, andstitches on the designs. No scrap of cloth is wasted, and each flag thatMistress Betsy makes is quite perfect in shape and pattern. I mind thatthe packet had just brought Mistress Betsy some bundles of fresh stufffor her flag-making, red and blue, and she was looking it over as shespoke to me:

  "'Tabitha, child,' Mistress Betsy said to me, 'it would save me muchtime and work if I had one pattern for a flag. It tries my patiencesorely to keep in my thoughts and at my fingers' ends the patterns ofthirteen.'

  "'So think I.' The voice of a man surprised us, and we looked up to seea very grand gentleman standing in the door of the shop and looking atus. 'I heard your speech just now, Mistress Ross,' he said, 'and it iseven upon such an errand that I come to you. The Continental Congress isof a mind to adopt one flag that will be the flag of freedom and theemblem of the brave; one banner for the Colonies. The fame of your fineneedlework has come to our ears, Mistress Ross, and we are here toconsult with you in the matter.'

  "The gentleman, very fine indeed in his blue broadcloth and gold lace,stepped into the little shop now, and behind him were other gentlemen inthe uniform of the Colonies.

  "I confess, John, that I was a bit awed, and I hid myself behindMistress Betsy's tall clock, where I could hear but not be seen. You seeI was in my linsey-woolsey frock, not dressed for company. MistressBetsy wore her long working apron over her chintz short gown, but shecurtsied with great ease.

  "'I COULD HEAR BUT NOT BE SEEN'"]

  "'You honor me, Mr. Washington,' Mistress Betsy said. 'I have been longof a desire to put my needle into one flag, and one only. What might beyour wishes and that of the Congress in the pattern of this flag?'

  "So this was the great Mr. Washington! My heart went pit-a-pat, John, asloudly it seemed to me as sounded the ticking of the clock. I tried tohold it quiet as I listened to Mr. Washington's every word.

  "'We have not made any fixed design for an American flag, MistressRoss,' Mr. Washington said. 'We feel that all the thirteen coloniesshould, in some way, have notice in it, and I have a great desire thatthere should be stars.'

  "He took a quill from Mistress Betsy's secretary and began makingdrawings on a piece of paper. Mistress Betsy looked over his shoulderand watched his long fingers, trying to see what manner of a flag he wasdesigning.

  "'See, Mistress Ross,' Mr. Washington said, 'I should like stars likethis one.' He held up his drawing.

  "Mistress Betsy took the drawing and looked at it, turning it first oneway, and then the other. I came out from behind the clock and looked,too, for I was of a curious mind about this new flag. Oh, John, if youcould have seen the strange, crooked star that Mr. Washington had drawn!He is a great soldier and statesman, without doubt, but he is not adraughtsman. I saw Mistress Betsy's eyes twinkle, but she was quitesober and respectful when she spoke.

  "'You have your eyes on your men, Mr. Washington, during your nightmarches, not on the stars. Your star is drawn with six points, and itshould have only five points. May I be so bold as to show you how tomake a five-pointed star?'

  "Then Mistress Betsy picked up a scrap of white cloth, folded it deftlyinto five parts, made one snip with her scissors and opened it. Therewas a perfect star with five points!

  "Mr. Washington took it, and as he looked at it his stern face changed,and he smiled. Then he bowed as he turned to go.

  "'Well done, Mistress Ross,' he said. 'I have the idea of an Americanflag in my mind, but you have it in your fingers. Put your wits to thetask of designing a flag to submit to the Congress, and I hope that theColonies will see fit to adopt it. Good afternoon, Mistress of Flags!'and Mr. Washington and his gentlemen had gone.

  "Oh, John, how excited we were then! Mistress Ross took my hands in hersand she danced like a girl with me about the shop. Then she sat down inher big wooden rocking chair and took me in her lap. She put her armsaround me and pulled my head close to hers. I thought she was going tocry as she spoke:

  "'Tabitha Wells,' she said. 'The chance has come to me to do somethingfor my country. My husband died for the Colonies, but I, who must live,may perhaps mak
e the flag that will wave in remembrance of him and ofall the other patriots!'

  "And I, knowing how she felt, could only hug her, not speaking becauseof a great choking in my throat.

  "But we soon realized that it was not a time for tears, but for doing.Mistress Betsy jumped up, and thrust her hands deep into her coloredstuffs.

  "'Only three colors for the flag of our country, Tabitha,' she said,'red for the blood of her patriots, and blue for her truth, and whitefor her purity. But now, for the design?' She laid the pieces of clothtogether and tried them this way, and that.

  "Oh, how we puzzled our minds, John, over that flag. Or Mistress Betsydid, while I looked on, and clapped my hands in pride for her. I forgotthe time. It grew late, and grandfather had to come for me, but I wentagain the next day to Mistress Betsy's shop, and for many days to watchher plan the pattern of our one flag.

  "You see, my dear John, it was no easy task. Mr. Washington had saidthat he was of a mind to have the thirteen Colonies represented in it.Mistress Betsy, herself, was always of a mind to make her needleworkgood to look at because of its simplicity. So she cut, and stitched, andripped, and then stitched again. It was a weary work and lasted throughthe burning of many candles, but at last Mistress Betsy finished herflag.

  "Oh, John, if you could but see it! It is plain, which the better showsits bright colors of red, and white, and blue. It has seven long redstripes and six long white stripes, making thirteen in all, for thethirteen colonies. As I look at the stripes they mind me of the long wayour Colonies are taking to their freedom. Then, in one corner of theflag is a large piece of blue cloth, and sewed to it with MistressBetsy's tiny stitches are thirteen stars. The stars are for ourColonies, too. Like stars, they will shine.

  "And now comes the amazing part of this letter, which has tried you, Ifear, with all its quill scratching. Mr. Washington is so greatlypleased with Mistress Betsy's endeavor to carry out his wishes that herflag is to be adopted by the Congress. It will be our American flagforever, and ever. I, Tabitha Wells, know the sweet lady who made it. Ican scarcely wait for my father to come home to tell him about it. Theflag of our Union, John, and made here in Philadelphia and in the shopof my Mistress Betsy. I am going to call her my Star Lady after this.

  COLONIAL SPINNING WHEEL AND CLOCK]

  "Your patience has been tried, dear John, I fear, in reading this longletter. I have had trouble with my quill, which would not travel overthe paper as fast as my thoughts come. I hear that you are havingstirring times in Boston, and I pray that you are safe, and well. Ishall count the days until your letter comes.

  "As soon as I can I will have a small flag made for you in the StarLady's shop. Perhaps I can send it by the same packet as the apples. So,you will remember Philadelphia well, John, by the fruit of our gardenand by the first American flag.

  "Your cousin,

  "Tabitha Wells."