A Little Maid of Old Philadelphia

								



XVII.  QUEEN BETTY                                  161


XVIII. A GREAT RESOLVE                              171


XIX.   THE VISIT                                    182


XX.    LAFAYETTE'S VISIT                            193


XXI.   AT HOME                                      205

Illustrations

                                                    PAGE
SHE LOOKED UP TO FIND LAFAYETTE SMILING
AT HER                                       FRONTISPIECE
"'TIS A LADY COMING TO CALL"                         33
IT WAS A FAVORITE PLAY-HOUSE                         95
"THE FIRST OF MAY IS GARLAND DAY"                   162
THE BIG HORSE TROTTED DOWN THE STREET               190

A Little Maid of Old Philadelphia

CHAPTER I
HERO IS LOST

"Where do you suppose Hero can be, Aunt Deborah? He isn't anywhere about
the house, or in the shed or the garden," and Ruth Pernell's voice
sounded as if she could hardly keep back the tears as she stood in the
doorway of the pleasant kitchen where Aunt Deborah was at work.
"Do you suppose the British have taken him?" she asked a little
fearfully; for it was the spring of 1778, when the British troops were
in Philadelphia, and Ruth was quite sure that every English soldier who
saw Hero must want him for his own. The dog was her dearest possession.
On her tenth birthday, nearly a year before, her father had given her
Hero for a birthday present; and now that her father was with
Washington's army his gift seemed even more precious to his little
daughter.
Aunt Deborah looked at Ruth for a moment before she answered, and Ruth
became conscious that her brown hair was rough and untidy from running
about the garden in the March wind, that her hands were not clean, and
that there was an ugly rent in her blue checked apron where it had
caught on a nail in the shed.
"Was it not yesterday that thee declared Hero was stolen, only to find
that he had followed Winifred Merrill home? And on Sunday, thee was sure
he had been killed, because he did not appear the first time thee
called," responded Aunt Deborah reprovingly. Aunt Deborah was not very
large, and her smooth round face under the neat cap, such as Quaker
women wear, was usually smiling and friendly; but it always seemed to
Ruth that no least bit of dirt or untidiness ever escaped those gray
eyes.
"Do you suppose he is at Winifred's? I wish she wouldn't let him follow
her," and Ruth's tone was troubled. Of course Winifred was her dearest
friend, but Ruth was not willing that Hero should divide his loyalty.
"Very likely," responded Aunt Deborah, "but thee must smooth thy hair,
wash thy hands and change thy apron before thee goes to inquire; and put
on thy hat. It is not seemly for a girl to run about the street
bareheaded."
"Oh, Aunt Deborah! Only to go next door!" pleaded Ruth, but Aunt Deborah
only nodded; so Ruth went to her own room and in a few minutes was back