Anon, or shortly after, we drove up on a corner of the street jest above where the Fish creek empties into the Hudson, and there, right on a tall high brick block, wuz a tablet, showin' that a tree once stood jest there, under which Burgoyne surrendered.And agin, when I thought of all that he surrendered that day, and all that America and the world gained, my emotions riz up so powerful, that they wuzn't quelled down a mite, by seein' right on the other side of the house wrote down these words, "Drugs, Oils, etc."No, oil couldn't smooth 'em down, nor drugs drug 'em; they wuz too powerful.And they lasted jest as soarin' and eloquent as ever till we turned down a cross street, and arrove at the place, jest the identical spot where the British stacked their arms (and stacked all their pride, and their ambitious hopes with 'em).It made a high pile.
Wall, from there we went up to a house on a hill, where poor Baroness Riedesel hid with her three little children, amongst the wounded and dyin' officers of the British army, and stayed there three days and three nights, while shots and shells wuz a bombardin' the little house -- and not knowin' but some of the shots had gone through her lover husband's heart, before they struck the low ruff over her head.
What do you s'pose she wuz a thinkin' on as she lay hid in that suller all them three days and three nights with her little girls'
heads in her lap? Jest the same thoughts that a mother thinks to-day, as she cowers down with the children she loves, to hide from danger; jest the same thoughts that a wife thinks today when her heart is out a facing danger and death, with the man she loves.
She faced danger, and died a hundred deaths in the thought of the danger to them she loved.I see the very splinters that the cruel shells and cannon balls split and tore right over her head.Good honorable splinters and not skairful to look at today, but hard, and piercin', and harrowin' through them days and nights.
Time has trampled over that calash she rode round so much in (Iwish I could a seen it); but Time has ground it down into dust.
Time's hand, quiet but heavy, rested down on the shinin' heads of the three little girls, and their Pa and Ma, and pushed 'em gently but firmly down out of sight; and all of them savages who used to follow that calash as it rolled onwards, and all their canoes, and war hoops, and snowshoes, etc., etc.
Yes, that calash of Miss Riedesel has rolled away, rolled away years ago, carryin' the three little girls, their Pa and Ma and all the fears, and hopes, and dreads, and joys, and heartaches of that time it has rolled on with 'em all; on, on, down the dusty road of Oblivion, -- it has disappeared there round the turn of road, and a cloud of dust comes up into our faces, as we try to follow it.And the Injuns that used to howl round it, have all follered on the trail of that calash, and gone on, on, out of sight.Their canoes have drifted away down the blue Hudson, away off into the mist and the shadows.Curius, haint it?
And there the same hills and valleys lay, calm and placid, there is the same blue sparklin' Hudson.Dretful curius, and sort a heart breakin' to think on't -- haint it? Only jest a few more years and we, too, shall go round the turn of the road, out of sight, out of sight, and a cloud of dust will come up and hide us from the faces of them that love us, and them, too, from the eyes of a newer people.
All our hopes, all our ambitious, all our loves, our joys, our sorrows, -- all, all will be rolled away or floated away down the river, and the ripples will ripple on jest as happy; the Sunshine will kiss the hills jest as warmly, and lovin'ly; but other eyes will look on 'em, other hearts will throb and burn within 'em at the sight.
Kinder sad to think on, haint it?
