Stories of Great Americans for Little AmericansEggleston, Edward
History
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
Eggleston, Edward
United States -- Biography -- Juvenile literature
Many hundreds of these people were sent to Phil-a-del-phi-a. Benezet
became their friend. As he was born in France, he could speak their
lan-guage. He got a large house built for some of them to stay in. He
got food and clothing for them. He helped them to get work, and did
them good in many other ways.
One day Benezet’s wife came to him with a troubled face. She said,
“There have been thieves in the house. Two of my blankets have been
stolen.”
“Never mind, my dear,” said Benezet, “I gave them to some of the poor
A-ca-di-ans.”
One old Acadian was afraid of Benezet. He did not see why Benezet
should take so much trouble for other people. He thought that Benezet
was only trying to get a chance to sell the Acadians for slaves. When
Benezet heard this, he had a good laugh.
Many years after this the Rev-o-lu-tion broke out. It brought trouble
to many people. Benezet helped as many as he could.
After a while the British army took Phil-a-del-phi-a. They sent their
soldiers to stay in the houses of the people. The people had to take
care of the soldiers. This was very hard for the poor people.
One day Benezet saw a poor woman. Her face showed that she was in
trouble.
“Friend, what is the matter?” Benezet said to her. She told him that
six soldiers of the British army had been sent to stay in her house.
She was a washer-woman. But while the soldiers filled up the house she
could not do any washing. She and her children were in want.
Benezet went right away to see the gen-er-al that was in command of the
soldiers. The good man was in such a hurry that he forgot to get a
pass. The soldiers at the gen-er-al’s door would not let him go in.
At last some one told the gen-er-al that a queer-looking fellow wanted
to see him.
“Let him come up,” said the general.
The odd little man came in. He told the general all about the troubles
of the poor washer-woman. The general sent word that the soldiers must
not stay any longer in her house.
The general liked the kind little man. He told him to come to see him
again. He told the soldiers at his door to let Benezet come in
when-ever he wished to.
Soon after the Rev-o-lu-tion was over, Benezet was taken ill. When the
people of Phil-a-del-phi-a heard that he was ill, they gathered in
crowds about his house. Every-body loved him. Every-body wanted to know
whether he was better or not. At last the doctors said he could not get
well. Then the people wished to see the good man once more. The doors
were opened. The rooms and halls of his house were filled with people
coming to say good-bye to Benezet, and going away again.
When he was buried, it seemed as if all Phil-a-del-phi-a had come to
his fu-ner-al. The rich and the poor, the black and the white, crowded
the streets. The city had never seen so great a fu-ner-al.
In the company was an A-mer-i-can general. He said, “I would rather be
An-tho-ny Benezet in that coffin than General Wash-ing-ton in all his
glory.”
PUTNAM AND THE WOLF.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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