World War, 1914-1918 -- United States -- Juvenile fiction; Young women -- Societies and clubs -- Juvenile fiction
Even Marie, alias Captain Molly, caught the inspiration of the Liberty
Chain, and told of a young Russian girl, who, rather than betray the
secrets of a great man, from a paper that had fallen into her hands,
allowed herself to be exiled to Siberia. Then came the war stories, as
that of the noted Quakeress, Lydia Darrach, who, during the Revolution,
on learning the secrets of the British officers who were quartered at
her house, endured untold hardship in traveling many miles in the dead
of winter to reveal them to the American patrol, so as to save the
Continental Army from disaster.
Hannah Weston, who filled a pillow-case with pewter-ware when she heard
that a certain town was in need of ammunition, and carried it many miles
through the woods at night, was cited for her bravery and her sacrifice,
in her effort to help others. The story of Betty Zane and how she ran
from the palisade of a Western fort to her brother’s hut for a keg of
powder in the fire of a tribe of Indians, although a familiar one, was
listened to with glowing interest.
Ruth Wyllis, who hid the charter of Connecticut in an oak tree, and Katy
Brownell, the color-bearer at the battle of Bull Run, who stood by the
flag in the face of the advancing foe, and who would have been shot to
death if a soldier had not pulled her away, were but two recitals of
brave deeds for the sake of humanity.
But at last the liberty chain came to an end by Nathalie telling of
Saint Margaret, a plain, uneducated Irish woman, who, after losing her
husband and child, devoted her life and every penny she made to the
cause of orphan children. A statue, she said, had been erected in New
Orleans to this noble woman, who gave of her best to humanity when she
devoted her life to these little waifs.
After the girls had returned to their seats, Nathalie appointed seven
squads. She had made it seven, she said, not only because it was a lucky
number, but because there were just seven letters in the name,
_Liberty_. Helen was made the captain of the Florence Nightingale Squad,
since she had gained many honors, as a Girl Pioneer, as an expert maker
of bandages.
Nita, with a Girl Scout as a running mate, was made captain of the
Scrap-Book Squad, which meant the making of scrap-books for the
convalescing soldiers in the hospitals. Lillie Bell and a Camp Fire Girl
were placed at the head of the Garments Squad for the cutting and sewing
of garments for the refugee children of France and Belgium. Two Girl
Scouts were made captains of the Flower Squad, with the purpose of
raising and selling flowers for the Liberty Loan fund.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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