Molly, The Drummer Boy - Public Domain

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When old Bill Mason left his home to join the Continental Army, he left his daughter, Margaret, in the care of Mrs. Lane, a neighbor. Mrs. Lane was something of a shrew, and poor Margaret, who missed her father terribly, soon found her life unbearable. After she had home Mrs. Lane's tyranny as long as she could, she decided to run away and find her father. With the aid of her playmate, Jack, Margaret procured a suit of boy's clothes and a drum. One afternoon, she put on the clothes, took the drum, and stole silently away. After a long, weary tramp, she at length arrived at a camp of Revolutionary soldiers, and enlisted as a drummer boy. The rough soldiers, disgusted with the effeminate characteristics of their comrade, christened the supposed boy "Molly." But Molly had a chance to prove her mettle a few weeks after her arrival in camp when Washington, hard pressed by the pursuing British, called for volunteers to remain behind and keep the fires burning while the army stole away. Molly stayed with the men, and beat her drum to give the British the impression that the army was still in camp. Washington's army escaped, and the British, occupying the camp in the early morning, found only dying camp fires. Molly, escaping through the British lines, came across her father on sentry duty. Mason, a weakling and a drunkard, had deserted to the British army. Captain Morley, of the English army, making the rounds, found Mason in conversation with Molly. Fearing treachery, he fired. Mason was killed, but Molly, wounded in the arm, escaped. The next morning, when she was again attempting to escape through the lines, after a night in the woods, she met Morley a second time. He drew his pistol, but this time Molly was a little quicker, and Morley dropped with a bullet through his heart. After many vicissitudes, Molly at last arrived in the American camp, where she fell into the care of kindly surgeon Bell. Discovering that his patient was a girl, he had her removed to his mother's home, but not until Molly, wearing her uniform for the last time, had received an honorable discharge and the public thanks of her great chief, Washington. When Molly was perfectly well, the good doctor took her hack to her old home, and brought Jack, her old friend, back to live with them.