FACING DANGER
It was the last day of August, 1774. The Potomac was flowing lazily past Mount Vernon. The door of the large mansion on the high river-bank stood open. Before it were three horses saddled and bridled. Three men came out of the house.
One was George Washington, large, handsome, resolute, dressed for a long journey. With him, was a tall, angular, raw-boned man, slightly stooping, carelessly dressed, whose dark, deep-set eyes flashed with peculiar brilliance. The third man was equally striking in appearance, well-proportioned and graceful, his face serene and thoughtful.
The tall raw-boned man with deep glowing eyes, was Patrick Henry; the elegant stranger, Edmund Pendleton. They were two of Virginia’s most devoted Patriots.
As the three vaulted into their saddles, Washington’s wife stood in the open doorway, trying to conceal her anxiety for him under a cheerful manner. Her heart was very heavy. But as the three gave spurs to their horses, she called out:—
“God be with you, Gentlemen!”
And so they rode away. It was dangerous business on which they were bent, as Martha Washington well knew. They were going to attend the First Continental Congress at Philadelphia. They were about to defy England.
But the three rode away from Mount Vernon fearlessly, with her words ringing in their ears:—