"Yes, I think he does," said Grandma Elsie, "and it is what we all should do. Remember Jesus' words, 'Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of the Father with the holy angels.'"
There was a moment of silence; then Neddie asked:
"Grandma, do you think it was right for our soldiers in the Revolution to hang that man for just having that silver bullet in his pocket?"
"Yes; because success in carrying such messages from one British officer to another would probably have cost the lives of very many of our people, and helped the British to take away our liberties."
"Oh, yes! So he was as bad as a murderer; wasn't he?"
"Very much like one, I think. War is a dreadful, dreadful thing! I hope we may never have another."
"It's always wicked on one side, but sometimes right on the other; isn't it, grandma?"
"Yes; when life and liberty are in peril it is right to fight for their preservation. Especially when it is not for ourselves only, but for our children and future generations. If our fathers had weakly given up to the tyranny of the British Government, we would not be the free people we are to-day."
"And it was a dreadfully hard fight for them; wasn't it, grandma?" remarked little Elsie, who had drawn near enough to hear the latter part of the conversation.
"It was, indeed; and our poor soldiers went through terrible sufferings, from lack of prompt pay and proper food and clothing, as well as from wounds and exposure to the inclement weather."