ford the aid and comfort to the enemy of furnishing
horses to draw cannon, or fresh meat wherewith to satisfy the hunger
of British soldier and sailor. Oh no! On Manhattan Island were
braves--for freedom toiling day and night; building earthwork, redoubt
and battery with never a luxury from morning to morning, except the
luxury of fighting for Liberty. Soldiers from camp, light-horse and
militia from New Jersey, had gathered on the island, and had been at
work a day and a night when the news came to the Kull cottage that in
a few minutes its cow and calf would be called for. Hence the sudden
watch from the roof, and the escapade from the barn-yard.

The Kull father, I regret to write, because it seems highly
unpatriotic, had gone forth to catch fish that day, hugging up the
thought close to his pocket of a heart, that the English fleet would
pay well for fresh fish.

Now Sleet and Snow were treasures untold to Valentine and Anna Kull.
Anna's pocket-money, stored up to be spent once-a-year in New York,
came to her hands by the sale of butter to oystermen; and the calf,
Snow, was the exclusive property of her brother Valentine. No wonder
they were striving to save their possessions--ignorant, children as
they were, of every good which they could not see and feel.

Cow and calf, or rather calf and cow, never before were given such a
race. Highways were ignored. There were not many beaten tracks at that
time on Staten Island. Daisied and clovered fields the calf was
dragged through; young corn and potato lots suffered alike by the
pressure of hoof and foot. Anna nearly forgot her out-of-joint arm
when the four reached the marsh. Its friendly-looking shelter was
hailed with delight.

Said Valentine, tugging the tired calf, to Anna, switching forward the
anxious cow: "I should like to see the riflemen from Pennsylvania and
the _Yankeys_ from Doodle or Dandy either, chase Sleet and Snow
through _this_ marsh."

"It's been _awful_ work though to get 'em here," said Anna, wiping her
face with a pink handkerchief suddenly detached for use from her
gown.

In plunged the boy and up s-s-cissed a cloud of mosquitoes, humming at
the sound of the new-come feast; fresh flesh and blood from the
uplands was desirable.

The grass was green, _very_ green--lovely, bright, _light_ green; the
July sun shone down untiringly; the tide rushing up from Raritan Bay
met the tide rolling over from Newark Bay, and the cool, sweet swash
of wat