Nancy: A Story of the Revolution

Chapter Six: You Dishonor Me (1780)

Their moment of peace soon ended when there came the sound of distant drums beating and trumpets sounding. Nancy pulled away from their embrace, and looked at her father.

"The rebels," said Daniel, rising to his feet, trying his best to walk to the main street where the rebels were gathering. Abigail had been watching from the door of the Barn, and handed Daniel a wooden walking cane as he walked over the Barn threshold. With the support of his cane, he walked easily towards the street where the rebels were gathering. Abigail, Betsey, and Nancy walked closely behind him, and Abigail stopped Betsey and Nancy at the gate.

"You two should stay inside," instructed Abigail, turning to follow Daniel into the crowd that gathered outside their gate, in the street.

Betsey looked up at Nancy. Nancy motioned for Betsey to hurry inside. Reluctantly, Betsey did so. But, Nancy peered out at the street from behind the gate.

"Citizens!" declared a man's voice from the crowd. "I bring a message from General Washington himself! The British are beginning to gain the upper hand in this War!" Upon hearing this, all the citizens gasped with worry, and anxious murmurs arose from the crowd. "By command of the General, one man from each family must serve in the Continental Army!"

Nancy looked over at her father, who was a good distance away from her, with fear. "Father..." whispered Nancy to herself.

The man began calling out the names of the families who lived in that area of Virginia, but Nancy paid him no attention; she was far too concerned with her father. After a few moments of the man's words falling upon deaf ears, his voice, seeming to ring out louder than before, cried, "The Morgan family!"

Nancy watched as her father handed Abigail his walking cane, and he began limping over to the center of the crowd. Nancy could not bear it any longer. She rushed into the crowd, standing between her father and a man on a horse, who held a letter to Daniel.

"No!!" shrieked Nancy hurriedly. "Father, you can't go!" She turned to the man on the horse. "Please, sir! My father has already fought bravely! He still suffers from a battle injury! His leg—"

"Silence!!" exclaimed a different man, forcing his way in between Nancy and the man on the horse. Nancy recognized this man as the man whose voice had called out her father to fight for America. The man turned to Daniel. "You would do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue in a man's presence!"

Daniel turned away from Nancy in shame. "Nancy, you dishonor me."

Nancy looked at her father in shock, then lowered her head in disappointment.

Daniel took the letter from the man on the horse.

"Report tomorrow at dawn to Valley Forge," ordered the man to Daniel, who began to limp off. He barely made it to the gate when his strength gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. Abigail shrieked, and Nancy rushed to his side.

"Father!!" exclaimed Nancy, attempting to help him up, but Daniel brushed her off.

"Leave me alone, child!" snapped Daniel in anger. "I'm fine!"

Nancy slowly backed away from him. He struggled for a moment, but managed to rise to his feet. Abigail extended the wooden cane to him, but he refused, walking wordlessly back to the house, leaving both Abigail and Nancy alone in the street, staring solemnly after him.