CHAPTER XIV
THE POOR DEBTORS
"This is the last chance for a story for a long time and I am sorry," said Joe.
Lucy looked sad too. She was sorry to have Uncle Sam go away.
"We shall miss the nice stories, but we shall miss you even more than the stories," she said, putting her arms around her old friend's neck.
Uncle Sam had been called to New York on business. He might be gone two months. It might even be a longer time than that. He could not tell. He looked from one child to the other with a face beaming with love.
"One more story. Yes, that is all. Then you children will have time to think over what I have told you. And when I come back you will be ready to hear some more. It is a good thing, after all, for me to go away and give you a rest.
"You see, children, I get wound up just like a clock. If I once get to going, I can't stop unless something makes me."
"Give us a rest, indeed!" cried Joe. "Lucy and I are not babies. We like stories that mean something, now that we are nine years old. Besides, you could not tire us anyway, Uncle Sam."
The old man looked pleased.
"Well, well, I am glad to hear it. But it is almost dark already. I will begin at once with the story I promised for this evening.
"It is about some poor people in England who were shut up in prisons. They were not wicked. They had not stolen nor done any other dreadful deed. Yet the prison doors were tightly locked upon them and they were shut out from the beauty of this great world.
"You shall hear why these people were not free. They owed money and were not able to pay it back. In the old days in England there were many poor people. It was hard to earn a living. Some of those who tried the hardest, could get no work. Then, of course, they did not have money. Yet they needed food and clothing for their families the same as ever. They could not let them starve.
"It is no wonder they got into debt. If the debt was not soon paid, they were taken from their homes. 'Stay in prison till you pay what you owe.' This was the cruel law."
"But how could they earn any money while they were in prison?" cried Joe.
"It was impossible, of course. That is why the law was such a bad one. By and by a very good man went to visit the prisons. His name was James Oglethorpe.
"He saw the poor debtors and pitied their sad case. He wished to help them. He thought of America. It had already given homes to many unhappy people. He went to the king of England and said:
"'Will you let the debtors come out of prison and go with me to America? They can have a fresh start and make a new home for themselves there. You will then have no more trouble with them.'
"The king listened kindly to Oglethorpe's plan. It seemed a good one. He promised to give land in America to these people and said that Oglethorpe should be their governor.
"Not long afterwards, the debtors were set free. How glad they were to be with their own families once more! How thankful they must have been to James Oglethorpe who had done so much for them!
"When they left England for America, their good friend went too, so that he might give them his wise help. Their new home was farther south than that of any other English people in this country at that time. It lay next to Florida. The Spaniards were their neighbors.
"The new colony was given the name of Georgia, in honor of George, the king of England.
"The first day in the new home was given up to prayer. All gave thanks to God for bringing them here in safety. Then came weeks of good hard work. Houses were built, a wall was made around the village, and a fort stood ready in case of an attack by enemies, red or white.
"General Oglethorpe was a wise governor. He made just laws for his people. He drilled the men every day in order to make them good soldiers in case they needed to fight.
"He treated the Indians so kindly they did not wish to make war upon his people. There was one chief whose name was Tomachichi. He loved General Oglethorpe very dearly. One day he brought a present for the governor. It was the skin of a buffalo with the feathers of an eagle painted on it.
"Tomachichi said: 'The skin of the buffalo is warm. The feathers of the eagle are soft. These things therefore mean love and protection. The English are swift as the eagle and strong as the buffalo.'
"Tomachichi afterwards visited England with General Oglethorpe. His wife and nephew went with him. How strange the crowded streets and large buildings of London must have seemed to these savages!
"Soon after Oglethorpe settled in Georgia, he invited the chiefs of the near-by Indian tribes to meet together with him. At this meeting he asked them to keep peace with him and his people. They were quite willing to do as he asked.
"Then he gave each one of them a fine coat, a hat trimmed with lace, and a shirt. They must have felt grand indeed when they put on such elegant clothes.
"Oglethorpe noticed many mulberry trees growing in Georgia. He said:
"'Silkworms feed on mulberry leaves. It would be a good plan for the next ship that comes from England to bring some silkworms. Then we can make silk. We can sell it for a good price.'
"The silkworms were brought and silk was made. It was sent over to England and the queen herself had a dress made of American silk. She wore it on the king's birthday.
"After a while, however, the people gave up raising silkworms in Georgia. It did not pay. They found they could get more money by cutting lumber in the forests and trading for furs with the Indians. They sent these things to other countries and were paid well for them.
"As long as General Oglethorpe was in Georgia the settlers had two good laws. He would not allow rum or slaves to be brought into the country. He was a kind and wise governor in every way.
"And now, children," said Uncle Sam, "don't you know enough about your country to think the words of the old song are true? Can you see that it is really the 'Land of the Free and the home of the Brave?'"
"Indeed yes, Uncle Sam," cried Joe and Lucy together.
"There is no country in the wide world like ours," added Joe with a positive shake of his head.
"Very well, then. Let's sing 'America' with a heart and a will," said Uncle Sam. "We can sit right here on the porch while we sing it. We don't need the organ to help us out."
The birds had already gone to sleep. But several of them waked up in the tree-top near by and added a cheerful chirp to the voices of the three earnest singers.
THE END.