ches my feelin's--does sart'in," said
Solomon. "I'm goin' to see what kin be done."

Unknown to Jack, within three days Solomon had a private talk with the
Commander-in-Chief at his headquarters. The latter had a high regard
for the old scout. He maintained a dignified silence while Solomon
made his little speech and then arose and offered his hand saying in a
kindly tone:

"Colonel Binkus, I must bid you good night."

CHAPTER XXIII

THE GREATEST TRAIT OF A GREAT COMMANDER

Jack Irons used to say that no man he had known had such an uncommon
amount of common sense as George Washington. He wrote to his father:

"It would seem that he must be in communication with the all-seeing mind.
If he were to make a serious blunder here our cause would fail. The
enemy tries in vain to fool him. Their devices are as an open book to
Washington. They have fooled me and Solomon and other officers but not
him. I had got quite a conceit of myself in judging strategy but now it
is all gone.

"One day I was scouting along the lines, a few miles from Philadelphia,
when I came upon a little, ragged, old woman. She wished to go through
the lines into the country to buy flour. The moment she spoke I
recognized her. It was old Lydia Darrah who had done my washing for me
the last year of my stay in Philadelphia.

"'Why, Lydia, how do you do?' I asked.

"'The way I have allus done, laddie buck," she answered in her good Irish
brogue. 'Workin' at the tub an' fightin' the divil--bad 'cess to
him--but I kape me hilth an' lucky I am to do that--thanks to the good
God! How is me fine lad that I'd niver 'a' knowed but for the voice o'
him?'

"'Not as fine as when I wore the white ruffles but stout as a moose,' I
answered. 'The war is a sad business.'

"'It is that--may the good God defind us! We cross the sea to be rid o'
the divil an' he follys an' grabs us be the neck.'

"We were on a lonely road. She looked about and seeing no one, put a
dirty old needle case in my hands. "'Take that, me smart lad. It's fer
good luck,' she answered.

"As I left her I was in doubt of the meaning of her generosity. Soon I
opened the needle book and found in one of its pockets a piece of thin
paper rolled tight. On it I found the information that Howe would be
leaving the city next morning with five thousand men, and baggage wagons
and thirteen cannon and eleven boats. The paper contained other details
of the proposed British