on. The house was burnt, and the whole property consigned to
waste and desolation. But, as had been foreseen, the perpetrator of the
ruthless deed retreated, to return no more."

"Just like Cornwallis and his red-coats," said Kinnison, "burning
people's houses and wasting their lands was a way of making converts,
which they discovered and practised with a vengeance. Mrs. Borden was a
strong-minded woman to have endured all this."

THE ESCAPE OF CAPTAIN PLUNKETT.

"Yes," said Warner, "Mrs. Borden was a heroine as wouldn't have
disgraced the Romans. But what would you think of a mere girl, whose
family was opposed to our cause, exerting herself to procure the freedom
of one of our officers, who had been taken by the British?"

"I should say it's what young girls in love have done many a time," said
Kinnison.

"Not under such circumstances," said Warner. "But I'll tell you about it
as it was told to me. Captain Plunkett was a bold-spirited Irishman, who
held a commission in our army. In some way or other--it may have been at
the battle of Brandywine--Plunkett was taken by the enemy, and soon
after placed in a prison in Philadelphia. Previous to that, he had made
many friends among the Quakers of that city--and, indeed, his manners
made him a general favourite, wherever he went. Plunkett suffered much
in prison, and his friends pitied him; but dared not attempt his
release. However, there was a young girl of great beauty and strength of
mind, who resolved to release the suffering soldier, at all hazards. It
accidentally happened, that the uniform of Captain Plunkett's regiment
bore a striking resemblance to that of a British corps, which was
frequently set as a guard over the prison in which he was confined. A
new suit of regimentals was in consequence procured and conveyed,
without suspicion of sinister design, to the Captain. On the judicious
use of these rested the hopes of the fair Friend to give him freedom. It
frequently happened that officers of inferior grade, while their
superiors affected to shun all intercourse with the rebels, would enter
the apartments of the prisoners, and converse with them with kindness
and familiarity, and then at their pleasure retire. Two sentinels
constantly walked the rounds without, and the practice of seeing their
officers walking in and out of the interior prison, became so familiar,
as scarcely to attract notice, and constantly caused them to give way
without hesitation