Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PARSON ALLEN'S RIDE. (Read at the Bennington, Centennial, 1875.) The Catamount Tavern is lively to-night, The boys of Vermont and Xesv Hampshire are here, All drawn np in line in the lingering light, To greet Parson Allen with shout and with cheer. Over mountain and valley, from Pittsfield green, Through the driving rain of that August day, The Flock marched on with martial mien, And the Parson rode in his one-horse shay. Three cheers for old Berkshire the General said. As the boys of New England drew up face to face. Bani7i bids us a breakfast to-morrow to spread, And the Parson is here to say us the ' grace.''' The lads who are with me have come here to fight, And we know of no grace, was the Parson's reply, Save the name of Jehovah, our country and right, Which your own Ethan Allen pronounced at Fort Ti. To - morrow, said Stark, there'll be fighting to do, If you think you can wait for the morning light; And, Parson, I'll conquer the British with you, Or Molly Stark sleeps a widow at night. What the Parson dreamed in that Bcnnington camp Neither Yankee nor Prophet would dare to guess; A vision, perhaps, of the King David stamp, With a mixture of Cromwell and good Queen Bess. Parson Aliens Ride. But we know the result of that glorious day, And the victory won ere the night came down; How Warner charged in the bitter fray With Rossiter, llobart, and old John Brown And how, in a lull of the three-hours' fight, The Parson harangued the Tory line As he stood on a stump, with his musket bright, And sprinkled his texts with the powder fine: THE CATAMOUNT TAVEHN. The sword of the Lord is our battle-cry, A refuge sure in the hour of need, And freedom and faith can neve...