Chapter 1:A Warm Spring Ride Felicity Merriman rode her horse Penny through the pasture behind the was early May of had just turned she rode in the spring heat, her red hair blowing in the wind,she felt completly free.
Penny started riding into the woods,but Felicity stopped her."Whoo Penny!"she said as she pulled Penny into the lead Penny into her stall next to her son was now a handsome,stronge,and clever similed."Your growing so fast will be proud to see you and your mother after this war ends."
Ben used to be Father's apprentice for his four years ago,left to join General Washington's army on his eighteenth missed him so had become good friends during the years he worked for Father.
Felicity gasped in surprise."Oh no!If I don't hurry and get the grain from the store,Mother and Rose won't be able to cook dinner!"She ran out of the stable and into the streets as fast as she could.
Chapter 2:Freedom Roumers When Felicity finnaly reached the store and saw her father helping a woman at the fabric shelves,she ran straight up to turned around in shook with the sight of Felicity."Good greif Lissie!You look dreadful!You should be home helping your mother and Rose cook dinner."
Feliciy breathed heavily."I was riding Penny and I remebered I had to get grain for dinner."Father blinked."Felicity,you are sixteen years old girls your age are married!Yet you are too impateint and can barley ever remeber too act like a lady instead of riding horse all day."
Felicity at that moment, ,a very nosy costumer who came to Father's store often entered."Good day .I hope you have been doing well."she said gasped when she saw Felicity."Oh my!Who is that lovely maiden! similed."It's has just turned sixteen." stared at Felicity."And she's not married?"Felicity changed the suject."My former apprentice,Ben Davidson should be returning from the army soon." made a straight face."Surely General Washington's army win this ,our new goverment will not give Negros or women the rights men have."Felicity made a curious heart thumped listened to Father and left,Father turned toward Felicity."You should go home will be worried if you don't."Felicity similed."Yes Father."She hurried out of the store.
Chapter 3:Mother's Opinion When Felicity got home,Mother made an upset face at her."Felicity,your late!Help me cook I want you to change into a clean gown.""Yes Mother."Felicity were seilent as they sliced ham and put it on the fireplace to boil.
"Mother"Felicity said nervouly."What do you think about women... having more rights?"Mother looked at Felicity with a confused look.
"What?"Mother said in a laughing closed her eyes."I mean...what would you if the Patroits won the war and our new goverment gave women just as many rights as men?"
Mother thought for a moment."Well,...I'm not war isn't even over yet,let alone do we have our own goverment and women having more rights!"
Felicity frowned."I just think that allthe citizens of the new nations should have do women have that men don't?"she said strongly.
"Well,women have to get married,start a family,and take care of our house holds."Mother answered."They also have to cook dinner for their familes just as we are now."
Felicity was restless to continue the conversation."Mother-."She tried to looked at Felicity like a hawk looked at a mouse.
"Lissie,help me fry these vegtables."Felicity started chopping carrots and tried to take her mind off what had she couldn't.
Chapter 4:Felicity's Plan Felicity sat on her bed,thinking hard about her talk with Mother."I'm sure Mother agrees with me about what I said."She became more upset by the minute."That's it!I'm not about to let being a woman push me from fighting for what I in.I'm joining the Patroit army whether anyone likes it or not!"Her heart was thumping so quickly,it felt like it would jump out of her chest.
"Wait!"She noticed."I can't join the army as Felicity Merriman.I'm going to have to come up with a name that will make people beleive I'm a soldier."
Chapter 5:Thomas Ginly Felicity had finnaly found out a name for herself when she was a soldier:Thomas knew it would take a month or so to prepare also knew she would have to tell her secret to a few people so she would have someone to help her.
"Felicity,get down here!"Mother yelled from then knew three people to tell her secret to:Mother,Father,and Elizabeth.
Felicity rushed was setting out the plates,tea cups and sliverware in the dinning put a simile on her face.
"Feliciy,you look cheerful!What have you been doing for the past few hours?"
Felicity walked toward the table and started pouring raspberry-leave tea into cups."Mother,I was sewing my sampler and I was thinking about our talk we had when we were cooking dinner and...I want to join the army!"
Mother similed at Felicity disaprovingly."Of course you do dear,but you can't."Feliciy frowned."Mother!I want stand up for what I believe in and I'm sixteen.I can find a husband eaily in the army."Mother made a straight face.
"You can't go because you are just a girl and the British army is the stongest army in the could be killed!"She said in bit her lip in a worried face."If I get injured...I'll be taked back home."
Mother and Marcous finnaly arrived at the yougher children came into the ,who was thirteen;William,who was ten and Polly,who was all sat down,prayed and started to eat.
Mother kept glancing at Felicity throughout dinner and dessert in 's stomach was chorning as she asked herself:"What have you just gotten yourself into?"
Chapter 6:Leaving Williamsburg Felicity spent the next month secretly getting ready to leave for the told Elizabeth who was very shocked by the and Father helped her ,William and Polly were told she was going to help and their grandfather's enlisted as Thomas Ginly.
Finnaly the day Felicity had to leave had packed her last bag and changed into the shirt,jacket,breeches and three-cornered hat she bought at the clothing store,and looked around her room.
She was about to leave the house she was born and grew up heart was aching so bad,she wanted to went downstairs to say good-bye to Mother and Elizabeth,who had come to say saw tears in her mother's saying good-bye,she rode off on Penny.
Her eyes were full of tears and her heart ached leaned against Penny's neck and whispered,"There's no turning back now."
Chapter 7:Meeting someone you already know Felicity put down her rifle after her first drill in General Washington's army.A soldier noticed her and started walking toward looked very farmilar.
Felicity looked closer at she realized who the soldier was:BEN!
Ben came was thinner than he was four years ago and his hair was started to intudce himself."Hello sir!"My name is Ben Davidson.I haven't seen you this your first day?"
Felicity deepened her voice."Why,yes ."Ben similed."Well,then if you would like to meet my family,I'll show you to my cabin."Felicity's heart skipped a .What did he mean?
They walked in seilence for minutes,then Ben started to speak."You didn't tell me your name."Felicity galped."Thomas Ginly is my name."She said nervously.
They finnaly arrived at Ben's home:A small,dark called for his family."Christine!There's someone I want you to meet!"Just at that moment,a woman with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes stepped into the had a small child,possibly a girl,in her arms.
The woman similed."Ben,who is this?"Ben similed back at her."This is Thomas .Ginly, this is my wife Christine and our daughter Lucy Anne."Ben said proudly.
Felicity wanted to yell at him:"You never wrote to me telling me you were married with a child!"
Right at that moment,she bumped into the door and her hat fell off her head and released her long red and his wife Christine stood in complete didn't know what to say.
Chapter 8:A Secret Revealed Ben spoke in a very angry voice."Your a WOMAN!What's your real name!Tell me NOW!Felicity's heart was thumping as fast as Penny ran when she rode her."TELL ME NOW!"Ben demanded."Tell me your name this instent!"
Felicity inhaled."Felicity Merriman."She was still for a became even more angry."FELICITY!"he yelled."What are you doing in the ary as a soldier!"Felicity sighed."One of Father's costumers said that if we win the war,then women won't have as many rights as I decided to become a soldier to prove women can fight as well as men."Ben made a disapointed "0"face.
Christine began to speak."So this is 's nice to meet her but,she not as smart as you said she was.
Felcity felt very effided."Excuse me, Ben never even told me about you or Lucie."Ben folded his arms."Yes,I did.I sent you a letter on the day Christine and I got married and when Lucie was born!"Felicity was very embarressed."The British must have gotten them.
She went back to her secret."Please don't tell ANYONE please."Ben calmed down a little."Well,fine."Feliciy similed."But this is the last time I will keep a secret for you."Felicity cheered."Thank you Ben,thank you very,very much."
Chapter 9:The Battle and Victory Felicity spent the next four and a half months as a solider,training in drills and fighting in bloody kept her ever someone asked her,he said she was Thomas Ginly.
In September,the army marched to Yorktown to fight the British one last time."This battle is the fate of our furter."Felicity said to Penny in camp after a two week march.
On the seventeenth of October,Felicity loaded her gun and inhaled was the last chance to win our nation and seperate from the battle would determinde the future had to win.
She watched as thousands of Redcoats marched into the hands were saw Ben had a serious look on her was strong as she lifted her rifle and...BBBOOOMMM!"
In seconds,both American and British soldiers were fireing rifles,cannons and punching and kicking one were were running for saw violence everywhere she turned.
Felicity fired her rifle many times and a British soldier nearly pounched her in the face!She saw soldier after soldier fall to the ground and scream in was trying to be brave but,inside she was shaking in was about to fire her cannon,when she felt metal and fire hit her next thing Felicity knew,she was bleeding fanted,and she finnaly awoke to feel blood and cloth on her leg.
She saw Americans flag waving in the we won?Were finnaly free?She leaned over and tried to tie the cloth around her was so was cheering,Christine was crying tears of joy,and Lucy was crying because of the was crying tears of couldn't beleive war was over!The Americans had WON!
Later that night,Ben told Felicity that the British had was in and Christine helped her onto Penny because of her broken she rode off,her heart was thumping Merriman was now one of many citizens of a new natiion:The United States of America.
Afterword Felicity left the army after the Battle of Yorktown for two ,she was shot during the battle,as shown in the ,George Washington had found out she was a girl.
When she returned to Williamsburg,she met a young horse trainer named Rick was interested in her by her story of being in the were married in the fall of and Rick had six children,four daughters and two daughter, Julia became a nurse for the American army during the War of the springe of 1789,the Davidsons,Danners,Coles and Merrimans moved to the Ohio River Valley.
When she arrived at the Ohio Valley with the other familes,Elizabeth met a pastor at the church named Micheal were married in the summer of and Micheal had seven children,three daughters and four and Elizabeth stayed good friends for children,grandchildren,great-grandchildren and so on stayed friends as developed cancer in good luck,she lived to be one hundred years old.
When Rick died in 1835,Felicity stayed in Ohio until her youngest granddaughter Elizabeth,turned eighteen in she traveled to Independence,Missouri and toke the the Oregon Trail to Oregon City,Oregon.
Ben and Christine had four other children besides the knowledge he had from the years of working for ,Ben opened his own store on the Ohio in helped the American army get suppiles during the War of and Christine died when their house caught fire in 1847.
Felicity Merriman Danner lived a very,very long long,she lived to see her great-great died at the age of one hundred and five of old age in 1870.