Tempe and her horse

When I first read this story it made me think of how relentless the human spirit can be and how it reminded me of someone who in the same situation would probably do the very same thing. You may know someone that would fit this story too.

During the American Revolution, on a large farm near Morristown, lived a young girl named Tempe. It is believed that Tempe was short for Temperance, a common name in those days meaning “self control”. See if you agree that her name fits her character.

Tempe had a beautiful horse that she would ride every day. She felt pretty safe riding in the country though the enemy was not far away; the colonial army was even closer to her farm. One day as she was riding she came across some colonial soldiers. She stopped her horse as they gathered around her admiring the beast. She became uneasy as they began to talk about her animal in a manner that suggested that they planned to take the horse. One of the soldiers explained to her that they had orders to levy any horse that may be of use to the army. He went on to say that the army was in desperate need of fine animals to carry the troupes. Though Tempe understood their plight she felt that it was unreasonable for them to “steal” her horse. When the soldiers felt that she was willing to give up the horse and let go of the bridle, Tempe struck the horse with force and darted off as fast as her horse would carry her. The soldiers ran after her but were no match for the four-legged escapee. When she got back to her home she scoured the fields and woods with her eyes to make sure the soldiers had not reached the farm. She got off her horse, went to the back door of the house, led the horse inside and took him to a bedroom off of the parlor. The room had only one window that was shuttered so no one could see in. The troupes arrived and searched the grounds. They looked everywhere outside, barn, stables, outbuildings and found nothing. They never thought that a fine young lady would take a smelly beast inside her home. The horse stayed in the family home for three weeks until the army moved out of the area and Tempe knew her horse would be safe. Determined and relentless to not give up what belonged to her, maybe it was this kind of spirit that won our nation its freedom.

Ref: Stories of New Jersey, Frank R. Stockton

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Author: Vickie Van Antwerp