December 19, 1777, Friday
I woke to sleet hitting the window and another sound I'd not heard before. A drumbeat. Papa came in from milking and said, "The
soldiers are coming."
Finally, through the gray, we saw them. Three officers on horseback Wer outside to cheer, but the men were quiet and thin.
The sight of them took my breath away.
"They have no shoes," Elizabeth whispered.
We watched for several minutes as they passed by. We were unable to speak. Their footprints left blood in the snow. As I write
this upstairs, my candle low and our room cold, I think I shall never again complain.
adapted from The Winter of the Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777 by Kristiana Gregory
SE
What statement is a good summary
of this selection?
A. Always carry an extra pair of shoes when you are walking.
OB. Soldiers choose their lot and deserve what they get.
OC. Always cheer the soldiers who pass by your window.
OD. Sometimes our troubles seem small when we look at someone else's.