Two messengers covered with dust come to bid me fly, but I wait for him.
Meaning of the quote
This quote by Dolley Madison, a former First Lady of the United States, suggests that she was being urged to leave or "fly" by two messengers who were in a hurry, but she decided to wait for someone else instead. The messengers were likely trying to get her to leave quickly, but she chose to stay and wait for a different person, perhaps someone more important or someone she cared about.
About Dolley Madison
Dolley Madison, the wife of the 4th US president, was a pioneering social innovator who helped create the role of the First Lady. She famously saved a portrait of George Washington when the White House was burned by the British, and later struggled with poverty and her son’s mismanagement of their plantation. Historians consistently rank her among the most highly regarded First Ladies.
More quotes from Dolley Madison
It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people’s business.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
Disaffection stalks around us.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
At this late hour a wagon has been procured, and I have had it filled with plate and the most valuable portable articles, belonging to the house.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
And now, dear sister, I must leave this house or the retreating army will make me a prisoner in it by filling up the road I am directed to take.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
When I shall again write to you, or where I shall be tomorrow, I cannot tell.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
Our private property must be sacrificed.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
Two messengers covered with dust come to bid me fly, but I wait for him.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
It is done… the precious portrait placed in the hands of the gentlemen for safe keeping.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817
I am accordingly ready; I have pressed as many Cabinet papers into trunks as to fill one carriage; our private property must be sacrificed, as it is impossible to procure wagons for its transportation.
First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817