Show an he DA 4 PO eat r c h r d IRVING MIN kv BACHL LLER CHAPTER X XIII I 1 I 1 1 continued la 13 Solo solomin ninn arld and ills his young friend wet met john adams on the ho street tile distinguished massachusetts lawyer sald said to anck when tho the greetings were over young man your poll pen tins lias been not writing but making history does it nwan var mar jack queried mr adams wiped its his brow with tits his handkerchief and said people lu in our luio lave seldom grown old or died in their beds we ought to bo be getting ready said jack and we are doing little but eat cat and drink mid and shout and bluster sir mr adams nus we are being entertained here with ments meats and curds and custards bustards cus tards and jellies and carpi ari and hooting floating islands and Ala madeira detra wine it la Is for epta to induce the people of philadelphia fit to begin to save W we e need to learn fraik philosophy of thrift 0 colonel washington was a member of the IlIr virginia ginta delegation jack wrote taftt he wits vms in uniform blue coat and red waistcoat and breeches that lie he alls waa a big man standing very erect and about six feet two inches in height that his eyes were blue ills his complexion light and rather florid ills hla face slightly pock marked his brown heir hair tinged with gray that he had the largest hands bands save those of solomon Bi binicos nicus that he had ever seen I 1 lib I 1 I 1 s letter contains these informing words 1 I never quite realized tile the full ull meaning of the word dignity until I 1 saw aw tills this man and heard tits his deep rich voice there wils a kill kind of magnificence fl in hla his manner and person when he said 1 I will raise one thousand men toward the relief of boston and subsist them at my own expense that was nil all he be said and it was the most eloquent speech made in the convention vent ven tion lon he was the central aral figure in that congress of trusted men it Is also evident that he will be tile alie central figure on this side of the ocean when the storm breaks next day ho he announced that lie he was as yet opposed appo sed to any definite move toward independence so the delegates content tented themselves with a declaration of rights opposing importations and esac chally slaves when the cong congress Tess adjourned october twenty sixth domeet to meet again agdan on the tenth of may there was little hope of pence peace among those who bad had a part dinits in its proceedings jack who knew the conditions in england knew also that war would come soon and freely expressed his bis views letters had come from margaret giving him the welcome news that lionel clarice had bad recovered and announcing noun cing that her own little revolution had bad achieved success site she and ier her father would be taking for poston in december jack had urged that she try ry to induce him to start at once fearing dint that december would be too late and so it fell out when the news of the congress reached london th the eking king ande alade new plans ile he began to prepare for war sir benjamin hare who was to be the first deputy or of general gage w was as assigned to a brigade and immediately put his regi ments menta in training for service overseas lip ho had spent six ali months in Anic america ilca land was supposed in 1 england ligia th to have learned the art artof of bush fighting such was the easy optimism of the cheer ful fui young minister of war and his confreres contreres con freres in tile house of lords after the tir arrival rival of the king william at on thet the eig eighth lith of december no english women yent down tp to the sea in 0 ships for a long time thereafter theresea the water roada were thought to be only for men jacks hope was that armed resistance would convince the british of their folly CHAPTER XIV adventures in the Sor service vicO one doy day jack re received a letter from doctor franklin who had given even ui up ills his fruitless work byrk in london and returned to philadelphia t it said my work in england has been fru fruitless less and I 1 am done with it IF I 1 bring yen love from the fair lady indy of your choice that my young mend briend is in a better possession than house sand lands for even tile the flames of witt war cannot destroy it it I 1 have not seen in all this life of mine a 8 dearer creature cleatia re or a nobler passion and I 1 will tell you why it Is dear to me as well as an to sou she sa s1 1110 Is like tile the good people of Engla england ild whose heart Is with the colonies but whose will v all lit la being baffled and oppressed let us hope it t may not be tor for 10 long my ily good wishes for you I 1 involve olve the whole race whose chos e for blood you la av in in my veins the race has ever aver been like the me patient ox or trend treading out cut the corn com alio leading trait Is ii endurance there nere to IB little in the resent outlook you and will do well to uga b tats for a time i will be 10 tile the center of our activities and you may be livered any moment crit juck and solomon wont went to philadelphia soon after news lows of tile ho battle of lexington hull hud reached albany in tile tho lalit days of april icicy were among tile cheering crowds tant welcomed tile the delegates to lie file second congress colonel washington tile tho only delegate in ili forill was uis tile the most 1111 pres sive alve figure in ili the coutress cou gresa gress lie ile had come up tip with 11 coach and six horses front from virginia alv colonel used to say that even with six horses ono one lint lind a slow and dougli journey in tile tho wild and solid ills dignity all und noble stat u ure re tho the fume fanie lie had won in the lie I 1 indian wars tind ills wl wisdom and fillod modesty lit in co council linell had and silenced ceI opposition and opened tits way lie was it ninn highly lilg lily favored of heaven tile of ill 11 adai villa felt tile tho power of hla his personality they aliey seemed d to regard lihn with affectionate awe all eyes were on oil bilm when lie walked aroun arounia id not even emri the hancock or to ie eloquent patrick henry so BO much attention yet lie he would gouid stop lit in the street to spink to a child or to spy a pleasant word to tin nn old as aa lie he ild did to sol solomon onion alint day in june tile the beloved bel oved virgin inn ans chosen to he be ca commend int nander ln in cliplef of the american forces jack and Solo solomon tron dined with frnnk frank tin nt at ills his home john adams of boston and john drown brown tile the great mer cliant of provid ence were tits his other guests the distinguished men were discussing tile tho choice of colonel wash angton doctor do tor franklin who never failed to ami bmw w some token of respect for every guest at his table turned to solomon and abid major bankes you have been with ahu it a good deal what do you think of colonel washington 1 I think lies hes a hull bull four hoss hosi team an the dog under tile the waggle w said solomon Solo john adams acuros often quoted these words of till the scout und they became a saying in new england washington set out in june with colonel lee and fl a company of light horse for boston where some soline sixteen i I 1 s ON wk reported REp 10 WASH t thousand housand men had assembled avith their rifles and muskets to bo be organized into art ah army for the lie defense of massachusetts A little later lack jack and solomon followed with eight horses and two W wagons ag ons loaded with barrels of gunpowder made under tho the direction 0 of benjamin franklin and paid for with ills his money til otley A british fleet being in ili american waters the overland route was chosen ns as tile the safer one was a slow sic v and toilsome journey with here i and there a touch of stern adventure crossing the pine barrens of new jersey they aliey were held up by it band of tory refugees and deprived of all the money in their pockets on tile post road beyond horse neck in connecticut they had a more serious adventure they had been traveling with a crude map of each main road showing the location of houses in the settled country where at night they could find shelter and hospitality biving to the peculiar character of tefar freight the committee in philadelphia hold had requested thern them to avoid inns and had caused these maps to be sent to them at post on an the road indicating the homes of trusted patriots from twenty to thirty miles apart about six in the evening of july twentieth they reached the home of I 1 israel lockwood oliree above horse neck they thad had ridden through a storm which had shaken and smitten the earth with UN tta thunder thunderbolts bolto tc some of which had fallen n near ear them mr lockwood directed them to leave their wagons on a largo empty tarn floor hoor and aked them in to sti supper it bring guthin out to us I 1 guess wo we better stay by tier lier salil said Sol solomon union slie she might be nervous 1110 do you have to stay with this stuff till the while lockwood LoLk wood asked night tin an lay day suld said Sol solomon orrion dont to do to let ter cr git lonesome loa csome toiny when tile the were thi the ground on both sides 0 me I 1 wanted to eliop lot down an all run oft off in ili tic tia bush n nillo er cr so ter for to see the kentry but I 1 jost jest halt had to sot set nil all hope shi she would lint hold tier temper nn an not go to ln illicit buck site ng its solomon colled called the two lomis loads was a most exacting mistress they never lett laft her alone for a nio while one wits putting awny away the horses V ano no other was on guard illicy slept near tier her at night israel lockwood sot down for it a visit with thein when lie brought their food while they nvere eating another tor terrific rifle thunderstorm tir rived in the midst of it a bolt struck the alio barn imd rent its root open and set the top of tile mow inow affo solomon juni jumped tica to the benr wheel of if one of the wagons while jack seized tile tongue in 11 second it was rolling down tile ham barll bridge oil and away the burn had filled with and cinders but these dauntless well men rond out tile second wagon iraln was frilling falling solomon observed a wisp of smoke coming out from under the roof of vils Ms angon lie ile jumped in and found a live cinder which had burned through the cover and fallen on oil one of the barrels it was eating into the wood So solomon lonion tossed it out lit in tile alie rain and cred file live spot lie ile examined the ho terris tn lind and the wagon floor and was waa satisfied tit in speaking of that incident next iny day lie he said to jack it if I 1 a had find good control 0 my iny legs I 1 guess a run erway with tile me I 1 had to put tile the whip on pill cm to git em ela to step in ill under that wagon roof you hear to tile me while solomon was ans engaged with tills this trying duty lockwood lind bad led the horses out of the stable below mid ros cuel he harness A heavy shower was falling the flames hall had burst through the tho roof and in spite of the rain the structure was ns soon boon destroyed st the wind was waa favorable and we nil all stood watching the lire fire safe but belp less to do anything for our host lack jack wrote lit in a letter fortunately here ere was another house near and I 1 took tile the horses to its barn for the night we slept in a woodshed close to tile lie wagons we slipped abut of trouble by being on liand hand when it started ir IF we had gone into the house for supper im inclined to that the british would not hove have been driven out of boston we passed many companies of dt marching riflemen in front of one of these the fife and drum corps ploy piny ing behind him film was a young tory who had and insulted the company and was therefore mado made ete to carry a gray goose in his arms with this maxim of poor richard on oil his back wot every goose lias has feathers on him on atio twentieth we reported to general washington in cambridge whis this was the first tinie time I 1 sow him in the uniform of a general lb Hs wore a blue coat with auff bun facings and buff d small sword alth epaulets a black blacic cockade in hla his three cor tiered hat and a blue sash linder tits hla coat ills hair was done lip ip in a queue ile he was wag in boots an spars lie ile rec received elved us politely directing a young officer to gb with us to 0 o the powder ponder house therece The rewe we saw s large number of barrels M all full fiill of sand dand the officer atals we keep em cut here to fool the enemy not far from the powder house I 1 overheard this little dialogue between a and a private bill go get gel a poll pall W 0 water said the captain 1 I shant do it t ray my turn the private answered the men and off leers were under many kinds of shelter in tho the big ramp camp there were tents and marquees anil and rude structures built of boards and roughly hewn timber and of stone and turf and bric brick kand and bru brush sh some had blid doors and windows wrought out of althes knit together in the fashion of a basket there handsome young men chos thighs had levei levei felt the lie touch of steel elderly men la in faded moth eaten uniforms and wiss this great body of men which had conic come to besiege boston was able to dhoot and dig that Is about all they know knew of the art of war training had begun in earnest earnes t the sergeants were ra working with squads geno ilin lee and ward and grem green and jym iw I 1 sullivan with companies aej afifi c ments from daylight to dark jade jack was particularly interested to in a short rugged fat white haired farmer from connecticut of bluff manners manner sand and twang and ot of great animation for one of tits his years yeara he was then fifty seven ile he was wad often seen flying about the camp on a horse the young man had ball read of tile the heroic exploits of this veteran of tho the indian wars tona CONTINUED |