Tolly Trotter 
 
 Patriot 
 
 
 . v. 

 
 POLLY TROTTER, PATRIOT
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 tOW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO DALLAS 
 ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO 
 
 MACMILLAN & CO., Lmmn> 
 
 LONDON BOMBAY CALCUTTA 
 MELBOURNE 
 
 THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. 
 
 TORONTO
 
 STACK 
 
 5125811
 
 "Then I shall be a Patriot!"
 
 POLLY TROTTER 
 PATRIOT 
 
 BY 
 
 EMILIE BENSON KNIPE 
 
 AND 
 
 ALDEN ARTHUR KNIPE 
 
 Authors of "A Maid of '76," etc. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 EMILIE BENSON KNIPE 
 
 fork 
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 1919 
 
 All rights rtitrutd
 
 CormsRT, 1916, 
 BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. 
 
 Set up and electrotyped. Published November, 1916. 
 
 XortoonU 
 Berwick & Smith Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I TAKING SIDES i 
 
 II FRIENDS OR FOES 8 
 
 III A FAREWELL 14 
 
 IV THE MOB 24 
 
 V THE PLOT 31 
 
 VI A NIGHT ALARM 38 
 
 VII HIDE-AND-SEEK 44 
 
 VIII NEWS FROM THE FRONT 51 
 
 IX THE GATHERING STORM 58 
 
 X A REUNION 66 
 
 XI A MAD ADVENTURE 73 
 
 XII THE SPY'S MESSENGER 84 
 
 XIII AT HEADQUARTERS 92 
 
 XIV THE GUARD AT THE DOOR 99 
 
 XV A PLEA AND A PROMISE 108 
 
 XVI A VOICE IN THE FOG 116 
 
 XVII THE LAST SERVICE 130 
 
 XVIII INDEPENDENCY 139 
 
 XIX AFTER THE BATTLE 155 
 
 XX POLLY TAKES A PRISONER 164 
 
 XXI TRAPPED 175 
 
 XXII BROTHER WILL GIVES UP 184
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XXIII UNDER FIRE . . 193 
 
 XXIV THE BRITISH TAKE A PRISONER . . . 204 
 XXV A FAREWELL 212 
 
 XXVI UNWELCOME GUESTS 227 
 
 XXVII AN OPEN DOOR 238 
 
 XXVIII THE SCHOOLMASTER PAYS A VISIT . . 249 
 
 XXIX A PACKET OF PILLS 261 
 
 XXX BETTY GOES A-MARKETING . . . .277 
 
 XXXI IN THE WOODS ON HARLEM HEIGHTS . . 294
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 " Then I shall be a Patriot ! " Frontispiece 
 
 FACING 
 FACE 
 
 " A spy," he replied with a hint of scorn .... 22 
 
 "Where have you been, young miss?" 50 
 
 " If you turn around you will see him " 104 
 
 With a glance about me to make sure I was unobserved 176 
 
 Seizing my hand he kissed it and the next moment 
 
 passed quickly out of the house 226
 
 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 TAKING SIDES 
 
 ; FT1O arms ! To arms ! " 
 
 The shout came faintly but clearly from 
 -* far up the Broad Way, and the chattering 
 people just leaving the Trinity Church halted in 
 their tracks, for there was that in the hoarse cry 
 that sealed every lip and started all hearts to beat- 
 ing faster. 
 
 "News from Boston! To arms! To arms!" 
 It was nearer now, and presently there came gal- 
 loping toward us a single horseman, whose beast 
 showed every sign of hard riding and who was him- 
 self covered with dust and clinging to his animal as 
 if in great weariness. 
 
 Passing the church he turned down Wall Street 
 and called again. 
 
 " News from Boston ! To arms ! To arms ! " 
 As if at a signal those on the church steps moved 
 forward, and- a buzz of anxious questions filled the 
 air. 
 
 " What can it be? " " Have the British sacked 
 the town? " " Heaven send 'tis not another riot! " 
 "See, the man's stopped!" "Hasten! Hasten! 
 Let us on and hear what he has to say. 'Tis no 
 good news I warrant."
 
 2 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 The words hummed about us, while my brother 
 Will and I pressed on with the others until we burst 
 through the church gates and so out into the Broad 
 Way. Here the ladies among the congregation 
 halted, for Wall Street was filling rapidly with a 
 noisy throng who crowded about the express rider 
 from Boston, pushing and jostling each other ex- 
 citedly. 
 
 Above the clamour I caught the words, " Lex- 
 ington farmers 1" and "Minute Men!" but could 
 make no sense of it, and clutched Will by the 
 arm. 
 
 '* What is his message? " I asked. 
 
 " I know not," he answered, his head turned to 
 catch the sounds from the crowd; "but there's 
 Hamilton," he cried an instant latter. " Get you 
 home, Polly. This is no place for a maid. I'll fol- 
 low shortly with the news." And, before I had 
 time to protest he was off, shouldering his way toward 
 the thickest of the press. 
 
 I paused for a moment, hoping for a glimpse of 
 the Mr. Hamilton he had mentioned, for that name 
 was ever on his lips of late and I had never seen 
 this new friend; but I could not pick him out and 
 turned up the Broad Way toward our house, step- 
 ping briskly, for I was anxious to return to mother 
 who was alone. Being somewhat of an invalid she 
 had not felt able to go to church that morning, and 
 my father, Dr. Trotter, was attending Mr. Council- 
 man Stoddard who was low with a fever. 
 
 It was a beautiful day, that 23rd of April, in the 
 year of our Lord, 1775, though I stayed not to en- 
 joy the sunshine but hurried on, for I was stirred, as 
 was every one, at the thought of what this news 
 from Boston might be. 'Twas not hard to guess 
 that it had to do with the trouble between King
 
 Taking Sides 3 
 
 George and his subjects in America, because the 
 Massachusetts Colony was ever first to resist op- 
 pression. 
 
 " Perhaps they have seized another tea-ship," I 
 said to myself as I entered the house. 
 
 I found mother seated in the surgery, as was her 
 wont, and I poured forth my tale excitedly. 
 
 " I heard the man ride past," she interrupted. 
 " I fear 'tis no good news he bears." 
 
 " It fair mazed Governor Golden," I rattled on. 
 " No doubt he heard something little to his taste, 
 for he glared at the Livingstons as if they were 
 poachers though he was gracious enough to Mr. 
 Oliver Delancy. He's not so old but that he can 
 tell a Whig from a Tory." 
 
 " Nay, be not disrespectful of thy elders and bet- 
 ters," said mother, looking up from her Bible, which 
 was ever in her hand on a Sunday. " A child should 
 not meddle in matters that concern her not. You 
 are becoming very forward of late." 
 
 " I am not a child, mother," I answered. " Sure 
 I shall be fifteen in a fortnight ! And why should 
 I not say what is in every one's mouth? The 
 King is trying to make slaves of all the Colonies 
 and" 
 
 " Be silent ! " cried my mother, in the tone I knew 
 brooked no gainsaying. " Leave talk of such things 
 to your father and brother, and do not speak on 
 subjects of which you know naught. A political 
 female is an abomination that I will not countenance 
 in my family." 
 
 I turned, pouting, to the window. I saw no good 
 reason why I should hold my tongue upon a matter 
 which was the chief topic of conversation with every 
 class, high or low, in the city of New York. In- 
 deed, like my father and brother, I was a staunch
 
 4 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Whig for there was no lack of plain talk in our 
 house where the King's Ministers were roundly cen- 
 sured for their treatment of the Colonies. 
 
 It would have been better for father had he been 
 of a different way of thinking, as his practise was 
 among the rich, who were mostly Tories. Many 
 actually dropped him for a time ; but when they were 
 downright ill 'twas Dr. Trotter they sent for in a 
 hurry, rating him roundly for the Whiggish views, 
 which he expressed freely enough, yet glad to take 
 his physic none the less. 
 
 Only from Roger Delancy did I hear aught of the 
 other side of this controversy; and he, being big and 
 strong, was not nimble witted, and was little given 
 to argument. Roger was an orphan and, having no 
 real home of his own, he had come to our house as 
 he pleased for as long as I could remember, and 
 was like a brother to Will and me. Both mother 
 and father liked him well and spared no pains to 
 make him welcome; but Roger, being a Delancy I 
 suppose, was a Loyalist, though he joked with me 
 over the matter and we never thought that the time 
 could come when politics would stand between such 
 firm friends. 
 
 As I looked out of the window father hurried up 
 the steps and entered the house. He was quite agi- 
 tated, as any one could see, though he tried his best 
 to appear calm. 
 
 He kissed mother, then putting aside his hat and 
 stick, he seated himself opposite her and drew me 
 down upon the arm of his chair. 
 
 "You knew something was a-foot?" And 
 mother nodded. 
 
 " They cried news from Boston," she said quietly. 
 
 " 'Twas not from Boston, but from Lexington," 
 father continued. " A battalion of British soldiers
 
 Taking Sides 
 
 shot down seven and wounded nine of the Lexington 
 militia." 
 
 Mother rose to her feet, her face suddenly gone 
 whiter than was its wont. 
 
 "Shot them downl The British soldiers?" she 
 murmured. 
 
 "Ay, shot them down like dogs!" cried father 
 passionately, all pretence of calm gone. " They 
 fired without provocation and now more blood 
 must be shed. The Colonies are stirring. Con- 
 necticut is up and Massachusetts has her minute men 
 out. Bissel, the man who brought the news, though 
 nigh dead with fatigue, is on again with a message 
 to the Jerseys and Pennsylvania." 
 
 "And where is New York?" I fair shouted, 
 springing to my feet. " Are we to lag behind 
 Massachusetts and Connecticut?" 
 
 " Nay, the Liberty Boys are out," father an- 
 swered. " Lamb and Sears have not missed so good 
 an opportunity to rant, you may be sure. The 
 crowd went first to the arsenal where they took six 
 hundred muskets with powder and ball. The Gov- 
 ernor has shut himself up in the fort with a hundred 
 soldiers and, if he is wise, he will stay there." 
 
 "Good! Good!" I cried excitedly. "Would 
 that we could shut up all the red-coats! " 
 
 "When I left," father went on, "the mob was 
 on its way to the river to unload vessels with sup- 
 plies for Boston. They do not intend that any food 
 or powder shall go to Gage if they can help it. 
 Then, too, there is much talk of taking over the 
 government." 
 
 " Then it is war? " mother asked. 
 
 " I see naught else for it," father replied. " This 
 massacre at Lexington is no riot. 'Tis war, unless 
 all signs fail."
 
 6 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 ;< Where is Lexington, father?" I demanded. 
 
 " 'Tis some miles outside Boston, they tell me," 
 he explained. " 'Tis but a village and not well 
 known heretofore, but 'tis in my mind that it will 
 be as renowned in history as any great city in the 
 world." 
 
 "And are none from New York going to help 
 their brothers in the Massachusetts?" inquired 
 mother, and I saw her eyes flash as she looked 
 searchingly at father. 
 
 " Aye," he began hesitatingly, and started to pace 
 the floor. 
 
 " And Will " mother's voice faltered for a mo- 
 ment, but she held herself as straight as an arrow. 
 
 " I've been expecting that question," replied 
 father sadly, and he paused as if he dreaded what 
 was to come. 
 
 " Nay, you need not keep me in suspense," mother 
 insisted, gently. " I know he has joined the militia 
 and means to march to Boston. That is the truth 
 of the matter, is it not? " 
 
 " Aye," answered father, with a weary nod, " I 
 would that you could be spared the sorrow " 
 
 " Do you think I would have a son of mine do 
 aught else?" cried mother, and her voice was so 
 strong and ringing that I looked at her in amaze- 
 ment. Father, too, stopped his restless walk and 
 gazed at her astonished. 
 
 " Why do you eye me in that fashion? " mother 
 went on. " Think you I would have the boy a 
 coward and a shirker? " 
 
 " Nay," answered father, " but 'tis sometimes 
 harder for those who are left behind than for those 
 who go to the front, and 'tis the mothers whose 
 hearts are most wrung." 
 
 " You'll find them brave, sir," she told him, and
 
 Taking Sides 7 
 
 then, turning to me, " come, Mary, you must help me 
 prepare some necessities against your brother's jour- 
 ney. Come." And she started toward the door. 
 
 At this moment there was a sound of running out- 
 side and a hoarse cry came to us. 
 
 " To arms ! To arms ! " 
 
 For a moment mother stood rigid, one hand go- 
 ing to her breast as if she felt a pain there, then 
 she went on resolutely, while I followed with a great 
 fear in my heart. 
 
 " Mother," I began as I reached the landing 
 above, " I thought you cared naught for politics, 
 and now " 
 
 " No more I do," she broke in upon my speech, 
 " but war is not politics, my daughter, and when a 
 people are forced to fight for the land they love 
 the women must do their share with the men." 
 
 " But what can a girl do, mother? " I asked. 
 
 " That which comes to her hand to do, child," 
 she made answer. " There will be new cares, heavy 
 responsibilities, anxieties and heart-aches a-plenty 
 in store for both of us. And we must be brave to 
 meet them." 
 
 " As brave as the patriots who fight for their 
 country?" I murmured, half to myself. 
 
 " Nay," said mother with a stern note in her voice, 
 " 'tis not only those who fight who are the 
 patriots, but also those who think first of the land 
 of their birth and are ready to make sacrifices for 
 it." 
 
 " Then I shall be a patriot ! " I cried, carried away 
 by her words, and mother took me in her arms and 
 kissed me.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 FRIENDS OR FOES 
 
 MOTHER lost no time in setting out the cloth- 
 ing my brother Will would stand most in 
 need of. I was for packing his finest suits 
 and neckcloths, thinking to have him make as brave 
 a show as any; but she put ready one stout home- 
 spun, giving most attention to his undergarments 
 and stockings, and making a pile of these which, to 
 my thinking, was out of all proportion to his other 
 things. 
 
 " Sure, mother, he can at least buy soap in Bos- 
 ton ! " I protested, as she sent me off to the store- 
 closet a second time for an additional supply of this 
 commodity. 
 
 " Nay, of that I have some doubts," she replied, 
 " and you will do well to remember, Mary, that 'tis 
 on no junket your brother fares forth. 'Tis not his 
 appearance that most concerns us. Fetch the soap." 
 
 We were in the midst of these preparations wnen 
 the door below opened and the sound of voices talk- 
 ing excitedly reached us. A moment later Will came 
 bounding up the stairs two at a time ; but stopped at 
 the threshold on noting the clothes laid out. 
 
 " You are the best of mothers ! " he cried, cross- 
 ing the room quickly and taking her in his arms. 
 They stood thus for a time, and then mother with- 
 drew herself from his embrace. 
 
 " Did you think I should not be ready to speed 
 
 8
 
 Friends or Foes 9 
 
 my soldier son? " she asked, with a brave smile on 
 her lips. 
 
 " I knew you would not have me shirk my duty," 
 he answered warmly, " but do come down stairs for 
 a minute. I have brought a friend with me whose 
 name will one day be known from the Massachusetts 
 to Georgia and beyond." 
 
 "And who is this paragon?" inquired mother, 
 with a smile at his enthusiasm. 
 
 " It is Alexander Hamilton," he replied, " the 
 young man from the West Indies who is teaching 
 us at King's College to drill. Please come." 
 
 " Take Mary," said mother, " and make my ex- 
 cuses to Mr. Hamilton. I think I would rather be 
 alone for the present." 
 
 Will was inclined to urge her further, but she 
 shook her head and he, understanding something of 
 what was in her heart, gave her a great hug, and a 
 moment later we went down stairs together. 
 
 Father was called away ere we reached the foot 
 of the stairs, so that we found our visitor in the sur- 
 gery by himself. He stepped forward ceremon- 
 iously as Will made us known to each other and 
 greeted me with some pleasant words I doubt not, 
 though I took not in their meaning, so surprised 
 was I at the sight of this gentleman. 
 
 I curtseyed low, having that much wit left, but 
 held down my head to hide a laughing face, for to 
 tell the truth this person over whom Will had made 
 such an ado was naught but a boy, scarce two years 
 older than I, and for the life of me I could not recon- 
 cile him with the grand figure I had pictured in my 
 mind. He was quite small, though, to be sure, he 
 stood very erect so that his shortness was little no- 
 ticed. His face had a ruddy complection that went 
 well with his reddish brown hair, and this was my
 
 io Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 second surprise for, having often heard him spoken 
 of as " the young West Indian," I had imagined him 
 as dark and swarthy. His eyes were very blue, 
 bright and quick-glancing, with a twinkle of run and 
 merriment in them; and his movements were exceed- 
 ingly graceful, while he seemed to radiate a charm 
 that it is impossible to convey in words. These 
 facts I noted later when I came to understand why 
 he was so universally admired; but, for the moment, 
 I was put to it to control my features and must needs 
 keep my eyes cast down lest he should see the laugh- 
 ter that nigh convulsed me. 
 
 Ere I had gained command of myself Will began 
 to pace the floor and to rant against the British till 
 Mr. Hamilton laughed and begged him to be quiet. 
 
 " Sure Miss Trotter can scarce be interested in 
 politics ! " he said, as he crossed the room and 
 seated himself in a chair near me. 
 
 " Nay, she's as good a patriot as any in the land," 
 declared Will, " and can speak her mind about it, 
 too, an the chance serves." 
 
 " I know very little about it," I remarked a trifle 
 shyly. 
 
 " I doubt if those who talk so freely know any 
 more," said Mr. Hamilton. " 'Tis a vexed prob- 
 lem we have to face." 
 
 We gossiped on till the knocker sounding on the 
 door interrupted us, and, for no reason, we fell 
 silent, listening to Sam as he shuffled along the hall 
 to answer the summons. 
 
 A moment later we heard the hearty voice of 
 Roger Delancy, and I looked up with a smile for 
 he was ever welcome. But I caught a slight frown 
 on Will's face and Mr. Hamilton seemed to stiffen. 
 
 " Oh, here you are, Will ! " Roger cried out, com- 
 ing into the room without ceremony. " Good-day
 
 Friends or Foes n 
 
 to you, Polly," he went on, taking my hand, and 
 then his eyes travelled to Mr. Hamilton and his 
 manner changed. " Oh, Hamilton, it's you, is it? " 
 
 'Twas not so much what he said but the indiffer- 
 ent, careless manner of it that showed at once that 
 there was no love lost between these two. 
 
 " I'll wager Will's been telling you this news 
 from Lexington and making a mountain out of a 
 molehill! " Roger continued with a laugh. " Don't 
 believe the world is coming to an end, Polly, just 
 because a lot of Massachusetts farmers have gone 
 mad." 
 
 " 'Tis a madness your King will not be able to 
 cure," Will flashed out wrathfully. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! " cried Roger cheerfully, for he was 
 slow to anger and moreover he loved Will as a 
 brother. " Isn't it a great todo to make over a 
 tax of thrippence a pound on tea? 'Tis but an atom 
 on the shoulders of a giant. Hey, Polly? " 
 
 " Yet 'tis a tax," Mr. Hamilton put in thought- 
 fully. " Parliament claims the right to tax us, and 
 'tis against that principle we protest." 
 
 I noted that the minute Mr. Hamilton spoke there 
 was a change in Roger. 
 
 " Ay, now you protest," he said rather bitterly, 
 " but when the French and Indians were at your 
 door; when a few miles back from the coast no 
 man's life was safe; when, daily, men, women and 
 children were being scalped, you made no protests 
 but begged the King to save you. However, as far 
 as this Colony in New York is concerned, having no 
 charter it must be subject to Parliament and the 
 King. About that there can be no argument." 
 
 "No argument?" repeated Mr. Hamilton, and 
 the words seemed to echo through the room, with 
 the scorn in them. " No argument? I tell you the
 
 12 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged 
 from among old parchments or musty records. 
 They are written as with a sunbeam in the whole 
 volume of human nature by the hand of Divinity 
 itself 1" 
 
 " More words ! " retorted Roger, with a sneer 
 upon his lips. " My faith ! I know not what we 
 are coming to these days when every man talks of 
 ' rights ' as if he had done something to earn them. 
 But I'm no lawyer with a river of eloquence to con- 
 fuse right and wrong and stir up hatred for all 
 government in the hearts of ignorant men. I still 
 believe there is such a thing as loyalty. We owe a 
 duty to the Crown, and, if blows are to be struck you 
 will find me with other honest men, who count 
 neither the gain nor the loss but are ready to cry 
 ' God Save the King ' because well, because he is 
 the king!" 
 
 At this Will burst out wrathfully, but Mr. Hamil- 
 ton stopped him. 
 
 " Nay, we have no quarrel with loyalty," he said, 
 and he was the coolest one of us. " I honour a 
 man who stands by his convictions and I would like 
 to shake your hand, Delancy, for a brave man 
 though a mistaken one." 
 
 He stepped forward and held out his hand with 
 a smile and his manner was so engaging that I 
 thought no one could resist him; but I had not 
 counted upon Roger, who, once stirred, cooled 
 slowly. 
 
 " I do not shake hands with rebels and traitors ! 
 he said hotly, holding himself very straight, and Mr. 
 Hamilton flushed as if he had been stung. 
 
 " Then you cannot shake my hand either ! " Will 
 burst out furiously, " for my opinions are the same
 
 Friends or Foes 13 
 
 and come what may this house is only for my 
 friends." 
 
 " Will I " I exclaimed, " you shall not drive Roger 
 from the house. 'Tis no more yours than mine, 
 and it has been his second home since he was a 
 child." 
 
 " I beg you will let me go," Mr. Hamilton broke 
 in, and with a bow he started toward the door. 
 
 " I will not have it so! " Will protested, striding 
 across the room and grasping him by the arm. 
 " You stay." And he turned and faced Roger. 
 
 The invitation was plain enough and Roger, a 
 little bewildered, looked at me for a moment, and 
 then without a word left the room. 
 
 " Oh, Will, how could you ? " I cried, and flew into 
 the hall. " Roger ! Roger ! " I called, " you must 
 not go like this." But I was too late, for he had 
 quitted the house. 
 
 I stood looking at the closed door, at first scarce 
 realizing what had happened; then I ran upstairs 
 to mother and burying my head in her lap, burst 
 into tears. 
 
 " Will has driven Roger from the house because 
 he sides with the King! " I sobbed. 
 
 " 'Tis but the beginning, my child," said mother 
 sadly, " in a little we shall see fathers fighting against 
 sons, brothers against brothers and friends against 
 friends. All war is cruel, but civil war is the most 
 cruel of all!"
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 A FAREWELL 
 
 > | lIS needless to dwell upon Will's departure 
 
 to join the patriots who were facing the 
 
 -* British soldiers at Boston. Mother bore up 
 
 till he was gone, but for a day or two thereafter she 
 
 kept to her room. 
 
 " I hope, Mary Trotter," she said to me later, 
 " that you will be a braver woman than your mother 
 when you are her age." And that was the last sign 
 of weakness on her part. 
 
 We soon had news by express messenger that 
 Will was safely arrived; and our life went on much 
 as it had done before, though the town itself was 
 turned topsy-turvy. 
 
 Since the alarm from Lexington, a Committee of 
 one hundred Whiggish gentlemen had taken charge 
 of the city's affairs; and the Governor kept to Fort 
 George from whence he issued proclamations, which 
 few took the trouble to read and none heeded. 
 
 There was much excitement caused by delegates 
 from the Massachusetts passing through New York 
 on their way to meet with the Congress then assem- 
 bling in Philadelphia, and a great deal of talk on 
 the Common near our house, so that the very air 
 was filled with patriotic sentiments and 'twas ex- 
 pected that every man should declare himself in un- 
 measured terms. 
 
 Father, meanwhile, continued to go about his busi- 
 
 14
 
 A Farewell 15 
 
 ness as he had heretofore. He was not a politic 
 man and when he was with his Tory patients he 
 never scrupled to tell them that the King was wrong 
 and his Ministers mistaken in their policies toward 
 the Colonies. This was well enough, but with the 
 Whigs he counselled moderation; for he was no ran- 
 ter like Mr. Sears or Mr. Lamb, who called all Eng- 
 lishmen and Loyalists naught less than villains and 
 murderers. So it came about that he was loved by 
 neither party, though gentlefolk, like the Living- 
 stons and Jays, knew that there was no better pa- 
 triot in the Colonies. 
 
 Yet father, though he cared naught for the opin- 
 ions of any man, was not so ready to laugh and joke 
 as had been his custom but was silent and thought- 
 ful, often sitting with a wrinkled brow, or pacing 
 the room restlessly. 
 
 " Would you like to be in Cambridge, William? " 
 mother asked one day, as he walked restlessly up and 
 down the surgery after dinner. 
 
 " I would do my part for the country," he re- 
 plied, stopping before her. 'Tis the wish of every 
 man who is worthy of the name, and surgeons are 
 much needed in the army." 
 
 " I would not hold you from your duty," said 
 mother, in a firm voice. 
 
 " I have always known that," he answered, tak- 
 ing up his walk again, " for though you say little 
 your heart is as staunch for the cause as that of 
 the noisiest patriot who fills our ears with his bom- 
 bast." 
 
 " Mary and I and the servants can manage well 
 enough, if need be," mother urged. 
 
 " Nay, do not tempt me," father cried. " I have 
 a duty to you and Polly. Beside, there are other 
 ways to serve the cause than by fighting."
 
 1 6 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " They give you small chance here," mother re- 
 torted. 
 
 " Ay, that's only too true," he agreed. " 'Tis 
 somewhat galling to be thought a trimmer. How- 
 ever, it may all blow over. There's talk in Parlia- 
 ment of a reconciliation." 
 
 " Nay, hold out no false hopes," replied mother. 
 " You neither believe nor wish that it should blow 
 over. Let us not deceive ourselves nor bolster up 
 our hearts in that fashion. To face a battle is half 
 way to winning it." 
 
 " Didst read that in one of Dr. Franklin's 
 books?" asked father with a smile. "You have 
 ever some sage saw of his upon your tongue." 
 
 " He is the wisest man in the Colonies," mother 
 vowed with some asperity, for father was apt to 
 poke sly fun at her taste for the writings of Benja- 
 min Franklin, who was well known throughout the 
 Americas. 
 
 " Oh, I grant you he is wise," said father, with 
 a smile, " but 'tis beyond nature to expect any man 
 to have full knowledge of all the subjects under the 
 sun. Indeed he has some rare notions upon the 
 art of medicine which, were they followed, would be 
 ruinous to patients and doctors alike. Upon other 
 subjects I cannot judge the man; but he has a novel 
 way of saying things, and to my thinking 'tis how 
 he puts the matter, rather than the matter itself, 
 that makes his converts." 
 
 " He is a good patriot ! " said mother, with con- 
 viction. 
 
 " Ay, there you're right ! " agreed father. 
 " There is no better. And in most things I accept 
 his policy, though he is more forbearing than I 
 would be in his place." 
 
 Father, as he often did when the talk was not
 
 A Farewell 17 
 
 to his liking, had changed the subject with the men- 
 tion of Doctor Franklin; but the question of his 
 going to Boston was reverted to now and then, and 
 each time he would shake his head " No," until I 
 supposed it settled. But mother and he must have 
 talked of it in private, and I have no doubt she con- 
 tinued to urge him to go and put his skill at the 
 service of his country. Yet he held to his resolve 
 not to leave us, and would have kept to it alto- 
 gether had not affairs shaped themselves in a very 
 unexpected way. 
 
 I missed Roger more than I had realized I would. 
 His comings and goings had become so familiar 
 that only when they ceased did I understand how 
 large a part they had played in my daily life. Noth- 
 ing had been heard of him, and we all were wor- 
 ried on his account; for we knew that he would be 
 just as stubborn in his Loyalist principles as Will or 
 Mr. Hamilton were in their Whig ones. So, when 
 we heard of the Liberty Boyd baiting Tories and 
 riding them on rails, we could not but feel anxious 
 for fear that, sooner or later, Roger might be a vic- 
 tim. But, though I fretted more than a little that 
 he came not near us I hoped, at the same time, that 
 he had gone away, (as had many who were of his 
 way of thinking), and so was safe, at least from 
 this sort of violence. 
 
 One afternoon, however, old Sam came slowly 
 up the stairs and shuffled into the room where mother 
 and I busied ourselves with the family mending. 
 
 " Marse Roger's down on the stoop wantin' to 
 see Miss Polly," he announced, evidently much dis- 
 turbed about something. 
 
 My heart gave a bound of pleasure at the news, 
 and I jumped to my feet, ready to run down to 
 him.
 
 1 8 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 "Didn't you ask Mr. Delancy in?" inquired 
 mother. 
 
 " 'Deed I did, Mistis, but he wouldn't come no- 
 how. Said he'd wait there to see Miss Polly," Sam 
 explained, much scandalized. " I 'clare I don't know 
 what's happened to the gentry these days." 
 
 But mother and I understood, and after a minute 
 of thought she bade me to him. 
 
 " Tell him I wish to see him, Mary," she in- 
 sisted. " 'Tis silly a misunderstanding between two 
 boys should come to such a pass." 
 
 I ran down as fast as I could and found Roger 
 waiting on the steps outside. 
 
 " I'm so glad you've come," I cried, giving him my 
 hand. " We thought you had forgot all about us." 
 
 " Nay, you didn't really believe I would go away 
 without seeing you," he answered soberly, though 
 I could tell he was glad to be with me again. His 
 words were very solemn and struck a little chill to my 
 heart. 
 
 " Are you going away, Roger? " I asked. 
 
 " Yes, to-day. I'm off to Boston," he answered. 
 
 ' To Boston? " I echoed, surprised. 
 
 " Yes, to join the army," he explained. 
 
 " Oh ! " I exclaimed, delightedly, for there was 
 but one army in my mind. " Then you've come 
 round to our way of thinking after all? " 
 
 Roger shook his head sadly. 
 
 " No, Polly, I haven't changed, though I wish I 
 could and be honest with myself." He hesitated, 
 then went on. " 'Tis the other army I'm going to 
 join." 
 
 At last I understood. He and my brother Will, 
 fast friends from their babyhood, would be on op- 
 posite sides, each trying to do all in his power to 
 injure the other. My spirit faltered for a moment
 
 A Farewell 19 
 
 as I realized that, whatever the outcome of the 
 struggle, between my fondness for my best friend 
 Roger and my love for Will I should know no rest 
 from anxiety. 
 
 " Don't look like that, Polly," Roger begged. 
 " I'll not go, an you say the word." 
 
 " Come inside," I murmured. " We can't stay 
 here talking, and mother wants to see you." 
 
 " You know I can't come in," he answered stub- 
 bornly. " Will and I must shake hands before I 
 enter your house again and who knows if that 
 will ever happen now? Though we are commanded 
 to forgive our enemies we are nowhere commanded 
 to forgive our friends." 
 
 It was plain that he was much distressed and in- 
 deed it was a hard position for both of us. 
 
 " Mother thinks it silly to take the thing so 
 seriously," I urged. " The house is not Will's, 
 and " 
 
 " Don't let's talk any more about it," he inter- 
 rupted. " I hoped you'd take a little walk with me 
 for the sake of old times. Will you? " 
 
 I was willing enough to do what he asked, but 
 mother's permission was necessary and I knew she 
 would scarce like my strolling about the City with 
 Roger, considering the state of disorder that then 
 existed. 
 
 " I doubt if mother will let me," I replied. 
 
 " Beg her," he urged earnestly. " Tell her I am 
 leaving town and and I don't know when I'll see 
 any of you again. Oh, Polly, if she only knew how 
 I've missed coming here to the only real home I've 
 ever had, Madam Trotter would let you go a little 
 way." 
 
 " I'll ask her," I answered, and ran upstairs, leav- 
 ing him on the stoop.
 
 20 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Mother heard me, her face grave; and, though I 
 scarce told her more than the bare facts, adding 
 that I should like to go if she would permit; it didn't 
 need many words from me to show how anxious I 
 was to see even that little of Roger before he left. 
 
 She thought for a time before she answered and 
 then, very sweetly as if she knew all that was in my 
 heart and sympathized, she gave her permission. 
 
 " I shall be anxious till you are back," she added. 
 " Do not go farther than the Mall in front of Trinity 
 Church." 
 
 I kissed her for thanks and hurried to my room 
 for a hat. 
 
 " Good! " cried Roger, when he saw me ready to 
 walk with him. " Give my love to your dear, kind 
 mother for letting you come. She's always been 
 like a mother to me." 
 
 We started down the Broad Way and I was glad 
 to find that there were few people abroad. Indeed 
 New York was already deserted by a good many of 
 its inhabitants and closed houses were on every hand. 
 
 Roger asked about Will and how he fared in 
 Cambridge, and showed no resentment toward him 
 for their quarrel, saying that it was the result of 
 the upset condition of affairs, which he confessed 
 he didn't pretend to understand. 
 
 " It's all come about with a flux of talk by these 
 lawyer fellows like Hamilton," he declared ve- 
 hemently, and would have gone on, but that I 
 stopped him. 
 
 " You mustn't say things against Mr. Hamilton," 
 I interrupted. 
 
 He looked down at me earnestly for a moment 
 before replying. 
 
 "You're not forgetting old friends for new?" 
 he asked anxiously.
 
 A Farewell 21 
 
 " Nay, you know that I am not," I told him. " I 
 have not seen him since the day of the quarrel, nor 
 do I care greatly if I do not see him again, but I do 
 not think you met him courteously. He was fair to 
 you, and respected your opinions even though he 
 didn't agree with them." 
 
 "Yes, I'll give him credit for that," admitted 
 Roger, with a huge sigh, as if he would rather have 
 done otherwise, " but don't let's talk about him. I 
 want you to know that I have been wracking my 
 stupid brains over this business, trying to see my way 
 clear. Here am I, a great, big, hulking fellow, do- 
 ing naught while better men are going to the front. 
 I can't help being a Loyalist. Nor can I think that 
 the King is aught but the King. I suppose it is in 
 the blood of a Delancy to be for the Crown. Why 
 even the Whigs would laugh at the idea of a Whig 
 Delancy! My cousin is training a troop of horses. 
 My uncle is Tryon's chief adviser, though you 
 needn't cry the news just yet and every member 
 of my family is loyal. Beside, whatever the talk 
 may be, no matter how just the cause against the 
 government may seem, I do not think it right to 
 take up arms against the King. I've tried to hold 
 with the other side your side and Will's and your 
 father's, but I can't and be honest." 
 
 " If you can't you can't," I answer regretfully, 
 " and we like you none the less for your opinions, 
 but " I stopped, hesitating. 
 
 " But you think it is unnecessary that I should 
 fight at all? Is that it? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes," I nodded in reply. 
 
 "Would you have me seem a trimmer, Polly?" 
 he questioned. " A scurvy fellow who calculates to 
 be on the winning side no matter what the outcome ? 
 You wouldn't want me to be like that? "
 
 22 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 "No," I replied, " only only " but I broke 
 off again not knowing what to say, for indeed there 
 seemed no way out of the difficulty. 
 
 'Tis one thing or the other," he declared, and 
 I felt that he was right. " All that has kept me 
 from going long ago is what you would think of 
 me. Whether, if I went, we must cease to be 
 friends?" 
 
 I was about to answer when a shabby, shuffling 
 fellow sidled up beside Roger. He was a shifty 
 little man with a face like a weasel which, though 
 I caught but a momentary glimpse of it, was not to 
 be forgotten easily. 
 
 " The boat is ready and sails at once," he whis- 
 pered. " They sent me for you and will wait ten 
 minutes. The mob's out looking for Tories, so 
 you'd better hasten if you would get safely away." 
 
 He did not stop but shuffled on, so that it would 
 not appear that he was having aught to do with 
 us. 
 
 "Who is he?" I asked Roger, who was staring 
 after the retreating figure. 
 
 " A spy," he replied with a hint of scorn. 
 
 " And what did he mean? " 
 
 " That I had ten minutes to catch the boat that 
 is to carry some of us who are going secretly to 
 Boston," he answered. " Tell me," he went on 
 earnestly, " shall I go or stay? " 
 
 "You must decide that for yourself," I replied. 
 
 " Will you think the less of me? " he asked anx- 
 iously. 
 
 " Nay," I assured him, " Never! " 
 
 "And we shall be friends, whatever happens?" 
 
 " Always ! I hope always ! " I cried, and gave 
 him my hand.
 
 " A spy," he replied with a hint of scorn.
 
 A Farewell 23 
 
 " Oh, Polly, Polly," he murmured, " why do these 
 things come to plague us? " 
 
 " Do not waste time in talk." I interrupted. 
 " You must be off to your boat or you will miss 
 it." 
 
 " I must see you home first," he said, taking a 
 step in that direction. 
 
 " Nay, that is not necessary," I assured him. 
 " 'Tis not far, and no one will molest a maid." 
 
 He hesitated a moment, but I insisted that he go 
 at once, for indeed there was no time to spare. 
 
 " God bless you, Polly," he said at last, in a 
 broken voice. " Don't forget all about me or think 
 hardly of me because of this wretched war." 
 
 I could not speak but gave him my hand and he, 
 understanding, took it and, as he bowed, kissed it 
 and was gone. 
 
 I watched him for a moment or two until he dis- 
 appeared down one of the streets leading to the 
 water, and then turned toward home, scarce having 
 any thoughts in my head for the great ache in my 
 breast. It might well be that I should never see 
 Roger again.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE MOB 
 
 > | iWAS not until I had walked to within a 
 few blocks of the house that I became aware 
 -- of a multitude of people thronging the 
 streets ahead of me. I quickened my pace, a little 
 frighted, wondering where they could have come 
 from all of a minute; and as I neared them I caught 
 the ominous hum, hum of their voices. There was 
 something so menacing in the sound of it that my 
 heart doubled its beating though I knew not then 
 that this demonstration was to touch me. 
 
 At length, rising above the murmur of the crowd 
 came a sharp cry that drove the blood from my face 
 and brought me to a stop trembling. 
 
 " The Tory Doctor ! Have out the Tory Doc- 
 tor!" 
 
 In a moment the shout was caught up by the mob 
 till the roar of it filled the streets, and I was nigh 
 to falling as I realized that, so close to our home, 
 it could mean but one thing. Father was the " Tory 
 Doctor " they threatened, and for an instant I looked 
 about me helplessly. Then, summoning all my 
 strength, I determined to run ahead and warn him. 
 
 But the mob was between me and the house, gath- 
 ering in numbers as it went along until it blocked 
 the street, and I saw at once that it would be use- 
 less for me to attempt to break through it. I must 
 go around it and, lifting my skirts, I started on a 
 run.
 
 The Mob 25 
 
 Turning down John Street toward Golden Hill I 
 won to Nassau, which was but a block from the back 
 of our house. Once there I sped on, caring naught 
 for those who looked at me curiously, thinking only 
 of father and the peril he was in. At length I gained 
 the garden door through which I flew and so into 
 the hall. 
 
 But I was too late. Even as I entered I heard 
 a new note in the hoarse roar of the throng in the 
 street. A stone crashed through the front window, 
 then came the vindictive howl of a maddened crowd. 
 
 " Bring out the Tory Doctor ! Down with all 
 Loyalists ! " 
 
 At this moment father, his face white and de- 
 termined, looking neither to the right nor to the 
 left so that he passed without seeing me, strode to 
 the door, flung it open and in a mighty voice shouted, 
 "Stand back!" 
 
 And I, who pressed behind him, saw those on the 
 steps give way as he faced them and, for the mo- 
 ment, cowed them to silence; but 'twas only for a 
 moment. Those in the rear pushed forward and 
 again a shout went up. 
 
 " Take the Tory Doctor ! A rail ! A rail for 
 the traitor ! " 
 
 I shrank against the wall and hid my face in my 
 hands, shuddering at the sight of that angry sea 
 of scowling faces before me. 
 
 I was affrighted, and with good cause; but father 
 fronted the mob unflinchingly, with a look of scorn 
 on his face. He was no coward, and for the time 
 being his courage in standing before them gained 
 him a certain respect from the better element in the 
 assembly. 
 
 " Hear what he has to say," one shouted. " Per- 
 chance he's not so black as he's painted."
 
 26 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Ay, let him speak," cried another. And al- 
 though there were murmurs against it, this senti- 
 ment prevailed. 
 
 It would have been better had father spoken words 
 of conciliation, seeing how great were the odds 
 against him; but 'twas not his way. 
 
 " You're a pack of cowards ! " he cried at the 
 top of his voice, so that every one heard him. " And 
 like cowards you hunt in packs ! " 
 
 At this, angry cries rose again, and a huge fellow 
 in the front cried out, " Take the Tory trimmer ! " 
 
 "Ah, 'tis you, Jem Smith! " Father pointed at 
 the man. " 'Tis like you to howl down one to 
 whom you owe a debt. I warrant your wife doesn't 
 know your errand, for she has some gratitude even 
 though you have none. Have you forgot how you 
 came begging me to save her life when she was ill 
 with the pox and you had fled the house fearing you 
 might take it? Have you forgot that, you pol- 
 troon?" 
 
 The man hung his head in shame, but father's 
 words had little effect upon the others and once more 
 the cry went up. 
 
 "A rail 1 Ride him on a rail!" 
 
 "And are you there, too, Joe Sadler?" father 
 shouted, indicating a man wearing a leathern apron. 
 " Have you come to thank me for saving your son 
 or to pay my fee ? 'Tis a good year or more you've 
 owed it, and you're a man of property." 
 
 And so, one after another, he picked out half a 
 score among the throng, but though it held them for 
 a time 'twas plain the crowd was bent on mischief. 
 Finally a husky fellow named Briggs, a cooper by 
 trade and an honest though a stupid man, stepped 
 forward. 
 
 " Have done, doctor ! " he shouted. " We're not
 
 The Mob 27 
 
 here to settle private debts but public ones. 'Tis 
 where you stand in the Cause that concerns us. Are 
 you a patriot or are you the Tory traitor they say 
 you are ? " 
 
 " You know well enough," father answered 
 boldly. " And 'tis not that brings you here. You 
 mean to try to force me to leave sick folk to die 
 if perchance they are not of your way of thinking. 
 You want to be the keepers of my conscience. You 
 want me to pledge myself not to physic Tories. 
 That's it, isn't it?" 
 
 " Ay, to show your loyalty to the cause," an- 
 swered Briggs. " There's a many who pretend to 
 be with us, who traffic secretly with the Governor. 
 'Tis bandied about that you are one of these. But 
 say the word that you will let the King's men find 
 their own physic and we'll leave you in peace. 'Tis 
 your duty to the Cause, for if the Tories die 'tis no 
 more than they deserve. The fewer such the better 
 is my motto." 
 
 He stopped and there were murmurs of approval 
 throughout the throng, hushed of a sudden to hear 
 father's answer. 'Twas plain that he had but to 
 promise he would not attend Loyalists and they 
 would be as ready to cheer him as they were to ex- 
 ecrate him. 
 
 There was a moment's quiet while father looked 
 down upon them ere he replied, and I hoped he was 
 making up his mind to do as they wished; but that 
 there was no such thought in his head his words soon 
 showed. 
 
 " No man nor mob of men," he began, " nor King, 
 nor Prince, nor Potentate, shall tell me my duty to 
 those who need the relief my poor skill can give 
 them. I've said often enough that I am for the 
 cause of liberty in these Colonies, and if you think
 
 28 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 to force me to play the Levite and pass by on the 
 other side because, perchance, a sick one is not of 
 my way of politics, you have mistook your man. I 
 tell you now, to your faces, that I care not whether 
 he be rich or poor, Whig or Tory, and he be ill, I 
 shall do what I can to ease his sufferings ! " 
 
 At first, as father's words rang out, I thought they 
 would disperse. 'Twas hard to believe there were 
 any who could doubt his honesty ; but those who owed 
 him most began to murmur that he was defying 
 them, and soon the clamour to take him was re- 
 newed, the rear ranks pressed forward, and for a 
 moment it looked as if a rush was about to be made. 
 I, cowering in the doorway, cried out to father to 
 come into the house; and turning, he saw that I 
 was there behind him. 
 
 " Go in!" he commanded. "This is no place 
 for you." And he stepped back to push me within. 
 
 The crowd, seeing this, evidently took it for a 
 move on his part to escape inside, and at once an 
 angry shout arose that brought my heart to my 
 throat, while half a dozen men sprang up the steps 
 to take him. I made sure it was all over when be- 
 tween us and the advancing mob, there leaped a fig- 
 ure with up-raised arms. 
 
 "Back! Back!" he shouted, his voice ringing 
 high above the noise. " Is it thus you would bring 
 disgrace upon the cause of liberty of which you pro- 
 fess to be such strong champions? " 
 
 As if by magic the men stopped, then retreated 
 till the steps were cleared. 
 
 " 'Tis young Hamilton ! " cried one, and the 
 words were taken up eagerly. 
 
 "Give us a speech. We'll listen!" called an- 
 other, and strange as it may seem their anger ap- 
 peared to melt away at the sight of this young man
 
 The Mob 29 
 
 who, from the moment he began to speak to them, 
 controlled that sullen mob as a skilful driver man- 
 ages a fractious horse. 
 
 I remember little of what he said, but he scolded 
 them and made them laugh alternately, so that at the 
 end, when he pledged himself for father's patriotism, 
 they gave him three cheers. Then, still more sur- 
 prising, they cheered father, too. After that they 
 started off slowly, laughing and joking among them- 
 selves. 
 
 Smilingly Mr. Hamilton turned to us. 
 
 " 'Tis a queer animal, the mob," he said lightly, 
 as he bowed to me. " 'Tis hard to tell whether it 
 will fawn on you or destroy you. And what will it 
 do, sir, when it has the reins of government in its 
 own teeth? 'Tis a matter for much thought." 
 
 Behind his careless manner was a seriousness that 
 father seemed to understand better than I. 
 
 " You're right, Mr. Hamilton," he nodded sol- 
 emnly in agreement. " We may be exchanging a 
 King for a worse tyrant in our fight for liberty. 
 But that is for the future. For the present I have 
 to thank you for saving me from a rough handling 
 or worse." 
 
 " 'Twas naught!" cried Mr. Hamilton with a 
 laugh. " I am glad chance brought me this way. 
 But if aught I have done has been of service to you 
 I pray you remember it when, mayhap, you are prob- 
 ing for a British bullet under my skin. It will not 
 be long before we are all at the front, serving the 
 Cause, and there will be much need of surgeons." 
 
 At that moment mother called and father, with a 
 word of excuse to Mr. Hamilton, went inside to re- 
 lieve her anxieties. 
 
 " Won't you come within? " I begged. " I want 
 to thank you for helping my father."
 
 30 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Now that's good of you, Miss Trotter," he 
 said with his winning smile. " I thought your feel- 
 ings would hardly be friendly considering that I 
 was the occasion of the quarrel whereby Mr. De- 
 lancy was forbid your house." 
 
 " Nay, Mr. Hamilton, you were not the cause of 
 it," I replied, for I had never blamed him for that 
 wretched affair. 
 
 " Yet it would not have happened but for me," 
 he insisted. 
 
 " It was bound to happen, I'm afraid," I pro- 
 tested. " Roger was certain to be on the other side, 
 and the break must have come sooner or later. Pray 
 believe that I do not hold you guilty." 
 
 " I'm right glad to hear you say so ! " he ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 " Please come in," I suggested again, for I felt 
 sure mother would like to say a word of apprecia- 
 tion to him. 
 
 " While one friend is barred from the house, 
 Miss Trotter, I think 'tis fitting that the other stay 
 away," he persisted. " I must do some penance for 
 the share I had in that quarrel; but, when it is made 
 up, I shall jump right gladly at your invitation." 
 And with that, saluting me, he ran down the steps 
 and walked away swiftly. 
 
 For a moment or two I looked after him, noting 
 his gallant figure as he swung off along the street 
 and my cheeks flushed with shame as I remembered 
 that I had once laughed at Mr. Alexander Hamilton. 
 
 Within the house I found mother again urging 
 father to start forthwith for Cambridge; but he 
 would not, vowing he was not to be driven, though 
 he did promise that he would not go out of his 
 way to antagonize the reckless, unthinking members 
 of his own party.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE PLOT 
 
 AFTER this our lives went on for a time much 
 as before, while the affairs of the country be- 
 came more and more involved. Every one 
 began to realize that the conflict which had flamed 
 up of a sudden was not to die down, but to mount 
 higher and higher until the Colonies were either 
 consumed or independence gained. For by now 
 that word began to be in the mouths of all Whigs. 
 
 But this pother and talk was not for mother and 
 me. We waited anxiously day by day, for the news 
 from Boston knowing that sooner or later a battle 
 must be fought, but dreading the outcome. And at 
 last an express messenger brought tidings of a vic- 
 tory for the minute-men and volunteers at a place 
 called Bunker's Hill. 
 
 At once there was great rejoicing through the 
 city, in that our men had faced the veterans of the 
 British army and defeated them. Bells were rung, 
 fires lighted, and altogether there was a deal of 
 excitement; but, underneath the enthusiasm, was the 
 dread of what was in store when the list of those 
 killed should reach us. 
 
 Then, little by little, further reports filtered 
 through from Cambridge which were not so cheer- 
 ing; for though we had in a way won a victory, yet 
 in the end, the British had taken the hill, and many 
 had died on both sides. 
 
 31
 
 32 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 As for me I could not find it in me to do aught 
 but grieve. Between anxiety for my brother Will 
 and a scarce less concern for Roger Delancy, my 
 feelings were like to be torn no matter what the 
 news might be. 
 
 Mother said little, but a sudden sounding of the 
 knocker, or the clatter of an express rider galloping 
 past the house, brought a look of painful suspense 
 into her face, and 'twas easy to see that her thoughts 
 were ever with her soldier son in the Massachusetts. 
 
 At length our anxiety was relieved by a message 
 from Will himself, in which he complained most 
 bitterly that his company had been held back and 
 he had seen none of the fighting. It was a great 
 load off our minds but there remained another from 
 whom we had no word nor were like to have any, 
 for he was fighting on the other side. I knew 
 Roger would not shirk his duty. How had he fared 
 on the bloody field of battle? I longed to learn 
 if he, too, were safe yet there was no way for me 
 to seek tidings of him and somehow, the more I 
 pondered the matter, the more convinced I became 
 that I should never see him again. 
 
 Meanwhile, about this time, General George 
 Washington, a gentleman from the Colony of Vir- 
 ginia, who had been appointed Commander-in-Chief 
 of our army, entered the city on his way to Cam- 
 bridge. His coming led to no little embarrassment 
 on the part of the New York Congress, for Mr. 
 Tryon, but lately come from England, was still the 
 Governor of the State in the eyes of the Law; though 
 to be sure, he was not yet landed, but lay on a ship 
 in the harbour awaiting a public welcome. This 
 had been arranged for on the same day Mr. Wash- 
 ington arrived. And, as it would not do for these 
 two to meet, separate escorts had to be provided,
 
 The Plot 33 
 
 which complicated matters vastly; yet as it turned 
 out, all went well. 
 
 Mother and I, standing at a window, watched 
 General Washington as he rode past our house down 
 the Broad Way in an open phaeton drawn by white 
 horses. Although he was seated I judged him to 
 be as tall as Roger, and learned later that I was 
 right. He was dressed very elegantly in a uniform 
 of blue with a purple sash, and had a long plume 
 of feathers in his hat. Altogether he made a most 
 impressive appearance and I felt that never be- 
 fore had I seen so splendid a man. 
 
 " He is like a king! " I exclaimed. 
 
 " Yes," answered mother beside me. " Yes, but 
 more than that. He is like a good king ! " 
 
 And that indeed was true. 
 
 'Twas a long time ere I saw General Washington 
 again, for he left the city very shortly, but of the 
 other new arrival, Governor Tryon, I was to see 
 and hear a-plenty. His return made a decided dif- 
 ference in the life about us, for he was not one to 
 sit and do naught if he could help it, and the disre- 
 gard of his deputy's orders and proclamations was 
 very galling to a man of his disposition. He was 
 much disliked by all save his intimates and was sus- 
 pected, with reason doubtless, of plotting with the 
 Tories. This led to a resumption of the former 
 outrages, for the mob calling themselves Liberty 
 Boys, again went out on the hunt for Loyalists and 
 many prominent men, some quite innocent father 
 declared, were forced to leave the city, abandoning 
 all their goods. 
 
 This of course revived mother's anxiety on 
 father's account, and he confessed, laughing all the 
 while and making light of the matter, that he had 
 met scowling looks on his way about town.
 
 34 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 One very hot Sunday, mother, father and I 
 walked to the Trinity church for the morning serv- 
 ice; but, upon reaching there, I found myself feel- 
 ing ill, and, on my telling father, he advised me to 
 sit in the shade outside until I should recover. So 
 I went into the grove of oaks and yews in the 
 church-yard to a favourite tree of mine, whose roots 
 made a comfortable and inconspicuous seat at the 
 foot of the huge trunk. Hidden there I watched 
 the people collect for the service, and at length 
 every one was in, including the few who are always 
 late. 
 
 My head ached quite severely and I rested it in 
 my hands, hoping that the pain would stop. 
 
 I had not been there very long when I heard the 
 voice of a man speaking on the other side of the 
 tree at the foot of which I was seated. 
 
 "We can talk here," he remarked. " When I 
 have aught to say which I wish kept secret, I come 
 out into the open where I can gaze about me. Here 
 there are no doors to hide a spy; and, as things are 
 now, I look to find a servant listening at every key- 
 hole." 
 
 " Then let us to business," said another voice, 
 hard and stern. " You have something to propose. 
 Let's have it without too many words." 
 
 " I shall come to the point at once, Your Excel- 
 lency," the other answered, and the murmur of his 
 voice continued, but I heard not, being for the mo- 
 ment too astounded, for his " Excellency " could be 
 none other than Governor Tryon. 
 
 " 'Tis a lesson they need," were the next words 
 I heard. " Something to sober them. I vow that 
 a pestiferous Whig hanging from a gibbet on the 
 walls of the fort would put some sense in the rest." 
 
 " I have thought of hanging, you may be sure,"
 
 The Plot 35 
 
 said the Governor, in his harsh, grating voice, " and 
 dearly would I love to see a round score of them 
 so dangling; but to tell you the truth I dare not! 
 Had I the force needed to protect us, then I'd be 
 quick enough about it, but until we have more troops 
 here I cannot risk it." 
 
 " I think Your Excellency does not catch my mean- 
 ing," the other broke in. " 'Tis true there would 
 be a risk with certain of them. Were it Sears or 
 Lamb, you would have the rabble about your ears 
 in no time and do little good withal as their in- 
 fluence is already on the wane, while men like Liv- 
 ingston are leading the more thoughtful. It is that 
 tendency I would strive to stop. The better Whigs 
 are influencing the Loyalists more than you guess, 
 and 'tis one of their number that would make a fine 
 show swinging from a gibbet and bring the waver- 
 ing to toss up their caps for the King. 'Tis not the 
 rabble we wish to influence but the solid men of the 
 city." 
 
 " Ay, true enough," replied the Governor, " but 
 I dare not touch one of their Committee of One 
 Hundred." 
 
 " That will not be necessary," said the other. 
 " There is one who will serve your purpose admir- 
 ably and still not inflame the mob sufficiently to 
 cause you trouble. I speak of Dr. Trotter." 
 
 As the man, whoever he was uttered my father's 
 name I thought I should cry out in terror, but I 
 controlled myself and shrank back against the tree, 
 trembling. 
 
 " The man Trotter wouldn't do," His Excellency 
 demurred. " 'Tis well known that his own party 
 deem him a Tory." 
 
 " Ay," was the answer, " but will they continue 
 to say that if you hang him? I think not. They
 
 36 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 will cry his name aloud as a martyred patriot. But 
 they love him not, and would scarce face your sol- 
 diers for him. Thus, you see, you would teach 
 your lesson and still be in no great danger from the 
 mob." 
 
 " Humph I " muttered the Governor, evidently 
 musing over the matter. " What you say has more 
 than a little in it. He could be taken privately, 
 brought into the fort and tried. Humph! 'Tis a 
 pretty plan, and as you suggest, it would have all the 
 advantages of a stern lesson to the waverers and yet 
 not bring down the rabble. Come. I'll think it 
 over." And they moved off, never suspecting I was 
 near. 
 
 I stayed hid until I was certain they were out of 
 the way, then stole into the church, all thought of 
 myself forgotten as I realized father's peril. 
 
 Yet when I reached our pew it became plain that 
 it would be wiser to wait until we were at home ere 
 I told my tale. So I sat with what patience I could 
 muster, wondering how men could plot such a wick- 
 edness within earshot of that beautiful and holy 
 service. 
 
 It seemed an eternity ere we were behind our own 
 doors again and I could speak. I watched father 
 as I recounted my experience, and saw his face draw 
 into stern lines when he had heard me out. 
 
 " On my word! " he cried at the end. " I think 
 there is a conspiracy to drive me out of town." 
 
 " And would it not be better that you should go? " 
 mother suggested, earnestly. 
 
 " No," he answered, shortly, stepping restlessly 
 across the floor. 
 
 " 'Tis what you most desire in your heart," 
 mother insisted, " and if " 
 
 " But I shall not be driven away," father broke
 
 The Plot 37 
 
 in. " I am not to be frighted by the wild schemes 
 of His Excellency, Governor Tryon." 
 
 And there the matter ended, for father, though 
 he might long to be with the army in Cambridge, was 
 too angered at the time to think of aught but re- 
 sentment against those who plotted his life. He 
 went about his duties stubbornly for the rest of that 
 day, and, in my hearing at least, no further word 
 was spoken on the subject. 
 
 I went to bed that night and lay a while trying 
 to puzzle out how it came about that a King in Eng- 
 land could bring so much trouble to a girl in New 
 York, but I was fast asleep before I found an an- 
 swer. 
 
 Some hours later I awoke with a start and, hardly 
 conscious of what I did, sprang from my bed and ran 
 to the window. Evidently it was an unusual noise 
 in the street that had roused me and, as I looked 
 out, the cause of it was plain enough. There, be- 
 low me in the moonlight, stood a score or more 
 of British soldiers drawn up in front of the house 
 and, at sight of them, some words I had overheard 
 that morning popped into my head. 
 
 " He could be taken privately." That was what 
 the Governor had said, and he had wasted no time 
 in executing his cruel plan. 
 
 With a little sob of despair I ran to warn father 
 of his danger.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 A NIGHT ALARM 
 
 MOTHER and father slept in a chamber at 
 the rear of the house. They were not 
 likely to have been aroused by Governor 
 Tryon's soldiery, so down the stairs I flew in my 
 night-rail, thinking of naught but the peril that 
 threatened. 
 
 "Mother! Mother!" I called softly, tapping 
 on the locked door, which she opened almost in- 
 stantly. 
 
 "What is it?" she asked anxiously. "Art ill, 
 child?" 
 
 " The British soldiers have come to take father 1 " 
 I gasped, stuttering out what I had seen, and to- 
 gether we tiptoed to a front window. There were 
 the scarlet uniforms, plain enough in the moonlight 
 that glittered on the muskets in the men's hands. 
 As we peeped forth an officer mounted the stoop, 
 and an instant later the sharp sound of a knock 
 upon the door echoed through the house. 
 
 "Oh, what shall we do, mother?" I cried. 
 " They will hang father if he doesn't escape. Come, 
 we must warn him quickly." 
 
 " Nay, he is not within," she said calmly. 
 
 " Where is he ? " I asked, only half relieved. 
 
 " He was called out an hour since to see Mrs. 
 Patchen who is ill," replied mother. 
 
 For an instant I could have laughed for joy, sure 
 that father was safe, and then another thought came 
 to plague me. 
 
 38
 
 A Night Alarm 39 
 
 " He may come back at any moment," I faltered. 
 
 " Ay, I'm thinking of that," she said, anxiously, 
 while again there came a knocking at the door. 
 
 Mother seemed in two minds what to do, then she 
 spoke. 
 
 u Upstairs with you and dress as fast as you can. 
 You must run out the back way and speed to Mr. 
 Patchen. Tell your father to leave the city at once. 
 I shall expect him to join General Washington's 
 army as he has long wished to do. Assure him that 
 we shall be safe, and say I desire him to go." 
 
 I hastened to do her bidding without thought of 
 aught but father's danger, and though my fingers 
 trembled and it was a hard matter to make but- 
 tons and button-holes meet, I was ready ere long 
 and hurried down stairs, flinging a cloak over my 
 shoulders as I went. 
 
 The continuous banging on the door had ceased, 
 and in the lower hall I passed mother, arrayed in 
 a dressing-gown, confronting two officers who were 
 backed by several soldiers. 
 
 They demanded father, nor would they believe 
 mother when she said he was not within, but in- 
 sisted upon searching the house. 
 
 This she at once permitted them to do, hoping 
 no doubt, that they would depart quickly after a 
 vain hunt. 
 
 Meanwhile I slipped unnoticed to the back porch 
 and ran across the yard to the door at the rear. 
 Breathlessly I tore at the fastenings and in a mo- 
 ment had it open. With a sigh of relief I stepped 
 out, plump into the hands of a soldier placed there 
 to guard it. Why it had not occurred to mother or 
 me that they would surround the house I know not; 
 but there they were, and I was caught. 
 
 " Where are you going, young woman? " the man
 
 40 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 asked with a chuckle, as he seized my arm and 1 
 knew not what to tell him. It would be absurd to 
 say I was going out to buy anything at that hour 
 of the night, and besides it would be a lie, and that 
 I hated; so I answered naught, but stood awkwardly 
 waiting. 
 
 " Go back again," he said, giving me a push to- 
 ward the gate. But I would not enter of my own will 
 so he was obliged to force me inside, and, drawing 
 the door shut, called to me that he would be there 
 until ordered away. 
 
 I knew not what to do next. As I looked up at 
 the house I saw lights flashed here and there through 
 the rooms, showing that the soldiers were searching 
 thoroughly, and the thought that father might re- 
 turn at any moment only to run into their clutches 
 nigh crazed me. 
 
 Even then, perchance, he might be hurrying home, 
 unsuspecting of the perils he was approaching. He 
 must be warned and there was none but I to do it. 
 Yet, with guards at the back and front, all escape 
 seemed to be cut off. 
 
 Fair desperate, I clambered up the wall at the 
 point farthest from the door, hoping against hope. 
 But there was another soldier standing in the shadow 
 of a tree and I dropped back with a sob of despair. 
 
 Clearly I could not escape by that route and I 
 ran in to mother, trusting that she might devise 
 some other plan. 
 
 But when she saw me her face went pale. 
 
 " Why have you not gone? " she asked in a tense 
 voice. 
 
 " There are soldiers at the back," I answered. 
 " I tried indeed I did, mother, but they would not 
 let me pass."
 
 A Night Alarm 41 
 
 " Then he is lost ! " mother murmured. 
 
 " There must be some way I can get to him," I 
 insisted, almost in tears. " Some way, mother, 
 but I can't think how." 
 
 She was scarce listening to me and kept shaking 
 her head from side to side in anguish. " He is 
 lost ! " she muttered, over and over again. 
 
 This made me frantic, and with a wild idea of 
 dashing through the guards I ran to the front door. 
 
 " They'll not shoot a maid," I said to myself, de- 
 termined to risk everything to be free. 
 
 But the matter was not so easily solved as that. 
 True I passed the first man, who was surprised by 
 my sudden rush, but behind him was another, while 
 in the street were half a score, so ere I had reached 
 the bottom of the steps I was seized. 
 
 In desperation I struggled for a moment, but it 
 was useless. 
 
 " Hold hard, Missy," said the soldier who gripped 
 me. " 'Tis no use to wiggle that way. Thou'lt 
 only hurt thyself and do no good." 
 
 He spoke in a kindly tone, and indeed no one 
 treated me roughly. 
 
 " What dost want? " asked another. 
 
 " To get away," I replied. 
 
 " Oh, ay," he said with a grin, " that I believe, 
 but why? That's the meat in the nut." 
 
 " I don't like British soldiers," I mumbled, twist- 
 ing in his grasp. 
 
 " Nay, then thou canst go back into the house. 
 There are fewer there than here." He pushed me 
 up the steps. But I wished not to return and con- 
 tinued my struggles so that he had some difficulty, 
 for he disliked hurting me and 'twas not so easy to 
 use me gently when I resisted.
 
 42 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 In the midst of this one of the officers appeared 
 at the door and, seeing what was going forward, 
 came down to us. 
 
 "What's all this?" he demanded, at which the 
 soldier released me and I stood beside them. 
 
 " The lass is keen to run away, sir," the private 
 answered with a salute, " and, having orders to let 
 no one out, I held her." 
 
 " Quite right," said the officer, and turned to me. 
 " And why did you wish to go out? " he questioned 
 most politely. 
 
 " I shall not tell you," I replied angrily, for I 
 saw all chance of reaching father cut off, and felt 
 like weeping. 
 
 " Nay, now, be not pettish over it," said the young 
 officer with a laugh. " You may go, an it pleases 
 you." 
 
 For an instant I thought he was making a mock 
 of me. 
 
 " Can I really go? " I asked, all my gloom van- 
 ishing. 
 
 " Why surely," he replied briskly. " 'Tis not 
 our way to stop a maiden walking in the moonlight. 
 But they say 'tis not healthy " 
 
 I know not how much longer he talked in the 
 same strain, for I was off like a bullet, thinking of 
 naught but of hastening to warn father. 
 
 Down the Broad Way I went, not meeting a soul, 
 and hurrying along as fast as my legs would carry 
 me. It was some distance to Mr. Patchen's house, 
 and a pain in my side soon brought my run to a 
 walk; but for all that I hastened on, and was mak- 
 ing fair time. At Wall Street I was in two minds 
 whether to turn there or go on to the Bowling Green, 
 the distance being about the same either along that 
 street or by Beaver Street, further down, for Mr.
 
 A Night Alarm 43 
 
 Patchen lived on Smith Street overlooking Hanover 
 Square. 
 
 I halted a moment to catch my breath, and some 
 fortunate chance made me glance over my shoulder. 
 With no particular thought, my eye lit on two fig- 
 ures a short distance behind me, but scarce did more 
 than note that they were the first persons I had seen 
 abroad since I had left home. 
 
 I turned into Wall Street, having concluded that 
 if father should leave Mr. Patchen's he would take 
 that way, but this was only a hope for I knew that 
 there were several other roads he might go equally 
 well. The thought that I might miss him spurred 
 me on and, in spite of the pain in my side, I pushed 
 ahead, increasing my speed to the utmost. 
 
 As I passed the City Hall I thought I heard foot- 
 steps behind me, and looking back, I recognized the 
 two figures I had seen on the Broad Way. Then for 
 the first time it flashed over me that I had played the 
 fool. I was being followed in order that I might 
 lead the soldiers to the one they sought. The offi- 
 cer who had been so ready to let me depart, having 
 found that father was not in the house, and guess- 
 ing easily enough why I was desirous of being gone, 
 had let me have my way in order to trail me to his 
 quarry. 
 
 I stopped running, bringing my pace down to a 
 rapid walk and at the same time taking care to note 
 whether those behind me did the same. Yes, as I 
 slowed so did they, and any doubt I might have had 
 that they were following me was dispelled.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 HIDE-AND-SEEK 
 
 1WAS at my wits' end now to know what to 
 do. Each step I took only brought father's 
 enemies nearer to him, and for him this was a 
 matter of life and death. My first thought was to 
 make a wide circuit away from Mr. Patchen's house 
 and so lead them on a false scent. But this would 
 not serve my purpose, for unless he was warned, 
 sooner or later (if indeed he had not already done 
 so) father would return home where other soldiers, 
 doubtless, would be awaiting him. I was in a cleft 
 stick, as the saying is. It seemed impossible to put 
 father on his guard without betraying him, and yet 
 were he not warned he would surely be taken. 
 
 Clearly there was only one thing to do. I must 
 elude those who followed me and then win back to 
 the Patchens', trusting that father would still be 
 there. This seemed a slim chance however I viewed 
 the matter, but I could devise no better plan so I 
 immediately tried to put it into practice. 
 
 When I came to Smith Street, where I should have 
 turned to my right to go through Hanover Square, 
 I wheeled in the opposite direction and at the top 
 of my speed raced for Queen Street. Up this 1 
 went toward Broad, without any plan in my head 
 except to hurry all I could until I came to the new 
 Dutch Church. On impulse I ran across the little 
 square upon which it is situated to the gate in the 
 paling fence, only to find it locked. But this was 
 
 44
 
 Hide-and-Seek 45 
 
 no time for hesitation, and feeling that my sole 
 chance to outwit my pursuers lay in hiding in the 
 church-yard, I scrambled over the fence as best I 
 could, tearing my frock and some skin off my hands 
 as well. Of these things I took no thought but 
 made for the shadows, and, gasping for breath, 
 cowered down in the angle formed by the church 
 wall and the steps. 
 
 I hadn't long to wait. In a moment the men came 
 running and stopped in the open square not far 
 from me. 
 
 " Which way went she? " said one, peering about 
 him in all directions. " Plague on the wretched 
 lights in this town. 'Tis as dark as the inside of 
 an oven ! " 
 
 All this while they were scurrying here and there, 
 looking up one street and down another for a glimpse 
 of my flying petticoats; but seeing naught of me, 
 they came to a stop before the gate. 
 
 " She's give' us the slip," said the one who had not 
 spoken before. " Faith 'twill be a fine jest they'll 
 make of us, to be diddled by a maid ! " And he 
 laughed lightly. 
 
 " Nay, 'tis no laughing matter," growled the 
 other. " The Governor will be ill pleased if we 
 do not catch this doctor. His heart is set on it, and 
 to my thinking he is right. A hanging will bring 
 these rebels to their senses quicker than all the proc- 
 lamations that ever were wrote. Could she have 
 gone in here? " he ended, shaking the gate. 
 
 " Nay, 'tis locked, and no girl in farthingale and 
 petticoats could climb that fence " ; said the more 
 good-natured of the two. " Besides 'tis a church- 
 yard, full of ghosts and goblins. Come on, we may 
 as well return, though I hanker not for the reception 
 we are like to get."
 
 46 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 The surly man demurred at this, shaking the gate 
 the while. 
 
 " At any rate I'll take a turn within," he said 
 at length, and suiting the action to the words he be- 
 gan to climb. 
 
 I lay huddled beside the steps trembling with fear 
 for the outcome. And as I saw the man's head top- 
 ping the fence against the lighter colour of the sky, 
 I lost hope and felt certain they must find me. 
 
 I heard the thud as he landed in the church-yard. 
 Surely in a few moments now I must be discovered, 
 for though I could not see him once he had dropped 
 within, I could hear him draw nearer and nearer, 
 all the while muttering to himself. 
 
 " She may be here, right enough," he called back 
 to his companion, " but I haven't cat's eyes and 
 'twill be hard to glimpse here. 'Tis a pity we didn't 
 bring a lanthorn," he added. 
 
 " Nay, but wait," said his comrade, " that's easy 
 righted. I'll over the street and take one of those 
 hanging before the houses." 
 
 " Ay, well thought of! " cried my pursuer, and I 
 heard the other clatter across Queen Street where in 
 front of every seventh house there hung a lanthorn. 
 Very shortly he was back swinging the light before 
 him, and a moment later he had lifted it over to his 
 comrade. Now indeed was my state desperate. I 
 knew I must be found, but instinctively I shrank close 
 against the boards forming the walls of the struc- 
 ture which supported the steps into the church. 
 
 On came the swinging light, on to the corner where 
 I huddled, and 'twas a question of seconds when it 
 must flash into my hiding-place and show me at the 
 feet of him who held it. Again I pressed back, 
 striving to make myself as small as might be, and 
 as I did so the boards behind me yielded. With-
 
 Hide-and-Seek 47 
 
 out waiting to consider what might befall me, I 
 pushed harder, turning at the same time, and dis- 
 covered a small door opening into a space beneath 
 the steps. An instant later I was inside, closing the 
 door softly behind me, and even as I shut it the 
 lanthorn-light flashed into the shadow where a mo- 
 ment before I had cowered. I trembled lest the 
 man should discover the entrance to my shelter, but 
 I was soon relieved of this anxiety, for the light 
 which came through the cracks passed on and dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 I listened for what seemed like an eternity as the 
 trooper tramped about the yard, but at length I 
 heard him speak to his companion. 
 
 " She isn't here, so we may as well be off," he 
 called out, so loudly that, though I felt a great re- 
 lief, it yet seemed strange to me that he should raise 
 his voice when his companion was so near him. 
 
 Then I waited for their retreating foot-steps, but, 
 hearing naught, I peeped cautiously through a crack 
 in the door, and there the men still were, one in- 
 side and one outside the fence, neither making a 
 move to leave. The trick was plain. They had 
 hoped I was within earshot and would incautiously 
 show myself, and their ruse had nigh succeeded for 
 I was wild to be on my errand. 
 
 For some long moments I watched them stand- 
 ing there motionless, but at last he without lifted his 
 head and chuckled. 
 
 " She isn't here," he said, " or if she is we don't 
 know it. Come along. We may as well go back 
 and face our wigging. No doubt the jade has 
 warned her father ere this and he is safe beyond our 
 reach." 
 
 They bickered a little longer, but finally the man 
 in the yard climbed back over the fence and I saw
 
 48 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 them move off toward the Broad Way after re- 
 placing the lanthorn and felt that at last my way 
 was really clear. Dreading yet another trick, I 
 came out of my hiding place watchfully and looked 
 about me diligently before advancing toward the 
 fence. Once there I paused again, but seeing no 
 one, clambered over and raced down the street, 
 glancing back frequently to make sure I was not fol- 
 lowed. Thus at length I reached Hanover Square. 
 
 All the houses were dark save one where a light 
 burned in the second story. This was my goal. 
 Some one was still up, and though I had no desire 
 that Mrs. Patchen should be very ill, I did hope she 
 was ill enough to have kept my father at her bed- 
 side. 'Twas not a kindly wish, but my anxiety must 
 be my excuse. 
 
 When I ran up the steps and sounded the knocker 
 the courage that had so far upheld me seemed to 
 vanish of a sudden and I was like to drop before 
 the door. So much depended upon the answer to 
 my first question, was father there or not? If he 
 were, all might be well. If he had gone I saw 
 naught but imprisonment and a shameful death be- 
 fore him. What would that answer be? 
 
 Though it seemed like hours after I had knocked, 
 in reality I stood but a moment outside the door be- 
 fore I heard soft steps approaching. Then came a 
 slow fumbling at the latch and at length the master 
 of the house stood before me. 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Patchen, is father still here?" I 
 gasped. 
 
 " Ay, that he is, my child," he answered. " Is 
 aught amiss at home?" and at his words, so great 
 was my relief that I could have shouted for joy. 
 
 I stuttered something of my errand and without 
 delay he led me into the house where father soon
 
 Hide-and-Seek 49 
 
 joined us, and I told my tale in full. They listened 
 with grave faces, shaking their heads as if they could 
 scarce bring themselves to believe it; but after some 
 further talk, in which Mr. Patchen urged father to 
 do as mother advised, he at length consented to go 
 at once to Cambridge. 
 
 This being determined upon and Mr. Patchen 
 saying that he would gladly furnish all things need- 
 ful for the journey, I was sent back to assure mother 
 that all was well. 
 
 I carried kisses and farewell messages on my re- 
 turn trip, but my heart was easy, for though father 
 was leaving home and doubtless would face many 
 dangers in the days to come, he would be safer away 
 than in New York. 
 
 It was beginning to grow light as I reached the 
 house and I was vastly surprised to see soldiers still 
 there. I ran in at once to mother and found her 
 seated in the surgery with one of the British offi- 
 cers, so that I could not cry my news as I should have 
 wished, but a glance told her of father's safety 
 even though I could not say a word to reassure 
 her. 
 
 " And where have you been, young miss? " asked 
 the officer, with no very pleasant expression on his 
 face. 
 
 " I've been walking in the moonlight, sir," I an- 
 swered, very pertly, I fear, but I felt something of 
 triumph for having set their plans at naught. More- 
 over I could not tell him what I had been about. 
 
 " And spoiled your frock in the business," he said 
 with a scowl. " Climbing fences in the moonlight 
 would be nearer the truth of it, I doubt not." 
 
 Looking down at myself I realized for the first 
 time what a forlorn figure I cut, for beside the tears 
 in my petticoat there was much dirt from kneeling
 
 50 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 on the bare ground in the shadow by the church- 
 steps. 
 
 The officer asked me a few more questions, which 
 I answered as truthfully as I could, without acknowl- 
 edging what my errand had been, or, when I had 
 no reply ready, I held silent; until he, seeing that he 
 could get no news out of me, gave it up and went 
 away, taking his company of soldiers with him. 
 
 Not until then could I tell mother of my last 
 words with father or give his messages of farewell. 
 
 She listened, interrupting only to ask a question or 
 two, and when I had finished she sat for a long 
 time in silence, thinking no doubt upon our situa- 
 tion, for at length she gave a sigh, whether of relief 
 or anxiety I know not, and rising to her feet, bade 
 me go to bed and get what rest I could till break- 
 fast-time. 
 
 " We are two lone females, Mary, dear," she 
 said, putting a loving hand upon my shoulder, " and 
 we must be brave together to meet what trials come 
 to us. 'Tis something of a comfort to know that 
 your father and Will are working in the service of 
 their country, and we too must find our part to do." 
 
 " I'll try the best I can, mother," I answered. 
 
 " You have already done much," she assured me, 
 which was high praise from one who was not wont 
 to flatter, and I went happy to bed, soon to fall 
 asleep tired out with my exciting adventures. 
 
 Thus it came about that mother and I were left 
 alone while father and brother Will were in Cam- 
 bridge with General Washington's army.
 
 !< Where have you been, young miss? "
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 NEWS FROM THE FRONT 
 
 WE had not long to wait before there came 
 an express from father telling of his safe 
 arrival in Cambridge and that all was well 
 with him. Mother read me only parts of this let- 
 ter, but, though father grieved that we were alone, 
 there nevertheless seemed something of gladness in 
 it, as if he had at length found the duty he most 
 longed for. 
 
 " He was ever a man of action, Mary," -mother 
 said to me, as if in answer to my thoughts, " and 
 his heart has been sore that he could not do his part 
 for the country we all love. We must see to it that 
 on our account, he has no cause to regret going." 
 
 In truth his departure brought us a measure of re- 
 lief, for, though we missed him sorely of course, 
 there was not the constant anxiety we had felt while 
 he was in the city at the mercy of his enemies. 
 
 Another letter came shortly after this from Will, 
 written to me, though mother was to share in it, too. 
 He spoke boyishly and with great enthusiasm of his 
 soldier life, bragging a little of the ease with which 
 we should win against the British cooped up in Bos- 
 ton, and how he hoped soon to be an officer. 
 
 " And you know, sis," he went on, " there are 
 lots of men no older than I who have been made 
 Captains, so you need not laugh. Yesterday I met 
 a young man by the name of Nathan Hale who is 
 here with a Connecticut regiment. He is very popu- 
 
 51
 
 52 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 lar and, save for Hamilton, I have seen no one I 
 could like better. You would admire him, I know. 
 They say that all the maids in New Haven are in 
 love with him. But he isn't the sort of a chap to 
 think silly things like that about. He is the best 
 jumper I ever saw, and it is no trick for him to 
 put one hand on a fence as high as his head and 
 clear it at a bound. He is over six feet, I should say, 
 and very strong. He was most polite and agree- 
 able to me, as, indeed, he is to everybody, but I 
 mean to see more of him. His Excellency, General 
 Washington, has taken quite a fancy to him. I 
 was at headquarters when old Jonathan Turnbull 
 introduced them. His appearance wouldn't lead 
 you to suspect Hale of being a schoolmaster, but 
 that is what he was; and the Connecticut men tell 
 me that when he heard of the Lexington affair he 
 was for fighting at once. ' Let us march immedi- 
 ately,' they say he shouted, ' and never lay down our 
 arms until we have obtained our independency ! ' 
 That doesn't sound much like a schoolmaster, you'll 
 grant; but he is just the sort of a fellow who would 
 not stop at half measures. We are all talking of 
 independency now, but it was a different story some 
 months ago." 
 
 This was all that Will had to say of this Mr. 
 Nathan Hale in his letter, and I confess that what 
 he had written scarce stirred my curiosity. 'Twas 
 ever Will's way to praise a new friend extravagantly, 
 and I had never found any schoolmasters that I 
 greatly liked. 
 
 The months passed without much change in our 
 condition, though the state of the city became more 
 and more confusing. Alarms grew frequent, and 
 latterly there had been sounds of cannon-shots along 
 the water front. Wild rumours reached us con-
 
 News from the Front 53 
 
 stantly, and had we taken them in all seriousness we 
 should never have had a moment's freedom from 
 anxiety. One day brought news that the British had 
 determined to blow up the town; the next that war 
 between the mother country and the Colonies was 
 over and that peace had been arranged. 
 
 For the most part our lives went on placidly 
 enough. Many good Whig friends stepped in daily 
 to see how we fared, and there was no lack of talk 
 to stir my patriotism. The Livingstons, the Jays, 
 Mr. Patchen, whose wife recovered duly from her 
 illness, and a host of others, took it upon them- 
 selves to have a care for our welfare in father's ab- 
 sence, and I doubt not mother placed great reliance 
 upon their timely advice. But of all who visited us 
 Madam Robert Murray pleased me the best, for 
 she was so sprightly a dame that the house echoed 
 with laughter whenever she was within. I think 
 mother, whose taste inclined to a soberness in dress, 
 frowned a little at Madam Murray who was mon- 
 strous fashionable, but I admired her greatly. 
 When she was present I could scarce keep my eyes 
 from her headdress, so high was it, and so beauti- 
 fully adorned with silken butterflies and flowers. 
 
 The time passed quickly, for I had plenty to oc- 
 cupy me, seeing that we were short of servants. 
 One of my new duties was the marketing, a matter 
 that became increasingly difficult as the British ships 
 closed in about the harbour, and the farmers of New 
 Jersey and Long Island either feared to cross to the 
 city or else received better prices for their wares 
 from the warships. 
 
 One day, in August I think it was, I went out 
 to make some purchases, with black Betty behind 
 me to carry the basket and as I walked down the 
 Broad Way who should I meet but Mr. Hamilton
 
 54 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 sauntering along with another gentleman. They 
 were bravely dressed in their regimentals and looked 
 very handsome as they saluted me. I was for going 
 on modestly, but Mr. Hamilton stopped to ask for 
 father and Will, introducing me to his companion, 
 Captain Throgmorton by name, who seemed most 
 polite and pleasant. I gave them the news, and 
 while we stood talking, there passed up the Broad 
 Way a straggling procession of carts piled high with 
 household goods. It was not a new sight to me, as 
 many people, frighted by the ever-flying rumours, 
 were leaving the city daily ; but my attention was at- 
 tracted by a fat old coloured woman seated upon 
 one of the carts and much put to it to keep her place 
 a-top the toppling load. At sight of Betty she 
 grinned broadly, showing two rows of shining white 
 teeth. 
 
 " Fo' de land's sake if it ain't Sally's Sue ! " cried 
 Betty, from a respectful distance behind us. " Say! 
 Where yo' all goin'? Can't you stop and pass the 
 time o' day? " 
 
 " 'Tain't no 'casion fp' loit'rin', honey," Sally's 
 Sue called down, shaking her head vigorously. 
 " Us is a-goin' to Claremont, a-visitin' ol' Ma'am 
 Livin'ston. 'Tain't no manner o' use my spendin' 
 my time cookin' over a hot stove if them unman- 
 nerly British gem'men is let to shoot my gumbo soup 
 full o' dust." 
 
 The cart creaked on with its burden and Sally's 
 last words were shouted back with the full power of 
 her stout lungs. 
 
 " I think Mistress Sally scores off you, Hamilton," 
 laughed Mr. Throgmorton. 
 
 " I am desolated over the lost gumbo," Mr. Ham- 
 ilton replied with a chuckle. 
 
 " But what does she mean by dust in the soup? "
 
 News from the Front 55 
 
 I asked, for indeed I had no notion of what it was 
 all about. 
 
 " Your pardon, Mistress Polly," cried Mr. Ham- 
 ilton, quickly. " I thought, of course, you knew. 
 Our friend Sally evidently is from the Court end of 
 the town and her kitchen must have been in the way 
 of a chance cannon ball from the Asia. They took 
 occasion, the other day, to fire a few shots at us and 
 monstrous bad shots they were, too. Dust was 
 about all they raised." 
 
 "But why should a British ship fire at us?" I 
 demanded, for it was plain he was holding some- 
 thing back. 
 
 " 'Twas naught " he began, but Mr. Throg- 
 morton cut him short. 
 
 " I'll tell you about it, Mistress Trotter! " he ex- 
 claimed. " Our friend Hamilton is too modest. 
 You heard the firing no doubt? " I nodded " yes " 
 to his question. " Well," he went on, " you per- 
 haps remember we had some cannon at the Battery 
 right under the guns of the Asia. And to tell the. 
 truth we thought they were lost to us. But Hamil- 
 ton here, not content with the laurels he has already 
 won, must take a handful of men and remove these 
 cannon from under their very noses. It was hot 
 work too, and a braver bit of soldiery I have never 
 seen." 
 
 " I pledge you my word 'twas naught," Mr. Ham- 
 ilton interrupted, a slight blush mounting his hand- 
 some face. " We thought the guns would look bet- 
 ter on the Highlands where they promised to add 
 to the utility if not the beauty of the landscape." 
 
 " Ay, but to take them you had to face the fire 
 of the finest man-of-war the British have in these 
 waters," Mr. Throgmorton insisted. " I shall 
 spare his modesty, Mistress Trotter," he went on,
 
 56 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 turning to me, " and say no more, save that it was a 
 gallant deed." 
 
 " You took those cannon right from under the 
 guns of the Asia? " I exclaimed, turning to Mr. 
 Hamilton. 
 
 " Sure they were ours," he answered, seeming to 
 bristle a little, though there was a merry twinkle in 
 his eye. " 'Twas good hard Colonial money paid 
 for them." 
 
 " Nay, 'twas not that I meant, but the risk you 
 ran," I put in hastily. " Faith, I'm thankful Will 
 is safe outside of Boston." 
 
 At this both gentlemen laughed. 
 
 ' There was little risk save for the gumbo," Mr. 
 Hamilton insisted, merrily. " But the cannon we 
 had to have. 'Twould have been small pleasure to 
 see them turned against us one of these days." 
 
 ' Think you then that the British will really take 
 the town? " I questioned anxiously. 
 
 Hamilton shrugged, foreign fashion. 
 
 " Perhaps they will not want it," suggested Mr. 
 Throgmorton. 
 
 " They've had scant satisfaction from their stay 
 in Boston," Mr. Hamilton said lightly, and then, 
 quite seriously, " yet their warships could make it 
 vastly unpleasant here, and, were you my sister, I 
 think I should be glad to see you leaving the city, 
 even a-top such a load as just passed. Under any 
 circumstances I trust you will place my services at 
 your mother's disposal if there is aught I can do to 
 convenience her." 
 
 I thanked him, saying that I thought it was 
 mother's intention to remain in her own home until 
 father should insist upon our going. With that we 
 parted, the gentlemen bowing most mannerly, 
 while I went upon my way, Betty waddling along be-
 
 News from the Front 57 
 
 hind much impressed by the gallant bearing of the 
 two officers. 
 
 With such slight incidents as this the months 
 passed, and, though there were threats a-plenty of 
 what the British would do, there was no demonstra- 
 tion against us. On the contrary in October Gov- 
 ernor Tryon left the fort and took refuge on a ship, 
 The Duchess of Gordon, anchored in the bay. 
 From there he continued to plot, being himself quite 
 safe, and issued proclamations without stint to 
 which nobody paid the slightest heed. 
 
 The Christmas holiday came and went with little 
 to mark them in the life of the city. 
 
 I took a deal of pleasure in the box we sent to 
 the Massachusetts for father and Will; but I was 
 chagrined that it should contain so little that smacked 
 of Christmas. All the presents were useful ones. 
 Stockings, under-clothing, shoes, towels and plenty 
 of soap, for in spite of the extra allowance mother 
 had sent off with Will, they still complained of a 
 shortness of that most necessary commodity, vow- 
 ing that it was worth its weight in gold within a 
 score of miles of Boston. I put a piece of holly, 
 tied with a red ribbon a-top, but even then it did not 
 seem like a Christmas box, though to be sure there 
 was one corner filled with sweet cakes and a mynced 
 pye. 
 
 So ended the year of our Lord, 1775. What was 
 in store for us we knew not but we scarce thought 
 that the months to follow could be so full of anxiety 
 and heartaches as those which had just passed. It 
 is ofttimes a mercy that we are to-day ignorant of 
 the events of to-morrow.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE GATHERING STORM 
 
 ON the morning of January first, 1776, I 
 looked out of my window and made no ef- 
 fort to suppress a despondent sigh. Sure 
 never was a year begun so inauspiciously. A storm 
 of wind and sleet raging outside and dark, menacing 
 clouds hung so low that they seemed to touch the 
 roofs and chimneys of the nouses opposite. The 
 streets were deserted, scarce a person did I see 
 abroad on this New Year's day which, in the past, 
 was wont to be the merriest holiday of the twelve- 
 month. 
 
 Toward three in the afternoon Mr. Patchen came 
 to visit us. He was an old man unfit to be out on 
 such a day, so we made him welcome in the surgery 
 where an open fire burned for warmth and for cheer. 
 At first he made a great show at liveliness, but he 
 could not long hide the anxiety that he and all peo- 
 ple felt at this time; for it was not the weather 
 alone that made this New Year's day the dismalest 
 that the city had known for a century and a half. 
 
 " There are none dare venture on the streets," 
 grumbled Mr. Patchen, at length, giving up the at- 
 tempt to hide his feelings. " All keep to their 
 homes, be they Whig or Tory." 
 
 " The ladies have little spirit for social observ- 
 ance," mother answered, gently. " Those they love 
 best are either with the army or making ready." 
 
 "Ay, but what else can be done?" said Mr. 
 
 58
 
 The Gathering Storm 59 
 
 Patchen, thinking perhaps that mother voiced a pro- 
 test. " Either we must fight now or cease to be a 
 free people." 
 
 " 'Tis not that we women complain," mother re- 
 plied. " 'Tis that we realize how helpless we are 
 and wonder why so little is being done. The Brit- 
 ish ships now in the harbour could blow the city to 
 pieces." 
 
 " Ay," agreed Mr. Patchen, " we are at their 
 mercy, and moreover the rumour runs that Sir Henry 
 Clinton is sailing from Boston with another fleet and 
 means to take the town." 
 
 ' Think you 'tis true ? " asked mother. 
 
 " I know not what to think," he answered, " but it 
 may well be." 
 
 " Then why have we not fortified? " mother de- 
 manded. " Are we to stand by doing nothing, hop- 
 ing for a miracle to save us? " 
 
 Mr. Patchen shook his head hopelessly. He 
 seemed very old and his hand trembled. 
 
 " 'Tis a vexed question," he faltered. " Some 
 there be who demand that we shall prepare ourselves 
 at once and perhaps they are right. Others 
 caution delay, fearing to give excuse for the British 
 to open hostilities while we are all unready. They, 
 too, may be right. Still others insist that the 
 trouble will blow over and are for peace no matter 
 what the cost." 
 
 " Yet one thing have they all in common," cried 
 mother, scornfully, "they do naught but talk! As 
 if that would serve. I'll warrant, sir, the women- 
 folk of New York would have acted ere this an 
 they had a hand in the matter." 
 
 " Be not too hard on us," said Mr. Patchen, with 
 a mirthless, little laugh. " All nerves are stretched 
 to the breaking-point, while Tryon hatches his plots
 
 60 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 from a safe retreat on the Duchess of Gordon, and 
 no one knows who is friend or foe. A man dare 
 not tell his neighbour what is in his mind, fearing 
 lest an old friend has turned Tory spy. So we do 
 naught and Isaac Sears cries it abroad that New 
 York is a ' nest of Tories.' ' 
 
 " 'Tis not true ! " I burst out, forgetting my man- 
 ners before my elders. " New York is as staunch 
 for liberty as any Colony in America. Have we not 
 sent hundreds to General Washington's army in 
 Cambridge? Are not the Livingstons, the Schuy- 
 lers, the Roosevelts, the Murrays and a host of oth- 
 ers as good patriots as the Adamses of Boston 
 or the Morrises or Tilghmans of Philadelphia? 
 How dare any one say that New York is a nest of 
 Tories?" 
 
 I stopped a little out of breath and, suddenly real- 
 izing my forwardness, looked to mother for a well- 
 deserved rebuke, but she gave no sign of displeas- 
 ure. 
 
 " Ay, the very children cry for freedom," mur- 
 mured Mr. Patchen. 
 
 " 'Tis for the children and the children's children 
 that the struggle must be made ! " said mother in 
 a strong voice. " For us, who count but a few 
 years more or less, what care we whether our ruler 
 be a King or a Congress? But what of those who 
 come after us? Are they to be the slaves of selfish, 
 stubborn Princes? Never! Never!" 
 
 I looked at mother in amazement, for she had 
 ever said that a political female was an abomina- 
 tion and here she was talking good Whig sentiments 
 with an earnestness that showed plainly the depth 
 of her feeling. 
 
 Shortly after this Mr. Patchen took leave of us
 
 The Gathering Storm 61 
 
 and after we had let him out of the door I turned 
 questioningly to mother. 
 
 " I thought it was not becoming of a female to 
 talk of politics and such things? " 
 
 " So I was brought up to believe, my child," 
 mother answered, " and in that light I have taught 
 you; but I begin to doubt the wisdom of that teach- 
 ing. Mayhap some day women will play a larger 
 part in the affairs of the nation and then, when a 
 crisis like this comes upon them, they will not be 
 so helpless as we are. However, let me warn you 
 that there is talk enough in the world as it is, and 
 idle talkers, be they men or women, are abomina- 
 tions." 
 
 From then on, mother treated me less like a child, 
 and I was heartened to speak what was in my mind 
 when the occasion served; but I was on my guard 
 not to be too forward with my opinions. 
 
 As the month advanced, anxiety for the safety of 
 the city increased and each day brought a new crop 
 of alarming rumours, until all but the bravest were 
 well-nigh panic-stricken and, in spite of the bitter 
 cold, fled the town with all the belongings they could 
 carry with them. 
 
 Nor could one blame them. It was asserted, 
 and thousands believed, that the Crown had given 
 orders to destroy all our coast cities; and, to con- 
 firm this, news came of the burning of Norfolk, Vir- 
 ginia, and the bombarding of Portland, Maine, by 
 British men-of-war. It was confidently predicted 
 that New York would be the next victim of these 
 outrages and when, near the end of the month, Sir 
 Henry Clinton arrived with his fleet there was scarce 
 any one who was not certain that the town was 
 doomed.
 
 62 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 To add to the alarm General Charles Lee came 
 with a force of New Englanders to defend the city, 
 and thus did the hostile forces confront each other. 
 It seemed but a question of hours ere the fighting 
 would begin. 
 
 'Twas then the first real panic struck us. Nigh 
 every one believed the crisis was upon us and peo- 
 ple of all kinds and conditions fled in disorder, 
 hastening out into the country with fearful, back- 
 ward glances, as if they expected to be fired upon 
 at any moment. Past our windows, up the Broad 
 Way, an endless procession wound. Men, women 
 and children, with scared, white faces, shivered 
 in the bitter wind as they hurried on, mindful 
 only of the fancied peril behind them. Whole fam- 
 ilies, huddled togther for fear of losing each other, 
 made their escape as best they might, taking with 
 them little or much as the circumstances allowed. 
 Waggons and carts of all descriptions creaked past, 
 piled high with household goods, and groaned under 
 their burdens in the freezing air. The rich knew 
 not where to go, and the poor had no hope save from 
 the charity of those a little better off than themselves. 
 
 Sure never had I seen such sad sights, nor could I 
 be indifferent to their meaning. 
 
 " Are we to stay, mother? " I asked, for she had 
 said no word of our going, and went about her du- 
 ties as calmly as though naught was happening out 
 of the ordinary. 
 
 " Ay, we stay here," she answered firmly. " Do 
 not be afraid because a multitude of people have 
 lost their senses. I hold with Mr. Murray that the 
 last thing the British want is a conflict in New York. 
 They have not given up hope $f keeping the Colony 
 loyal to- the Crown and will never be the first to 
 force the fighting."
 
 The Gathering Storm 63 
 
 Mother's words heartened me somewhat, but it 
 would be folly to pretend that I felt no alarm when, 
 wherever I looked, there were signs of danger. 
 Still, I made as brave a show of courage as I could 
 manage for an example to our black servants, who 
 threatened to desert us at any moment. 
 
 And presently there came a lull in our anxieties. 
 Sir Henry Clinton sailed away vowing he had but 
 come on a visit to his old friend, Governor Tryon; 
 and the town breathed easier. Moreover General 
 Lee set all men to working day and night upon forti- 
 fications and barriers. These breastworks, many 
 of them constructed out of the fine mahogany logs 
 found on board the West India merchantmen, gave 
 us a sense of security, and flight from the city was 
 halted. Indeed a few even straggled back from the 
 Jerseys, glad to be in their warm homes once more; 
 but for all that there must have been hundreds of 
 empty houses in the city. 
 
 This Mr. Lee, who was a British officer, had 
 thrown in his lot with the Colonies at the first sign 
 of hostilities. With us in New York he was far 
 from popular and with good reason. He was 
 most insulting to all our patriotic citizens and made 
 no effort to hide his scorn and contempt of everything 
 American. I saw him more than once upon the 
 streets; a gross man, slovenly in his dress and al- 
 ways accompanied by a yelping pack of dogs of 
 which he seemed more fond than of human com- 
 panions. But presently he, too, went away and 
 there was a period of comparative peace and quiet, 
 though the work upon the defenses went on unceas- 
 ingly. 
 
 Some time in March, I think it was, we had the 
 first news that the British had sailed out of Boston 
 harbour and that General Washington had taken
 
 64 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 possession of that town without the firing of a shot. 
 At first there was much show of joy over this vic- 
 tory of our troops, but our jubilation was soon 
 changed to self-pity, for almost immediately rumour 
 had it that General Howe and all his army were com- 
 ing to take New York. 
 
 Again panic seized the city, and the same sad scenes 
 of a mob in flight were to be observed on every 
 hand. Hosts of people left in hot haste, and the 
 slaves and house-servants who had remained faith- 
 ful, disappeared like snow before the summer sun. 
 Ours fled with the rest, all, that is, save black Betty, 
 our cook, who stood bravely by through all our trou- 
 bles, her loyalty during those trying times making 
 her, in truth, one of the family, as she considered 
 herself. But, in a measure, this desertion on the 
 part of our servants, was a blessing. It meant less 
 food to provide, and with all business stopped, 
 every one had to take thought for the pennies no 
 matter how prosperous they might have been pre- 
 viously. 
 
 It must not be supposed that in all this time we 
 were without news of father and Will. Doubts of 
 their welfare, of course, added to our anxieties; but 
 we heard from them frequently, and there was 
 much in their letters to quiet the alarm we naturally 
 felt for their safety. Father, from the beginning, 
 had prophesied that the British would evacuate Bos- 
 ton without a struggle; but when the prophecy had 
 actually been fulfilled he confessed that he had not 
 been so certain of the matter as he had seemed. 
 He, of course, had been thinking of mother, ever 
 awaiting the news of a battle in which Will must 
 play his part; and, knowing better than any one that 
 she was far from strong, he had done his best to 
 minimize the anticipated danger.
 
 The Gathering Storm 65 
 
 Will, too, wrote, sometimes to me but oftener 
 to mother. I noticed that there was a more fre- 
 quent mention of Mr. Hale and judged thereby that 
 they had become quite intimate. Indeed I grew a 
 little weary of reading long descriptions of what this 
 gentleman did, and would rather he had devoted the 
 pages to his own doings. 
 
 Nor should it be thought that amid all the dis- 
 quietude of these months I had ceased to remember 
 Roger Delancy. In truth he was seldom out of my 
 memory but no word came to me of his fate nor any 
 news to shake my conviction that he was dead.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 A REUNION 
 
 A /THOUGH the evacuation of Boston by the 
 British troops under General Howe brought 
 a great measure of relief to mother and me, 
 this period of comparative freedom from anxiety 
 was short-lived, for soon it was noised abroad that 
 the Congress in Philadelphia had ordered General 
 Washington's army to defend New York, and, ere 
 many days had passed, the troops began to arrive. 
 
 With the first regiments came father, he having 
 been sent early to perform such medical duties as 
 were necessary and to make what preparations he 
 could for the care of the sick and wounded. 
 
 'Tis impossible to describe our delight at having 
 him home again. And he was much relieved to find 
 us comfortable at least, and brave to face what hard- 
 ships might be in store for us. 
 
 Of the many questions we asked the first were 
 about Will and how he fared. 
 
 " He will soon be here to speak for himself," fa- 
 ther told us, " and I doubt not he will be made an 
 officer ere he reaches New York. He is held in high 
 esteem at headquarters and deservedly, for he is 
 much in earnest. You will be right proud of your 
 brother, Polly," he ended with a nod to me. 
 
 " I hope he is not too high and mighty to notice 
 a chit of a girl," I answered, rather pertly, I fear, 
 but truth to tell I should have cried had I attempted 
 to express what was in my heart. 
 
 66
 
 A Reunion 67 
 
 " And who is this Mr. Nathan Hale he speaks of 
 so often? " mother asked. 
 
 " A splendid young fellow ! " father replied with 
 enthusiasm. " A year or two Will's senior, I should 
 say. We shall hear fine things of Hale one of these 
 days, and I'm glad that he and Will are such fast 
 friends." 
 
 " Will writes of naught else but Mr. Hale and his 
 doings," I put in, " sure I'm convinced I shall not 
 like him at all." 
 
 " Then you will be the first one who didn't," 
 laughed father, " but 'tis hard on a man to be over- 
 praised. Wait, Polly, till you've seen him." 
 
 Then father told us something of the soldier life 
 at Cambridge and of the many officers with whom 
 he came into daily contact, but of them all he ranked 
 Mr. Washington the most far-seeing and capable. 
 
 " He is just the man to lead us, in spite of what 
 is said in some quarters," he declared with marked 
 enthusiasm, " but I vow 'tis scarce less than a crime 
 the way Congress hampers him. Sure had I the 
 power I would make His Excellency King at least 
 until we have settled with George the Third and I 
 am by no means the only man who thinks the same. 
 There has been considerable talk of doing that very 
 thing." ^ 
 
 " Is it not to be rid of Kings that we face this 
 war? " asked mother. 
 
 " Ay, I grant you it is," agreed father. " There 
 are two sides to the matter and I have yet to find 
 the man who would dare to suggest such a plan to 
 the General himself. However, he'll pull us 
 through in spite of Congress and the jealousies of 
 some who think first of themselves. Now enough 
 of these dry politics ." 
 
 We ceased our serious talk and father gave us
 
 68 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 some of the gossip of the army. 'Twas then I first 
 heard of Mr. Paul Revere and how he had ridden 
 from Concord at the dead of night to warn the 
 farmers of Lexington, though this had happened nigh 
 a year before. Of the battle of Concord Bridge and 
 old Josiah Haynes who, though eighty years of age, 
 pursued the British and kept pace with the swiftest 
 until he fell dead a little beyond Fisk's Hill. Next 
 he told us stories of the battle of Bunker's Hill, 
 as we had heard the news, but which really was 
 Breed's Hill, that being the nearest to Boston town. 
 They fortified in a night, and in the morning when 
 the British began to bombard the earthworks Mr. 
 Prescott, who was in command, walked calmly up 
 and down the parapet to show his men how little 
 they had to fear from the British fire. 
 
 " And then, there's old Israel Putnam, a farmer 
 from Pomfret, Connecticut," father went on. 
 " There's a man for you ! No heart in the land 
 beats more warmly for our cause." 
 
 "What did he do, father?" I asked a little ex- 
 citedly. 
 
 " 'Tis not so much what he did, but his readiness," 
 answered father. " They tell a tale of him which 
 I doubt not is quite true. 'Tis so wholly like the 
 man." 
 
 " But what was it, father? " I begged. 
 
 " Well," began father, " it seems that one day 
 Farmer Putnam was out in the fields with one of his 
 hired men. Some say he was ploughing, others that 
 he was building a fence, but however it was, the news 
 of Lexington reached him while he worked. Now 
 most men (your father, among them, Polly, my 
 dear) , would have stopped, at least to talk, but that 
 was not Israel Putnam's way. He didn't even wait 
 to change his clothes, nor to fling off his old leathern
 
 A Reunion 69 
 
 apron. No, indeed ! He caught a horse and rode 
 off on the instant to summon his neighbours for miles 
 around. I'll warrant no man held back who saw 
 his white hair flying in the wind as he galloped from 
 house to house, shouting the news, and telling them 
 to assemble at once to beat back the British. When 
 he had made his rounds he returned and there were 
 hundreds gathered in answer to his call. They told 
 him they had chosen him to lead them. ' All right ! ' 
 he cried, in a ringing voice, that I doubt not you 
 could have heard near a mile. ' All right ! Fol- 
 low me ! ' and he took the road for Cambridge where 
 the company arrived at sunrise next morning, Put- 
 nam in the van on the horse he had ridden nigh a 
 hundred miles in eighteen hours." 
 
 " That horse should have a place in history," 
 said mother, with a smile. 
 
 " Ay, so it should," laughed father. " At any 
 rate his master will, for the man in the old shirt 
 and leathern apron has ever since been setting his 
 hand to any work that came his way with the same 
 ready spirit. He is General Putnam now, but he is 
 still the simple Connecticut farmer he was a year 
 ago and when the war ends he will go back to build- 
 ing that fence he was busy with when the news of 
 Lexington interrupted his work." 
 
 "A ready patriot!" exclaimed mother heartily. 
 
 " Ay, that he is ! " agreed father. 
 
 With father at home again it might be thought 
 that mother's cares would be lessened but she would 
 not have it so. 
 
 " Worry not over us," she told him. " Mary 
 and I can manage well enough, and you have more 
 important matters to occupy you. We should be 
 poor patriots if we added to your troubles." 
 
 And seeing that this was indeed true, father came
 
 70 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 and went as most suited the work he was engaged 
 upon, leaving home affairs in our hands; but it 
 was a comfort to have him so near, though to be 
 sure he was often called to Brooklyn or Long Island, 
 and we saw him not for days at a time. 
 
 Meanwhile I spent many of my free hours gazing 
 out of the window watching our troops coming into 
 the city, and always on the lookout for Will. Day 
 after day the soldiers marched past down the Broad 
 Way clad in all sorts of uniforms that made a motley 
 array when the regiments from the various Colonies 
 were gathered together. The Pennsylvanians, for 
 instance, were dressed in all the colours of the rain- 
 bow. Some of them wore brown coats faced with 
 buff, others blue coats faced with red, while still 
 others had on brown coats faced with white and 
 studded with huge pewter buttons. Then too there 
 were those who wore no coats at all and these were 
 soon nicknamed the " Shoddy-shirts." Old red 
 coats, laid away in garrets since the French wars, 
 made their appearance on a portion of the Con- 
 necticut troops, and these contrasted finely with the 
 green hunting shirts of the Marylanders. The Vir- 
 ginians were extremely gay in white smocked frocks 
 with ruffles at the neck, elbows and wrists. Indeed 
 a few of the companies were so richly dressed that 
 it was impossible to tell them from the British, while 
 some poor fellows had no uniforms at all. 
 
 It was not, however, until some time in April that 
 General Washington, the Commander-in-Chief ar- 
 rived, escorted by his guards who were bravely ar- 
 rayed in blue coats faced with buff, red waistcoats, 
 buckskin breeches, black felt hats bound with white 
 tape and body-belts of white. And in His Excel- 
 lency's train came my brother, Lieutenant William
 
 A Reunion 71 
 
 Trotter now, and to my thinking the handsomest of- 
 ficer in the patriot army. 
 
 I was at the window when he dashed up the steps, 
 and for an instant I did not recognize him, so brown 
 was he and so manly in his uniform ; but it was only 
 for an instant. 
 
 " 'Tis Will! " I shouted at the top of my voice 
 and flew to the hall to meet him. 
 
 The next moment I had my arms about him and 
 half sobbed and half laughed a welcome. 
 
 " Oh, Polly, my dear, I am glad to see you! " he 
 cried, giving me a huge hug. " Where's mother? " 
 
 She was not far behind, having heard my shout, 
 and the next moment they were in each other's arms, 
 while I furtively, wiped away the tears that would 
 come into my eyes for very joy. 
 
 We stood off from him to look him over, very 
 proud of his sword and epaulettes, and though he 
 protested that he felt like a wax-work, we gazed our 
 fill at him. 
 
 " Nay, Will," laughed mother, though her voice 
 broke and she was nigh to tears, " let those who love 
 you have their way for a little. Sure an officer 
 who can face the British guns can brave the glances 
 of his old mother and doting sister." 
 
 " You must have your way, an' it pleases you, 
 mother dear," he answered, " but I am as hungry 
 as a wolf, and ." 
 
 Whether he said this on purpose to put an end 
 to his ordeal I know not but surely it had that ef- 
 fect for at the word " hungry " we flew to get him 
 food, feeling guilty at even this momentary neglect 
 of our hero and taking huge delight in stuffing him 
 with all the good things we could find. 
 
 There was laughter a-plenty, for Will was ever
 
 72 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 one to take things lightly, but the tears were never 
 far from our eyes and the very uniform we so much 
 admired could not help but remind us of the dangers 
 he must soon be facing. 
 
 He could not stay long, indeed it seemed scarce 
 a minute ere he had eaten and was away again; but 
 we had seen both him and father, and we felt that 
 now at last the spring had come bringing a new and 
 brighter sun to shine on our troubled world.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 A MAD ADVENTURE 
 
 ONE evening, a day or so after Will's return, 
 I had run up to the sewing room on an er- 
 rand for mother. I forget now what the 
 business was, but it took some little time, and while 
 I was about it the knocker sounded on the front door. 
 I hoped it might be father and, hurrying with my 
 task, was soon on my way back to the surgery where 
 I had left mother. 
 
 Half-way down the stairs I heard Will's voice and, 
 thinking of naught but my delight at seeing him, I 
 gave a shout of welcome and flew into the room like 
 a small whirlwind. 
 
 But once inside I halted on the instant, blushing 
 furiously, for there, with mother and Will, stood 
 a tall young officer who smiled at me pleasantly 
 while his eyes twinkled merrily. 
 
 " Come right in, Polly," Will cried, laughingly, 
 " I have just been telling Captain Hale about my 
 quiet, gentle little sister, and he is most anxious to 
 make your acquaintance." 
 
 'Twas not kind of Will to put me to such con- 
 fusion, and I scarce had sufficient presence of mind 
 to curtsey; but Captain Hale with a sympathetic 
 smile quickly set me at my ease. 
 
 " Do not heed him, Mistress Polly," he said, step- 
 ping toward me with outstretched hand. " He is 
 never so happy as when he is trying to tease some 
 one. Which I hold is very unmannerly." 
 
 73
 
 74 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 His voice was so low and musical that I forgot 
 my embarrassment. Sure 'twas plain to me then 
 why every one who knew him had a good word to 
 say of Mr. Nathan Hale. 
 
 " I'm sorry to have been so hoydenish," I fal- 
 tered, " but I was glad to see my brother again." 
 
 " He does not deserve so hearty a welcome," 
 said Captain Hale. " The next time I should pay 
 him no such compliment." 
 
 " Not even if he be hungry." Added mother with 
 a laugh. 
 
 " Ha ! " cried Will. " Polly wouldn't starve her 
 brother. 
 
 " ,You deserve naught but bread and water," I 
 answered, pretending great indignation. 
 
 " If the bread be of your baking I ask no better," 
 he replied, so gallantly that he won my forgiveness 
 on the instant. " And Hale," he went on, " you'll 
 not find a stauncher patriot in all the Colonies than 
 this same Polly Trotter." 
 
 " I can well believe that," said Mr. Hale. 
 
 " But girls can do naught," I complained. 
 
 ; ' They can feed the hungry," Will remarked flip- 
 pantly. 
 
 " Ay, 'tis all they're thought fit for," I grumbled. 
 
 " Small blame to them," Mr. Hale insisted ear- 
 nestly. 'Tis not fair to give the boys all the ad- 
 vantages. Had I my way the girls should go to 
 college with their brothers." 
 
 ' You preach a revolution, Mr. Hale," said 
 mother, with keen interest. 
 
 "He has all sorts of outlandish notions," Will 
 put in lightly. 
 
 " Nay," Mr. Hale retorted, " it does not seem 
 strange to me that women should be given equal 
 advantages for education with men. Being a school-
 
 A Mad Adventure 75 
 
 master, Madam Trotter," he went on, speaking di- 
 rectly to mother, " I have thought deeply on the 
 subject, and when the war is over I mean to prove 
 my theories." 
 
 " A truce to your lectures, Master Hale," laughed 
 Will; and at that they talked of other things, while 
 I, sitting by mother's side, took note of our visitor. 
 
 Truth to tell my prejudice against him had van- 
 ished, as I have said, at first sight. He did not look 
 like any schoolmaster I had ever known nor did he 
 talk like one, though to be sure he was serious enough 
 when the occasion served. But he had none of that 
 air of great wisdom such as those of his profession 
 are still wont to affect. Nor did he smile sneeringly 
 when his opinion upon any subject was questioned. 
 He was never a solemn kill-joy but could laugh and 
 joke with the best and seemed to love life with a 
 buoyant, happy boyishness that won all hearts. 
 
 In stature he was nigh as tall as Roger Delancy, 
 broad-shouldered and deep-chested, with a look of 
 strength above the average. Yet it was none of 
 these things one thought of in his presence, but rather 
 of the earnest expression of his face that was the 
 key to his character. His brown hair matched a 
 ruddy complection and many girls would have 
 thought him very handsome; though from the first 
 I was most impressed by his look of resolution and 
 purpose. Once his hand was set to a task I felt 
 sure he would accomplish it, no matter what ob- 
 stacles might be in the way. As I grew to know 
 him better, I found, as had all his associates, be 
 they officers or privates, that the freeing of our 
 country filled his thoughts, and to that end he was 
 working with all the energy of his bodily and in- 
 tellectual strength. 
 
 From that day onward he was free to come and
 
 76 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 go in our house. He and Will had formed a close 
 friendship and, though my brother effected a light- 
 ness of spirit, he made no secret of his affection of 
 Mr. Hale and was ready to follow him blindly 
 wherever he might lead. 
 
 Another friend of both Will's and Mr. Hale's 
 was Mr. John Hull, a Captain with the Connecti- 
 cut troops. These three, with mother and me to 
 listen, met in the surgery as often as they could be 
 spared from their duties, to talk over the affairs 
 of the country and plan the measures they would 
 take were they at the head of the nation. All were 
 young, and I doubt not much of their criticism of 
 their elders in command was foolish, for 'tis cer- 
 tain the members of Congress assembled in Phila- 
 delphia received a mighty share of censure at their 
 hands; but in all their talk I never heard a word 
 of aught but praise for General Washington, who 
 was vastly admired by his younger officers. 
 
 The city during these days was in a feverish state 
 of excitement. It had become certain now that 
 General Howe would sooner or later attempt to 
 take the town, so work went on upon the fortifica- 
 tions night and day. Almost hourly fresh troops ar- 
 rived from all parts of the Colonies, tired and dusty 
 after their long marches; but there was little time 
 for rest and they were soon set to drilling in prep- 
 aration for the mighty struggle that was to come. 
 
 Some of these poor soldiers had scarce sufficient 
 clothing to cover them and fresh supplies were well- 
 nigh unobtainable. I saw hundreds tramping the 
 streets in rags, their feet wrapped in straw or old 
 cloths in lieu of boots. Indeed so great was the 
 demand for all sorts of essential articles that those 
 whose task it was to supply them were in despair. 
 
 This destitute state of his men touched Mr. Hale
 
 A Mad Adventure 77 
 
 deeply, and he would have spared no pains to re- 
 lieve them if he had had the power. 
 
 " I would give my last penny to get those poor 
 fellows shoes," he cried one evening as if the knowl- 
 edge of their privations was more than he could bear. 
 
 " Nay, 'tis not a matter of money," said Mr. Hull. 
 
 " But what must they think of their Captain to 
 let them suffer so? " Mr. Hale burst out. 
 
 " They know you can do naught," Will insisted. 
 " Sure you've proved that to them. You gave all 
 your pay to make them comfortable in Cambridge." 
 
 " Ay, and little enough," murmured Captain 
 Hale, striding across the room. 
 
 Now all this time there were numerous vessels 
 anchored in the harbour filled with just such sup- 
 plies as our army stood most in need of. They had 
 been sent from England to re-equip the British regi- 
 ments, and, as I sat sewing, listening to the men's 
 talk I wondered greatly why no attempt had been 
 made to capture one of those boats. 
 
 " It seems to me," I ventured timidly, " that 
 were I a man I should go secretly and take one of 
 those supply ships in the harbour." 
 
 All three turned to me with a look of surprise 
 as if for a moment they might have forgotten my 
 presence, then Will burst out into a laugh. 
 
 " 'Tis lucky you're a girl, Polly," he said. 
 " Were it otherwise, and you should attempt such 
 a scheme, I should lose both a brother and a sis- 
 ter." 
 
 " 'Tis quite out of the question, Mistress Trot- 
 ter," Captain Hull, attempted to explain politely. 
 " You see the British men-of-war have a peculiar 
 care for those vessels and every one of them lies 
 under the guns of their ships-of-the-line." 
 
 I was but half listening to Mr. Hull's talk, for my
 
 78 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 eyes were upon Captain Hale, who, on hearing my 
 suggestion, had paused in his restless walk and was 
 staring at the carpet. He, I knew, would give the 
 final word and though this idea of mine had but 
 popped into my head on the spur of the moment, I 
 awaited his opinion before abandoning it entirely. 
 
 " We have no war-ships to fight them with," Will 
 was saying, " otherwise, I doubt not, we should have 
 had a try at them long ere this." 
 
 " I would that we dared attempt it ! " Mr. Hull 
 declared, " but 'tis impossible." 
 
 " Nay, 'tis not impossible ! " Mr. Hale's resolute 
 voice filled the room. 
 
 " What wild plan have you in your mind now? " 
 demanded Mr. Hull, looking apprehensively at his 
 friend. 
 
 " No wild plan at all, John," Mr. Hale pro- 
 tested, " though I grant you there's a risk. Never- 
 theless it can be done." As he ended he began 
 striding excitedly up and down the room. 
 
 " What is in your mind? " Mr. Hull asked a sec- 
 ond time. 
 
 " This," Mr. Hale began, coming to a stop in 
 front of us. " There's a sloop lying in the East 
 River and I mean to have her 1 " 
 
 " I know the one you mean 1 " exclaimed Will 
 eagerly. " They say she's filled with all sorts of 
 supplies." 
 
 " Ay, so she is," agreed Mr. Hull, " but have 
 you forgot that the Asia is within hail of her and 
 has enough guns aboard to blow out of the water 
 anything we could bring against her? " 
 
 " Nay, I've not forgot it," Mr. Hale went on 
 confidently, " but we need not go with trumpet and 
 drum to proclaim our coming. 'Twas Mistress 
 Polly had the right idea, and it can be done. We've
 
 A Mad Adventure 79 
 
 all been thinking of fighting. I say * let's fool 
 'em!'" 
 
 "Ay, but how?" asked Will, ready for any ad- 
 venture. 
 
 " I'll tell you," Mr. Hale explained, drawing 
 up a chair and lowering his voice to a whisper. 
 " That sloop carries no more than half a dozen 
 men at most. I will take six of mine ." 
 
 " Five's enough, for I'm going," Will cut in. 
 
 " That will settle itself later," Mr. Hale said, 
 shortly. " The point is this. We take a small boat 
 and board the sloop in the darkness of the early 
 morning and secure the watch without a sound. 
 Then all we have to do is to sail the vessel to the 
 shore under our own guns. 'Twill need a scant 
 two hours." 
 
 " The Colonel will never give you leave to go," 
 Mr. Hull demurred. 
 
 " There I think you're right," agreed Mr. Hale 
 with a smile. " And I don't mean to ask him." 
 
 "What! You'll take the responsibility on your- 
 self! " exclaimed Mr. Hull. 
 
 " Ay," said Mr. Hale quietly. 
 
 " And be cashiered when you return," predicted 
 Mr. Hull. 
 
 " Nay, there I disagree," replied Mr. Hale. " // 
 I return it will be with the sloop, and I'll warrant 
 the Colonel will have no thought of censure once 
 he sees the supplies she holds. If I come not back 
 I shall have little interest whether or not I am 
 cashiered." 
 
 " Nay, Nathan, give it up," Mr. Hull pleaded. 
 " 'Tis not on my own account I ask you, for I can- 
 not join you, being on duty with His Excellency to- 
 night; but for your own sake I beg it." 
 
 " I doubted not your courage, John," said Mr.
 
 8o Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Hale. u 'Tis always that your fear for me makes 
 you too solictious. But I must go through with it." 
 
 " 'Tis a mad plan, and no fit duty for an officer! " 
 exclaimed Mr. Hull, exasperated at the other's de- 
 termination. 
 
 " There you are wrong," declared Mr. Hale, and 
 his voice vibrated with the emotion he plainly felt. 
 " I wish to be useful, and if the exigencies of my 
 country demand a peculiar service its claims to the 
 performance of that service are imperious ! " 
 
 His voice rang out almost exultingly and in the 
 days to come I took much comfort from his words. 
 But at the time we sat silent for a moment, impressed 
 mainly by his earnestness and determination to do 
 anything that might further the cause of his coun- 
 try. 
 
 ' Think you the gain would be worth the risk, 
 Mr. Hale ? " asked mother, in a quiet voice. 
 
 He turned to her with a loving expression on his 
 face, as if to his own mother, well knowing what 
 was in her thoughts. 
 
 " I think, Madam Trotter, that my own friend 
 John Hull exaggerates the risk," he said gently, 
 " but were it twice as great it would be worth the 
 trial. I need not tell you the suffering it would re- 
 lieve an we are successful; but there is no cause for 
 you to worry. Will's going is not necessary." 
 
 " I shall not stand in his way," declared mother, 
 firmly. " You spoke truly when you said that any 
 service for the country's good should be performed. 
 My son shall go with you if he can help in your en- 
 terprise, and if he come not back " she hesitated 
 a moment, smiling a little sadly, " his life will have 
 been given to the land of his birth quite as fully 
 as if he had fallen upon the battlefield leading his 
 troops against the enemy."
 
 A Mad Adventure 81 
 
 " Ah, that's the true spirit of patriotism, Madam 
 Trotter," said Mr. Hale, looking earnestly at her, 
 " as for me, I think it is a sweet and fitting thing 
 to die for one's country." 
 
 For another long moment we sat silent and then, 
 Mr. Hull brought us back to our surroundings with 
 a jerk. 
 
 " Tis all very well to die for one's country," 
 he cried harshly, " but there is little gain in throw- 
 ing away valuable lives on such a mad enterprise." 
 
 Out of fairness to Captain Hull it must be ex- 
 plained that he thought not at all of himself. 'Twas 
 his great regard for Mr. Hale that made him pro- 
 test then, as he did later, when the friend he loved 
 undertook a task of unusual danger. But he re- 
 monstrated to no purpose. Mr. Hale had come to 
 a decision and would see it through, come what 
 might. 
 
 "And when shall it be done?" asked Will. 
 
 Mr. Hale jumped to his feet and, going to the 
 window, pushed aside the blinds and looked out into 
 the night. 
 
 " We'll start now! " he announced, turning back 
 into the room. " 'Tis as black as a hat outside, 
 and delay is like to do more harm than good. I can 
 put my hand on the men we want within the hour." 
 
 He started impulsively toward the door as if 
 eager to be about the business. 
 
 We rose to our feet, and my heart sank like lead 
 at the prospect of the long hours of anxious wait- 
 ing ahead of us. I scarce dared look at mother, 
 dreading to find her a-tremble at the suddenness of 
 this departure, but I need not have feared for her 
 courage. Indeed she was as calm when she said 
 good-bye to Will as she would have been had he been 
 bent upon a junket.
 
 82 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 The parting words were few and hurried. None 
 of us cared to dwell upon the possible outcome ; but 
 as I kissed him I found my fingers clutching Will's 
 coat as though I would hold him back. 
 
 It seemed but a moment ere they were gone and 
 I was shutting the front door upon them. 
 
 " Oh, mother," I sobbed, " why did I ever sug- 
 gest that they should try so mad an adventure? " 
 
 " Nay, my child," she answered, and there was 
 a hint of disapproval in her voice, " I do not think 
 it a mad adventure. Mr. Hale would run no need- 
 less risk, of that I am well convinced, and on so 
 dark a night 'twill be no easy task for the guns of 
 the Asia to hit a small boat, even if they are dis- 
 covered. I am fully persuaded that they will carry 
 it through." 
 
 Whether mother was as confident as she appeared 
 I know not, but she heartened me, which may have 
 been the motive behind her brave words. 
 
 I went into the front room and, crossing straight 
 to the window, looked out into the black night. 
 There was no light behind me so that I could not be 
 seen from the street, and peering down the Broad 
 Way I saw Will and the others pass under a swing- 
 ing lanthorn about a block off and disappear in the 
 darkness. 
 
 Opposite our house a street lamp burned dimly, 
 and as I turned my eyes toward it a black, crouch- 
 ing figure suddenly passed, as if from nowhere, into 
 its yellow circle of light. The man halted a mo- 
 ment, turning toward me a face wizzened and cun- 
 ning as a fox's, and at once I recognized the spy who 
 had spoken to Roger the day he left New York. 
 He glanced toward me but for an instant, then, bend- 
 ing low and hugging the wall, he seemed to fade out
 
 A Mad Adventure 83 
 
 of sight in th direction taken by the three young 
 officers. 
 
 Doubtless it was the fellow's stealthy movements 
 that put the notion into my head, but, whatever the 
 cause, I was convinced that he had been watching 
 the house, and was now following the young men 
 to spy upon them. 
 
 If that were the case he would warn the British, 
 and any attempt to take the sloop under such cir- 
 cumstances could only result in their capture. 
 
 With a little cry of despair I ran to mother with 
 my fears.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE SPY'S MESSENGER 
 
 IT took but a moment to tell mother what I had 
 seen, and 'twas all too plain that she shared 
 my belief in the spy's purpose. As she lis- 
 tened, I saw her grow white of a sudden, and re- 
 membered too late father's oft repeated warning 
 not to startle her because she suffered from a malady 
 of the heart. 
 
 " Oh, mother, I should not have told you!" I 
 cried, realizing that with all her fortitude there was a 
 limit to her strength. 
 
 She shook her head in denial but for the moment 
 could not speak, then she rallied bravely. 
 
 " You must be off to warn them, Mary," she 
 whispered. " Waste no time. There is no one else 
 to save them." 
 
 I was ready enough but as I looked at mother, 
 lying back in her chair, nigh to fainting, I knew 
 not which way to turn. I could not bring myself 
 to leave her and yet . 
 
 " Get Betty and go," she murmured weakly, 
 as if reading my thoughts, and seeing that to obey 
 would be the best service, I hurried off to do her 
 bidding. 
 
 After rousing Betty I went to my room and, grop- 
 ing in the press, found a hooded woolen cloak that 
 covered me from top to toe. Wrapping this round 
 me as I ran I was soon back in the surgery to show 
 mother that I was ready. 
 
 84
 
 The Spy's Messenger 85 
 
 She nodded encouragingly, forcing a little smile 
 to hearten me, yet she looked so ill that I was most 
 unwilling to leave her. However, she was impa- 
 tient to have me gone, and hearing black Betty upon 
 the stair, I kissed her good-bye forthwith. A mo- 
 ment later I was out upon the street hurrying down 
 the Broad Way toward the harbour with no thought 
 in my head but to be upon my way, and not yet 
 realizing the difficulties of my task. 
 
 'Twas not until I neared the Trinity church yard 
 that I came to my senses and began to appreciate that 
 I knew not where to find those I sought. I had 
 started out with a half-formed notion that I would 
 overtake them, but so far I had not caught sight of 
 a soul. Ahead of me, gleaming brightly in the dis- 
 tance I could see the flames of huge fires kindled to 
 give light to those who worked upon the barricades 
 near the Bowling Green. There I knew I should 
 find people in plenty, but not those I was looking 
 for. 'Twas not in the mind of Captain Hale and 
 his companions to call attention to themselves and 
 they had doubtless turned off at one of the cross 
 streets leading to the rivers. 
 
 But had they turned to the right or left? Naught 
 had been said of their plans, and though the sloop 
 they hoped to capture lay in the East River, they 
 might start out from the Hudson side of the Island, 
 row round the fort and so come upon their quarry 
 from that direction. 
 
 I stopped in my tracks, bewildered by my help- 
 lessness. To be sure I might search them out 
 among our soldiers; but to blunder from one en- 
 campment to another asking for Captain Hale would 
 start a hue and cry upon their tracks. This would 
 by no means do, for I had not forgot that Captain 
 Hull had declared that those in high authority
 
 86 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 would not countenance Captain Hale's plan. To 
 discover the matter to those in command of the 
 army would, at best, lead to the disgrace of those 
 I wished to save, and might easily fail to help them. 
 
 I argued thus with myself, concluding that only 
 as a last resort would I seek in that direction for 
 aid; but for the life of me I could hit upon no other 
 road out of my perplexity. 
 
 " Faith a girl makes a poor patriot ! " I murmured 
 half aloud. " Had I been a boy I should have 
 known what to do." 
 
 But scolding myself brought me no nearer to find- 
 ing Will and the others. If I were to do aught I 
 must be at it quickly, for already many precious mo- 
 ments had slipped by and each one brought disaster 
 nearer to those I meant to save. 
 
 Trusting to luck, I started off toward the Hud- 
 son River, hoping I might stumble upon them when 
 I gained the shore, for though that chance seemed 
 remote 'twas better to do something than to stand 
 still. 
 
 It was but a short distance to the water and as 
 I neared it a number of people appeared upon the 
 streets. All seemed bent upon their own affairs 
 and paid scant heed to me, but I pulled my hood 
 about my face, deeming it wise to attract as little 
 attention as possible. 
 
 After a fruitless search up and down the shore 
 I came to a stop under a lanthorn hanging from 
 the wall of a house. I was at my wit's end what 
 to do next. Two alternatives only seemed open to 
 me. I could go to the East River and continue hunt- 
 ing there, or I must hasten to headquarters and 
 tell my tale to the first officer who demanded to know 
 what I was doing abroad at such an hour of the 
 night. The latter course held out the sole hope
 
 The Spy's Messenger 87 
 
 so far as I could see. I no longer had any time to 
 waste in aimless looking here and there, trusting 
 to mere chance. If aught was to be done it must 
 be done at once, no matter what the outcome. 
 Should no other plan occur to me, disgrace for Cap- 
 tain Hale and Will seemed the best that could be 
 hoped for; but their lives must be saved. 
 
 Then on a sudden I remembered father. I 
 should find him at headquarters, and to avoid awk- 
 ward questioning upon my errand, I need but ask 
 for him saying that mother was ill; which, I re- 
 membered with a pang, was indeed the truth. He 
 would know what measures to take, and I blamed 
 myself for not thinking of this sooner. It should 
 have been my first business once I realized my posi- 
 tion ; but it had taken an hour or more to enter my 
 thick head. 
 
 " How could I have been so stupid? " I thought, 
 and pulling my hood close about my face, I was on 
 the point of starting back to the Broad Way when 
 a hissed word halted me. 
 
 "Stupid!/' 
 
 For an instant I almost fancied I must have 
 spoke my thought aloud, yet I was certain I had not. 
 
 " Come out of the light, stupid! " 
 
 This time there was no doubt. The words were 
 muttered in an undertone a few feet away from 
 where I stood. 
 
 Why I know not, but instinctively I moved to- 
 ward the voice in obedience to its command, and 
 immediately a man's figure slouched to meet me, 
 scarce visible in the dense shadow of the wall. 
 
 " Will you never learn to keep in the dark? " 
 the man grumbled. " Step nearer." 
 
 I did as he bade me, a little fearfully, for there 
 was a menace in his tone and it was plain that he
 
 88 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 mistook me for another. I opened my mouth to 
 apprise him of his error, but ere I could speak, his 
 querulous voice was sounding in my ear. 
 
 " Listen now, stupid, and don't prattle," he be- 
 gan in an undertone. " You must tell his Lord- 
 ship that the rebel General Washington is to die 
 to-night if all goes well. You understand? To- 
 night 1" 
 
 At the man's words my wits sharpened. 'Twas 
 plain he supposed me to be a go-between he was 
 wont to meet, and I gave up the intention of set- 
 ting him right. Mere chance had brought me to 
 this place at the appointed time, and there was war- 
 rant enough in the little he had already said to bid 
 me hide my identity and hear all I could of the 
 plot he hinted at. 
 
 These thoughts flashed through my brain rapidly 
 and I was about to answer him, but already he was 
 impatient at my silence. 
 
 " Oh, ho ! " he muttered, " thou'rt in one of 
 thy tongue-tied moods. What possesses you, 
 stupid? Last night you scarce let me get in a word 
 edgewise." 
 
 Here was a hint of the part I must play, and 
 with it a warning. This was not the first time these 
 two had met and my voice might betray me if I 
 spoke naturally, yet speak I must, for again he de- 
 manded an answer. 
 
 " Have done with thy sullen ways," he broke 
 out. " The matter is planned for to-night. Have 
 you that much straight in your thick head ? " 
 
 " Yes," I breathed through my lips, trusting that 
 whispers might sound much the same no matter who 
 uttered them. 
 
 " So far so good," he resumed, with no sign of 
 suspicion. " Now attend. I have come to an un-
 
 The Spy's Messenger 89 
 
 derstanding with one of Washington's body-guards 
 named Hickey. 
 
 "To kill the rebel General?" I questioned, try- 
 ing to keep to the part I must play. 
 
 " Ay, to be sure," he answered with a grim 
 chuckle. " Once their leader is gone this silly rev- 
 olution will end like a pricked bubble." 
 
 "And who shall I tell it to?" I ventured, hop- 
 ing he might betray the identity of the other plotter. 
 
 " To his Lordship, stupid," he growled. " Think 
 thee any other would heed thy imbecile babblings? 
 Thou art a safe messenger, albeit a most exasperat- 
 ing one." 
 
 Here again I had a hint of the character I must 
 needs impersonate, and also an appreciation of the 
 cunning displayed by these plotters who, it was 
 plain, made use of some poor, half-witted girl to 
 communicate with each other and so avoided the 
 danger of being seen together. 
 
 " Now comes the important part," the man went 
 on. " This Hickey must be paid a hundred guineas 
 and be given passage to Ireland. 'Tis all you need 
 to say. His Lordship will know what to do an you 
 get that much straight." 
 
 He paused a moment as if waiting for me to 
 speak, and I tried in vain to make out his features, 
 but it was so dark that even his shape was hid from 
 me and he showed but as a blacker spot in the 
 gloom. 
 
 "You understand about the hundred guineas?" 
 he asked, separating the words and speaking slowly 
 as if to a child. 
 
 1 Yes," I whispered. 
 
 " And a passage to Ireland? Get that into your 
 head." 
 
 " And a passage to Ireland," I repeated dully.
 
 90 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Good ! That will be enough to carry in your 
 empty pate at one time," he muttered to himself, 
 and I heard the jingle of coins. A moment later he 
 fumbled at my cloak. 
 
 "Where is your hand?" he demanded. "You 
 were ever quick enough at this part of the busi- 
 
 ness." 
 
 I thrust out an empty palm and he put a copper 
 into it with a grunt of impatience. 
 
 " See that you earn it." He growled, and was 
 about to move off, but turned, hesitatingly. 
 
 " Think you that for another penny you could re- 
 member two messages?" he asked, and 'twas evi- 
 dent he had little faith that I could accomplish so 
 difficult a task. 
 
 " I'll e'en try," I answered, giving a hint of eager- 
 ness to my words, and moving closer to him. 
 
 " Ay, you have your wits about you when 'tis 
 a matter of money," he growled. " Could I go 
 myself I wouldn't trust you; but I have other busi- 
 ness that cannot wait, so perforce I'll have to risk 
 it, though I doubt not you'll mix things badly. At- 
 tend now ! " 
 
 " Ay," I murmured. 
 
 " Tell his Lordship that the ships in the harbour 
 must be warned that something is a-foot," he be- 
 gan, speaking half to himself, as if he pondered 
 a perplexing matter while he thought. " What is 
 in the wind I know not, but something is hatching 
 in the house of that rebel Doctor Trotter. I fol- 
 lowed the son with two others to the river where 
 they seemed to choose a boat and then " He 
 broke off abruptly, as if he suddenly remembered to 
 whom he was speaking. " Why do I ever forget 
 that your poor head can hold but just so much? 
 Listen! Say to his Lordship that the war-ships in
 
 The Spy's Messenger 91 
 
 the harbour must be warned. You understand 
 that?" 
 
 " Ay," I mumbled, scarce able to control my 
 trembling lips. 
 
 " There's some plot for to-night. Understand? " 
 
 " Ay," I repeated. 
 
 " 'Tis well then, and I trust you will keep the two 
 matters separate," he ended, stepping past me to- 
 ward the light. 
 
 But 'twas not in my mind to let him go so easily. 
 While he had been talking I had again tried, with- 
 out avail, to see his face; for after all he had told 
 me I must know who he was. Were he the spy, I 
 was assured that all would be well with Will and 
 his companions. On the other hand this man might 
 be only a confederate, and if still another had the 
 knowledge of their movements Captain Male's little 
 party was no better off than before. 
 
 With a quick start toward him I thrust out my 
 hand and jostled him into the circle of light, keeping 
 myself still in the shadows. 
 
 " You promised another copper," I panted, as if 
 my only thought was for the money, and with a 
 snarling laugh he turned his face toward me. 
 
 It was the spy ! 
 
 "Hoity-toity! " he blustered, jumping back nim- 
 bly into the darkness at my side. " Have a care 
 what you do, Stupid, or I'll warrant you earn no 
 more pennies," and with that he pressed another coin 
 into my palm. " Be off with you," he ended, but 
 ere I made a move, he sprang into the kennel and 
 disappeared as if by magic.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 AT HEADQUARTERS 
 
 NOW indeed were my thoughts weighted with 
 heavy matters, though to be sure, my im- 
 mediate cares were somewhat lightened. At 
 least His Lordship would send no word to the Asia 
 that night. By great good luck I was enabled to 
 prevent that, but I was far from thinking that I de- 
 served any credit for the part I had played. In 
 truth it had been my stupidity in not going directly 
 to father that had brought about a dangerous situa- 
 tion, and it struck me as passing strange that the 
 spy should have had so pat upon his lips the word 
 that best described my action and somewhat of his 
 own as well. 
 
 But I wasted little time thinking of these things 
 and bent my steps back to the Broad Way at as 
 rapid a rate as I dared. I needed no one to tell 
 me how grave a business was this plot against Gen- 
 eral Washington. Whether or not our revolt 
 against King George would fail with the death of 
 the Commander-in-Chief, as the spy had predicted, 
 I could not tell ; but I had heard enough talk among 
 Will's friends in the army to realize that such an 
 event would be nothing short of a disaster. 
 
 And the more I pondered the matter as I hastened 
 along the dark streets, the more the knowledge ap- 
 palled me. Save for those in the plot I was the only 
 one who knew of its existence, and upon me alone 
 fell the responsibility of thwarting it. Every minute 
 
 92
 
 At Headquarters 93 
 
 that passed brought the time for the dread event 
 just that much nearer and I began to tremble lest 
 I should be too late. 
 
 As every one in the city knew, Mr. Washington 
 had his headquarters in the famous Kennedy man- 
 sion now owned by Mr. Nathaniel Prime. It was 
 the first house on the Broad Way, and 'twas there 
 that I directed my steps, though I was sure I should 
 have difficulty in winning my way in, for lines of 
 guards were stationed for several blocks above and 
 below the barricades that were being built just south 
 of the Bowling Green, which lay opposite. Yet 
 this troubled me now not at all. I should be only 
 too glad to tell my tale to the first soldier who de- 
 manded to know my business and why I was abroad 
 so late, for I was most anxious to be relieved of the 
 responsibility that had been thrust upon my young 
 shoulders. 
 
 I found the Broad Way as deserted as I had left 
 it and began running at the top of my speed toward 
 the harbour; but I had scarce gone a block when 
 another thought popped into my head to plague me. 
 
 After all could I be so indifferent to the one to 
 whom I told my tale? I knew nothing of this 
 Hickey. The spy had said he was a " body-guard," 
 but I was exceedingly doubtful just what that office 
 might be. I had heard Will and the others talk of 
 " aides " of " staff-officers " and of " body-guards." 
 I knew too that there were numbers of young men 
 constantly in attendance upon the General in one 
 capacity or another, and it seemed to me that it 
 would be a high honour to guard the life of the 
 Commander-in-Chief. What sort of a man then 
 was this Hickey? He might be any one of the 
 young officers I would be like to meet at headquar- 
 ters. I would have no way of knowing him from
 
 94 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 the others, and, moreover, it was by no means cer- 
 tain that he was the only one near to Mr. Washing- 
 ton who was concerned in the plot. The more I 
 thought of this the more convinced I became that 
 others must be privy to the matter. And how dared 
 I in these circumstances trust any one I did not 
 know? I might easily hit upon a man who would 
 suppress the news I gave and then, perchance, hasten 
 the tragedy. 
 
 I slackened my pace thinking to ponder this diffi- 
 culty, but in a moment I hurried on again. I had 
 no intention of being stupid a second time. This 
 affair was of too much importance to the country 
 either for delay or for bungling by an inexperienced 
 maid. I would go to the house of Mr. Prime and 
 ask the whereabouts of father. They would doubt- 
 less take me to him at once and there the matter 
 would end so far as I was concerned. 
 
 Upon this resolve I settled into a steady trot, 
 making for the glare of the fires about the barri- 
 cades, and as I approached I could see the forms of 
 the men at work flitting in and out as they passed 
 from the darkness to the light, like black shadows 
 thrown upon a screen. As I drew nearer I slowed 
 to a walk but as I had expected, was stopped a good 
 block above the house I sought. A sturdy soldier 
 barred my way with his musket. 
 
 "What's your business?" he growled, surlily, 
 and had I been less in earnest I should have quailed 
 at his forbidding exterior. 
 
 " I wish to find my father," I answered steadily. 
 
 " Ay, there's hundreds on that errand to-night," 
 he blurted out angrily. " Fathers, brothers, grand- 
 fathers 'tis all one. Go back to your bed. This 
 is no place for a child to snoop about out of curios- 
 ity."
 
 At Headquarters 95 
 
 " Indeed 'tis not curiosity that brings me here," 
 I answered earnestly. " My mother is ill and I 
 must find my father." 
 
 "Ha, ha! Your mother is ill, is she?" he re- 
 torted. " Think you she is the only one who is 
 sick in this town? Nay, lass, try some newer excuse 
 to get your father, or whoever it is, off the 
 work." 
 
 " But I tell you my mother is ill," I insisted, " and 
 'tis most important that I see my father at once." 
 
 " And 'tis important that the barricades be built," 
 he growled in answer. " And how are they ever 
 to be done if half the men are to be taken away on 
 one excuse or another? Nay, lass, thy father shall 
 do his stint this night." 
 
 " But he doesn't work here," I explained. " He 
 is with the army. He is a physician." 
 
 He eyed me for a moment trying to gauge my 
 words, puzzled I doubt not, to determine whether or 
 not I spoke the truth. 
 
 '* What's his name ? " he demanded finally. 
 
 " Dr. Trotter," I answered. 
 
 " Trotter, did you say? " he repeated quickly. 
 "Was he by any chance in Cambridge?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I exclaimed. " He was there al- 
 most from the beginning. He would have been 
 there sooner had it not been for mother and me." 
 
 "And what might he look like?" was the next 
 cautious question. 
 
 " He is a tall man wearing his own dark hair 
 that is fast turning grey," I returned, and was re- 
 lieved to see that he at length believed me. 
 
 " Ah, then, 'tis my doctor," he replied, his gruff- 
 ness gone on the instant. " Faith, Miss, he bled me 
 for a fever in Cambridge till I thought I should 
 have naught left in my veins but water. Yet he
 
 96 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 brought me through, and I owe him much. If you 
 are Dr. Trotter's daughter, go your way. I'll not 
 hinder you." 
 
 " Oh, thank you," I said, starting forward. 
 
 " And you'll not have a grudge against me, 
 Missy? " he called, hesitatingly. " You'd scarce be- 
 lieve the excuses these lazy civilians give for getting 
 out of their work. They e'en have the babies sent 
 out to fetch them home." 
 
 " You need not fear that I shall bear any grudge," 
 I assured him. 
 
 " And please, Miss, put it fairly to your father," 
 he went on, walking a step or two at my side. " I'm 
 like as not to need him again before this business 
 is over and I shouldn't wish him to think hardly of 
 me while he's mixing a draught. There's the head- 
 quarters, Miss," he ended, pointing to the mansion 
 at the corner of the street; "most like you'll find 
 him there." 
 
 I thanked the soldier again and hurried on to 
 Mr. Prime's, which was alight from cellar to gar- 
 ret, while two lanthorns burned brightly before the 
 door. Two or three houses above was Mr. Burns's 
 Coffee House, and there, too, all the rooms were 
 illuminated, so that with the huge fires in the square 
 the place was nigh as bright as day. It was a 
 curious scene. Men ran here and there, struggling 
 with heavy burdens; carts and wagons blocked the 
 streets; and, above the babble of noises and shouts, 
 the crackling of the glowing logs sounded not un- 
 like pistol shots. I should have been pleased to 
 watch, had the occasion been other than it was, 
 but now I hastened straight on with no more than 
 a passing glance about me. 
 
 The door of the headquarters stood wide and 
 two sentries blocked the way. Young officers were
 
 At Headquarters 97 
 
 coming in or going out on the run and it was a mo- 
 ment ere I could gain the entrance which was up 
 a step or two from the street-walk. Here, as I ex- 
 pected, I was halted without ceremony. 
 
 " I seek my father, Dr. Trotter," I explained, 
 seeing that it was best to state my business as shortly 
 and fully as possible. 
 
 " Wait," said one of the guards, with a nod to 
 his companion as he turned into the house. He was 
 gone but a moment and returned with a young offi- 
 cer who approached me briskly. 
 
 " Oh," he murmured at sight of me, as if sur- 
 prised. " I thought it was a servant. Was it Dr. 
 Trotter you wished to see? " 
 
 " He is my father," .1 answered. " Mother is ill 
 and I must find him at once." 
 
 " Come in," he said politely, and led the way into 
 a large room to the right of the entrance hall where 
 a full score of young officers stood about, talking 
 or working busily at desks. 
 
 "Does any one know aught of Dr. Trotter?" 
 my escort called, addressing the room at large. 
 
 " He is detailed to Governor's Island," said a 
 man at one of the desks, without lifting his head 
 from the papers before him. " He left not an hour 
 ago,'' he went on in the same matter-of-fact tone. 
 " There's a report of fever among the troops there." 
 
 " And when will he return? " I asked with a sink- 
 ing heart. 
 
 " Can't say. Soon though. To-morrow or the 
 next day," came the answer from the desk. 
 
 "Oh, but that will be too late ! " I cried out, for- 
 getting everything but my bitter disappointment 
 and the perplexity of my position now that I could 
 no longer give the matter into father's hands. 
 
 " Is your mother so ill as that? " asked the young
 
 98 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 man who had brought me into the room. " We 
 surely can get another physician for you." 
 
 " 'Tis not that 1 " I exclaimed, scarce knowing 
 what I was saying. " I must see him at once about 
 something of the utmost importance." 
 
 "Ah, then your mother is not ill?" came the 
 quick, suspicious rejoinder. 
 
 "Yes, of course she is; but but " I halted 
 out of countenance. I knew not how best to reply 
 and it seemed as if the room had suddenly grown 
 very quiet and every one had stopped what he was 
 doing to look at me. Then the man at the desk rose 
 suddenly to his feet and strode toward me with a 
 frown upon his face.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE GUARD AT THE DOOR 
 
 MY brother Will had taught me to distinguish 
 the different ranks in the army by certain 
 marks upon the uniforms and I noted that 
 this older officer who had just left his desk was a 
 Major, and no doubt in command. I expected that 
 he would forthwith take the matter in hand, but in- 
 stead of speaking he nodded to the lieutenant who 
 had brought me in, evidently wishing him to ques- 
 tion me further while he himself stood by observ- 
 ing my demeanor. 
 
 " Did I understand you to say you were Dr. Trot- 
 ter's daughter?" was the first question. The lieu- 
 tenant scarce hid the suspicion he had of me, nor 
 could I altogether blame him. My hesitancy and 
 blundering were enough to arouse doubts of my sin- 
 cerity. 
 
 " Yes, I am Polly Trotter," I answered, " and it 
 is quite true ." 
 
 " It was to take him to your sick mother you 
 sought him? " was the next question. 
 
 " Not exactly," I began, for indeed I could not 
 say with truth that this had been my intention. 
 
 " Humm ! " he grunted. " Perchance some one 
 here can identify you? " 
 
 I looked at the faces of the men about me, though 
 'twas plain I knew none of them, for had it been 
 otherwise I should have been relieved of my dilemma 
 long before. 
 
 99
 
 ioo Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " There is no one here that I have ever met," I 
 said, shaking my head, " but indeed I am Polly Trot- 
 ter, and " 
 
 He cut me off again sharply. 
 
 " You had better return when Dr. Trotter has 
 come back to the city," he remarked with an air of 
 finality, and moved toward the door expecting me 
 to follow him. It was a broad hint that I should go 
 upon the instant, but I stirred not. Once again I 
 looked at the faces of the men about me, hoping to 
 find one whose expression showed something of sym- 
 pathy, but I searched in vain. All gazed at me in- 
 tently, some a little puzzled, others openly hostile, 
 though I could not fathom the reason. 
 
 " To-morrow it will be too late," I insisted, as 
 earnestly as I could. I felt most humiliated that 
 my word should be doubted and in sore straights 
 to know what to do. Then I had an inspiration. 
 
 " Mr. Alexander Hamilton knows me," I cried 
 hopefully, and none but those who had made up 
 their minds against me could have doubted my sin- 
 cerity. 
 
 " Unfortunately you have the knack of picking 
 out absentees," the lieutenant replied. " Captain 
 Hamilton has been detailed " 
 
 " I think it unwise to give out any unnecessary in- 
 formation, Mr. Roberts," came the cold voice of 
 the Major, and the lieutenant, with a nod of com- 
 prehension, stepped back a pace while the older of- 
 ficer addressed himself to me. 
 
 " It seems that we can do naught for you to- 
 night," he went on, in an even tone. 
 
 " Oh, please, sir," I begged, tears of vexation 
 coming into my eyes, u the matter is most important, 
 and unless something is done at once everybody will 
 be sorry."
 
 The Guard at the Door 101 
 
 " Tell me what it is," the Major suggested. I 
 think he was, for the moment at least, somewhat 
 impressed by my distress. But I had convinced my- 
 self that I dared rely on no one that I was not sure 
 of. 
 
 " Nay, if father isn't here I can tell only His 
 Excellency ! " I declared. " Let me to him at once." 
 
 "You mean General Washington?" demanded 
 the Major, his tone hardening. 
 
 " Ay, no other," 1 answered, putting as bold a 
 front on the matter as I could muster. " 'Twas on 
 his account that I came." 
 
 " But you said it was because of your sick 
 mother! " Lieutenant Roberts broke in. 
 
 " Well, my mother is ill," I protested, realizing 
 that by not being wholly frank in the beginning, I 
 had planted the seeds for this suspicion. " You 
 see," I went on, trying to explain, " it is not only my 
 mother who is concerned, but Mr. Washington as 
 well. Indeed what I tell you is true and if you 
 heed me not, you will be sorry." 
 
 At that there was a murmur of whispering among 
 the officers as if they were in two minds whether to 
 believe me or no and, for a moment, the major 
 looked down at me in silence, trying, doubtless to 
 read my thoughts. 
 
 " Will you please take me to His Excellency at 
 once?" I demanded, thinking it well to press any 
 advantage I might have gained. 
 
 " 'Tis out of the question," said the Major posi- 
 tively. 
 
 " But I tell you I must see him," I insisted, net- 
 tled at his stubbornness. " 'Tis a matter of life and 
 death!" 
 
 At this they all seemed somewhat taken a-back and 
 eyed me curiously.
 
 102 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 "Where is His Excellency?" the Major asked, 
 turning to the lieutenant. 
 
 " He is at Mr. Burns's Coffee Room taking some 
 refreshment," was the answer, " he has been out 
 inspecting the works." 
 
 " Then I shall seek him there ! " I burst out des- 
 perately. There was a hurried movement through- 
 out the room, and the next instant a dozen officers 
 blocked my way to the door. 
 
 " Nay, you'll stay here for the present," said the 
 Major grimly, and I began to see dimly that some- 
 thing I had not the key to lay beneath all their ac- 
 tions. 
 
 "Oh, what shall I do?" I exclaimed in despair. 
 
 " Plague me, but I think the wench is telling the 
 truth," murmured a very young man near me, and 
 I could have thanked him then and there; but the 
 others noticed him not and at the same moment an 
 officer spoke to the Major. 
 
 " I can settle this matter in a jiffy, sir," he said, 
 and then, addressing me, " you are really Mistress 
 Trotter?" 
 
 ' That I am," I answered. 
 
 " And are there others of your family in the army 
 beside your father? " 
 
 " Yes, my brother Will is a lieutenant," I re- 
 plied eagerly, seeing the drift of his questioning. 
 
 " Then all we need do is to send for Lieutenant 
 Trotter, Major Henry," ended the young man, and 
 for an instant I thought that here lay the way out 
 of all my difficulties. Then came the realization 
 that if they went looking for Will and found him 
 not, he would assuredly get into serious trouble. 
 Captain Hale's expedition would be discovered and 
 disgrace would be in store for all of them. 
 
 "No! No! Don't do that! " I cried out, see-
 
 The Guard at the Door 103 
 
 ing too late, that once more I had discredited my- 
 self in their eyes. 
 
 " Trapped, my girl! " exclaimed the Major. " I 
 know not what you are up to but perhaps you'll tell 
 us who sent you after you've spent a day or so in 
 the guard-house. Or do you prefer to make a clean 
 breast of it now? " 
 
 " Nay, I must and shall see General Washington 
 at once ! " I cried, for I was by now fair desperate. 
 . " If you turn around you will see him," came a 
 voice behind me, and of a sudden, as if taken by sur- 
 prise, the officers about me stiffened to attention and 
 their hands came to the salute. 
 
 I faced about and met General Washington's eyes 
 looking down at me with a stern expression, albeit 
 there was a kindly gleam in them. He seemed tired, 
 and there was something of sadness and anxiety in 
 his whole bearing, though he held himself as straight 
 as any of the younger men in the room. 
 
 "Oh, Your Excellency I" I nigh shouted in my 
 joy. " I'm so glad you've come. Nobody seems 
 to understand and I can't explain except to you." 
 
 " I shall be glad to hear what you have to say," 
 he replied formally, and stopped waiting for me 
 to speak; but this I could in no wise do. The man 
 Hickey might be there among the many who pressed 
 about us and I dared not make my accusation before 
 them all. 
 
 "Please, Your Excellency," I began again, mak- 
 ing the curtsey I had forgotten, in my joy at seeing 
 him, " 'Tis so secret a matter that I must see you 
 alone." 
 
 " 'Tis out of the question ! " the Major interposed 
 almost violently. " The girl tells a queer tale, Your 
 Excellency, and I do not trust her. She came first 
 seeking Dr. Trotter, vowing that her mother is ill.
 
 104 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Finding that he is not here she demanded to be taken 
 to you, saying, of a sudden, that 'tis on your ac- 
 count she ventured here. She insists she is the doc- 
 tor's daughter, but when we offered to fetch Lieu- 
 tenant Trotter to identify her, she protested against 
 it violently. I beg Your Excellency not to see her 
 alone, for it is evident she is not at all what she 
 would appear." 
 
 " Nay, Your Excellency, she is exactly what she 
 says," exclaimed another voice from behind Mr. 
 Washington, and Captain Hull pressed forward 
 from the crowd of officers at the General's back. 
 " I can vouch that the maid is Mistress Polly Trot- 
 ter, daughter of our Dr. Trotter." 
 
 At that moment I could have dropped on my 
 knees to Captain Hull in thankfulness for his words, 
 and the next I could have beaten him ; for, hav- 
 ing straightened the matter out, he immediately at- 
 tempted to make things worse. 
 
 " But may I beg, Your Excellency, to let me take 
 her home? " he went on. " She can have naught of 
 value to tell you, and I think the maid must be some- 
 what overwrought to be here at all." 
 
 " I am not overwrought! " I burst out, and the 
 very tone and manner of my saying it confirmed 
 his words. The truth is I was nigh crazed at the 
 unexpected twists and turns the business took. One 
 minute I seemed to be out of my difficulties and the 
 next a new perplexity arose to plague me. 
 
 " You see ? " remarked Captain Hull, to Mr. 
 Washington, who stood silent with an impassive 
 look upon his face. " It may be that her mother 
 is ill, though to be sure when I left their home a 
 scant hour ago, Madam Trotter seemed to be in 
 the best of health. Doubtless Mistress Polly's 
 imagination has exaggerated some slight indisposi-
 
 If you but turn around you will see him."
 
 The Guard at the Door 105 
 
 tion of her mother's, for I have been given to un- 
 derstand she is a nervous child. I am sure it would 
 be doing Madam Trotter a kindness if I took her 
 home without loss of time. They are probably 
 scouring the city in search of her." 
 
 How he dared to say such things of me I know 
 not, but to hint as he did, broadly, that I was not 
 responsible for my actions so angered me that I for- 
 got everything but the mission that had brought me 
 there. 
 
 " Your Excellency," I broke in, and I think my 
 eyes must have been blazing as I spoke, " Captain 
 Hull is pleased to jest upon a matter in which I can 
 find no hint of humour. I am neither a child nor 
 am I nervous, Your Excellency, though I grant you 
 that the news I carry might well upset an older per- 
 son than I. But what I have to tell is of the ut- 
 most importance to Your Excellency, and to the coun- 
 try as well, and I beg you will not deny what I ask 
 but will let me see you for five minutes alone. In 
 that time Your Excellency can judge whether or not 
 I am a nervous child." 
 
 A titter went around the room at my outburst, 
 and Captain Hull flushed a little, but General Wash- 
 ington regarded me gravely for a moment as if 
 judging the matter. Then with a nod of decision 
 he spoke to me. 
 
 " I will see you for five minutes, Mistress Trot- 
 ter," he remarked calmly. 
 
 " Nay, I protest, Your Excellency," Captain Hull 
 began, but Mr. Washington turned on him sharply. 
 
 " The question is decided, sir," he said, and his 
 tone left no room for argument. Captain Hull 
 stepped back and saluted; but, as I passed him fol- 
 lowing the General, he leaned toward me. 
 
 " You will bring disgrace upon them an you
 
 106 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 tell," he whispered in my ear, and then I saw what 
 was in his mind. He thought I was there to speak 
 of Captain Hale's expedition against the British 
 sloop and had tried his best to stop me. Though 
 he had been against the plan himself he had done 
 all that lay in his power to protect his friend, and, 
 in the light of this discovery, I could not find it in 
 my heart to blame him for the way he had treated 
 me. Nevertheless I think he might have trusted 
 to my discretion. 
 
 I followed General Washington into a room upon 
 the opposite side of the hall which was fitted out 
 somewhat as an office. He went directly to a desk 
 in the corner and, motioning me to take a chair at 
 one side, waited until I had seated myself before he 
 dropped wearily into the other. As I sat down a 
 slight noise attracted me and, turning to look in 
 the direction whence it came, I saw a tall private 
 soldier standing guard inside the door. I had not 
 noted him as I came in, he being close to the wall, 
 and I scarce thought of him now, having something 
 of a feeling that, so far as my business went, he 
 was of little more concern than a piece of the furni- 
 ture which his stiff, impersonal attitude suggested. 
 
 " You will close the door, Hickey," said General 
 Washington addressing the private, and my heart 
 gave a great bound as I heard the name. There 
 was the man who had undertaken to carry out the 
 plot against the General's life. I gaped at him as 
 he softly shut the door, and I think the blood must 
 have dropped out of my face, for as I turned to His 
 Excellency he seemed to notice something amiss and 
 regarded me with concern. 
 
 " Are you not well? " he asked in a kindly tone. 
 
 " Oh, yes, I'm quite well, Your Excellency," I 
 faltered, " but you said we should be alone."
 
 The Guard at the Door 107 
 
 " And think you one of my body-guards will 
 crowd the room? " he remarked with a smile. 
 
 " We must be quite alone," I insisted, and seeing 
 that I was vastly in earnest, he let me have my way. 
 
 " You will wait outside, Hickey," he commanded, 
 and the private, with a salute, went out, latching the 
 door behind him.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 A PLEA AND A PROMISE 
 
 THE moment the door shut I was on my feet. 
 " 'Tis the very man," I whispered, lean- 
 ing across the desk toward His Excellency. 
 
 " The very man," he repeated. " What man? " 
 
 " The one who is to kill you to-night," I explained 
 hurriedly. " 'Tis of that I came to warn you." 
 
 I had not, of course, expected that Mr. Washing- 
 ton would grow hysterical and cry " Save me ! " like 
 a weak woman, but I had thought to see him show 
 some sign of perturbation at my disclosure, and I 
 confess I was disappointed at the calm way in which 
 he received it. He looked at me closely for a 
 moment and then smiled a little wearily. 
 
 " You must forgive me," he said, gently, " if I 
 seem not to take your information with that degree 
 of seriousness which, doubtless, you attach to it. 
 But there is scarce an hour in the day that some one 
 does not warn me that my life is threatened. Did 
 I heed all these rumours I should perforce be com- 
 pelled to live in a vault and would have time for 
 naught but to guard my own existence. None the 
 less I thank you for your interest." 
 
 I fair gasped, for he seemed as indifferent to my 
 news as though I had mentioned that it was a pleas- 
 ant evening. 
 
 " But Your Excellency, this is no rumour," I in- 
 sisted. " The man Hickey was specified. He has 
 
 108
 
 A Plea and a Promise 109 
 
 been bribed with a hundred pounds and a passage 
 to Ireland. I was to bear the message." 
 
 " You were to bear the message," he repeated, not 
 at all understanding. " To whom? " 
 
 " To His Lordship," I replied. " I know not 
 who he is, though I was supposed to know, but 'tis 
 a plot against your life. That I am sure." 
 
 " Tell me the tale, Mistress Trotter," he said 
 after a moment's thought. " 'Tis plain, at all 
 events that you believe in it and having named names 
 'tis but right and just that we go to the root of this 
 affair. Yet I warn you that I will need good proof 
 to believe Hickey a traitor." 
 
 My story was soon out. I held back nothing that 
 concerned the plot, but I was at pains not to men- 
 tion a word of Captain Hale's expedition. Mr. 
 Washington heard me to the end, only interrupting 
 once or twice with questions that showed he followed 
 closely, and when I had finished he nodded his head 
 rather sadly. 
 
 " 'Tis no good news you bring, Mistress Trot- 
 ter," he remarked gloomily. " 'Tis ever a pain- 
 ful thing to suspect one whom you have trusted. 
 Excuse me a moment, please, until I look further 
 into the case with the officer who has such matters 
 in- charge." 
 
 He rose and bowed most graciously as he left the 
 room, assuring me he would not be long, and in- 
 deed very shortly he was back again. 
 
 " We have taken the necessary precautions, Mis- 
 tress Trotter," he began at once, reseating himself 
 at the desk, " and I am compelled to admit that 
 other evidence in Major Henry's possession con- 
 firms your story. They were already on the track, 
 and lacked only the name of the man who was to 
 do the work."
 
 tio Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 He stopped and gazed down at the floor, his face 
 dropping into sad and thoughtful lines. Indeed for 
 the moment he seemed to forget my presence. Pres- 
 ently he roused himself and turned to me. 
 
 " Forgive me, if I seem not to appreciate your 
 good service," he went on. " I do appreciate it 
 more than I can well express. It is no slight thing 
 that you have done, and your courage matched your 
 discretion; but if you find a hint of regret in my 
 demeanour you will understand, I am sure, the cause 
 of it. Not only have I trusted my life to Hickey, 
 but I thought so well of him that I would have 
 trusted him with my honour had the occasion re- 
 quired." 
 
 " I understand, perfectly, Your Excellency," I 
 assured him, " and as for what I did, 'twas no more 
 than my duty." I moved in my chair ready to take 
 leave of him, with a great weight lifted from my 
 heart now that my errand had been accomplished. 
 
 " Nevertheless I am much in your debt, Mistress 
 Trotter," he said, with a gesture indicating that he 
 would prolong the interview, " and if I can be of 
 any service to you or yours, pray command me. Yet 
 there are one or two points about your story that I 
 do not quite comprehend. How came it, may I 
 ask, that you were in such a place at the hour when 
 you met this spy? I understood that your mother 
 was ill and that you came to my headquarters seek- 
 ing your father. It seems that your journey here 
 was something indirect." 
 
 It may perhaps be thought that I could have 
 avoided answering this question and so have kept 
 the matter of Mr. Hale's adventure to myself. I 
 am quite sure that if I had told General Washing- 
 ton I had rather not speak further of my reasons for 
 being abroad that night he would not have pressed
 
 A Plea and a Promise in 
 
 me for an answer; but he was not a man to whom 
 one could tell less than the whole truth and more- 
 over he inspired confidence. I could not go away 
 leaving any thought in his mind of mystery so far 
 as my actions were concerned. I wanted to tell 
 him then and there all of the story; but, on the other 
 hand, it was not wholly my affair and I deemed it 
 not right to divulge what I knew without consider- 
 ing those who would be most affected. 
 
 " Can Your Excellency keep a secret? " I asked, 
 on a sudden, and then blushed at the impertinence of 
 my demand. 
 
 His eyes twinkled, but his face showed no smile 
 as he looked at me for a moment ere he spoke. 
 
 " I have been trusted with one or two weighty 
 ones in my time," he remarked gravely. 
 
 " But will you keep mine? " I insisted, though to 
 be sure I should have had my ears boxed. 
 
 At that he burst out into a hearty laugh. 
 
 " Faith, child ! " he cried, " though I am as tired 
 as a dog 'tis worth an hour's sleep to talk to you. 
 On with your tale ! I'll keep the secret." 
 
 " 'Tis not a matter that concerns only myself, 
 Your Excellency," I tried to explain. " Had that 
 been the case I should not have thought to pledge 
 you, but there are others who trust me, and " 
 
 " I understand," he interrupted, " and you are 
 quite right ; but let me have the secret. Who knows 
 but I may be able to help." 
 
 " You could indeed, an you would," I hastened 
 to say, and forthwith told him exactly what had hap- 
 pened since my chance suggestion had started Cap- 
 tain Hale a-thinking. 
 
 " And," I ended, " they may be boarding the sloop 
 at this minute." 
 
 I had not speculated upon how Mr. Washington
 
 112 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 would receive this news, but had I done so I could 
 not have been more surprised and startled. 
 
 "When will these young fools learn wisdom?" 
 he cried angrily, and his hand came down on the 
 desk with a thump that made me jump. " They 
 seem to imagine that the whole art of war consists 
 in risking their lives in hopeless enterprises." 
 
 " Nay, they thought to get supplies for the sol- 
 diers," I pleaded, in defence of my friends. 
 
 " And where shall I get officers to fill their places 
 an they are taken? " he demanded. 
 
 " I did not think of that," I answered guiltily, as 
 if indeed I was responsible. 
 
 " Nor did they! " he fumed, rising and beginning 
 to pace the floor in great agitation, while I nigh 
 trembled in my chair. 
 
 Presently he stopped before me. 
 
 " You did well to exact a promise, Mistress Trot- 
 ter," he said. " Otherwise I should have made an 
 example of those young men. I will not hide from 
 you the fact that the undertaking is a most hare- 
 brained affair. Had Captain Hale seen fit to bring 
 the matter to my attention ere he adventured it, I 
 should by no means have countenanced it. He was 
 quite right in believing that his superior officers 
 would have denied him leave to go." 
 
 "Then you are certain they will be taken?" I 
 burst out, much upset, for I had felt sure they would 
 succeed now that they had naught to fear from the 
 spy. 
 
 " Nay, there's no reason to expect the worst," he 
 answered in a more kindly tone. " The very bold- 
 ness of the plan gives some promise of its success. 
 Nor would I have you suppose I am one to scorn 
 brave deeds. Let us hope for the best, and if the
 
 A Plea and a Promise 113 
 
 sloop is landed it will be a great feather in the cap 
 of those who carried the enterprise through." 
 
 " And if they bring not in the sloop then they 
 will be scolded," I sighed, thinking of what might be 
 in store for Will, if indeed he were lucky enough to 
 escape capture. 
 
 General Washington smiled broadly. 
 
 " 'Tis hard to keep one's countenance with you, 
 Mistress Trotter," he laughed. " Had I not given 
 you my promise I'll venture to say those young men 
 would not have put so mild a word to what I should 
 have held in store for them an they come back. 
 But I owe you more than a little and you may rest 
 assured that under no circumstances will there be 
 any reprimand for Captain Hale and his compan- 
 ions." 
 
 I thanked him heartily and rose to say good-bye. 
 
 " I hope your mother will have recovered ere 
 your return," His Excellency remarked, politely 
 stepping with me toward the door. " Please give 
 her my compliments upon having so patriotic a 
 daughter." 
 
 " I am only sorry I was not a boy so that I could 
 do more for my country," I answered, and indeed it 
 was a sincere regret. 
 
 " You have done much already," he replied. 
 " To you I owe my life, and though for myself 'tis 
 not so great a thing, I may say, in all modesty, that 
 should I lose it at this time our cause might be 
 hurt thereby. For that you have my profound 
 thanks and duty." 
 
 In the hall we found most of the officers drawn 
 up at attention as if to receive us. Evidently the 
 news of my errand had been whispered among them 
 for they eyed me less coldly now. Of Hickey I saw
 
 114 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 no sign and surmised that he had been put under 
 guard. 
 
 I would have passed the row of stiff-standing of- 
 ficers, but the Major stepped forward and barred 
 my way. 
 
 " I shall only detain you for a moment, Mistress 
 Trotter," he said politely. " I and my brother offi- 
 cers wish to offer you our humble apologies for your 
 reception this evening." 
 
 " 'Tis naught now," I made answer, a little em- 
 barrassed at all this ceremony. 
 
 " We hope you will forgive us," he went on. 
 " We are very sorry that there should have been 
 any misunderstanding, and profoundly grateful to 
 you. Our excuse is that we knew already of a plot 
 and had reason to suspect any one who wished to 
 approach His Excellency. If you will deign to 
 visit headquarters again I can assure you of so 
 hearty a welcome as will leave no doubt of our sin- 
 cerity." 
 
 It was very handsomely done and I thanked him 
 as well as I was able, at which the gentlemen broke 
 ranks and pressed about me, each having some- 
 thing nice to say and all vowing they were ready to 
 do my slightest bidding. 
 
 I was much put to it to keep in countenance, for I 
 was not used to such flattering attentions, but I en- 
 joyed it hugely nevertheless. 
 
 They all went with me to the door but halted at 
 the entrance, looking out into the night. 
 
 " Sure you cannot go alone ! " exclaimed His Ex- 
 cellency, showing considerable concern, and at that 
 a dozen officers volunteered their services. But 
 Mr. Washington had other plans and called for Cap- 
 tain Hull. 
 
 " He went immediately to his room after you left
 
 A Plea and a Promise 115 
 
 with Mistress Trotter," Major Henry informed us. 
 
 " Fetch him at once, please," the General or- 
 dered. " I have a special mission for him." And 
 we waited a few moments, chatting pleasantly the 
 while, until Mr. Hull put in an appearance. 
 
 " Ah, Captain Hull," said Mr. Washington, 
 " you will oblige me, sir, by escorting this " He 
 hesitated a moment with a faint smile upon his 
 lips, " this overwrought child to her home," he 
 ended. 
 
 Captain Hull saluted, but I think he did not like 
 the titter that went up among the officers, and it 
 was plain that he had heard naught of what had 
 transpired during his absence, for he would not, I 
 am sure, have looked so ill at ease had he known 
 the real state of affairs. Nevertheless he stepped to 
 my side, ready to carry out his orders. 
 
 His Excellency held out his hand to me, thank- 
 ing me once more as he bade me good-night and his 
 officers, in a line behind him, bowed as I curtsied 
 to them all. A moment later I had taken my leave 
 and was upon the street, with Captain Hull walking 
 severely by my side.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 A VOICE IN THE FOG 
 
 WE passed up the Broad Way in silence, Cap- 
 tain Hull pacing stiffly beside me, and we 
 were close to the Trinity Church ere I ven- 
 tured to speak. 
 
 " Have you any news of Captain Hale? " I asked 
 timidly. 
 
 " Nay," he answered, and I heard his teeth click 
 as he closed his mouth tightly. 
 
 " And do you know where they will bring in the 
 sloop, if they capture her? " I persisted. 
 
 " Ay," he replied, as before. 
 
 " Will you tell me the place? " 
 
 "No!" 
 
 'Twas so plain what was in his mind that I could 
 in no wise be offended at his manner, and laughed 
 a little to think of his chagrin when he should learn 
 the truth. 
 
 " Captain Hull," I said, demurely, " think you I 
 would run back to inform His Excellency if you told 
 me where they will land? " 
 
 " Did you not inform His Excellency of the expe- 
 dition? " he demanded. 
 
 " Yes," I answered. " He wished to know what 
 I did abroad at such an hour and I was obliged to 
 explain." 
 
 " Then," replied the Captain grimly, " fearing 
 that you may be obliged to explain a second time I 
 
 116
 
 A Voice in the Fog 117 
 
 shall do my best to keep you in ignorance of any 
 further plans." 
 
 " But His Excellency promised to keep it a se- 
 cret," I remarked calmly. 
 
 " What? " he exclaimed in astonishment. " You 
 had the temerity to exact a promise from General 
 Washington? " 
 
 " Ay," I went on, " and further he vowed to see 
 to it that, whatever the outcome, Mr. Hale and his 
 companions should not be blamed." 
 
 " I n'er heard of such a thing," said the amazed 
 Captain. " I had thought to find him much angered 
 when he learned of it." 
 
 " He was somewhat put about " remembering 
 the violent slam the General had given the desk when 
 he first heard the news, " but you see he owed me 
 something for saving his life." 
 
 " Saving his life ! " repeated the Captain, and I 
 caught the look of amazement on his face as we 
 passed a street lamp. 
 
 " Nay, I'm not overwrought nor nervous," I 
 laughed, unable to resist the temptation to tease a 
 little. " Tis all true as I have told you." 
 
 " But I cannot understand what took you to head- 
 quarters at all " he burst out. " And what is this 
 talk of saving the General's life? " 
 
 Then I told him the whole story from the time 
 he and the others had left the house. He broke in 
 now and then with a muttered exclamation at his own 
 stupidity or a word of compliment for me. 
 
 " Forgive me, Mistress Trotter," he begged, as 
 I ended. " You are a trump and I am a dolt; but 
 to tell the truth this business of Hale's is so much 
 on my mind that I could think of naught else. I 
 was sure they would get into trouble at head- 
 quarters."
 
 n8 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " And so I'm sure they would have," I agreed. 
 " General Washington was furious and had he not 
 promised me to keep the secret he would have made 
 an example of them. Indeed he said as much." 
 
 " Then you have done them a vastly good turn! " 
 cried the Captain with enthusiasm. " His Excel- 
 lency is not one to let discipline grow lax, but, hav- 
 ing given his word, he will see to it that there is no 
 reprimand, no matter how the affair ends. You will 
 forgive me for being such a dullard, won't you? " 
 
 " Of course I will," I answered him, " to be sure 
 I was angered at first when you wanted them all 
 to believe that I was a slow-witted child, but when 
 you whispered to me I understood. I have a con- 
 fession to make, too, for I thought that when Mr. 
 Hale would go in spite of your warning, you had 
 washed your hands of the whole affair and left them 
 to take what was in store for them. So you see it is 
 my turn to ask forgiveness." 
 
 " We'll cry quits," he answered heartily, " though 
 to be sure I get the better of the bargain, having the 
 less to forgive." 
 
 " Then please tell me all you can of my brother 
 and Mr. Hale," I begged, for beneath the excite- 
 ment of the evening I had never ceased to be con- 
 scious of my anxiety on their account. 
 
 " Indeed I will, Miss Polly," he answered read- 
 ily, " though there is little you do not already know. 
 I parted with them shortly after we left your home, 
 for under any circumstances I could not go with 
 them." 
 
 " Yes, I remember," I put in. " You were on 
 duty.". 
 
 " Exactly," he went on. " Hale and your brother 
 turned off toward the North River, where they went 
 to seek a boat fit for their purpose,"
 
 A Voice in the Fog 119 
 
 u Ay, and they found one, for the spy saw them 
 at it," I interrupted. 
 
 " Then we know of their movements that far," 
 Mr. Hull continued. " From there they were go- 
 ing to the quarters of Captain Hale's regiment to se- 
 lect the men they wanted to help them. They 
 planned to leave an hour after midnight, counting 
 upon returning about daylight." 
 
 " And where do they mean to land? " I asked, ex- 
 citedly. 
 
 " At Coenties Slip," he answered. " We have a 
 full battery planted there, and once under its guns 
 they will be as safe as if they were in their own 
 beds." 
 
 " Oh, I wish I could be there when they come in," 
 I sighed. 
 
 " It will be weary waiting, Miss Polly," he an- 
 swered, with a note of deep concern in his voice. 
 " 'Tis a desperate business at best. There's no dis- 
 guising that, and I would I were playing an active 
 part in it, rather than standing idly by the shore 
 trying to catch a glimpse of that sloop in the grey 
 dawn." 
 
 "Then you'll be there to watch for them?" I 
 asked, coming to a halt, for we had reached the 
 house. 
 
 " You may be sure of that, Miss Polly," he re- 
 plied. " I could scarce sleep knowing that my dear- 
 est friend is in such danger." 
 
 " I wish I could be there, too," I said again, wist- 
 fully, " but 'tis out of the question, I fear." 
 
 " I shall try to send you word as early as pos- 
 sible," he volunteered, " but it may not be easy to 
 find a messenger, and a soldier's time is never his 
 own." 
 
 " Thank you for your thoughtfulness," I said, as
 
 120 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 earnestly as I could, " but my brother will make the 
 most welcome messenger for mother and me. Send 
 him if you can." 
 
 " I shall try," he answered, " but remember that 
 he, too, has duties that may keep him away." 
 
 " Thank you again and for bringing me home," 
 I repeated, giving him my hand. 
 
 He was most mannerly, vowing he was glad to 
 have been of service when, after seeing me safe 
 within the door, he saluted and strode off in the 
 darkness. 
 
 It may seem that, in the excitement of my adven- 
 tures, I had been unmindful of mother, but indeed 
 she was in my thoughts always and I had not loitered 
 a step on my return to her. Once inside the house 
 I ran to the surgery, where a light still burned, and 
 there I found her with her Bible in her hand. 
 
 " Are you better, mother? " I asked, kissing her. 
 
 " I am wholly recovered," she answered. 
 " 'Twas but a passing faintness. Tell me your news 
 quickly." 
 
 " I befooled the spy," I boasted, " there's naught 
 to fear from him. But much has happened since I 
 saw you." 
 
 " Have you any word of Mr. Hale's enterprise? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " None, except that they plan to return to Coenties 
 Slip at the dawn," I explained. " Captain Hull 
 said he would try to let us know at once i'f he could 
 find a messenger, but perchance Will himself will 
 come." 
 
 " Now what of your adventures? " mother ques- 
 tioned, " for I can see by your bright eyes that you 
 have not been asleep since I saw you." 
 
 " I don't believe I shall ever sleep again ! " I be- 
 gan excitedly, and forthwith told my tale for the
 
 A Voice in the Fog 121 
 
 third time that night; but this time it was a differ- 
 ent telling, for to mother I could open my heart and 
 had no need to hide my feelings, either of fear or 
 of fortitude. I sat beside her and she held my 
 hand, giving it a gentle squeeze now and then to 
 show she understood what I could scarce put in 
 words. 
 
 " And, mother, I do think I helped to save Mr. 
 Washington's life," I said at the end. 
 
 " Yes, my dear," she agreed, " you've been a 
 brave girl and a sensible one. Moreover I'm in- 
 clined to think your spy was not far wrong in believ- 
 ing that General Washington is essential to the suc- 
 cess of our cause." 
 
 " Then I've been something of a patriot, haven't 
 I, mother?" I remarked, putting my head on her 
 shoulder and feeling, though I couldn't tell exactly 
 why, as if I should like to cry a little. 
 
 " Ay," she answered, putting an arm about me, 
 and giving me a loving hug, " my daughter is no less 
 a patriot than her brother. I am very proud of you 
 both." 
 
 This mention of Will held us silent for a time, 
 each busy with her thoughts, for now that the ex- 
 citement of telling mother of my experience was 
 ebbing away, the possibility of what might be hap- 
 pening to him came uppermost in our minds and 
 with it the ache of anxiety. 
 
 " I think if you were a wise patriot, Mary, you'd 
 go to bed," mother remarked after a time, but 
 I'm sure she scarce expected me to be as wise as 
 that. 
 
 " Oh, I couldn't sleep a wink, mother," I an- 
 swered, and she nodded understandingly. 
 
 " But you could rest," she suggested. 
 
 " I'll stretch out here," I replied,, and, crossing
 
 122 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 the room, dropped down on the leather-covered 
 couch. 
 
 I lay watching mother and listening to the mo- 
 notonous tick-tock of the clock above the mantel. 
 Never had minutes passed so slowly, yet I am not 
 sure I wanted them to fly faster. The dawn might 
 not bring the sloop but instead the news that the ad- 
 venture had ended in failure. 
 
 Mother, whose Bible was again in her hands, 
 tried once or twice to read, but her thoughts must 
 have strayed away from the words, for at length 
 she let the book drop into her lap and sat gazing 
 at the wall with unseeing eyes. 'Twas not hard to 
 guess something of what was passing in her mind, 
 for doubtless she looked back upon the days of Will's 
 growing up and reflected wistfully upon incidents of 
 those happy years. 
 
 " Mary," she said, suddenly, " tell me again what 
 Captain Hull intended to do about sending us 
 word?'\ 
 
 " He is to despatch a messenger if he can find 
 one," I answered. 
 
 A sigh escaped her and she glanced at the clock, 
 then she took up her Bible, but soon it dropped once 
 more into her lap. Ten slow minutes passed and 
 then she spoke. 
 
 " Did Captain Hull think there would be diffi- 
 culty in finding a messenger? " she asked. 
 
 " He said he would try, mother," I explained. 
 " You see he feared there would be naught but sol- 
 diers at hand and that they could not be spared. 
 I begged him to send brother, and he said he would 
 if possible, but pointed out that Will would prob- 
 ably be obliged to report for duty as soon as he 
 landed." 
 
 " I see," said mother, half to herself, and for
 
 A Voice in the Fog 123 
 
 another space we were silent, busy with anxious 
 thoughts and seeking roads of hope that led no 
 whither. 
 
 "Are you very tired, Mary?" mother asked 
 finally, and then I saw what was in her mind. 
 
 11 Oh, no, mother," I answered readily, jumping 
 up and running to her, " I can go and bring you 
 the news. I should like it above all things." 
 
 " We will both go, my child," she declared, stand- 
 ing up. 
 
 "But, mother, are you strong enough?" I fal- 
 tered, fearful that she might be overcome upon the 
 way. 
 
 " Yes, my dear, I am strong enough for anything 
 but sitting still and doing naught," she cried out 
 on a sudden, as if she couldn't bear the strain a 
 moment longer. " Oh, Mary, Mary," she went 
 on, her voice breaking a little, " I cannot always 
 hide my feelings. Am I to sit idle with a passive 
 face while all of you are helping our country? 
 Must I be patient waiting for a chance-met messen- 
 ger to bring me news of my boy's life or death? 
 Nay, I cannot ! " 
 
 " Come, mother, let us go ! " I exclaimed, put- 
 ting my arms about her for a moment and hugging 
 her close. " Captain Hull will be there to see to 
 your comfort, and anything is better than counting 
 these awful minutes as they pass." 
 
 " You're right, Mary ! You're right ! " she 
 agreed eagerly. " 'Tis beyond reason to think 
 that just because we are women we must sit with 
 folded hands, while all about us there is work to be 
 done." 
 
 She moved toward the door as she ended, but I 
 held her back. 
 
 " Wait, mother. I will get your cloak and tell
 
 124 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Betty where we've gone," I called, starting off ere 
 the words were out of my mouth. 
 
 Half way up I came upon our black cook sitting 
 on the stairs. Indeed I nigh fell over her. 
 
 " What are you doing here? " I asked in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " I'se jes waitin', 'case Mis' Doctor was needin' 
 me," she answered in a very injured tone. " Fo' 
 the land sakes! Where is you-all a-rushin' to? 
 Upsettin' a body this a-way? " 
 
 " We're going to the river to be there if Master 
 Will comes back," I explained. 
 
 "Now what fo' you doin' that?" she protested. 
 " I done tell Mis' Trotter Marse Will was sure 
 comin' back." 
 
 "But how can you be certain, Betty?" I de- 
 manded, a little exasperated at her positive tone. 
 
 " 'Deed, Miss Polly, that boy allers comes back," 
 she replied calmly. " Since he were a baby, he 
 done come back. I's tol' him there was b'ars in 
 the jam closet. I's done 'splain there was hob- 
 goblins in the cake box and I's done ha'nt the apple 
 barrel with ghosteses. But it don't be no good ! 
 He allers comes back fo' more, an' he ain't got out of 
 the habit yet. You listen to what ol' black Betty 
 is a-tellin' you. Marse Will's jes' naturally born to 
 come back ! " 
 
 I envied Betty her confidence, which was not bred 
 of indifference, for Will was as the apple of her 
 eye; but I could get no comfort out of her assur- 
 ances, seeing from what trivial sources they had 
 come. I bade her go to bed, and taking mother's 
 cloak and bonnet, returned to the surgery. 
 
 We were both impatient to be off and were soon 
 out on the street making our way down the Broad 
 Way. There was a first hint of morning in the air
 
 A Voice in the Fog 125 
 
 and the dawn seemed not far off, though we saw no 
 glint of sunrise in the East. 
 
 We turned at Wall Street, walking thence to Han- 
 over Square and so on to Coenties Slip. We found 
 the same busy confusion that I had seen near the 
 Bowling Green, though here it was earthworks and 
 fortifications upon which the men worked so fever- 
 ishly. 
 
 I anticipated trouble in getting through the lines 
 but, to my great surprise, the request to see Cap- 
 tain Hull met with immediate and friendly response. 
 
 " Oh, yes, miss," the soldier answered, " you'll 
 find him right over there." And stepping aside to 
 let us pass, he pointed to a frame shack. 
 
 We picked our way over the rough, uneven earth 
 to the place indicated, and I was about to speak to 
 the sentry before the door when Captain Hull him- 
 self appeared. 
 
 " I thought you would come," he said, greeting us 
 cordially. 
 
 "Why did you expect us?" I asked, puzzled at 
 this evidence of his foresight. 
 
 " To tell the truth I couldn't be absolutely sure," 
 he confessed, " but, after I had left you, I thought 
 how hard it would be for me to sit still, just wait- 
 ing, obliged to depend upon some one else to bring 
 the news. I couldn't bear it." 
 
 " It was impossible ! " mother murmured in an un- 
 dertone. 
 
 " So I guessed it would be," the Captain con- 
 tinued, " and I told the sentries that if a young lady 
 came asking for me she was to be passed." 
 
 " You have been more than kind, Captain Hull," 
 said mother, earnestly, but he protested that he had 
 done only what common courtesy demanded. 
 
 He led us through the fortifications to the dock,
 
 126 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 fetching a stool for mother to sit upon. We went 
 to the very end and looked out upon the black river, 
 eddying by in silent mystery. Here we reached our 
 goal and must now endure the vigil with what pa- 
 tience we could muster, straining our eyes to catch 
 the first glimpse of that unknown vessel which was 
 to bring back out of the shadows him we loved. 
 
 " They will come from there," said Mr. Hull, 
 pointing up the stream; and we tried to pierce the 
 grey mist that overhung the sable waters. 
 
 There was no attempt at conversation. Mother 
 sat rigidly facing in the direction Mr. Hull had in- 
 dicated. The Captain paced the narrow dock rest- 
 lessly, and I, standing at mother's side looked to the 
 East, hoping for the first sign of the dawn. 
 
 From behind us came the indistinct din of the la- 
 borers at work upon the fortification, but I, for one, 
 soon lost all consciousness of it and seemed to be in 
 the midst of a profound silence. 
 
 Once or twice Mr. Hull stopped abruptly, his 
 erect figure held tense, as if he heard or saw some- 
 thing, then with a disappointed shake of his head, 
 he took up again his tireless pacing to and fro. At 
 these times my heart jumped and I held my breath, 
 straining my eyes and ears till it seemed that they 
 would burst. But naught happened. 
 
 At last, after what seemed a long, long time, the 
 sky grew grey and I knew that the hour of dawn 
 was at hand. What would it bring? Captain Hull 
 halted near us and soon there was light enough to 
 show the drawn, stern lines of his thin face. 
 Mother had scarce moved a muscle since she had 
 seated herself and had the semblance of a statue so 
 motionless did she appear. As to me I had long 
 since lost all sense of bodily feeling. I may have 
 been tired after my night's experience, but I knew
 
 A Voice in the Fog 127 
 
 it not. I was aware only that, minute by min- 
 ute, the light grew stronger and that the time was 
 near at hand when all our doubts must be resolved. 
 And still naught happened. 
 
 With the gathering dawn we had hoped to look 
 out across the river and so end our suspense the 
 sooner; but the mists grew thicker with the rising 
 sun and shut us in with a wet blanket of fog. We 
 could scarce distinguish the water a hundred feet 
 from the dock, and not until the sloop was almost 
 landing could we know that the perilous enterprise 
 had been successful. How long we might have to 
 wait to learn of its failure I dared not think, but each 
 passing minute made the pain of the uncertainty 
 more unbearable. 
 
 At length the fog took on a ruddy glow in the 
 East and I knew that the sun was either already 
 up or so near it that its full rising was but a mat- 
 ter of minutes and yet they came not! I gazed 
 into the fog, every muscle of my frame on the 
 stretch in my effort to penetrate the veil that hid 
 I knew not what. My fear increased with the 
 waxing radiance, until a great dread clutched at my 
 heart. 
 
 I glanced at mother and Captain Hull to see if 
 I could read upon their countenances the conviction 
 that had begun to possess me, dreading that what 
 I saw would confirm my own growing despair. 
 Mother still stared straight ahead, her face pale 
 and a little haggard; but there was no sign of lost 
 hope. Even while I looked her lips moved as if 
 she said a prayer. The Captain, standing stiff and 
 straight as if at attention, seemed to front an enemy 
 but gave no hint of how the battle went. 
 
 I wondered how they could remain so impassive 
 now that the dawn had come with no trace of those
 
 128 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 for whom we waited. My courage was gone and I 
 felt that in another minute I must cry out that Will 
 was lost to us. 
 
 My eyes turned back once more to the river and 
 as they glanced here and there, scarce seeing, a move- 
 ment in the mist caught my attention. Breathlessly 
 I watched the spot, and then, as if a curtain parted, 
 the bowsprit or a vessel showed for but a moment 
 ere it disappeared again, and on the end, his face 
 half turned from me, stood my brother Will. 
 
 " There they are ! " I shouted at the top of my 
 lungs, springing to Mr. Hull's side and pointing. 
 " They're out there 1 I saw Will ! " 
 
 The Captain shook his head as if he could scarce 
 believe I had seen aright, but through the fog came a 
 muffled voice. 
 
 " Is that you, Polly Trotter?;' ' It was Will call- 
 ing, and I danced up and down in mad joy. 
 
 " Yes, it's Polly! " I cried again and again. 
 
 " I thought I must have been dreaming," he called 
 back, and then Captain Hull took a hand. 
 
 "Hello! Is that you, Hale?" 
 
 "Yes! Where are you?" 
 
 " At the slip ! You've got the sloop ? " 
 
 " Ay, but I made sure we should lose her again 
 in this smothering fog. Lower the sails, boys," he 
 ordered, and we heard the rattle of the cordage 
 and the shouts of the men as they sprang to obey, 
 but as yet we could see naught of them. 
 
 Then slowly, as if out of a cloud, a noble sloop 
 drifted into view; and there at last were those we 
 thought were lost, come back to us. Captain Hale 
 was in the stern, steering; while Will was perched 
 on the bowsprit where I had first seen him. 
 
 "Ho, Polly!" he called, waving a hand to us, 
 " we owe you something for that shout. We'd
 
 A Voice in the Fog 129 
 
 about given up hope of ever finding the right 
 shore." 
 
 Suddenly 1 seemed to grow weak and big tears 
 welled up in my eyes. 
 
 " Oh, mother, where are you? " I sobbed. 
 
 She was standing beside me, her eyes fastened on 
 Will and a smile of thankfulness upon her lips; but 
 as I spoke she turned and took me in her loving 
 arms where, since my babyhood, I had gone to share 
 my joys and sorrows.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE LAST SERVICE 
 
 HOW the news of the adventure was spread 
 abroad so quickly I know not, but even be- 
 fore the sloop was fairly landed the little 
 dock was filled with a cheering crowd of soldiers, 
 and those who had shared in the enterprise were 
 lauded to the skies. And well they might be, for 
 in the hold of the vessel were such stores of all kinds 
 that much suffering was sure to be promptly re- 
 lieved. 
 
 Mother and I stayed just long enough to give 
 Will a good hug and to congratulate Mr. Hale. 
 Then Captain Hull escorted us through the lines 
 to the street, and we made our way slowly home. 
 Will promised to come to us as soon as his duty 
 permitted, and we were, perforce, obliged to await 
 for a full description of the expedition. But after 
 the anxiety of those long hours of watching we 
 deemed that no great hardship, knowing he was 
 safe. 
 
 Betty met us at the door with a confident smile on 
 her broad black face, but she grinned widely at our 
 news, showing that there had been at least a shadow 
 of doubt in her mind. 
 
 " Ain't I done tol' you, Mis' Trotter, ma'am, 
 that boy'd come back?" she insisted. "You jes' 
 trust ol' Betty knowing what's she's talkin' about. 
 Now you all get your things off and come to break- 
 
 130
 
 The Last Service 131 
 
 fast, 'cause it's pinin' to be et up and you must be 
 mighty empty inside you'selves." 
 
 She bustled about us, seeing to our comfort while 
 she talked, and we were both too tired to resist her 
 kindly services even had we been so minded. 
 
 " Now get you to bed, Polly," ordered mother, 
 who had been watching me nodding as I ate. 
 
 " And you, mother," I replied sleepily, but her 
 eyes were wider open than mine. 
 
 " I shall rest," she answered, and I stumbled off 
 to my room scarce knowing how I got there, nor how 
 I managed to don my night-rail. 
 
 'Twas near to five in the afternoon when I woke 
 up, and I might indeed have slept the clock around, 
 had not the knocker sounding down stairs brought 
 me to my senses. 
 
 I jumped out of bed and, opening the door a crack, 
 listened for the voices in the hall below to discover 
 if possible who visited us. 
 
 " Where's Polly? " were the first words I heard, 
 shouted by Will, and poking out my head I called 
 to him. 
 
 " I'll be there in a minute," I cried excitedly, and 
 began my robing in hot haste, chagrined that I 
 should not have been on hand to greet him. 
 
 I delayed not to primp and was soon running 
 down the stairs at top speed, but Will was not the 
 only one I found. Captain Hale, Mr. Hull and fa- 
 ther were there as well and a royal welcome they 
 gave me as I burst in upon them. All had heard of 
 my doings of the night before, the story of how 
 Mistress Polly Trotter had saved the General's life 
 being common property at headquarers by this time, 
 and they shouted three cheers, vowing I was the 
 bravest patriot of them all. 
 
 " Indeed, Mistress Polly," Captain Hale insisted,
 
 132 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " of the services done last night yours was infinitely 
 the greater. We could have gotten along without 
 the sloop, but lacking General Washington our cause 
 might well be hopeless." 
 
 "Ay!" cried Will, "and it seems to me if it 
 hadn't been for Polly we might be out on that river 
 yet, or never have gone for the sloop." At which 
 there was more talk of my doings until I blushed, 
 embarrassed at their praises, albeit I could not but 
 be a little proud and very happy. 
 
 " But you must tell me how you took the sloop," 
 I demanded, for I had been most anxious to hear 
 that tale. 
 
 " Oh," cried Mr. Hale, " it was so easy that there 
 is scarce anything to talk about." And in a meas- 
 ure this was true, for the plan had carried through 
 without a hitch and save for the fog at the end, 
 when they had lost their bearings altogether, naught 
 had happened to jeopardize the adventure. The 
 very boldness of the scheme had made for its suc- 
 cess. So well guarded was the sloop that the Brit- 
 ish had no fears, and, once the watch aboard her 
 had been silently secured, 'twas no trick to slip 
 away while the guards upon the Asia called " All's 
 well!" 
 
 Nevertheless it was a great feather in Mr. Hale's 
 cap, and his Colonel had naught but praise for his 
 enterprise. There was no word of a reprimand as 
 he had predicted, but when Captain Hale heard of 
 Mr. Washington's views upon the matter he was not 
 so sure it was merely his success that had saved him 
 a severe censuring. 
 
 " Now I understand," he laughed, " why His Ex- 
 cellency was a thought cool over his congratulations. 
 But he kept his promise, Miss Polly." 
 
 " I cannot but think," said father soberly, " that
 
 The Last Service 133 
 
 His Excellency's view of the matter is the correct 
 one." 
 
 " Of course it is," agreed Mr. Hale heartily. 
 " He is always right. We should not have gone, I 
 grant you ; but once the notion took me, sir, I could 
 not get it out of my head." 
 
 " And 'twas Polly Trotter put it there ! " cried 
 Will. " 'Twas all her fault, so you must scold her, 
 father." 
 
 " Nay, an it had not been for Polly you would 
 all have had a rating that I doubt not you would 
 have remembered for many a day," said mother 
 laughingly. 
 
 Just then Betty came into the room. 
 
 " Dinner am served, Madam Trotter," she an- 
 nounced ceremoniously, and then, to brother, with 
 a sly glance at me, " I see you's come back, Marse 
 Will?" 
 
 " Of course I've come back, Betty," Will an- 
 swered, knowing not the significance of her words 
 at that time. " Are there any cookies in the cake- 
 box?" 
 
 " 'Deed, Marse Will, there ain't nothin' but hob- 
 goblins in that box," she returned, " and they sure 
 will cotch you if you go a-nigh it," she ended with 
 a peal of laughter that was so infectious that we 
 followed her to the dining-room in a gale of mer- 
 riment. 
 
 I think I had never eaten so gay a dinner as 
 that one. It had all been arranged on the spur of 
 the moment, and food was too hard come by in 
 the city for us to make much of a show, but there 
 was scarce a better cook in the Colonies than our 
 Betty, so there was no lack of good things. And 
 what we had to eat made little difference. We 
 laughed and talked, going over and over again the
 
 134 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 story of the night's adventures; remembering de- 
 tails forgotten in the first telling; answering the same 
 questions a dozen times and explaining this or that 
 till all was clear. 
 
 Oh, what a happy little party it was. To me it 
 seemed as if we had come out of a dark cave into 
 the light, leaving behind us all the shadows of doubt 
 and anxiety. 
 
 But it ended all too quickly, for the officers were 
 forced to leave and hurry back to their duties. 
 They would come again, of course, but I felt sure 
 there would never be another dinner quite like that. 
 
 Father, however, remained for a time and I, 
 thinking that he and mother might have matters to 
 discuss privately, was for going out to help Betty, 
 but father stayed me. 
 
 " Nay, daughter," he said, " you have surely 
 earned the right to take part in our family coun- 
 cils." 
 
 So I sat down again feeling very grown-up and 
 he went on to lay before us a matter that had been 
 in his mind for a long time. 
 
 " It is the question of you and Polly leaving the 
 city that has been troubling me," he said, addressing 
 mother, and she nodded understandingly. We had 
 discussed this problem of our departure many times 
 before, but father, in spite of the numerous alarms, 
 had not felt called upon to urge mother to leave 
 our home, particularly since he and Will had re- 
 turned from Boston. For these reasons we had 
 remained when nearly all our friends had departed, 
 willing to put up with any inconvenience for the sake 
 of being near them. 
 
 Now the matter had become grave. The British 
 army under General Howe had arrived from Hali- 
 fax, whither it had gone after evacuating Boston, and
 
 The Last Service 135 
 
 was at last seriously planning to take the city. Al- 
 ready warnings had been issued for all women and 
 children to quit the town, so that for days there had 
 been repetitions of the past panic-stricken flights to 
 places of safety, though to be sure I marvelled that 
 there were so many people left. But this time the 
 danger was real. A large army of red-coats was 
 preparing to land somewhere on our shores, and a 
 great fleet of war-vessels under Admiral Lord Howe 
 was momentarily expected. 
 
 " I have known for some time," father said, 
 " that sooner or later you would be obliged to de- 
 part, but to-day General Washington spoke to me 
 privately and advised me to send you and Polly into 
 the country without delay." 
 
 " Then he thinks the British may attack any 
 day?" asked mother. 
 
 " Ay, that is the interpretation I put upon his 
 words," replied father. " It may not be to-mor- 
 row or the next day, but it will be soon, and no one 
 on our side can tell when." 
 
 " Very well, but 'tis not on my own account that 
 I consent," mother protested. " Even if the enemy 
 should take New York I cannot feel that much hurt 
 would come to Mary or me. The British are not 
 barbarians at worst. But in that case we should be 
 cut off from you and Will. Moreover you would 
 be anxious for our safety, so I agree that we had 
 better leave." 
 
 Father's brother, James Trotter, a jolly uncle 
 who visited us about once a year, had a large farm 
 in the North of the Jerseys. He, we knew, would 
 make us welcome and it was decided that we should 
 make a start early Monday morning. That would 
 give us Saturday and Sunday for the needful prepa- 
 ration, which we decided should not be extensive.
 
 136 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 We should take only those things which were neces- 
 sary, counting upon Uncle James's household to 
 make us wholly comfortable. 
 
 Betty, of course, was to go with us, and her joy 
 at the news was pathetic. I then realized for the 
 first time how sincere was her devotion and loyalty 
 to us. 
 
 " 'Deed that am powerful good news, honey ! " 
 she exclaimed, " you all don't know the scared 
 feelin's I's been havin' with all these so'jer gem'- 
 men ready to go shootin' each other, and awful care- 
 less who they's hittin'. If I was one of them thin 
 critters, I wouldn't be so mighty fearful, but, chil', 
 there's such a lot o' oF Betty to get in the way of 
 them bullets." 
 
 With these plans to be forwarded we were up be- 
 times next morning, hard at work covering furniture, 
 laying away linen and doing the thousand and one 
 things needed to leave our home in order. It must 
 be done thoroughly, for we knew not when we 
 should return to it; but mother was ever a careful 
 housewife so that by Saturday night we were as near 
 ready for our departure as we wished. All we had 
 left to do were those last things which take but a 
 moment or two, and of which, when it is too late, 
 one wonders how many have been forgotten. 
 
 Now, although we had planned to go, and every- 
 thing was ready for our departure on the Monday, 
 the matter fell out otherwise as I shall explain. 
 
 With the coming of the Continental soldiers there 
 had been a renewal of the agitation against the 
 Tories remaining in the city, for with reason they 
 were suspected of plotting with the British Governor 
 Tryon who still lived aboard the Duchess of Gordon 
 lying in the harbour. 
 
 This feeling had greatly increased when it was
 
 The Last Service 137 
 
 noised abroad that General Washington's life had 
 been threatened, so just at this time, when we were 
 ready to leave, the patriots were very bitter against 
 anything that smacked of loyalty to the crown. 
 Thus it came about that Mr. Inglis, the assistant rec- 
 tor of Trinity Church, was warned that he must 
 omit the prayers which are set down for the King. 
 
 We had heard something of these threats but paid 
 scant heed to them, so that on Sunday morning 
 mother and I went to church together, and it so hap- 
 pened that we were part of the last congregation 
 to assemble in the old building. 
 
 It was a most beautiful day, and the service had 
 hardly begun when, to the accompaniment of a fife 
 and drum, a hundred or more men, armed with 
 muskets with fixed bayonets, entered the church. At 
 first we thought it was a part of our army. But 
 from lip to lip passed the whisper that General 
 Washington had ordered this demonstration, a ru- 
 mour which later he indignantly repudiated. 
 
 In they marched, shouting to Mr. Inglis at the top 
 of their voices that if he prayed for the King they 
 would shoot him where he stood. 
 
 It was very terrible, and we of the congregation 
 knew not what to do. The rector stood at the altar, 
 pale but steadfast while the mob crowded all the 
 aisles. From many parts of the building I could 
 hear the pitiful cries of women and children and in 
 truth I could scarce suppress my own feelings. 
 Some even swooned, as well they might, for at any 
 moment we expected to see the minister slain before 
 our eyes. Yet for a time he said naught but stood 
 silent and grave, as if he only waited for the dis- 
 turbance to subside. 
 
 Finally, when the mob had quieted in a measure, 
 he began reading in a calm, even voice without the
 
 138 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 slightest tremour. On and on he went, while we 
 followed his words in the prayer-book with anxious 
 hearts as he drew nearer and nearer to the forbidden 
 supplication. 
 
 Then, in clear ringing tones as if he challenged 
 the mob to do their worst, he began the prayer for 
 the King and the Royal Family amid frantic sobs 
 and muttered commands that he cease. On he went 
 to the end, as it was written, and then he stopped, 
 expecting, I think, that the rabble would then and 
 there execute their threat. 
 
 But, from whatever cause I know not, nothing 
 was done, save that there came a great hooting and 
 shouting, in the midst of which Mr. Inglis ended the 
 service and left the chancel. 
 
 With shaking limbs I rose to take my way out 
 with the others but as mother got to her feet she 
 swayed from side to side and would have fallen had 
 I not caught her in my arms. Then, as I let her rest 
 in the pew, her head dropped back and I saw that she 
 had fainted. 
 
 There was no lack of friends to help me, and 
 happily Dr. Lober was there, so that a chariot was 
 quickly provided and she was soon home in bed at- 
 tended by the best physician obtainable; but she re- 
 mained unconscious in spite of all that could be done 
 and I was greatly alarmed. 
 
 " Oh, Doctor, will mother die? " I asked in agony. 
 
 " Nay, nay, Polly," he answered, reassuringly. 
 " She will not die, but it will be many weeks ere she 
 is out of her bed." 
 
 In dismay I looked about me at the ordered rooms 
 made ready for our departure on the morrow. Of 
 one thing only was I certain. Mother and I would 
 not leave New York for some time to come, no mat- 
 ter what the British army might do.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 INDEPENDENCY 
 
 A GOOD many of the days that followed 
 mother's sudden illness left but little mark 
 upon my memory. I recollect father's com- 
 ing very shortly after we reached home from the 
 church, some kind neighbour having sent word to 
 headquarters. He and Dr. Lober were closeted 
 together in consultation and after a long, long time 
 he sought me in the surgery, whither I had gone to 
 hide myself while awaiting his report upon mother's 
 condition. 
 
 He seated himself on the old couch at my side, 
 looking so worn and anxious that I was filled with 
 forebodings and could not speak for dread of what 
 he was about to tell me. 
 
 " Your mother will get well, Polly dear," he said 
 at length, laying a hand on mine, " but I fear " 
 
 " Oh, there is naught to fear if she gets well," 
 I cried thankfully, feeling as if a ton's weight had 
 been lifted from my heart. 
 
 He pressed my hand and patted it lovingly. 
 
 " You are a dear, brave girl, Polly," he mur- 
 mured, and there was a little choke in his voice. 
 " If it were not for you I know not what I should 
 do, but I must tell you that it may be months ere 
 your mother can walk again." 
 
 "Poor, poor mother," I sobbed. "Will she 
 suffer, father?" 
 
 139
 
 140 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Nay, very little I'm glad to say," he answered. 
 " But her recovery will be very slow. There is but 
 little medicine can do for her. Good care and 
 nursing are her greatest needs. And how you will 
 manage it all ." 
 
 " Oh, father, you mustn't worry on my account," 
 I assured him, guessing something of what was in 
 his mind. 
 
 " But I do, Polly," he answered. " Even I can- 
 not help you, for having set my hand to the work 
 of our country I may not give it up." 
 
 " Nor would I have you do it on my account," I 
 told him. " Sure I can manage finely, and if that 
 frees you to lend your skill to our soldiers then I, 
 too, am serving our country." 
 
 He made much of me over this, more, I think 
 than I deserved^ for indeed I would have been a 
 poor patriot and an ungrateful daughter if I had 
 failed to do all in my power to lighten his burden. 
 
 When father went back to mother's room I sought 
 Betty in the kitchen. To lose her willing service 
 would be a sad blow, but I could not in conscience 
 ask her to stay longer, knowing how real were her 
 fears for her life. She was not a slave nor a bond- 
 servant, but free to go an it pleased her, and she 
 could easily find employment out of the city. So, 
 in no very happy frame of mind, I told her of our 
 situation while she looked at me amazed, her eyes 
 growing wider and wider as she listened. 
 
 " And you see, Betty," I ended, " we cannot go, 
 but that is no reason why you should risk your life 
 by staying longer in New York." 
 
 She stared at me for a moment, then two great 
 tears rolled down her cheeks. 
 
 " Is you really sendin' ol' Betty away, Miss 
 Polly?" she asked, in a heartbroken voice.
 
 Independency 141 
 
 " Nay, Betty, I'm not sending you," I tried to 
 explain, but she would not listen. 
 
 " And ain't I gwine to see the fambly no mo'? " 
 she broke out, her lips trembling while the tears 
 came faster. " Ain't I never gwine to make no mo' 
 cookies fo' Master Will? Oh, honey chile, what's 
 oF Betty done that you-all is drivin' her off this 
 a-way? " 
 
 " You haven't done a thing, Betty," I began, but 
 she broke in again. 
 
 " I never 'spects this day would come," she went 
 on mournfully; " I's watched you and you' brother 
 a-growin' up since you was knee-high to nothin', I 
 have. I'se been a faithful ol' servant to you' ma 
 since afore you was born, and I wants to tell you, 
 chile, right now, that come fair or foul ol' Betty 
 ain't goin' away nohow. If you stays, I stays, and 
 there's an end to it ! " 
 
 But that wasn't the end to it, for I ran to the 
 dear old soul and threw my arms about her, my tears 
 falling fast. 
 
 " Oh, Betty, I'm so glad," I sobbed. " I couldn't 
 have gotten along without you." 
 
 " 'Course you couldn't, honey chile," she crooned, 
 patting me softly as she used to do when I was little. 
 
 " And you know I didn't want you to go," I in- 
 sisted. 
 
 " Hum maybe I 'spected it, honey," she ad- 
 mitted. " But what kind o' hurt ol' Betty's feelin's 
 was you all 'sposin' for a minute that I would a-left 
 the fambly 'cause there was danger hoverin' round. 
 I's only an ol' black woman, honey, but I'se got my 
 feelin's same as white folks." 
 
 So Betty stayed, as I might have known she 
 would, and in a few days the house was again in 
 order. In a week we had settled down to the rou-
 
 142 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 tine of nursing mother and, save for my extra duties, 
 our life went on much as before. 
 
 Will and his friends were shortly sent to Long 
 Island, and father scarce knew from day to day 
 where his duty would call him, so there were hours 
 when I felt very lonely; but I set myself the task of 
 cheerfulness, and the time sped quickly, for I lacked 
 not work to do. When my household duties were 
 accomplished and dainties made to tempt poor moth- 
 er's appetite, there was lint to be scraped and band- 
 ages to be got ready against the looked-for battle, 
 which however came not so soon as was expected. 
 
 Meanwhile mother's progress seemed very slow, 
 so slow indeed was it that only by looking back to 
 the commencement of her illness could I notice any 
 improvement, although both father and Dr. Lober 
 assured me she was doing as well as could be ex- 
 pected. But she slept the greater part of the day 
 and night, and for a while at least she had no true 
 realization of what had occurred, nor a proper un- 
 derstanding of our circumstances. She seemed, 
 during her waking hours, to live wholly in the past, 
 and talked to me as she might have when I was 
 scarce more than a baby. This distressed me 
 greatly, until father made it plain that as her 
 strength increased this state of her mind would rem- 
 edy itself. 
 
 But it must not be thought that all my days were 
 spent indoors, or that I was wholly dependent upon 
 Betty for companionship. One of my girl friends 
 still remained near the city, living not far above 
 Inclenberg, the estate of Mr. Robert Murray. 
 This was Sophia Watts who was about a year older 
 than I and too much given, for my taste, to thinking 
 of the young officers and their doings. For all that 
 I was overjoyed when she was let come into town
 
 Independency 143 
 
 to spend the night with me, as her mother sometimes 
 permitted her to do. 
 
 Now it so happened that on a day early in July 
 Mr. Watts had driven to the city and having busi- 
 ness that would keep him over night he had dropped 
 Sophia at our house planning to call for her on the 
 morrow. This was vastly to my liking, for father 
 was in the city also and had arranged to spend the 
 afternoon with mother, thus giving me a free foot. 
 Having a companion it was a fine opportunity to 
 take the air, and we decided to walk out into the 
 country to a small farm owned by an Irishman 
 named Dolan. 'Twas in my mind to see if he still 
 had some late strawberries or, failing these, early 
 raspberries, for it was between seasons for fruit 
 and mother seemed to relish that more than any 
 other food. 
 
 We started early in the afternoon, and thus it 
 came about that Sophia and I, arm in arm, were 
 passing the upper barracks near the Liberty Pole 
 when on a sudden the drums sounded an alarm and 
 the soldiers came tumbling out of their tents in hot 
 haste. Now it was well known that the men were 
 called to duty at odd times in order to accustom them 
 to unexpected happenings, and we thought at first 
 that this was some such drill. When, however, they 
 were assembled, the scene appeared so war-like that 
 I began to doubt that this was but parade. 
 
 " Had we not better turn back while we can, 
 Sophia?" I suggested, pulling at her sleeve. 
 
 " Nay," she answered lightly, " I mean to see the 
 fun." And she stopped in her tracks. 
 
 " But Sophia ! " I protested, " mayhap they are 
 about to fight." 
 
 " Nonsense, Polly," she interrupted, " to me it 
 looks vastly more like family prayers than a battle."
 
 144 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Which in a way was true, for as we talked, an officer 
 with a paper in his hand mounted a barrel in front 
 of his troops and began to read. 
 
 We were so far away that we could catch scarce 
 anything of what was said, but I heard the words 
 " by order of the Commander-in-Chief " and a little 
 later something about the " course of human events," 
 but could in no wise make sense of it. Yet to our 
 surprise, for it seemed dry stuff enough, the officers 
 and soldiers alike, were nigh distraught with enthu- 
 siasm, and at the end cheered mightily, flinging up 
 their caps while the bugles blew a lively tune and the 
 drums beat madly. 
 
 I was puzzled, wondering what it might all be 
 about, for although at the end of this demonstration 
 the men broke ranks and returned quietly to their 
 quarters, there was an undercurrent of excitement 
 and I could not feel quite easy in my mind. 
 
 "Faith, we're out of luck, Polly!" exclaimed 
 Sophia pettishly. " We may as well go on." 
 
 "Would it not be better to turn back?" I sug- 
 gested; still feeling unsettled. 
 
 "Now tell me why?" she demanded, opening 
 wide her blue eyes. " Because a dandy like young 
 Captain Hamilton has chosen this time to teach his 
 men how to point their toes and tie their cravats, 
 must we run home like frightened children?" 
 
 "Was that Captain Hamilton? " I asked, forget- 
 ting all else in my surprise. " Sure, I thought this 
 officer a much taller man." 
 
 Sophia laughed derisively. 
 
 " You're a sly puss, Mistress Polly Trotter," she 
 said. " Faith, I know not if it were Captain Ham- 
 ilton or no; but here am I, your best friend, or 
 nearly, and you have never told me you even knew 
 him, much less that it was jealousy of Mr. Hamil-
 
 Independency 145 
 
 ton that drove Roger Delancy to declare for the 
 King." 
 
 " Sophia I " I exclaimed, scandalized at this non- 
 sense. " How can you be such a nizzy? Sure 
 Roger and I have been like brother and sister, and 
 all the world knows the politics of every Delancy 
 that ever breathed." 
 
 " Ay, the Delancys are [Toryish," Sophia ad- 
 mitted grudgingly, " but that does not explain away 
 Mr. Hamilton. 'Tis whispered that he sings your 
 praises louder than is quite pleasing to Kitty Living- 
 ston or Susan Boudinot." 
 
 " Nay, hold thy chattering tongue," I laughed, 
 a little flattered for all that I doubted not Sophia 
 was but drawing a long bow as was her wont. 
 " You know as well as I that a young gentleman 
 who has for friends grown maids like the Living- 
 stons looks upon girls of our age as children." 
 
 " Oh, does he, indeed," cried Sophia, tossing her 
 head. " Sure if he tried to condescend to me I'd 
 soon remind him that he owes his own grey hair 
 to powder. But cease your quarrelling with me, 
 Polly. Here we are nigh to Dolans so I'll spare 
 your blushes and not tease you any longer." 
 
 In the heat of my argument with the saucy Sophia 
 I had gone on at her side, forgetting my misgivings 
 about continuing our walk, and now we dallied some- 
 what over-long at the Dolan farm, picking the fruit 
 and inspecting the flower garden of which the old 
 man was justly proud, so that it was already almost 
 dusk when we set out upon our return journey. 
 
 I started briskly, for the lowering sun had cooled 
 the air pleasantly and I was anxious to be home 
 again. But Sophia refused to be hurried. 'Twas 
 not that she was a selfish nor a heartless girl, and 
 really indifferent to my anxiety, but she knew as I
 
 146 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 did, that father would by now have given mother 
 her sleeping potion and gone back to his duties, so 
 that none worried over our absence unless 'twas 
 Betty who was not like to be unduly concerned. 
 Therefore she proposed to gratify her taste for nov- 
 elty and excitement, if so be she could find the means. 
 But I fretted to be back, conscious of my responsi- 
 bilities and not liking to be absent too long from 
 the house. 
 
 " Do hurry, Sophia," I begged, trying to stir her 
 out of a languid loitering. 
 
 " Nay, I'm exhausted, my dear," she replied, look- 
 ing at me gravely, " you could no more hurry me 
 than you could move the Statue of George the 
 Third." 
 
 ' That would be a hopeless task," I answered, 
 laughing at her strange conceit. " But you are 
 scarce so solid as that statue," and I made as if to 
 push her along. 
 
 " Faith, Polly ! " she cried, " if you do that I shall 
 have the vapours or whatever fashionable young 
 ladies have when they are thwarted." 
 
 " Sure you would never flop upon the dusty road 
 in your best pelisse," I retorted. 
 
 " I cannot tell exactly," she replied impishly, " but 
 if I have not my way I feel sure an attack will over- 
 come me just about as we reach the barracks. 
 There is fine grass there and no lack of help for a 
 maiden in distress." 
 
 Truly Sophia was in a wild and freakish mood, 
 and, though I took not this threat seriously, I never- 
 theless desisted from my efforts to hasten her, think- 
 ing it the part of wisdom not to furnish any excuse 
 for her to put into practise the prank she hinted at. 
 But darkness was coming on apace and 'twas some- 
 thing of a task to curb my impatience.
 
 Independency '147 
 
 It was with considerable relief, therefore, that I 
 heard the rumble of wheels behind me, for if per- 
 chance some one I knew was driving into town I 
 would beg a lift, sure that Sophia could not resist a 
 ride. 
 
 We stepped aside to avoid being run down, and 
 as the vehicle came abreast of us, I was disappointed 
 to find that it was a cart and not a shay as I had 
 hoped. And moreover it was already full of coun- 
 trified folk seated on boards set from side to side. 
 
 Greatly to my surprise it stopped before us amid 
 loud " whoas " and gigglings. 
 
 " Step up, lasses," cried a rough voice. " You'll 
 miss the fun else." 
 
 "Fun?" cried Sophia, lively on the instant. 
 "What fun? I've been on the search for fun all 
 day and have found naught but a moral discourse." 
 
 To my amazement she mounted nimbly into the 
 cart which, save for the driver and his boy, con- 
 tained only country girls, who crowded together to 
 make room for us. 
 
 'Where are you going, Sophia?" I demanded. 
 
 " Back to town," she answered briskly. " Come ! 
 Hurry now ! You'll be late if you don't." 
 
 Her tone implied a rebuke for me, as if the delay 
 had been my fault, but she held out a hand to help 
 me up and in a moment I had joined her amid the 
 giggling group. 
 
 The company in which we found ourselves were 
 respectable, honest folk enough, who, on ordinary 
 occasions, were little like to interest themselves in 
 anything outside their own hum-drum lives; but on 
 this night they all seemed moved by a great excite- 
 ment, the cause of which was a mystery to me. 
 There was light enough to see Sophia's eyes brim 
 full of mischief, and at the first chance, as I was
 
 148 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 jolted against her, I whispered a caution, but she 
 paid no heed. 
 
 "Now tell me. What is the fun a-foot?" she 
 demanded of the company at large. 
 
 The farmer drew in his horses with a jerk. 
 
 " Be ye Tories? " he queried in a menacing tone. 
 " If so ye be, then walk ! " 
 
 " Nay," I hastened to tell him, for I know not 
 what romance Sophia's fancy might prompt her to 
 weave, " my father and brother are both out for 
 the Cause." 
 
 " How comes it then that ye know naught of the 
 great news?" he asked. 
 
 " What news? " questioned Sophia. 
 
 " Why lass, us is free ! " he cried. " Congress 
 have said so. 'Twas read out to-day to all the 
 troops." 
 
 " That was what was going on at the barracks," 
 I said to Sophia. 
 
 " Ay, never doubt it," the farmer went on. 
 " Us is free to do as us likes from now on. Down 
 with kings and taxes, say I ! " He slapped his 
 horse vigorously to emphasize his words, and we 
 started again. 
 
 " But where is the fun to come in ? " Sophia in- 
 sisted, never losing sight of her main interest. 
 
 ' You come along wi' us, little missy," the farmer 
 answered gleefully. " There'll be fine Tory rides 
 and big fires out o' Tory trash and many a sight 
 you'll remember all your lives." 
 
 We went on in comparative silence until at last 
 the town was reached, but we had scarce entered it 
 ere 'twas plain that we were not the only ones on 
 the lookout for fun. The streets were thronged, 
 bells were ringing, and fires blazed at nigh every 
 corner. We drew up before an orator upon a
 
 Independency 149 
 
 barrel and heard the British given a fine rating, 
 while each fiery sentence was interrupted by roars 
 of delight from all within hearing. Similar scenes 
 were being enacted in every part of the city, and 
 from each vantage point our ears were assailed by 
 hoarse denunciations of the King and his Ministers. 
 The excitement was contagious. I felt it myself, 
 and Sophia shouted with the rest; but I liked it not 
 and would have given much to be out of the cart, 
 which, as it moved slowly forward, became more 
 and more hemmed in by the ever-increasing press. 
 
 As we neared our house I rejoiced that we would 
 soon be set down and presently spoke to the driver 
 as pleasantly as I could, for though of a rough sort 
 he had been kind to us, and I was grateful for the 
 lift. 
 
 " Thank you very much for the ride," I began, 
 raising my voice so that it might be heard above the 
 uproar around us. " I live near here and shall be 
 pleased if you will stop a minute and let us out." 
 
 " Why lass, you haven't seen half the fun," he 
 answered, turning toward me, and in the light of a 
 nearby bonfire he had his first good look at me. As 
 his eyes met mine I saw the expression of his face 
 turn disagreeably. " By gum ! " he exclaimed. " I 
 thought I'd seen ye afore and I was right. You're 
 the Tory Doctor's gal. That's who you are. 
 Well, your father give us the slip along o' young 
 Hamilton, but you set right where you are, missy 1 " 
 And he clucked to the horse. 
 
 We clattered down the Broad Way, for the man 
 now seemed determined upon some course of action 
 and urged his horse, keeping out of the crowds as 
 best he could, until finally, nearing the lower part of 
 the city, he was forced to bring the animal to a walk 
 because of the jam of people in the, streets who
 
 150 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 closed around the cart in a compact mass. I might 
 have jumped out, but there was Sophia to consider, 
 and at any attempt to escape the farmer would be 
 sure to raise a hue and cry while I was little minded 
 to attract attention to myself in that throng. 
 
 What was in the man's mind in regard to me I 
 could not guess, but I scarce thought he meant any 
 harm. He probably but wanted a Tory girl, such 
 as he believed me to be, to have her fill of speeches 
 levelled at the British and that was no great hard- 
 ship for me. So my chief worry was not for myself. 
 I but fretted to be home, where some emergency 
 needing my attention might have arisen. 
 
 From the fragments of talk I caught it was plain 
 that the point of most interest was at the Bowling 
 Green; but, as we neared it, our progress became 
 slower and slower until the cart was finally stopped. 
 
 " Take the reins, Dick," said the farmer to his 
 boy. " I'm little minded to let this Tory gal miss 
 a treat. Her and me be goin' forward at a smarter 
 pace." 
 
 He asked not my leave but bundled me out of the 
 cart to the ground, where he seized my arm in a 
 firm grasp and began to manoeuvre me through the 
 press with some rapidity. I protested, but he 
 heeded not my words, seeming to have but one thing 
 upon his mind, which I doubt not was incapable of 
 any greater effort. 
 
 When we came within sight of the statue of King 
 George, set in the midst of the Bowling Green, so 
 great was the throng that 'twas seemingly impossible 
 to go forward even on foot. But my man was 
 cleverer than I thought, for he raised his voice and 
 shouted loudly, " Way for a Royalist lady ! One 
 of the Gentleman's friends wants to bid him good- 
 bye 1"
 
 Independency 151 
 
 Though I had no notion wherein lay the magic 
 of these words, they were quickly effective for mid 
 much good-natured laughter, evidently at my ex- 
 pense, the crowd squeezed back to let us pass until 
 finally we stood before the statue, and at last I saw 
 what was going forward with such excitement. 
 
 From all sides of the great metal horse upon 
 which the counterfeit of the King was seated, there 
 were stretched ropes, the meaning of which was 
 all too plain. The " Grateful Subjects " who had 
 erected the statue were now intent upon pulling it 
 down, and my farmer, thinking to cause me sorrow 
 on account or my fancied loyalty to the Crown, had 
 brought me thither to witness the effigy's destruction. 
 The futility of his intention made me, on a sudden, 
 so angry that I wrenched myself free of his grasp. 
 
 " You're a stupid, stupid man ! " I cried scorn- 
 fully. " Is it for this that you have brought me so 
 far out of my way? 'Tis fine treatment for a maid 
 whose father and brother are with Mr. Washing- 
 ton's army. My mother is ill, and / am going 
 home." 
 
 For a moment he was taken a-back at my vehem- 
 ence, but he was still mastered by his idea that I 
 was a Tory, and, shaking his head wisely, he grasped 
 me again by the arm. 
 
 " Words is cheap," he remarked dryly. 
 " There's those as say your father joined our side 
 because t'other wouldn't have him." 
 
 " And silly bumpkins believe all they hear," I re- 
 torted. " If naught but deeds will satisfy you give 
 me an end of a rope and I'll help to overthrow the 
 King with a right good will." 
 
 There had been more than one interested listener 
 to this conversation in the crowd around us and, 
 as I finished, a soldier, of whom there was a fair
 
 152 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 sprinkling in the mob, thrust a rope into my hands 
 while he addressed the man at my side. 
 
 " She's spoke you fair, friend," he laughed. 
 " Be she Whig or Tory see that you let her go free 
 when all's done. There's a better way of showing 
 patriotism for a great oaf like you than by bullying 
 maids." 
 
 Hardly had he ceased speaking than those who 
 held the ropes began heaving and I pulled with the 
 rest. There was a mighty shouting as the figure be- 
 gan to give to the steady strain and soon, with a 
 crash, the giant statue of George the Third fell to 
 the ground. Upon the mass leaped a man and, at a 
 sign, all seemed quiet for a moment. 
 
 "A bad King!" he shouted at the top of his 
 voice. " Let us hope he will make good bullets! " 
 
 " Ay," came an answering shout. " He should 
 be run into bullets to assimilate with the brains of 
 the enemy! " And this saying seemed to find great 
 favour, for it was passed from lip to lip amid laugh- 
 ter and wise shaking of heads. 
 
 How long I stood gaping there I knew not, but 
 presently the soldier who had taken my part pushed 
 through the crowd and handed me a bit of metal. 
 
 " 'Tis one of the statue's buttons, missy," he ex- 
 plained. " 'Twill be a bullet or so less for the 
 British but 'twill make a fine keepsake for a maid 
 who has had a hand in making history. Here's 
 a bit of the rope, too," he added, and I took both 
 with interest. Then he turned gruffly to the farmer. 
 " Now see to it, master, that the maid goes free." 
 
 " Ay, for all of me," was the shamefaced reply. 
 
 " But, please," I appealed to the soldier, " he 
 holds a friend of mine in his cart and I fear to trust 
 him. Won't you order him to take me back to her 
 and then let us go? "
 
 Independency 153 
 
 " To be sure," he replied heartily, " and to make 
 all safe I'll set you on the road myself." 
 
 Thus I was conducted back to the cart in some 
 state, for the soldier insisted that the farmer keep a 
 pace behind me while he walking in front, cleared 
 a way through the curious gapers. We found 
 Sophia, still standing up as I had left her, clasping 
 in her hand mother's pottle of fresh fruit. It took 
 but a moment to set her free, to thank our rescuer 
 and to start upon our homeward journey. 
 
 Sophia was slightly ill at ease, for well she knew 
 who had led us into this fix, but she strove to carry 
 it off with a show of gaiety. She no longer held 
 back when I urged her to hurry, " for after all 
 you've moved the King himself ! " she said. 
 
 " But I was born under an unlucky star," she 
 mourned a moment later. " I take all the pains 
 and you have all the fun." 
 
 " I see no fun in this adventure," I answered 
 crossly. 
 
 " Nay, but you will to-morrow," she insisted 
 saucily. " You'll have something to brag of all 
 your life, while I got naught but a stiff neck looking 
 after you over the heads of the crowd." 
 
 But I was annoyed and little inclined to meet her 
 half-way. 
 
 " 'Twas through you that I nearly got into se- 
 rious difficulty," I cried indignantly, " and now I'll 
 thank you not to mention the matter to any one. 
 I'm vastly mistaken if this affair is likely to be pop- 
 ular with the authorities." Which indeed was the 
 case, for General Washington himself denounced 
 the act publicly the next day. 
 
 We reached home safely to find that mother had 
 been wakened by the noises but had dozed off again 
 upon Betty's assurance that I was with Sophia, and
 
 154 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 that Mr. Watts was probably keeping us off the 
 streets till they were clear of the mob. So no harm 
 was done, except to our supper which was dried with 
 waiting over the fire.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 AFTER THE BATTLE 
 
 SOME few days after Sophia's visit I first no- 
 ticed a change for the better in mother's con- 
 dition. She began to ask searching questions 
 of what father and Will were doing and I was at 
 first inclined to avoid answering as fully as I might 
 for fear of giving her a setback; but if her mind had 
 been slightly clouded for a time it was as clear as 
 ever now. 
 
 " 'Twill be no kindness, Polly dear," she said 
 gently, " to keep me in ignorance of the true state 
 of affairs. I should imagine matters to be worse 
 than they really are." 
 
 So I told her that father and Will were now sta- 
 tioned on Long Island whither most of our soldiers 
 had gone, and that a battle was expected at any time. 
 She took the news with outward calm at least, and 
 this proved to me that she was indeed gaining 
 strength. To be sure it would be many weeks ere 
 she could leave her bed, but I could now go to her 
 with my perplexities without fear of doing her an 
 injury; and this, in great measure, eased the strain 
 of my responsibilities. 
 
 During July and well into the next month, the 
 city was in a tense state of excitement. Each day it 
 was expected that the British would attack the town, 
 but none knew for certain from which direction to 
 look for the danger. The great fleet of war-vessels 
 in the bay might land an army anywhere, so that our 
 
 155
 
 156 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 forces must be kept in readiness to defend any point 
 the enemy should select. Most of our troops, how- 
 ever, were stationed on Long Island, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief expecting that there would be the 
 first point of contact. 
 
 Day after day went by and still no move was 
 made, but one Wednesday night well on in August, 
 the most fearful thunder-storm passed over the city. 
 So violent was it, that a sense of foreboding re- 
 mained in its wake, as if it heralded the end of 
 our anxious waiting. And sure enough, in the morn- 
 ing when I looked out of the window I was sur- 
 prised by the unusual commotion. People of all con- 
 ditions were running to and fro calling to one an- 
 other anxiously as if distraught. Militiamen hurried 
 through the streets toward the river, while wagons 
 loaded with powder and ball rattled over the rough 
 paving in the same direction. 
 
 Not a little alarmed I slipped out to halt the first 
 man I met and learned the news. 
 
 " The British have landed on Long Island," he 
 told me breathlessly. 
 
 "And will there be a battle?" I asked, my 
 thoughts flying to Will and father. 
 
 "Ay, there'll be a battle," he answered. "No 
 doubt of that, missy. It's been a long time coming, 
 but 'twill be no less bloody on that account. Were 
 I a maid I would seek friends outside New York." 
 
 I thanked him and ran back into the house where 
 Betty greeted me with a long face and dismal words. 
 
 ' The war am come, honey," she said in a doleful 
 voice. 
 
 " I don't know whether it has or not, Betty," I 
 replied. " We've had so many false alarms lately, 
 perhaps this is another." 
 
 " Don't you fool you'self, Miss Polly," she in-
 
 After the Battle 157 
 
 sisted earnestly. " This time it am come and fo' 
 years and years people will remember this day. 
 Listen to what I's tellin' you, fo' I knows, 'deed I 
 does. Some folks says there ain't no second sight, 
 but they's wrong 'cause I's got it, and I tells you, 
 Miss Polly, I sees hundreds killed and bleedin' out 
 in the battlefield, some with their ." 
 
 "Betty!" I cried sharply, "Stop it at once!" 
 for she was working herself up into a state of great 
 excitement, and I had no mind to have my feelings 
 harrowed by all the imaginary horrors she could 
 invent. 
 
 " Come, get to work," I went on, for it was only 
 by keeping busy that I could put away, for the time 
 being, the anxiety I felt about Will and father. 
 
 It was not until the following Tuesday that the 
 battle was really fought and then the booming of the 
 cannon left no doubt in our minds of what was going 
 forward. About noon this ceased, and almost 
 immediately thereafter we were assailed with wild 
 and distorted rumours of what had happened. 
 
 That we had lost the engagement was soon estab- 
 lished, then we heard that another conflict was im- 
 minent, and that the British were but awaiting their 
 ships to come up and bombard the town ports while 
 they cut off the retreat of our army. No doubt 
 there were those in the city who knew exactly what 
 had taken place, but the news I received was very 
 uncertain. All I was sure of was that our troops 
 had fared badly and that worse might soon follow. 
 
 But what had happened to father and Will? 
 That question tortured me while I tried to keep a 
 cheerful countenance before poor mother who fol- 
 lowed me with her eyes whenever I entered the 
 room, though neither of us ventured to discuss the 
 subject in both our minds.
 
 158 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Early on the Friday morning following the battle 
 I was awakened by unusual noises outside. How 
 can I describe the sight that met my gaze as I looked 
 from the window? Below me a large part of our 
 army was camped in the streets and overflowing into 
 the Common. Hundreds of men were there, wet 
 through by the rains, so exhausted that they slept 
 upon the bare stones, many hatless and coatless, 
 muddy and begrimed, with here and there a red- 
 stained bandage bound about a wound. 
 
 " Oh, how they must have suffered to have come 
 to this pass," I murmured to myself, and straightway 
 my thoughts flew to those I loved who might be in 
 like case. Were they, too, suffering as were these? 
 Were they, too, hungry, worn with fatigue, perhaps 
 wounded? I dared not think of it. 
 
 But the men below me had need of succour. 
 'Twas plain they were half-starved. So rousing 
 Betty I set her to making coffee, of which we still 
 held a fair store, and after that to baking biscuits. 
 In the meantime I filled a basket with what we had 
 ready cooked and went out with it to the edge of 
 the Common. 
 
 My heart ached to see the eagerness with which 
 the poor souls caught at what I offered them. They 
 cheered me for a brave lass, but could give no 
 answer to my anxious questions about Will and 
 father. 
 
 My first supplies lasted but for a moment and I 
 went back again for more. There was not enough 
 to feed them all and, seeing that others of our neigh- 
 bours were bringing food, I confined my efforts to 
 providing coffee, taking it out in a pail as large as 
 I could manage, and serving it out by the cupful 
 while it lasted, then going back for more until each 
 man within reach had been supplied. When at last
 
 After the Battle 159 
 
 I returned to my household duties I felt that in help- 
 ing these poor fellows I had perchance but returned 
 a favour done my brother in some other part of the 
 city. 
 
 Late that morning father came to us, but only for 
 a few moments. He had so many sick and wounded 
 to care for that he had scarce time to eat and had 
 not slept for two nights. He brought the welcome 
 news that Will had come through the battle unhurt, 
 but warned us not to expect to see him. I can't ex- 
 plain why it was that father's brief report of my 
 brother left me unsatisfied. It seemed as if he hid 
 something, yet without hesitation he repeated his 
 assurances that Will was safe, and I had to content 
 myself with that. 
 
 He told us briefly of the retreat from Long Island 
 during the night. How General Washington had 
 kept the matter so secret that the various regiments 
 of our army knew naught of what was forward until 
 they were ordered to leave their camps, where the 
 fires still burned, and march directly to the boats 
 which were to carry them across the river. He also 
 had a word of high praise for young Mr. Hamilton 
 who had taken an active part in safeguarding the 
 retreat, and spoke with much enthusiasm of other 
 young officers he knew. 
 
 I asked him if by any chance he had heard aught 
 of Roger Delancy but he shook his head, and my dis- 
 appointment must have been plain to him. 
 
 " Nay, Polly," he said, trying to hearten me, " re- 
 member ' no news is good news,' and unless Roger 
 were taken a prisoner we should hear naught of 
 him." 
 
 " I'm sure that he is dead," I answered, and 
 though he tried to persuade me that this was but a 
 foolish notion, I still clung to it.
 
 160 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 The days that followed were filled with anxiety 
 for every one. It was expected that any hour of 
 the day or night might see the British attack upon 
 the city. How to meet it was discussed by the 
 young and old and there were nigh as many foolish 
 plans as there were people who knew naught of the 
 business they debated so heatedly. It was, however, 
 seriously proposed to deliberately burn the city, and 
 so destroy a fine winter quarters for the enemy. 
 This would have been vastly harassing for us, see- 
 ing the great danger of moving mother; but father, 
 had his opinion been asked, said he must have voted 
 to raze the town for the good of the Cause, in spite 
 of the personal hardship it would entail. It was 
 generally understood that General Washington 
 favoured this heroic means of hampering the enemy ; 
 but Congress settled the matter by commanding that, 
 in any circumstances, New York was to be spared. 
 
 However many precautions were taken to render 
 their prize of as little value as possible, and one day 
 a loud rat-tat-tat on the front door brought me down 
 stairs in a jiffy to find several men bent upon official 
 business. 
 
 " We have come for your knocker, mistress," said 
 the leader, and already one of them was taking out 
 the screws. 
 
 "Our knocker?" I repeated, wondering at so 
 strange a request. 
 
 " Ay," he made answer, " that and all other 
 metals pewter porringers, copper kettles, or what 
 not. Everything in fact that you expect to leave 
 behind you." 
 
 " But what for? " I demanded. 
 
 ;< To keep such serviceable materials out of the 
 hands of the enemy," he explained " Good bullets 
 may be made of such things, so we have orders to
 
 After the Battle 161 
 
 take all we find and send them to Newark across the 
 river." 
 
 "But "I began. 
 
 " Nay, you will have pay for them, and the 
 knocker will be kept for you an you so specify," he 
 interrupted, thinking it was for that I would protest. 
 " Everything will be weighed and registered, all in 
 proper order, and a receipt given." 
 
 " Nay, 'tis because my mother is ill and we can- 
 not leave the city," I started to explain. 
 
 " Eh, now, that's too bad," he interrupted, " yet 
 if you stay you must keep naught by you that you 
 have not use for daily. The British are wonderful 
 robbers, and where I come from they say one Hes- 
 sian is as bad as ten red-coats. They descend upon 
 the country like a swarm of locusts and leave it 
 stripped." 
 
 It took but a little thought to show me that this 
 might easily be true and, seeing that there were many 
 such articles that could be spared, I sorted them out 
 amid Betty's loud protests. After duly weighing 
 them, I was given a proper receipt and the men took 
 the things away. 
 
 But this visit brought home to me the problem of 
 how we should manage if indeed the British came 
 to occupy the city, and, though I could not foresee 
 all that might happen, certain precautions plainly 
 must be taken. To this end I gathered together 
 such silver and trinkets of mother's as were of most 
 value and hid them carefully. Also at father's sug- 
 gestion, I began laying in a store of food-stuffs that 
 would not perish, for provisions were like to become 
 scarcer. This must be done a little at a time, so 
 that I made frequent visits to the markets at the 
 waterfront, buying where I could, for the farmers, 
 Whig or Tory, sold to the highest bidder, be he
 
 1 62 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 friend or foe, and I had need to keep on the lookout 
 for bargains. These stores, too, I hid, against the 
 coming of the enemy. 
 
 Meanwhile our soldiers had set up a camp on the 
 Common and although there was no real food short- 
 age I took it upon myself to go every morning with 
 a basket of sweets of Betty's baking to vary the 
 monotony of their rough fare. There was not 
 enough to give to more than a few of the soldiers 
 on any one day, so I hit upon the plan of visiting a 
 different part of the camp upon each occasion. 
 
 As a result of this I was soon known to all, and 
 their hearty greetings made the whole day brighter 
 for me. 'Twas these men who bore the brunt of 
 the hardships, and if in any way I could make their 
 lot lighter I deemed it no more than my duty, though 
 indeed it was a pleasure as well. 
 
 In gratitude they had given me a name, call- 
 ing me the " Coffee gal," because of that first dread- 
 ful day; and whenever I appeared they would greet 
 me with a cheery " good-morning " and pretend to 
 be half starved when I passed them by. We had 
 kindly jokes over whose turn it was to get the dain- 
 ties, but there was never a rough word and the " cof- 
 fee gal " might come and go as she pleased, sure of 
 a friendly welcome. 
 
 It must have been nigh ten days after the battle 
 that I was taking my way through the camp as usual 
 when my attention was caught by the raised voices 
 of some men behind me. 
 
 "Who are you, anyway?" I heard one say. 
 
 ' You're not of our company. That I know. 
 
 What are you doing here, with your soft hands and 
 
 gentle speech? Tell us who you are or come along 
 
 to the Captain." 
 
 "Ay, Bill, that's the talk," counselled another.
 
 After the Battle 163 
 
 " He don't act right to my way o' thinkin'. Off to 
 the Captain with him." 
 
 I turned, out of curiosity only, and I could scarce 
 believe my eyes for there before me, dressed as a 
 Continental soldier, stood Roger Delancy, whom I 
 had thought of as dead.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 POLLY TAKES A PRISONER 
 
 1WAS so close to Roger and so surprised and 
 delighted to see him, that I was about to cry 
 his name when he looked up and recognized me. 
 For a moment his eyes widened in amazement and 
 then, turning his head aside so that the soldiers 
 might not observe him, he put his finger to his lips 
 and signalled silence. 
 
 I stood as if stunned, unable to comprehend what 
 this portended, but understanding that he did not 
 wish to be known, I held my tongue although at the 
 moment I could not think why it was necessary. 
 Then like a flash the meaning of it came to me. 
 Roger was a spy. He was pretending to be a pa- 
 triot, while all the time he was a Loyalist and was 
 there to discover the plans of our army. It seemed 
 impossible to believe, yet what other conclusion was 
 open to me? He was going about among our poor 
 soldiers, disguised as one of them, while I knew him 
 to be an officer in the British army. 
 
 My first desire was to run home and have naught 
 to do with the matter. Then the thought came to 
 me that I was a good Whig and unless I made known 
 the fact that Roger was a spy I would be as guilty 
 as he; but how could I denounce him? For that 
 would be the same thing as sending him to his death. 
 
 As I stood irresolute one of the soldiers recog- 
 nized me. 
 
 " Why 'tis the coffee gal ! " he cried good-na- 
 164
 
 Polly Takes a Prisoner 
 
 turedly. " Good morning, lass. Hast a pasty for 
 us?" But seeing my round-eyed gaze fixed on 
 Roger he added, " Know ye aught of this one, 
 missy? We thought belike he was a sneaking 
 Tory." 
 
 " Ay, I know him," I answered, and for a mo- 
 ment there was silence, while all three men looked 
 at me and Roger paled a little, for he could in no 
 wise tell what I might be going to say. Nor for 
 that matter, was I sure, haying thought of naught 
 but the necessity of saving him from the gallows. 
 
 " And what might be his name, lass? " one of the 
 men asked. 
 
 " Roger," I said, unhesitatingly, but when I got 
 that far I stopped perplexed and frightened, for 
 Delancy was a name known throughout the Colonies 
 for uncompromising Tories and to have spoke it 
 would have turned their suspicions to certainty. My 
 heart sank like lead and then bounded up again with 
 relief, for the men, noting not my hesitation, believed 
 that I had ended all I had to say. 
 
 " Roger is a good Whig name," said one. 
 
 " No better in the land," spoke the other, and 
 I saw that they understood Roger to be his family 
 name and that for the moment I was out of that dif- 
 ficulty. Indeed the one who had taken the leading 
 part in the controversy removed his hand from 
 Roger's shoulder, seemingly quite satisfied. 
 
 " No offence intended, comrade," he cried heart- 
 ily. " 'Twas but a precaution while these pesky 
 Tories swarm about. The maid has saved thee and 
 us the bother of proving thy loyalty to the cause. 
 In these days 'tis so easy to make an oath one day 
 and break it the next." 
 
 " Thanks, Polly," said Roger, and there was more 
 meaning in his looks than his words as he took my
 
 1 66 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 limp hand and pressed it warmly. But my task was 
 by no means completed, for although these men 
 might be satisfied that Roger was all that he seemed, 
 I knew better; and, now moreover I felt responsible 
 and was determined that he should not stay there 
 to spy upon our army. 
 
 But first the distribution of my provender must 
 be gone through with. There was some playful 
 bantering, with threats to take the basket from me 
 then and there, and I, feigning fear, opened the lid 
 and portioned out its contents on the spot. 
 
 " Come, Mr. Roger," I said, making a show of 
 gaiety which I was far from feeling, an you will 
 carry the basket, mayhap we can find more goodies 
 to fill it again." 
 
 The others hailed this suggestion with delight, in- 
 sisting that Roger should accompany me forthwith, 
 and, like the silly, ignorant yokels that they were, 
 making broad hints that we were sweethearts. This 
 brought a blush to my cheek, which they took as a 
 confirmation of their stupid suggestion. After 
 which Roger's loyalty was firmly established in their 
 minds and they let us go off together without the 
 least suspicion of the real state of affairs. 
 
 We spoke no word until we reached the door of 
 the house and there Roger stopped. 
 
 " I cannot go in," he said stubbornly. 
 
 " You must ! " I insisted, in an anguish of suspense 
 for his safety. 
 
 " Nay, Polly, I cannot," he answered, shaking his 
 head positively. 
 
 For a moment I knew not what to do, then like 
 a flash there came a solution of my difficulty. 
 
 " Roger," I began, " you have no choice in the 
 matter. You are a British officer dressed as a Con-
 
 Polly Takes a Prisoner 167 
 
 tinental soldier. I order you into the house. You 
 are my prisoner." 
 
 For a moment he looked at me with a queer little 
 smile on his face, then, with a shrug of his big, broad 
 shoulders, he went in and I followed. 
 
 Once inside the door he grasped my hand again. 
 
 " Polly, dear," he cried, " you have saved my lifel 
 Had you not come up as you did I should have been 
 lost. I can hardly find words to tell you of my 
 thanks." 
 
 " Nay," I answered, withdrawing my hand, " I 
 want no thanks." 
 
 For now that the immediate danger was over my 
 anger at Roger's spying on our troops rose again. 
 Nor was I sure my own part in the affair was that 
 of a true patriot, though come what might, I could 
 not see him led off to be hanged. 
 
 "What is the matter, Polly?" he asked gently. 
 " Have you saved my life only to refuse my 
 thanks?" 
 
 " Think you I want thanks from a spy? "*I asked, 
 bitterly enough. 
 
 "Spy?" he echoed. "And you thought that, 
 too?" 
 
 " How could I think otherwise? " I burst out. 
 
 " Nevertheless you are wrong, Polly. But none 
 could blame you on that account," he added with 
 a smile. " I am not a spy! " He went on, and my 
 heart grew lighter at this assurance. " The fact is 
 that in the fight on Long Island I had a horse killed 
 under me and was stunned by the fall. When I 
 came to my senses I found it impossible to rejoin my 
 regiment for I was surrounded by Continental sol- 
 diers. Had I been right in my head I would have 
 seen that my best course was to give myself up at
 
 1 68 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 once, but this never occurred to me. I wanted to 
 avoid capture in any way I could." 
 
 " Ay, being a Delancy," I put in rather disagree- 
 ably, for I was not yet wholly convinced. 
 
 " Nay, an I had been of the house of Hanover 
 itself I should have been naught but a prisoner of 
 war," Roger explained. " But ere I had time to 
 resolve the matter I was caught up in a rush of Pro- 
 vincials, and I thought of course to be captured. 
 However, these fellows were backwoodsmen and 
 took me for one of your dandy Marylanders, whose 
 regimentals are not unlike some of ours. Now this 
 mistake put an idea into my head." 
 
 " 'Tis easy to see how those men were mistaken," 
 I commented. " But the Marylanders would have 
 known otherwise." 
 
 " Ay, that's true enough," Roger agreed, " but 
 I had no intention of going near the Marylanders. 
 I had but two paths open to me. Either to give my- 
 self up, or to make my escape if I could." 
 
 " But that does not explain this uniform, Roger," 
 I insisted. 
 
 " Yes, it does," he continued. " I made up my 
 mind to escape, and changed clothes with a poor fel- 
 low lying near me who would have no more use for 
 his. I mingled with your soldiers, thinking that 
 chance would let me escape to our own lines, but that 
 opportunity never came. I was brought over the 
 river with the others and I should have gotten away 
 in a day or so, but that I was hurt more than I 
 thought and fainted like a baby on the door-step of 
 a good woman's house, not a block from here." 
 
 " Roger! " I exclaimed, " were you as badly hurt 
 as that? " 
 
 " Nay, 'twas but a shaking up," he insisted, mak- 
 ing light of it, " but when I was well enough to go,
 
 Polly Takes a Prisoner 169 
 
 why there were your men ready to pick me up the 
 minute I put my nose out of the door." 
 
 " And so you have been staying within a block 
 of this house all these days," I said, " and I never 
 knew it! " I added in an injured tone. 
 
 " But Polly, I could not send you word," he pro- 
 tested. " The woman took excellent care of me, but 
 when I was quite well and still stayed on, she grew 
 suspicious. I put her off with one excuse and an- 
 other, hoping that the city would change hands and 
 I could get back to my regiment; but this morning 
 she told me I was either a shirker or a spy, and I 
 was forced to show myself. I was almost taken. 
 Had you not come along as you did, well " he 
 shrugged, " I should have had hard work to con- 
 vince any of your officers that my tale was not false. 
 You know me well enough to believe me when I tell 
 you it is naught but the truth." 
 
 I did believe him at last, for there was no doubt- 
 ing his earnestness and beside, when all was said and 
 done, Roger was not the kind to make up such a 
 story. 
 
 " I'm glad you aren't a spy," I told him. " Now 
 I can help you to get away with an easy conscience. 
 Only only oh, Roger, why can't you be one of 
 us? It's your country as much as it is Will's or 
 mine ." 
 
 " I'd do anything else for you, Polly," he an- 
 swered, " but you wouldn't have me a turn- 
 coat?" 
 
 " Nay, if you can't find it in your heart to change 
 you must go your own way," I replied with a sigh. 
 " You will have to stay here till after dark. Then 
 perchance you can escape without any one seeing 
 you." 
 
 " Ay, perchance," he answered, with one of his
 
 170 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 old boyish smiles. " At any rate I'm your prisoner, 
 Captain Polly, and must e'en do as you tell me. But 
 'twill be short shrift an I am taken. And I for 
 one could not blame your officers. 'Twas a foolish 
 thing to try but " 
 
 " Roger, I can't have you taken," I burst out. 
 " I'd rather keep you here till " 
 
 I stopped short, for at that moment we heard 
 some one running up the steps. We looked at each 
 other in consternation, then going to the window I 
 peeped out and saw father waiting for the door to 
 open. Without a thought I started off to welcome 
 him, but Roger stayed me. 
 
 " Who is it? " he asked in an undertone. 
 
 " 'Tis only father," I answered, and would have 
 sped on, but he grasped my arm and held it. 
 
 " Wait," he whispered, " you must hide me some- 
 where." 
 
 " Nay, that is not necessary," I replied impa- 
 tiently. " 'Tis only father, and he would never be- 
 tray you." 
 
 " He would do that very thing," Roger insisted, 
 " and so would I, were I in his place. 'Twould be 
 a duty. You must hide me somewhere, or your 
 rescue on the Common will go for naught." 
 
 As he spoke there came another rap at the door, 
 and I knew not which way to turn, for where, in that 
 house, could I conceal Roger from my father? 
 
 " Go up to Will's room," I whispered. " He's 
 not apt to go there, and I'll tell you when it is safe 
 for you to come down." And without another word 
 Roger bounded upstairs and out of sight, while I 
 hastened to the door. 
 
 It seems as if all this must have taken a long time, 
 but in reality it was only a moment for even stupid 
 thoughts can travel faster than the cleverest pen.
 
 Polly Takes a Prisoner 171 
 
 " How is your mother? " father asked anxiously, 
 after he had kissed me. 
 
 " She is just the same," I answered, and I expected 
 that he would hurry to her immediately, but in this 
 I was mistaken for instead he led me into the sur- 
 gery. 
 
 Sitting down heavily as if he were very tired, he 
 motioned me to another chair and as I looked at him 
 more closely I saw that his face was set with anxiety. 
 
 "What's the matter, father?" I asked, for his 
 bearing was that of an exhausted and dejected man. 
 
 " 'Tis about Will," he answered, half to himself. 
 " I'm at my wit's end to know what to do." 
 
 "Where is he?" I questioned, tremulously, for 
 I saw by father's manner that my brother was in 
 some peril. 
 
 " He's hiding in the house of Anthony Lamb, the 
 mathematical-instrument maker on the river-front 
 near the Fly Market," father answered. " Word 
 was brought to me that he was wounded and could 
 go no further. I fear he will be taken, and at best 
 he is without food and hurt. I know not what to 
 do," and he patted his hands together, a way he had 
 when he was much disturbed. 
 
 " Cannot you go to him? " I asked in surprise. 
 
 " I dare not," father replied. " Not for my own 
 sake, but for his. The lower end of the city is in 
 the hands of the British, or rather the Tories, for 
 their troops have not come over yet, though they 
 may at any moment." 
 
 " But why did not Will go away with the 
 others? " I demanded. 
 
 " Because he was not with the others," father ex- 
 plained. " He was off by himself gathering in- 
 formation, and he has that on him that will hang 
 him if he falls into the hands of the British."
 
 172 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 ' You mean he is a spy? " I gasped. 
 ' That's the name the British will give it, and 
 'twill go hard with Will if he comes into their hands. 
 Oh, what can I do, what can I do? " 
 
 He rose to his feet and began pacing the floor with 
 nervous steps. 
 
 "And who is to tell his mother?" he burst out 
 after a moment. "And how is he to be fed? 
 And and " He stopped abruptly and tried to 
 calm himself. " You see, Polly, my girl, I can't go 
 myself, for I am so well known that my movements 
 would surely be followed, and I would but lead the 
 Tories to his hiding-place. I'm in a cleft stick and 
 know not how to help myself. 
 
 "Why can't I go?" I suggested, the thought 
 popping into my head. 
 
 " Nonsense, child," he answered shortly. " 'Tis 
 work for men, not maids." 
 
 " All the better for that," I persisted, the notion 
 having seized hold of me. " I can at least take food 
 to Will without raising the suspicion a man might. 
 'Twill be easy to pretend I am marketing, for in 
 truth I wish to lay in fresh stores and so can win my 
 way to him. Surely, father, we cannot sit and do 
 naught. Some one must go and it seems to me it 
 were best if it were I, for the Tories will scarce harm 
 a maid even if they stop me." 
 
 I pleaded as earnestly as I could, and as I talked 
 I saw that my words carried weight with father, who, 
 though he muttered to himself and shook his head as 
 if he saw no value in my arguments, was still becom- 
 ing persuaded in spite of himself. 
 
 " And what of your mother? " he asked. 
 
 " We can tell her I go a-marketing," I answered. 
 
 " Ay, so we can," he agreed. 
 
 I saw that the matter was settled and jumped to
 
 Polly Takes a Prisoner 173 
 
 my feet to make ready, for there was no time to lose. 
 Every hour brought our enemies nearer and if Will 
 was to be saved it would have to be done promptly. 
 
 I put on a wide bonnet so that my face might be 
 hidden as much as possible within the hood, placed 
 supplies in a covered basket, and started for the 
 surgery to have a final word with father. 'Twas 
 then that I remembered Roger up in Will's room and 
 stopped, bewildered at the complexities of my af- 
 fairs. 
 
 But there was small use of puzzling long. Roger 
 must e'en stay where he was, for he couldn't escape 
 while father was in the house, but he must be warned 
 to lay close till I returned. 
 
 I went back to the kitchen where I could find 
 naught more in the way of eatables save a box of 
 hard biscuits. With these and a pitcher of water I 
 hurried upstairs. 
 
 Roger was for talking lightly over the matter, but 
 I cut him short. 
 
 " I have no time to waste in words," I interrupted. 
 " Father will be in the house for some hours, and I 
 am going out. Stay you here, therefor, till I come 
 for you. Otherwise you will be taken." And not 
 waiting to listen to his thanks I ran down again and, 
 picking up my basket, found father awaiting me. 
 
 " Mark well the place," he began, for once he had 
 reconciled himself to my going he wished to hasten 
 my departure. " 'Tis the shop of Anthony Lamb, as 
 I told you. You cannot miss it, for it is nigh the old 
 slip by the Fly Market. The sign is a Quadrant 
 and Compass. Your brother is in one of the rooms 
 upstairs. Go you in boldly by the door at the side 
 of the shop, where you will find steps leading to the 
 floor above. Anthony Lamb is gone and the shop 
 is shut. 'Twere best that you take your way down
 
 174 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Maiden Lane and loiter about the markets so as to 
 divert suspicion from your real errand. Now go." 
 As he talked he had put bandages and other need- 
 ful things in my basket so that Will's wound might be 
 dressed, and with a word or two of good wishes he 
 kissed me and I set forth hopefully, glad of a chance 
 to do anything to lessen my brother's peril.
 
 TRAPPED 
 
 ONCE started on my errand to find Will I de- 
 layed not, but went off down the Broad Way 
 at as brisk a pace as might be without attract- 
 ing too much attention. 
 
 The nearer I came to the river the more deserted 
 I found the streets. On the way I passed many 
 people but they were all headed toward the country. 
 There were a few curious glances cast toward me, 
 but those who were fleeing the town were too anxious 
 for their own safety to take count of the doings of 
 one lone maid, and I was glad to note that there was 
 no turning to look after me. 
 
 As I came out of Maiden Lane and walked to- 
 ward the fort, a few market people, talking anxiously 
 together, were all the population of that usually 
 thronged quarter. None stopped me to cry their 
 wares or to tempt me with vegetables, fruit and 
 game brought from the country; and, although I 
 insisted on making a purchase or two for appear- 
 ance sake, naught was being done in the way of busi- 
 ness but instead those who were there looked out 
 across the river wondering, I doubt not, what the 
 British soldiers would do, and how soon they would 
 be in command of the city. 
 
 Now and then I saw a man hurrying furtively 
 along in the direction of the fort, looking nervously 
 this way and that as if fearful of being seen. And 
 
 i75
 
 176 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 again there were others who took to boats and rowed 
 hard for the Brooklyn shore, but, so far as I could 
 tell, no one paid the slightest heed to me and, though 
 I curbed my impatience and walked slowly toward 
 the old slip, I thought it a useless precaution. 
 
 I came at last to the shop of Anthony Lamb, " At 
 the Sign of the Quadrant and Surveying Compass " 
 and glanced at the long list of instruments he made. 
 " Quadrants, Forestaffs, Nocturnals, Rectifiers," 
 and so on, an endless number of things the very uses 
 of which I had no idea of; but I had read enough to 
 be certain of the house. 
 
 With a glance around to make sure that I was 
 unobserved, I opened the little door at the side and 
 mounted the stairs leading to the upper floor. 
 
 Within all was as still as death and, although I 
 tiptoed up the narrow staircase, even the slight sound 
 I made seemed to echo about me. On the landing 
 a hallway, into which opened several doors, turned 
 at right angles, and it was now my task to find the 
 room where Will was lying, for father did not have 
 that particular information. 
 
 The first door gave into a chamber at the back, and 
 I looked into it and was surprised to find that it was 
 well furnished. It had the appearance of having 
 been recently occupied so that I judged that those 
 who had lived there had gone away in a panic, leav- 
 ing all their goods behind. But Will was nowhere 
 to be seen, and I passed on to another door which led 
 into the room over the shop. 
 
 I laid my hand on the latch to lift it and, as I 
 did so, I heard the grating of a sword being with- 
 drawn from its scabbard. Some one was there, and 
 I gave the door a push and entered. 
 
 At first I could see little, for the blinds had been 
 drawn and it was very dark, but presently in a corner
 
 With a glance about me to make sure I was unobserved.
 
 Trapped 177 
 
 of the room, sitting on the floor propped against 
 the wall, I made out the drooping figure of a man, 
 and in his hand was a naked sword. It was Will, 
 and with a cry of anxiety I spoke his name. 
 
 " Is it you, Polly? " he asked in a weak voice, drop- 
 ping his weapon. " Faith, I'm glad to see you. I 
 was expecting less welcome visitors, and I hadn't the 
 strength to bar the door. What have you in that 
 basket? Give it to me for I am nigh starved, 
 and, like a famished wolf, I can smell the food in 
 it." 
 
 I hurried to him and he was soon munching the 
 cold meat and bread I had brought him. I found 
 some water, drawn from a little well in the garden in 
 the rear of the house, and he began to strengthen 
 visibly. 
 
 " Polly, you've made a new man of your brother ! " 
 he exclaimed, " and when I bandage this leg of mine 
 I'll be as good as ever I was. We must get out of 
 this, for I have information which should be in the 
 hands of General Washington now." 
 
 I helped him with the wound in his leg which, 
 though not dangerous, was painful and had lost him 
 much blood; but when it had been washed and ban- 
 daged he stood up and, though he swayed from weak- 
 ness, he vowed he was as strong as need be. 
 
 " We can't tarry here," he insisted. " The Brit- 
 ish may be flocking over from the other side at any 
 minute, and then our chance will be lost." 
 
 He started toward the door, but I saw him reel 
 and clutch at the wall to save himself from falling 
 and I ran to him, putting my arms about him to hold 
 him up. 
 
 " Humph ! " he grunted. " Here's a pretty kettle 
 of fish! I'm giddy in my head and as weak as a 
 baby."
 
 178 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Sit down and rest," I urged. " Gather some 
 strength against our going." 
 
 He took my advice, seating himself on the floor, 
 and as he did so he closed his eyes wearily, letting 
 his head fall against the wall, which showed me that 
 he was indeed very weak so that I felt alarmed for 
 his chance of escape. 
 
 He sat quiet for ten minutes perhaps, and then 
 opened his eyes and looked at me. 
 
 11 Polly," he said, " you must leave me here and 
 get my despatches to the General." 
 
 " Nay, I shall do naught of the kind," I returned. 
 " You'll be better in a little and I will help you home. 
 There are none to stop you, I think. At least* I saw 
 none, and I'm sure father's fears were unfounded." 
 
 " Nay, 'twill not be so easy as that," Will an- 
 swered. " You may not have seen them, but I'll 
 warrant there's a Tory at every corner who would 
 like nothing better than to prove his loyalty to the 
 King by giving up a Continental soldier. They 
 would not bother a dozen or so together, but one 
 man will have small chance with them. Nay, I can- 
 not hope to get away in the daylight, but by night 
 I'll be safe enough. In the meantime take my papers 
 and give them to father. He will know what to do 
 with them." And Will drew a small packet out of 
 his shirt and handed it to me. 
 
 I protested against leaving him, but he insisted, 
 saying that under any circumstances he would be 
 better off with the papers out of his possession. 
 Then if worst came to worst, he would only be 
 taken as a soldier, whereas, should they find the 
 papers, he would be hanged without a doubt. 
 
 This last argument decided me and I consented 
 to go, though I was loth to leave him. 
 
 I fixed him as comfortably as I could, fetched an-
 
 Trapped 179 
 
 other pitcher of water and was about to say good- 
 bye when he raised his hand for silence. 
 
 I held my breath and there came to us distinctly 
 the sound of some one ascending the stairs with cau- 
 tion. Weak as he was Will went to the door and 
 silently shot the bolt; then, leaning against the door- 
 jamb, he waited with his naked sword in his hand, 
 while I cowered in a corner and hid my face. 
 
 How long we remained silent to catch the noise of 
 that shuffling footfall in the deserted house I know 
 not, but it seemed an eternity. 
 
 We heard the man mount to the top of the stairs 
 where he paused for a moment and then moved 
 stealthily in our direction. He stopped frequently, 
 as if listening, then again he would draw nearer and 
 I thought he might have heard my heart so loud 
 was its beating. 
 
 He opened a door on the opposite side of the 
 hall, and there was no further sound from him for 
 so long a time that I hoped he had gone away, but 
 again the slow, shuffling of feet drew nearer to us. 
 
 I took my hands from my face and looked at 
 Will. He stood rigid, one hand braced against the 
 doorway and in the other his sword, ready as I 
 knew to fight till the last. 
 
 The intruder reached the entrance to our room 
 and the latch was lifted. The click, though slight 
 enough, seemed to boom in my ears while I waited 
 for what was next to come. There was .a little 
 push, then a harder one and then silence. Evi- 
 dently the man debated within himself whether or 
 not to force an entrance, and I held every muscle 
 tense, fearful of making a sound that would betray 
 our presence. 'Twas a curious situation and I 
 couldn't help wondering if the man outside had any 
 inkling of what was within.
 
 i8o Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Again, after what seemed like an hour, the door 
 was shaken rather violently and I thought that surely 
 the time for action was coming, but suddenly the 
 latch was released and we heard the footsteps move 
 off, and finally the sound of the outer door closing 
 quietly told us that our mysterious visitor had de- 
 parted. 
 
 I was brought to my senses by seeing Will slide 
 gently to the floor, his sword clattering a little 
 as it dropped from his hand, and running to him I 
 found that he had fainted from the fatigue of stand- 
 ing. 
 
 Wetting a napkin I bathed his temples and fore- 
 head, and at length he opened his eyes and smiled a 
 weak little smile ; but he was too much exhausted to 
 do aught else, so I whispered to him not to speak and 
 sat for a while longer pillowing his head in my lap 
 while he slowly gained strength. 
 
 " 'Tis a great calf of a brother you have, Polly," 
 he murmured at length. " Sure I'm as weak as a 
 kitten." 
 
 " You've lost much blood," I told him. " You 
 must stay quiet. Do not tax your strength." 
 
 " But the papers, Polly? " he muttered. " They 
 must be despatched at once. Go now, and never 
 mind me. You've brought food enough for a day or 
 two, and by that time I will be able to take care of 
 myself. Get you gone with the despatches, for I 
 wish not that all my work should be wasted." 
 
 " I care naught for that," I answered. " Were 
 it not that they are a danger to you I would never 
 step from here without you." 
 
 " Nay, Polly," he retorted, "what is one man's 
 life when there is a whole country to be saved? I'm 
 not anxious to die, but I would die willingly if it 
 would put those papers in the General's hands."
 
 Trapped i 8 i 
 
 From this I saw that he attached a vast impor- 
 tance to the documents and in a little I decided that 
 it might be wise to leave him as he improved rapidly 
 and gave no sign of fainting again. 
 
 But, ere I went, I thought I would take a peep 
 out of the window to see whether or not my way 
 was clear. 
 
 I peered cautiously through the blinds and was 
 glad to discover that, save for a man on the other side 
 of the street, no one was in sight. This man I 
 thought little of at first, for he had his back to me 
 and was looking across the water. I was sure I 
 could slip away without attracting his attention and 
 was about to leave the window when I caught a 
 bright flash of light in his hand, as he shifted from 
 one foot to the other. This brought my attention 
 more closely to him, and I noted that, instead of 
 looking across the river as I had first supposed, he 
 was gazing intently at something held in his palm. 
 For a moment I knew not what to make of this, then 
 suddenly the flash of light was explained. The man 
 held a mirror which reflected what went on behind 
 him, so that without seeming to watch the house, 
 he was all the time keeping an eye upon it. 
 
 This discovery brought a fresh alarm. If the 
 place was spied upon, then some one knew of Will's 
 presence there. 
 
 " The house is watched, Will," I whispered, cross- 
 ing the room to him. " I cannot go now." 
 
 "Are you sure?" he questioned anxiously, and 
 started to get up. 
 
 " Nay, stay where you are," I insisted. " 'Twill 
 do no good to waste your strength uselessly. You 
 may trust me to know that what I say is true. I 
 dare not go now and we must e'en content ourselves 
 with watching our watcher."
 
 1 82 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 There was no argument to meet this, for to brave 
 those outside would be to lose all. Moreover it 
 might well be that I would be taken and if the papers 
 were found upon me it would be fatal to my brother 
 and do the Cause no good. 
 
 "Think you they wait for more men and will 
 then storm the place? " I asked Will. 
 
 " Nay, Polly, I know not what to think," he an- 
 swered gloomily. " 'Tis a bad outlook. The best 
 we can hope for is that some one who knew you, 
 watched you enter here and is curious to see what 
 your next move will be. There is naught now to do 
 but wait for night, and then perchance I may be 
 strong enough to go with you and do a little fight- 
 ing for us both. Oh, if I only were not as weak as 
 a kitten ! " He ended with a deep sigh. 
 
 I returned to the window to take up a vigil that 
 was to last many hours. 
 
 The man across the way had not changed his 
 position nor did he for a long time, except now and 
 then to shift a foot or move his arms. Hour after 
 hour he remained thus, with his eyes fixed upon the 
 mirror in his hand. 
 
 During most of the afternoon Will slept. When 
 he woke at dusk he was much refreshed and, coming 
 to the window, vowed he was a new man again. 
 
 "Where is this bugaboo of yours?" he asked, 
 putting his eyes to the blind. 
 
 " See. Right across the street," I answered. 
 And, as if he felt our gaze upon him, the man we 
 stared at turned his face toward us. With a little 
 gasp of apprehension I recognized the weasel-faced 
 spy. 
 
 The discovery only confirmed our worst suspicions, 
 and made no difference in our plans. We must out- 
 wait the man who watched and yet be ready at a
 
 Trapped 183 
 
 moment's notice to leave our hiding-place and be 
 gone. 
 
 He was still on guard when night settled down, 
 and then I began to worry, for since we could not 
 see 'twas impossible to tell whether he stayed on 
 or no. 
 
 This also caused Will some anxiety, and another 
 reason for apprehension was soon added to our 
 already brimming cup of woe. We noticed that 
 many people were assembling along the water-front 
 and lanthorns were flashing here and there, showing 
 that something was toward. Now and then there 
 was a shout, the words of which had not been heard 
 in New York for many a day. 
 
 " God save the King ! " was the cry. And right 
 well we knew what that meant.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 BROTHER WILL GIVES UP 
 
 FOR a moment Will and I stood rigid, and again 
 the cry was raised. 
 "God save the King!" 
 
 " The villains ! " murmured Will under his breath. 
 " The Tories are creeping up from their holes now 
 that the British are coming into the City. Oh, but I 
 wish you were out of this." 
 
 " We must both get out," I answered. " Some- 
 how or other we must get out, and quickly, for the 
 longer we stay now the worse it will be." 
 
 To this he agreed and we began to rack our brains 
 to see if we could hit upon some scheme that might 
 pass us through these Tories unrecognized, but there 
 seemed no ready solution of our difficulties though 
 we puzzled over it until our heads hummed. 
 
 " There's naught we can do but make a break for 
 it," said Will. " Belike if we walk out boldly, yet 
 keep in the shadows, no one will take note of us." 
 
 " Nay, do you fancy that man watched the house 
 for sport? " I returned. " The moment we put foot 
 outside there will be a cry raised that will bring a 
 hundred Tories down upon us. We must think of 
 something else." 
 
 "Ay, but what?" he asked, and as he said it I 
 had a sudden inspiration. 
 
 "I have it!" I whispered in his ear excitedly. 
 " We'll out by the back over the garden wall." 
 
 184
 
 Brother Will Gives Up 185 
 
 " Right, Polly," he answered. " I'm a thick-head 
 not to have thought of that an hour ago." 
 
 We lost no time but hurried as fast as Will's lame 
 leg would permit down the stairs and out into the 
 garden where I had procured the water. It was 
 but a small space, with a few fruits growing against 
 a brick wall in which there was a green door, fast 
 locked, alas 1 But by good fortune we found an old 
 chair to help us scale it. Warned by my experience 
 with the soldiers at home I placed this at a con- 
 venient spot and mounted to look before we leaped. 
 
 At first I saw no one and was about to signal to 
 Will to come on when the moon, heretofore hidden 
 under a cloud, suddenly shone forth and by its rays 
 I discovered no less than three men on guard. I 
 ducked my head, hoping they had not seen me, but 
 my heart was like lead as I told Will that our escape 
 was cut off here as well as in front. I had made so 
 sure in my mind that the spy worked alone. 
 
 " We might have known it," he muttered, and seat- 
 ing himself on the old chair he put his head in his 
 hands. " Let me think a minute." And for a while 
 I held my tongue. 
 
 As we waited there in the back garden we became 
 aware of an increased noise in the front street. The 
 shouts of "God save the King!" were redoubled, 
 and presently another cry brought a chill to my 
 heart. 
 
 "Take the rebel spy! Take the rebel spy!" 
 were the words. And Will raised his head at the 
 sound and looked at me. 
 
 " Now they're showing their teeth," he said. But 
 there was a flash in his eye and he looked more de- 
 termined than he had before. " They haven't got 
 me yet, Polly, and they won't get me, either. Come, 
 we'll go back. I've a mind to fool them after all.
 
 1 86 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 You run and lock the front door on the way, it will 
 serve to delay them a little." 
 
 This I did, though I had no idea of his plan and 
 was nigh in despair, thinking how dangerous were 
 the papers I carried and that Will would be accused 
 of being a spy because of them. At length I pro- 
 posed that I should destroy them. 
 
 " Never, if I can help it! " Will exclaimed. " If 
 v/orst comes to worst, and we are about to be taken, 
 then we can consider it. We're far from captured 
 yet, and if I can find a lanthorn or a candle I have a 
 hope we may slip through their fingers." 
 
 " Would you set fire to the house? " I gasped. 
 
 " Ay, an it were necessary," he answered with a 
 chuckle, for the nearness of the danger seemed to 
 put him in a fine humour, " but 'twill not be, I hope." 
 
 " I saw some candles in the back room. 'Twas 
 quite well furnished," I told him, and with a 
 murmured, " Good," upon his lips he led the way 
 there. 
 
 We groped about in the dark till I found a candle. 
 Will produced his tinder-box and lit it. Then 
 he began a most curious performance the reason for 
 which I could not guess. 
 
 He took a sort of three-legged stand that was in 
 the corner of the room, a " tripod " he called it, and 
 bundling some papers he found into a good-sized 
 ball, he wrapped it about with a table cloth. This 
 done he set the ball upon the tripod, fastening it 
 with some strips torn from the cloth, for we could 
 discover no cord. Next he took off his coat and 
 buttoned it about the stand and in the flickering light 
 of the candle it did not look unlike the upper part of 
 a man. 
 
 Meanwhile the cries outside the house were be- 
 coming more and more violent.
 
 Brother Will Gives Up 187 
 
 " Catch the rebel spy! " was the burden of them, 
 and every moment the voices rose higher and more 
 menacing. 
 
 " Peep through the front window and see what is 
 going on," Will suggested, and I crossed the hall 
 and looked out. Before the house were gathered 
 some two score or more men. The moonlight, and a 
 few lanthorns here and there, revealed them plainly 
 enough ; but, though they cried lustily, it did not seem 
 to me that they were over anxious to do more than 
 shout. There was one among them, however, who 
 went about from group to group urging them to 
 attack us, as I judged from his violent gestures to- 
 ward the window. This man was plainly our chief 
 enemy, and when he came under a swinging light I 
 confirmed my belief that it was the Tory spy. As I 
 looked he started forward, waving to those behind, 
 and there was a general movement toward the house. 
 I ran at once to Will. 
 
 "They're coming!" I cried, for there was little 
 use in keeping my voice lowered now. 
 
 " Good! " he answered, and lifting up the stand 
 with the coat and head upon it he started for the 
 front room. 
 
 " Have the candle at hand, Polly, but do not bring 
 it in until I tell you." 
 
 He placed the tripod at the window and, running 
 back, returned with a chair which he put near the 
 stand. 
 
 " Now we are ready," he said with a gay note in 
 his voice, as if he loved the danger. " Come on, 
 my Tory friends! " As if to answer him, there was 
 a yell and a blow was struck on the door below. 
 
 With a shout Will flung open the blinds, making a 
 great clatter as he did so, and squeezing in between 
 the tripod and the window. Stooping so that his
 
 1 88 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 head came on a level with the paper one, he leaned 
 far out and called to those in the street. 
 
 " Hey, below there ! Are you looking for me ? " 
 
 Instantly there was a howl, followed by a mo- 
 ment of quiet, in which Will spoke again. 
 
 " I promise to shoot the first one of you that comes 
 up here and to sabre the next so that I will have two 
 to my account, at any rate. Now who'll be shot and 
 who'll be sabred for the King? Come on, I'm wait- 
 ing for you." 
 
 He stopped and whispered to me. 
 
 " Put the candle on the chair, Polly," and, as I 
 did his bidding, he moved quickly from the window, 
 leaving the dummy to show in his place. With the 
 candle-light behind it, it must have looked to those 
 below like a man waiting, as Will said he would do. 
 
 There was a great hub-hub outside. The crowd, 
 thinking that Will sat there defying them, shouted 
 maledictions upon him with a right good will; but 
 there was none seemingly who dared lead the at- 
 tack. However we stayed not to listen to their 
 cries. Back into the garden we hurried, and on the 
 way Will told me that he hoped, by making it ap- 
 pear that we were in the front, those who guarded 
 the back might be drawn off and so give us a chance 
 to scale the wall. 
 
 But we were doomed to disappointment for, when 
 I looked, two of the three watchers were still there, 
 and my heart sank. I was sure we were lost, and 
 even Will shook his head seriously, not knowing what 
 to do. 
 
 It was past a matter of simple capture now, with 
 only imprisonment to follow. These Tories, being 
 at heart cowards, would kill Will at once, fearing 
 that he might execute his threats, so that we were 
 indeed in desperate straits.
 
 Brother Will Gives Up 189 
 
 We stood for a moment hesitating, when sud- 
 denly a shot rang out in the night, followed by an- 
 other and then another, until a regular fusillade was 
 poured into the front of the house. 
 
 " They are shooting at the dummy," Will whis- 
 pered, but his words were drowned by the shout of 
 one of the men outside the wall. 
 
 " Come on! They've got the rebel! " he yelled, 
 and we heard them run off. 
 
 " Now is our chance I " cried Will, and I scrambled 
 to the top of the wall, while he followed almost 
 upon my heels. 
 
 A moment later we dropped down outside. My 
 teeth rattled as I struck the ground and I noticed that 
 Will gave a smothered cry of pain as he landed be- 
 side me. 
 
 " Hurry now ! " he called. 
 
 I thought of naught but fleeing the place and was 
 about to run toward Maiden Lane, which was the 
 most direct way home. 
 
 " Nay, we'll meet the mob, that route," cried 
 Will, and we turned toward Hunter's Quay, which is 
 at the foot of Wall Street. 
 
 At first we ran swiftly, listening with anxious ears 
 for any sound of pursuit; but, hearing none, we 
 headed up into the town until we came to Smith 
 Street where Will halted. 
 
 " I must rest a minute, Polly," he panted, and his 
 face showed white and drawn in the moonlight. 
 
 " Oh, Will! " I cried, " does it hurt you so? " 
 
 " The drop from the wall didn't help my leg any," 
 he answered, his mouth twisting as if he were 
 in great pain. " But don't worry. I'll be all right 
 in a minute and we've given them the slip. A little 
 farther and we'll be safe enough." 
 
 It seemed as if what he said was true for about
 
 190 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 us all was quiet and even the mob before Anthony 
 Lamb's shop had ceased their racket. 
 
 " On again," said Will, and he started, but this 
 time he walked, it being quite impossible for him to 
 run any farther, indeed it was all he could do to 
 drag his poor wounded leg after him. 
 
 " I wish they would make more noise down there 
 by the river," he grumbled as we went along. 
 
 "Why do you say that?" I asked, for it had 
 seemed to me that the cessation of the noise was a 
 good omen. 
 
 " Because it shows that they have discovered the 
 trick," he replied, " and I fear they will be after 
 us." 
 
 But there was no sign of that then, and we made 
 our way as best we could until we came to Queen 
 Street. Here there reached us, faintly at first, the 
 pat, pat of running feet, and I guessed what it 
 meant. 
 
 " Hurry I " exclaimed Will between his teeth, and 
 we turned up toward the Broad Way, for the sound 
 seemed to come from Maiden Lane. 
 
 But it was impossible for Will to go rapidly. 
 Each step he took wrung a groan from him and, 
 though I tried to help, it was all he could do to 
 set one foot before the other. As we came in front 
 of the new Dutch Church he staggered and clutched 
 a paling to keep himself from falling. 
 
 " I'm done, Polly," he whispered. " Run on and 
 save the papers. I can go no farther." 
 
 " Nay, Will I shall not do it ! " I answered posi- 
 tively. " If we rest a moment you will be able 
 to go on. You've come this far, surely we can 
 escape them; but whatever happens I shall not leave 
 you." 
 
 He was too faint to protest, though he shook his
 
 Brother Will Gives Up 191 
 
 head and I heard him grit his teeth as if determined 
 to beat the weakness that threatened to undo us 
 both. 
 
 " Come ! " he muttered, and staggered forward. 
 
 I put my arm about his waist, trying to balance 
 him, and we went on for a dozen yards more, but 
 again the faintness overcame him and he grasped the 
 fence. 
 
 " Polly," he murmured, " my head is going round 
 and round and I fear I shall swoon." And as he 
 said it the sound of hurrying feet and a shout not 
 more than a block or two away reached our ears. 
 
 " Will," I whispered, nigh beside myself, " Will, 
 rouse yourself or we are lost! " 
 
 " I cannot go a step farther," he protested. 
 " Not to save my life ! " 
 
 I looked about me helplessly, and all the while 
 the cries of our pursuers drew steadily nearer. 
 
 " Will," I said excitedly, remembering the little 
 door under the church steps, " you must get over the 
 fence at once. There is a place we can hide. Come, 
 try! 'Tis our last chance." 
 
 I know well that the poor boy suffered terribly in 
 the effort he made, and I am sure, too, that he 
 thought more of me than of himself, for he was so 
 near spent and so wracked with pain, that he cared 
 not whether he lived or died. But the closeness of 
 our pursuers spurred him and he made a gallant 
 effort and scaled the fence. How he managed it I 
 can't tell, but it was done and he fell inside with a 
 groan. 
 
 There was no time to waste now and I urged 
 him on. 
 
 "I cannot, Polly! I cannot!" he moaned, as 
 there came a shouting, and cries back and forth at 
 the corner of the block, where those who followed
 
 192 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 us divided, half of them hurrying up the street close 
 on our trail. 
 
 "You must!" I implored. "It's only a little 
 way," and grasping him by the arm I tried to drag 
 him toward the church. 
 
 He struggled to his feet and, panting from the 
 pain he suffered, staggered forward only half con- 
 scious now of what was going on, but doing all that 
 he was able to gain the shelter of the steps. 
 
 We were almost there when he stumbled and 
 fell with a low moan, and I knew that he had lost his 
 senses. 
 
 But though he could do naught more to help him- 
 self I did not mean that he should be captured. 
 Summoning all the strength I possessed I lifted his 
 shoulders and, almost falling backward under his 
 weight, dragged him to the little door. As before 
 I found it open, and, with a final effort, I hauled him 
 inside the space beneath the steps and shut the door 
 behind us.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 i 
 
 UNDER FIRE 
 
 ONCE within the space beneath the church steps 
 I dragged Will back as far as possible and 
 seating myself at the little door, braced my 
 back against it. Hardly had I done so when several 
 men ran up on the stoop and began to rattle at the 
 lock. 
 
 " 'Tis closed ! " cried one of them. 'Twere best 
 to have a look about the yard. Quick now ! " 
 
 " Ay, they might easily be hidden in the shadows 
 under the trees," agreed another. 
 
 " Come then," said a third, " but have your pistols 
 in readiness. He's a desperate rebel," and they clat- 
 tered down over our heads. 
 
 I heard shouting back and forth. Others scram- 
 bled over the fence to join the searchers, separating 
 and moving cautiously, as I could tell by the sounds 
 they made, but presently to my great relief they 
 went off, evidently certain in their own minds that 
 we were not there. 
 
 Though we were rid of the immediate danger we 
 were far from safe, and now that I had a chance, 
 to think, the peril of our position came more nearly 
 home to me. I changed my place and sat with 
 Will's head in my lap, knowing that to show our- 
 selves would be to court capture. Moreover Will 
 was quite unconscious and, though he breathed, he 
 was so utterly helpless that I feared he might die. 
 
 193
 
 194 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 This thought however I put from me. Already 
 I had enough to be alarmed about and I assured 
 myself that there was no reason to suppose his hurt 
 was mortal. 
 
 There was, however, one clear fact. I could do 
 naught but sit where I was and wait till Will should 
 come to himself again. I made myself as com- 
 fortable as I could in that narrow space, leaning my 
 back against the wall. Then I wracked my brains 
 once more to find a way out of our desperate situa- 
 tion. 
 
 It seems well nigh impossible to believe, but the 
 fact is that I went to sleep. I was tired out with 
 the strain both of mind and body that I had under- 
 gone, and, feeling a certain security in our hiding- 
 place and no immediate prospects of quitting it, I 
 dropped off without knowing it. 
 
 I awoke with a start and saw through the cracks 
 in the little door that the day was beginning to 
 break. The space inside was brighter also, and I 
 looked down and found Will gazing up at me with 
 a smile upon his face. 
 
 " If you hadn't opened your eyes soon I should 
 have had to shake you," he said, and raised him- 
 self into a sitting position. 
 
 " How are you feeling? " I asked anxiously. 
 
 " I'm better," he answered, " but I'm no giant yet. 
 Never mind about me, I want you to take those 
 papers to father at once. Nay now, don't protest," 
 he insisted, seeing that I was about to make objec- 
 tions, " 'tis too serious a matter to argue over. You 
 will be safe alone. The hunt for me is doubtless 
 over, and you should win through to our house with- 
 out trouble. And Polly, those papers must be de- 
 livered. That's the important thing." 
 
 " But what is to become of you? " I asked.
 
 Under Fire 195 
 
 " I shall follow later," he answered confidently. 
 " I'm all right and can get through to our men, I'm 
 sure, after I've had an hour or two more of rest. 
 These Tories are night birds, and it isn't far to the 
 Common now. Once there, I shall be cared for." 
 
 " Yes, and you'll not be in such danger without 
 the papers," I said half to myself, " and 'tis not likely 
 any one would stop and search a maid by day." 
 
 So, somewhat reassured, I consented to leave him, 
 believing that in doing so I was acting for his good. 
 He impressed upon me the importance of seeing the 
 papers safe in father's hands, telling me once more 
 that they must be delivered to General Washing- 
 ton without fail and insisting that their value to the 
 cause could hardly be overestimated. 
 
 " Don't let all my suffering go for naught," he said 
 finally. " If they do not reach His Excellency I shall 
 have toiled and bled uselessly. Get you gone now 
 to father and good luck! " 
 
 I opened the little door cautiously and peered out. 
 No one was in sight and, creeping forth stealthily, I 
 soon won to the fence and was over in a moment. 
 Once in the street I breathed more easily for now, 
 though I might be stopped I need not betray Will's 
 hiding-place. But as I went on I was more and more 
 reassured, for there were no people abroad and the 
 city seemed deserted. The sun had not yet risen 
 and there was no sound save the first twittering 
 of the birds in the branches above my head. 
 
 Needless to say I hurried as fast as I could, and it 
 was not long before I had pushed open our garden 
 gate and was on into the house. 
 
 I had expected that all would be asleep and was 
 surprised to find the door into the kitchen open, but 
 I had scarce entered when old Betty came into the 
 room.
 
 196 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 She looked at me for a moment and then raised 
 her arms above her head. 
 
 " Praise be, you's back, Miss Polly! " she cried. 
 " We all has been mos' scared to death about you, 
 and Dr. Trotter done act like he was crazy 'cause 
 he sen' you off. Took mighty powerful arguments 
 to get him to go away afore you come back." 
 
 " Go away ! " I echoed in consternation. 
 
 " Why yes, Missy, he's done been gone two or 
 three hours, I reckon." 
 
 "Gone away?" I repeated, looking blankly at 
 Betty. 
 
 " Sure enough, that's what I said," she answered. 
 ' They was some officer gem'mens come for him and 
 he jes' na'chally had to go, though he argued a heap, 
 I tell you, and didn't want to leave nohow. But they 
 tol' him they was men a-dyin' 'case he weren't there 
 to take care of 'em, an' that he couldn't do no good 
 sittin' here, an' well, Miss Polly, he done give in 
 final, 'cause they said they'd 'rest him if he didn't 
 come along. Leastways that's the way it seemed 
 to me." 
 
 The unexpectedness of finding that father was not 
 there stunned me for a moment. All my thoughts 
 had been centred in getting Will's despatches to 
 him and so forwarding them to General Washing- 
 ton. Now that he had gone I knew not what to 
 do. Then I remembered the Common, full of Con- 
 tinental soldiers, and sure that I should find officers 
 among them, I turned about, meaning to be rid of 
 my responsibility as quickly as possible. 
 
 "Where is you-all gwine?" asked Betty as I 
 started to go out again. 
 
 " Only to the Common," I returned. " I'll be 
 back in five minutes." 
 
 I ran as fast as I could and soon came to the open
 
 Under Fire 197 
 
 square, but there I stopped appalled. Except for a 
 few stragglers the place was empty of people. All 
 the soldiers who had crowded it when I was last there 
 had gone, and I gazed about me bewildered, scarce 
 knowing what to do. 
 
 A country boy was loitering near and I went to 
 him for information. 
 
 " Where are our soldiers? " I asked. 
 
 " They've gone," he answered. " They went in 
 a hurry, too, Miss. And they do say the British are 
 coming over fast. But they ain't been gone long and 
 most like you could catch them an you made haste." 
 
 I thanked him and set off along the high road to 
 Boston expecting to come up with the troops at 
 any time, but I little guessed what was before me. 
 
 A cloud of dust ahead showed where the soldiers 
 were. I pressed forward at top speed without gain- 
 ing on them until a stitch in my side warned me that 
 I must go slower and save my breath. On I went, 
 however, meeting now and then a man or two who 
 eyed me curiously and pointed ahead when I asked 
 for the soldiers. Still I pressed forward till I had 
 left the city behind me and was plodding along in the 
 open country with corn-fields and fallow land about 
 me. At last I came to Inclenberg and saw Mr Mur- 
 ray's house standing on a rise of ground. Had I 
 looked closely I must have caught the gleam of red 
 coats among the trees, for 'twas here the brilliant 
 Madam Murray detained the British officers until 
 our despairing troops had time to make their escape. 
 But from what I had been told on the way, I thought 
 I must surely find those I sought on the Kingsbridge 
 road which ran through this property, and my mind 
 was set on that alone. 
 
 When I came to this highway I found everything 
 in confusion. It was alive with soldiers running
 
 198 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 toward the Hudson River at top speed, each man for 
 himself and all seemingly in a great panic. I was 
 appalled at first as I came up with them, and I stayed 
 an instant on the outskirts of the panting crowd, for 
 it was no hard matter to guess that the men were flee- 
 ing in panic from something. It was but a moment 
 ere I knew the cause. 
 
 "The British are coming!" was the cry from 
 hundreds of throats, and throwing away their 
 muskets, dropping their coats, their knapsacks, their 
 blankets, everything in fact that could hamper them 
 in their headlong flight, they raced on, glancing over 
 their shoulders with white, scared faces, for the most 
 part silent, as if saving their breath to aid their es- 
 cape. 
 
 The sight of so many frightened beings brought 
 terror to me. What would become of a maid if 
 strong men such as these were using every ounce of 
 their strength to escape pursuers who might appear 
 at any moment? I made half a turn to retrace my 
 steps, then, summoning what resolution I had, I 
 joined the fleeing crowd, meaning to find an officer 
 and deliver my papers, come what might. 
 
 As I ran a soldier looked at me, his eyes opening 
 wide in surprise, but when I asked him, panting out 
 my words, where I could find some one in command, 
 he shook his head as if to say he did not know or 
 care. Yet he spoke no word. 
 
 I gazed about me trying to discover who was in 
 authority and, far ahead of me, I spied a man on 
 horseback with his sword out, shouting at those near 
 him. I moved into the thickest of the press, jostled 
 by those around me, hoping to be swept up to this 
 officer; but I could not reach him, try as I would. 
 Then suddenly there came the sounds of shots fired 
 back of us, a roar of fear from those behind and in
 
 Under Fire 199 
 
 a moment the pani'c was doubled. If the crowd had 
 been crazed before, the noise of the firing increased 
 their fears an hundredfold. I heard men beside me 
 sob with anguish and moan as if their last hour had 
 come. Others struggled fiercely to push those ahead 
 of them aside; still others cried at the top of their 
 lungs that all was lost and that the British would 
 butcher them to the last man. 
 
 Another volley of shots behind us, this time nearer, 
 brought groan upon groan from the fleeing throng 
 and spurred their tiring feet to redoubled efforts. 
 
 " They are upon us! " was the hoarse shout, and 
 a convulsive shudder went through the panting 
 troops. 
 
 Suddenly, bursting through the crowd ahead, I 
 saw a horseman galloping toward us. His sword 
 was raised on high and he shouted to the men who 
 scattered hurriedly right and left, for the rider was 
 coming at a furious pace. 
 
 He reined in his horse not far from where I had 
 paused and I heard his commands. 
 
 "Stand!" he cried in a loud voice. "Stand! 
 Must you run at the sight of a red-coat? Stand, I 
 say! " and, as I came near to him, my heart gave a 
 bound of joy, for the man upon the horse was Gen- 
 eral Washington. 
 
 I pressed forward without regard to whom I 
 pushed or shouldered out of my way. I forgot 
 that I was a maid. I forgot everything but the fact 
 that I had won at last to the one to whom the papers 
 must be delivered, and I meant that he should take 
 them, come what might. 
 
 He held his horse in the midst of the fleeing crowd 
 and for a moment checked their rush. 
 
 " Take to the walls ! Take to the cornfields ! " 
 he shouted, and there was a general scramble for the
 
 2OO Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 sides of the road, so that I suddenly found myself 
 almost alone beside the great horse he rode. 
 
 "Your Excellency!" I cried at the top of my 
 lungs, mad for fear that he would not see me and 
 would perhaps ride off. " Your Excellency 1 Here 
 are papers for you ! " 
 
 He heard me, but for an instant could not place 
 the sound, then he looked down and saw me holding 
 out the despatches. 
 
 "What are you doing here, Mistress Trotter?" 
 he cried, recognizing me instantly, but he reached 
 down to me and took the papers, and so glad did I 
 feel to be rid of them that I was rid also of all fear 
 and could have laughed for joy. 
 
 " They come from my brother who was wounded 
 and could not bring " But he cut me short with 
 a command. 
 
 "Get you behind that stone wall and lie flat I" 
 he ordered, and at the same moment a volley of mus- 
 ketry brought me to my senses, for I heard the 
 whistle of the bullets as I ran for the wall. I looked 
 back and there, but a few hundred yards behind us, 
 were the red coats of the enemy just topping the rise. 
 Another volley rang out, yet General Washington sat 
 alone in the road watching me, and so he remained 
 until he saw me mount the wall in safety, then with 
 a wave of his hand he spurred his horse away, 
 seeming to care naught for the shouts and bullets that 
 followed him. 
 
 I lay on the ground behind the stone wall and 
 presently the British soldiers passed me on the road, 
 but I was not to lie undiscovered. They were look- 
 ing to make prisoners of those who had dropped from 
 exhaustion and I was soon routed out; but, though 
 they were enemies of my country, I cannot in justice 
 say they treated me aught but kindly.
 
 Under Fire 2OI 
 
 " This is no place for a lass," cried the big gren- 
 adier who found me. " Get you to the rear as fast 
 as you can," he added, and set me on my way, wav- 
 ing a hand to those behind, as if to indicate that I 
 was not to be molested. 
 
 Nor was I. I returned as I had come, meeting 
 many British in their red uniforms and, though there 
 were bantering shouts and cries of surprise that I was 
 there, it seemed to be taken for granted that I was 
 but a harmless female caught between the two armies, 
 perchance while I was picking berries in the country. 
 Whatever they thought, they did not halt my prog- 
 ress. 
 
 But it was a weary journey back. I plodded along 
 tired, bedraggled and footsore yet very happy that 
 I had rid myself of the despatches. Will's work 
 had not been in vain and I took some pleasure in the 
 fact that, in a small way, I too had again had a 
 chance to serve the cause of liberty in the Americas. 
 
 I was nearly worn out and it was all I could do to 
 drag myself to the house. It was as if I had sud- 
 denly become an old, old woman, so tired did I feel 
 and so full of aches, but I managed to reach the 
 back stoop where I sat down and called feebly for 
 Betty who in a moment came running to me. 
 
 " Fo' de lands sakes, Miss Polly," she exclaimed, 
 shocked at the condition in which she found me. 
 " Yo' surely is dead beat. Yo' ma's been askin' fo' 
 you but I done toP her yo' was on a errand for you' 
 pa." 
 
 " I must go to her at once," I said, struggling to my 
 feet. 
 
 " You'll do nothin' of the kind lookin' like that," 
 she insisted. " If I runs up and say to her that yo' 
 is back an' is eatin' yo' head off, mos' like she'll drop 
 off to sleep."
 
 2O2 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 "Ay, that's well thought of, Betty," I agreed, 
 " but before you go please give me a drink." 
 
 " No, honey," Betty returned, shaking her head. 
 " I ain't gwine to give yo' none, nohow. Not yet 
 awhile." 
 
 "Why not?" I asked, puzzled. "Hasn't the 
 Tea Water Pump man been here ? " 
 
 " Oh, he come all right," she answered. " 'Taint 
 that. We've a plenty 'cause I took double, for good- 
 ness knows when we-all will see him again." 
 
 " Then give me some at once," I demanded, for 
 indeed my throat was parched. 
 
 " No, no 1 OF Betty's got too much sense to go 
 fillin' yo' up with water," she replied stubbornly. 
 " S'posin' you-all brings in a horse that's all hotted 
 up like you is. You ain't gwin' to give him all he can 
 drink till he founders hisself. You sit still, honey 
 chil'. I'll make you a cup of tea an' while the 
 water's bilin', I'll up and tell Mis' Trotter." 
 
 She started a kettle and bustled out, leaving me 
 alone, and though I had little faith in Betty's argu- 
 ments, I was too tired to do aught but what I was 
 told. Later I learned that she had probably saved 
 my life, for many died that hot day for no other 
 reason than that they halted on the march to fill 
 themselves with cold water from the wayside springs. 
 
 Betty returned shortly and gave me not only tea, 
 but milk and food as well, standing at my side and 
 urging me to eat and drink my fill. 
 
 " Yo' ma's takin' a nap," she assured me, " and 
 she says yo'd better take one, too, Miss Polly. 
 Which is mighty good a'vice." 
 
 So refreshed was I by the food that I was not in 
 the least minded to sleep, but seated myself on the 
 stoop enjoying the fresh breeze blowing across the 
 garden.
 
 Under Fire 203 
 
 I but half listened to Betty's constant chatter, my 
 thoughts dwelling upon Will, and I wondered if he 
 would be able to join his regiment now that the Brit- 
 ish had landed in the city. The more I thought of 
 this the more fretted I became, for he was in too 
 weak a state to travel far and I greatly feared he 
 would be taken after all. 
 
 As I puzzled the matter a faint hail came to me 
 and, springing to my feet, I ran to the garden gate 
 and looked down the street. 
 
 Coming toward me, limping painfully and glancing 
 back over his shoulder as if he feared pursuit was 
 Will. With a little cry of surprise and dismay I 
 sped to him, and as I reached his side, he stumbled. 
 
 "Hurry, Polly," he gasped. "Hurry! The 
 red-coats are after me," and even as he spoke there 
 was a shout behind us and looking back, I saw a 
 dozen British soldiers running in our direction.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE BRITISH TAKE A PRISONER 
 
 GRASPING Will by the arm we won to the 
 garden while the soldiers were yet a block 
 away. 
 
 " Make haste into the house ! " I cried, and only 
 stopping long enough to drop the bar across the gar- 
 den door I followed on the run. 
 
 I reached the house just as Will was entering. 
 He staggered across the room, half falling into a 
 chair and I turned the key in the lock and went to 
 him at once. 
 
 He was in pain from his exertions but I could not 
 let him remain there to be taken. I knew only too 
 well that the soldiers would be in upon us, for they 
 could not fail to have seen where we went. 
 
 " Come, Will," I cried, " out by the front and you 
 will escape them yet." 
 
 " Nay, that's impossible," he said, shaking his 
 head, " but what of the papers? " 
 
 " They are in General Washington's hands," I 
 assured him. 
 
 " Then it's all right," he exclaimed. " I don't 
 care what happens now." 
 
 " But I won't have you taken," I insisted, and at 
 that moment we heard a shout and, glancing out of 
 the window, I saw half a dozen British soldiers 
 climbing the wall. 
 
 " It was that Tory spy of yours that put them on 
 204
 
 The British Take a Prisoner 205 
 
 the track," Will said bitterly. " I was safe enough 
 till by some mischance I ran into him." 
 
 " Never mind that now," I urged. " Think of 
 something to do. I can't let you be taken." 
 
 " I can't go on," he answered. " They would 
 have me before I made half a mile." 
 
 " Then hide somewhere in the house," I begged. 
 " Go up to mother's room. They won't enter there. 
 Go, Will, go ! " I grasped his arm and pulled him 
 to his feet just as there came a thundering knock on 
 the door. 
 
 " Open in the name of the King! " was the com- 
 mand. 
 
 I heeded it not, but hauled my brother to the foot 
 of the stairs, telling him again to go to mother's 
 room. He protested that it was useless, but I in- 
 sisted and up he went, though it was no easy task with 
 his lame foot. 
 
 Meanwhile the blows on the kitchen door were 
 repeated and again came the summons, " Open in 
 the name of the King! " 
 
 An idea came popping into my head. I ran to 
 the front door and, drawing the bolt, I opened it a 
 crack, but hardly had I done so when there was a 
 sound of splintering wood behind me and I heard 
 the rush of feet inside the house. 
 
 I faced about, but ere I had gone more than a step 
 or two three men seized me. 
 
 " Well, Miss," said the sergeant who was in com- 
 mand, " where is he? " 
 
 " That is for you to find out," I answered, trying 
 to appear indifferent, and at the same time I gave a 
 sidelong glance at the door standing ajar. 
 
 One of the soldiers, noting the direction of my 
 eyes, passed me and strode across the hall. 
 
 " He's gone this route, sergeant ! " he cried, open-
 
 206 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 ing the door as he spoke. " And in haste too, for 
 'tis not even latched. Come, we shall be wasting 
 time here." 
 
 The sergeant hurried forward and passed out on 
 the stoop. My heart leaped with hope as I saw 
 that they had taken the meaning I had intended. 
 For a moment I made sure Will was safe. 
 
 " He's nowhere in sight ! " exclaimed one of the 
 men. " But he can't be far. Shall we after him? 
 'Tis most like he is but beyond the corner." 
 
 The sergeant seemed to hesitate for a moment as 
 if in two minds what to do, then he turned back to 
 me. 
 
 " Did he go out? " he asked. 
 
 " Do you think I would tell you? " I answered. 
 
 "And why not?" he questioned. "It can't be 
 that so fine a lass is a rebel." 
 
 " You may call me that an it pleases you," I re- 
 plied, stoutly. " I'm not for your master the King, 
 who is trying to make slaves of us." 
 
 " 'Tis not my business to inquire why I fight," the 
 man returned. " In faith I'd get no answers to such 
 questions if I asked them. The King says fight and 
 I fight, satisfied in my own mind that 'tis my duty 
 to the hand that feeds me. But that's not finding 
 our man and him I mean to have. Will you tell me 
 whether he is in the house or no? " 
 
 " Nay, I'll tell you naught," I made reply as 
 defiantly as I could, and then added in sheer bravado, 
 " Search the house an you've a mind to. It can't run 
 away." 
 
 " But a man can! That's your meaning, is it? " 
 he exclaimed, thinking he had caught me, and turning 
 to his men he ordered them out of the house on the 
 run. 
 
 " After him 1 " he shouted, starting toward the
 
 The British Take a Prisoner 207 
 
 door, and I, sure that I saw the end of the business, 
 could not keep the joy I felt from showing and 
 actually smiled. But that smile was fatal, for the 
 sergeant had made hardly two steps toward the open 
 door when he whirled suddenly and faced me. I 
 tried instantly to compose my features but it was 
 too late. He had seen the tell-tale light in my eyes 
 and the lingering smile on my lips. 
 
 " Halt! " he cried to the soldiers. " The one we 
 want is here, and, though 'tis not a man's- work to 
 befool a maid, 'twas necessary The next time, my 
 lass, hide your joy till your enemy is out of sight. 
 Now will you tell me where he is or must I turn the 
 house out? " 
 
 " I will tell you naught," I replied, tears com- 
 ing into my eyes, which only went to confirm his 
 suspicions, but I could not help it. The trick he had 
 played me seemed to have taken all my courage and 
 left me hopeless. I thought of poor mother, see- 
 ing Will being led away to prison or worse, but 
 how was I to prevent it now? 
 
 The sergeant gave orders for a search and two 
 more soldiers came in from the garden to lend their 
 aid. A man was posted at the front door and an- 
 other at the back with orders to let none pass on 
 pain of death. Then the sergeant led the way to 
 the cellars where a very thorough hunt was made. I 
 had hoped to be left behind, but he kept me at his 
 side and I followed disconsolately, while they looked 
 here, there and everywhere, not leaving unexamined 
 a hole large enough to hide a mouse. 
 
 As I watched them my spirits became more and 
 more downcast, for it was certain that sooner or 
 later Will must be found. There was no particular 
 hurry on the part of the officer, though he kept his 
 men working briskly, but rather a steady thorough-
 
 208 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 ness that argued ill for any one who hoped to escape 
 his eye. 
 
 " Well, he's not here," said he, when the cellars 
 were finally gone over from end to end, and barrels 
 and boxes and all things behind which a man might 
 hide were dragged out and examined upon every 
 side. " Up with you to the next floor." 
 
 And up we all went. Here the search went on in 
 the same careful way, but of course without result 
 except to confirm my belief that Will's escape was 
 impossible. 
 
 At last the order was given to go through the next 
 floor and mother's chamber being at the head of 
 the stairs, I was nigh desperate. 
 
 As the sergeant gave the command I rushed ahead 
 and standing before mother's door, faced about, re- 
 solved not to let them in without a struggle, though 
 to tell the truth I hardly knew what I was doing or 
 what purpose it would serve to oppose them further. 
 'Twas a confession on my part that what they sought 
 was concealed there, but I thought not of that. My 
 only impulse was to keep them away, to put myself 
 between them and those I loved, to save my brother 
 and my mother also, for I feared that such a shock 
 might kill her. I was beside myself with grief and 
 apprehension, yet against five strong men, determined 
 to have their way, there was naught that I could do. 
 That thought I put from me and, spurred on by the 
 anguish in my heart, I stood with my back to the door 
 defying them. 
 
 They came up to me slowly with the deliberation 
 that had characterized all their actions. 
 
 " 'Tis the end of our search, sergeant," said one 
 of the men. 
 
 " Ay," agreed several of the others, but the 
 sergeant whose eye was on me guessed something of
 
 The British Take a Prisoner 209 
 
 my purpose and looked to see a struggle not to his 
 taste, for without doubt he was a kindly man though 
 he was a Britisher. 
 
 " Now lass," he began, somewhat sternly, intend- 
 ing to fright me a little, " do not be a silly girl, for 
 'twill be useless to battle against five men. Give 
 back and let us in." 
 
 " Nay," I cried, " you shall not go in an I can help 
 it! 'Tis my mother's room and she is very ill. 
 Search all the rest of the house an you like, but 
 here you may not go." 
 
 " 'Tis just here we wish to go," he answered me. 
 " Come, my girl. Don't force us to be violent with 
 you. We are not here to war on women and chil- 
 dren. But I have been sent after the man and must 
 have him. Unless I miss my guess we have reached 
 the right spot to find him. Come, out of the way! " 
 
 " You shall not go in! " I insisted. " Twill be 
 the death of my mother to see you rushing in upon 
 her. You shall not go ! " and I stretched my arms 
 across the door. 
 
 " Now this vexes me mightily," said the sergeant, 
 " but we have already spent too much time upon this 
 business and we can't waste any more. Come, lass," 
 and he grasped my wrist. 
 
 "You shall not! You shall not!" I almost 
 screamed, as I wrenched my arm vainly, trying to free 
 it from him, but I might as well have struggled 
 against a giant for, without any effort, he drew me 
 from the door. I had done all I could to save 
 Will, and now the end had come. 
 
 " That's better," said the sergeant in a kindly 
 tone, " you've done your best and you are a brave 
 lass, but we must do our work. Open the door," he 
 commanded one of the men, who put his hand upon 
 the latch.
 
 210 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Poor mother ! " I murmured, and as I said the 
 words the door was opened and the sergeant stepped 
 to the threshold with me beside him. 
 
 We stood gazing in, but save for mother lying 
 quietly on the bed, there was no one in the room. 
 Will, whom I had expected to see at once, was not 
 visible. The sergeant stepped across to the powder- 
 ing closet, then stooped down to look under the bed, 
 only to shake his head in perplexity; and, though I 
 tried not to show it, I was as amazed as he, for I 
 had been as certain as I could be of anything in this 
 world that we should find my brother in that room. 
 
 " Your pardon, Madam," said the sergeant, back- 
 ing out and closing the door. 
 
 As he did so a voice spoke from behind us. 
 
 " You seem to be searching for some one, ser- 
 geant? " 
 
 At the words we all turned and there, dressed in a 
 Continental uniform as I had left him, save that he 
 was now without a coat, stood Roger Delancy look- 
 ing coolly at us. I had forgotten him completely 
 and I stared as if he had been a ghost. 
 
 The sergeant seemed surprised, too, but he recov- 
 ered himself instantly. 
 
 "Seize him!" he cried. " 'Tis our man!" 
 And then to Roger, " 'Twill be useless to struggle. 
 We have five men here and more below, so don't 
 be making trouble for yourself." 
 
 Two of the soldiers stepped forward and seized 
 him, and Roger uttered no protest, though I expected 
 him to proclaim himself a British officer. But he 
 did naught of the kind, only looked down at me with 
 a slight smile. 
 
 " You did what you could, Polly, and and 
 I can never thank you enough." Again he turned 
 to the sergeant. " Madam Trotter is very ill, as
 
 The British Take a Prisoner 211 
 
 her daughter here has doubtless told you, and this 
 commotion will only add to her sufferings. Let us 
 go at once." 
 
 " Very good, sir," replied the sergeant. " Have 
 I your word that you will not attempt to escape? " 
 
 " Ay," said Roger. " 'Twould be useless to try, 
 sergeant." 
 
 " You gave us a pretty chase though and I don't 
 want another. But a gentleman keeps his word even 
 in the Americas they tell me, so I will e'en trust you. 
 Forward ! " He gave the command roughly and 
 Roger led the soldiers down the stairs with a marked 
 limp. 
 
 The sergeant loitered for a moment and I, fear- 
 ing the amazement that was in my face would be- 
 tray for the second time the mistake he was making, 
 took the advice he himself had given me and, putting 
 my hands to my eyes, pretended to sob violently. 
 
 " I'm sorry, Miss," the man said gently, laying a 
 kindly hand on my arm, " but 'tis the way of war. 
 You're a brave girl and I hope for your sake that 
 our prisoner will be exchanged. Good-bye, and 
 good luck to you." 
 
 But though I knew that a mistake had been made, 
 I stood for several minutes after they had gone pon- 
 dering on the matter before it came plain to me.
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 A FAREWELL 
 
 THE sound of the front door closing assured 
 me that the sergeant had departed with his 
 prisoner and I breathed a sigh of relief. 
 Exactly what had happened I did not know but one 
 thing at least was clear; Roger had given himself 
 up deliberately, and the British soldiers, seeing him 
 dressed as a Continental, were satisfied that they 
 had captured the man they sought. 
 
 So far Will was safe, but what had become of 
 him? 
 
 With a bound I mounted the stairs and rushed to 
 his room. There he was, stretched out on the bed, 
 looking very white and exhausted but smiling hap- 
 pily, nevertheless. 
 
 " Come right in! " he exclaimed, teasingly; but I 
 paid scant heed to his raillery. 
 
 "I thought to find you in mother's room?" I 
 cried. 
 
 "Nay, in decency I could not go there to be 
 taken," he answered, " so I hobbled up here to 
 find a rascally red-coat in possession ! " 
 
 " Then you've seen Roger? " I burst out. 
 
 " To be sure," he replied, " but how comes it that 
 you harbour a pernicious Britisher in this honest 
 house? " 
 
 " Have done with your foolery and tell me what 
 happened," I insisted. " I clean forgot Roger." 
 
 " So he said," Will laughed. " He's been starv- 
 
 212
 
 A Farewell 213 
 
 ing on a few dry biscuits and a jug of water. 'Tis 
 scarce generous treatment of a guest." 
 
 " He was no guest but a prisoner," I retorted, a 
 little resentfully, though I could not tell why. 
 
 " He proved a good friend," Will went on more 
 soberly. " We were so surprised to see each other 
 that before we knew it our hands were clasped for 
 the sake of old times. Then he saw how matters 
 stood and took my place. We may fight on dif- 
 ferent sides, but there stands no quarrel between us 
 personally now." 
 
 " He will be let go," I asserted. 
 
 " Ay, the minute he gets to his own camp," Will 
 agreed, " but, for all that, we owe him something 
 for saving my life." 
 
 " Nay, the score is even," I answered, " for I 
 saved his." 
 
 " So Roger told me," said Will; " but," he added, 
 looking at me curiously for a moment, " what's 
 wrong 'twixt you and Roger? " 
 
 " Naught," I replied shortly, " the score is even, 
 that is all." 
 
 " I used to think you liked him," Will insisted. 
 " Sure you were ready enough to defend him once if 
 I so much as hinted at a criticism." 
 
 " He was a friend then," I made answer. 
 
 " And so he is to-day," Will began. 
 
 " Nay, he is our enemy," I interrupted, " but we 
 have more important matters to think of now. I 
 must away to mother and were I you I should try 
 to make up some of my lost sleep." 
 
 " Faith," he laughed, " I'd best do as I'm told, 
 lest I be treated like poor Roger." 
 
 " Poor Roger ! " I burst out. " Had you seen 
 our soldiers, as I did, after they had battled on Long 
 Island, you'd have had little sympathy for those
 
 214 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 who brought them to such a sorry pass. Poor 
 Roger, indeed ! He's one of the British officers who 
 are driving our men out of the city, killing them and 
 and" 
 
 My voice broke, tears filled my eyes in a flood, 
 and I ran from the room scarce knowing why, on a 
 sudden, I should feel the way I did toward Roger 
 Delancy. But I was at pains to compose myself be- 
 fore I faced mother, for I had no wish to add my 
 troubles to her worries. 
 
 I found her calm, but curious to know the mean- 
 ing of the British sergeant's visit and I saw at once 
 that she had no suspicion of its purport. 
 
 'Twas Will they sought, mother," I said. 
 " They didn't catch him," I hastened to add, seeing 
 her eyes widening with apprehension. 
 
 " Tell your tale," she demanded. " And, hiding 
 naught, I recounted all that had happened since I had 
 started out the day before to find Will at the shop 
 of Anthony Lamb. 
 
 Mother heard me out with little or no comment, 
 but at the end she sat up against her propped pillows. 
 
 "How badly hurt is he?" she asked, referring 
 to the hurt in Will's leg. 
 
 " I think not seriously, mother," I assured her. 
 " It needs but time to heal." 
 
 She remained a moment in deep thought, then be- 
 gan to stir about in the bed. 
 
 " 'Tis high time I was out of this, Mary! " she 
 exclaimed, showing a strength and energy I scarce 
 would have believed she possessed. " I've been 
 here too long already." 
 
 " But, mother " I began, in protest. 
 
 u Nay, I shall never be well so long as I lie a-bed 
 doing naught," she went on. " Oh, I shall not be 
 foolish," she added. " But there must be a begin-
 
 A Farewell 215 
 
 ning. Fetch me my dressing-gown. I wish to sit 
 by the window." 
 
 There was no debating the matter further. 
 Mother had made up her mind, and so determined 
 was her manner that I felt it useless to gainsay her. 
 A few minutes later I had her seated by the window 
 overlooking the garden, and she seemed to gain in 
 strength with her resolve to be quit of the bed. 
 
 Unthinking, I would have stayed longer to talk to 
 her of the events which had transpired in the last 
 few days, but she reminded me of Will and his needs, 
 bidding me go at once and have broth and posset 
 made against his awakening. 
 
 " He must be strengthened ere he attempts to 
 escape," she warned me. 
 
 " Escape ! " I echoed vacantly, not catching her 
 meaning. 
 
 " Ay," mother answered, " did you not tell me 
 that the city was in the hands of the British? " 
 
 'Twas then for the first time I realized Will's pre- 
 dicament. He was a prisoner in the house and 
 dared not show himself outside for a moment else 
 would the British soldiery, who now held New York, 
 seize him. Our army, which had been in possession 
 only that morning, had fled, and until they retook the 
 town there would be no more visits from father or 
 Mr. Hale, and the other Continental officers who 
 were wont to come and go. I had been so much 
 occupied with Will's escape that I had had no time 
 to speculate on the alteration in our circumstances. 
 Indeed it was not until several days had passed that 
 I reached a full understanding of how complete the 
 change was. 
 
 Mother and I agreed that it was best to tell Betty 
 at once that Will was in the house, for although we 
 might have made shift to keep him hidden even from
 
 2i6 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 her, there was little to be gained by concealment. 
 We ran some risk of her inadvertently betraying his 
 presence should a further search be made, but at 
 the time we had small fear of that. 
 
 I found her in the kitchen, looking very spick and 
 span in a fresh dress, and busy at her work as if 
 nothing out of the ordinary had happened. At 
 sight of her I began to wonder where she could 
 have been while the sergeant and his men were going 
 through the house; for now that I thought of the 
 matter, I remembered that she had never appeared. 
 
 " Where have you been, Betty? " I asked. " Did 
 you go out in the street while the soldiers were 
 here?" 
 
 " No'm, Miss Polly, I didn't seein' there was a 
 soldier man right at that very door, barrin' my way," 
 she answered resentfully. 
 
 "Were you in the house all the time?" I ques- 
 tioned. 
 
 " Not 'zackly in the house, Miss Polly," she re- 
 plied. " Nor yet I wasn't 'zackly out of the house." 
 
 "Where on earth were you, Betty?" I insisted, 
 becoming more and more mystified. 
 
 " I weren't 'zackly on the earth neither, Miss 
 Polly," she replied tantalizingly. 
 
 " You must have been somewhere. Tell me at 
 once ! " I demanded. 
 
 " Well, if you must know, Miss Polly, I were in 
 the rain-bar'el! " 
 
 " The rain-barrel ! " I repeated in astonishment. 
 
 " Yes'm, the rain-bar'el," she went on, voluble 
 now that she had at last betrayed her hiding-place. 
 "You'll be thinkin' I was scared of them soldiers; 
 but 'tweren't so, Miss Polly, 'deed it 'tweren't. 
 Seemed like I didn't have no control of myself no- 
 how, and when I heard all that knockin' an'
 
 A Farewell 217 
 
 poundin' I jes' naturally went away, and the fust 
 thing I knew I was a-clamberin' out of the winder 
 of my room an' floppin' into the rain-bar'el. 
 'Tweren't till then I rightly come to myself." 
 
 " But why " I began. 
 
 "Why?" she exclaimed, cutting in upon my 
 speech. "Why? 'Case there was four feet o' 
 water in that bar'el an' I thought I was sure 
 drowned. Weren't that enough to bring a body 
 to their senses? An' to prove I weren't scared of 
 them soldiers I jes' naturally clum right out ag'in 
 as fast as ever I could. Don't know what got into 
 ol' Betty, actin' that a-way; but it sure was kind o' 
 damp in that bar'el." 
 
 She ended, still shaking her head in perplexity, 
 and I was at pains to suppress a strong desire to 
 laugh ; yet her experience had put a thought into my 
 head. The rain-barrel, into which Betty had 
 popped, was a great cistern set beside the wash- 
 house over which were the servant-quarters. Our 
 drinking water we had from one or other of the 
 public pumps, but for all domestic purposes we used 
 the rain gathered into this butt which was outside 
 the window of Betty's bedchamber, and it flashed 
 across my mind that here, if only the water was 
 drawn off, was a most excellent hiding-place. 
 
 I said naught of this to Betty at the time but told 
 her of Will's escape and of his presence in the house. 
 
 " Land sakes, Miss Polly! " she exclaimed, " ain't 
 that boy the greatest on earth fo' comin' back? " 
 
 " He's upstairs in his room at this minute," I said. 
 
 " Deary dear," she muttered, " and I thought he'd 
 done got clear away. Why, Miss Polly, this town 
 is jes' full of them pesterin' British." 
 
 " Yes, I know, Betty," I replied, assuming a con- 
 fidence I was far from feeling, " we'll have to keep
 
 2i8 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 him hidden till he's strong enough to get away in 
 the night. Meanwhile he must have food a-plenty." 
 
 Here was a matter which needed no puzzling 
 over, and Betty went to work with a will. 
 
 The rest of that day I busied myself attending 
 on my two invalids. Will, after a hearty meal went 
 off to sleep again like a baby, not waking till nigh 
 dusk. Mother, after a few hours at her window, 
 deemed it prudent to go back to bed, though she 
 protested that she could have remained up much 
 longer had it been necessary. 
 
 At even all three of us had tea in her room to- 
 gether, Will insisting upon hobbling downstairs ; and, 
 in spite of our anxieties, we were brave enough to 
 be happy in the present rather than to dwell upon 
 the possible dangers that might be in store for us, 
 as many folk are wont to do. 
 
 Will, of course, laughed and joked, and it was 
 quite a merry little meal we had, eaten from a tray 
 beside mother's bed, talking over what we should do, 
 with entire confidence that all our plans would be 
 successful. 
 
 I was surprised to find how firmly resolved mother 
 was to quit New York at the first opportunity. She 
 vowed that she could not remain there while the 
 British held possession, and I verily believe that, 
 had we urged it, she would have been ready to make 
 the attempt to leave that night, so determined was 
 she. This however, was not to be thought of. We 
 women-folk needs must wait till Will could make 
 the necessary arrangements for us and, on account 
 of his injured leg, it was settled that he should not 
 move until the next night. 
 
 It may appear that we took this matter of Will's 
 escape very lightly, seeing that the British held the 
 town, yet it was not until my brother explained it
 
 A Farewell 219 
 
 to mother and me that I saw a clear road to our 
 freedom. He said we had but to win to the river 
 to find patriots a-plenty who would row us up the 
 stream to our own camp above the Heights of Har- 
 lem. Will assured us he would have no difficulty 
 in getting away himself and could find a man both 
 willing and able to undertake our flight, but first he 
 must spy out how lay the land. 
 
 " Our chief hazard will be in getting to the river 
 shore," he told us confidently. " And at night we 
 shall have little trouble. The British are slow- 
 pokes. It will be weeks ere they have the city fully 
 guarded." 
 
 " And by that time, mayhap, we may have beaten 
 them and won it back again," I put in hopefully. 
 
 "Mayhap," Will answered, a trifle ruefully, for 
 in truth we had little expectation of any such good 
 fortune. 
 
 However, we anticipated no great hindrance to 
 our slipping out of New York, and indeed talked 
 much of seeing father when we should have gained 
 the Continental camp; after which we could journey 
 on to Uncle James's as we had planned to do before 
 mother's illness. 
 
 In the midst of our happy talk a sharp rat-tat-tat 
 on the front door silenced us on the instant. In the 
 circumstances such a summons was likely to be the 
 signal for a calamity and mother and I glanced at 
 each other apprehensively, both thinking of Will's 
 safety. 
 
 I rose to my feet intending to go down at once 
 but my brother stayed me. 
 
 " Let Betty bring the news," he whispered. 
 
 'Twill give us a little more time in case " He 
 ended with a shrug of his shoulders, but 'twas not 
 hard to take his meaning.
 
 220 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 So we waited, straining our ears to catch a sound 
 that might give a clue to the identity of our visitor, 
 but naught reached us till we heard Betty mounting 
 the stairs. 
 
 She entered the room with a broad smile on her 
 face and 'twas plain that she brought no ill tidings. 
 
 " Mister Roger Delancy sen's his respec's to 
 Madam Trotter an' says may he have a word with 
 Miss Polly, please ma'am," she announced with 
 much formality. 
 
 Mother gave a little sigh of relief and nodded to 
 me with a smile. Will, with a sly glance, leaned 
 forward and spoke to me in an undertone. 
 
 'Tis not every prisoner who shows such fond- 
 ness for his jailer," he chuckled softly. 
 
 But I heeded not his words. I dreaded the scene 
 I knew lay before me and yet I could not shirk it. 
 I would have given nigh anything could I have 
 escaped seeing Roger then, but I knew that I must 
 meet him, face to face, at least once again. 
 
 As I rose to leave the room Will halted me a mo- 
 ment. 
 
 " Do not tell him I am still here," he whispered. 
 '* There is no necessity to strain his conscience more 
 than need be and Polly," he added, earnestly, 
 " don't forget that he saved your brother's life ! " 
 
 There was more meaning in his speech than his 
 words showed, and even then it occurred to me how 
 passing strange it was that Will should be pleading 
 with me in Roger's behalf; but I was little like to 
 forget that service, nor a hundred other things that 
 must be laid to Roger's credit; yet against them 
 there was one fact that outweighed all. 
 
 It was with a heavy, heavy heart that I went down 
 the stairs to meet one very dear to me, believing that 
 in all likelihood I would never see him again save
 
 A Farewell 221 
 
 by some accident. The bitterness I had felt that 
 morning, when, on a sudden, I had realized my 
 changed feelings, had passed away, and with the 
 passing had come a clear vision of my duty to myself 
 and to Roger as well. 
 
 I found him pacing the room impatiently, but as 
 I entered he sprang toward me and, ere I knew it, 
 held both my hands in his. 
 
 " Polly, dear," he cried, " I just couldn't wait a 
 minute longer to see you ! " 
 
 I looked up into his face, and the light in his 
 eyes confirmed his words. He was glad to see me, 
 there was no doubt of that, and 'twas useless to deny, 
 even to myself, that the sight of him brought a joy 
 to my heart. He was so big, and so manly, and so 
 honest withal, that no one could help liking him, and 
 I, who had known him for years, had never found 
 him aught but thoughtful of my welfare and the 
 happiest companion in all the world. 
 
 He was dressed bravely in a captain's uniform 
 and to my thinking was very handsome, tricked out 
 in all his finery, but oh, how glad I would have been, 
 had the gilded buttons borne another emblem than 
 that of the British crown. There lay the barrier be- 
 tween us, and the gay attire that so well set off his 
 fine figure was the sign of all that made our further 
 friendship impossible. 
 
 " Now that Will and I have settled our silly quar- 
 rel," he went on gaily, " I can come to the house as 
 in the old days. But you don't seem very glad to 
 see your prisoner again." 
 
 " Yes, I am," I answered with truth, withdrawing 
 my hands from his and seating myself. " I want 
 to thank you for what you did for Will." 
 
 " Oh, Polly ! " he cried, taking a chair opposite 
 me, "why should there be thanks between us? I
 
 222 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 could do no less, seeing that you had saved my life." 
 
 " We'll cry quits then," I said, though 'twas not 
 a gracious speech. 
 
 " Nay, we'll do no such thing," he insisted. " I 
 prefer not to forget my debt to you. But speaking 
 of Will," he went on hurriedly, " I have no wish to 
 know aught of his whereabouts; but were I he, and 
 found myself in New York, I should not delay to 
 quit the town. We mean to guard it close." 
 
 He intended the words to be a kindly warning, 
 and I doubted not in telling me this, took liberties 
 with his strict duties, but to my ears there was some- 
 thing of a threat in his speech, though I knew he had 
 no such thought in his mind. 
 
 " Do not let us talk of Will," I said, for I had no 
 wish to be further beholden to him, " there is some- 
 thing I must say to you." 
 
 He noted the seriousness of my manner and be- 
 came grave on the instant. 
 
 " What is it, Polly? " he asked. " I knew there 
 was something amiss the moment I came in." 
 
 I would gladly have spared Roger unnecessary 
 pain, and searched about in my mind for words to 
 ease the blow, but I was ever blunt of speech and 
 could only blurt out what I had to say. 
 
 4 You must not come to see me again, ""I declared 
 with as much positiveness as I could muster. 
 
 He looked at me a moment as if not able to com- 
 prehend what I had said. 
 
 " What are you thinking about, Polly? " he asked. 
 " Know you not that Will and I have made up our 
 quarrel? " 
 
 " This has naught to do with Will," I told him. 
 " 'Tis a matter betwixt us, Roger, and 'tis not a 
 quarrel, at least of our making." 
 
 " Of course, there is no quarrel between us," he
 
 A Farewell 223 
 
 assented. "How could there be? I don't under- 
 stand, Polly." 
 
 " Can't you see, Roger," I explained, " that we 
 can't be friends and enemies, too?" 
 
 " Enemies ! " he repeated vaguely, and then on 
 a sudden he took my meaning. " Is it because I am 
 fighting for the King?" 
 
 " Yes, that is it," I replied. 
 
 " But, Polly, you said a year ago, when first I went 
 to Boston, that this war could make no difference 
 between us," he asserted. 
 
 " Ay, but that was a year ago," I murmured. 
 
 " Is it Hamilton? " he burst out, and I saw the 
 light of jealousy leap into his eyes. 
 
 " Nay, Roger, it is not Mr. Hamilton," I said as 
 gently as I could. " Surely it is enough that you are 
 against all I hold most dear." 
 
 " But what has a maid to do with politics? " he 
 challenged. 
 
 " Naught, perhaps," I assented, " but when war 
 comes 'tis not the men only who have parts to play. 
 I, too, am a patriot! " 
 
 " What is that between us? " he demanded. 
 
 " Everything! " I declared solemnly. 
 
 He looked at me in silence for a time, then strode 
 across the room restlessly. 
 
 " I don't understand, Polly," he burst out, and 
 in truth I knew he did not. " I think no less of 
 your father and Will because we differ honestly over 
 what is best for these Colonies. I think they are 
 wrong to take up arms against the King but I 
 love them none the less on that account. Why then, 
 should you, who are outside the conflict, let this 
 wretched war come between us? " 
 
 " But I am not outside the conflict," I insisted 
 warmly. " The patriot cause is the cause of every
 
 224 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 man, woman and child in our land. Could I shoot 
 a musket I should be with our soldiers; but, failing 
 that, I must do what comes to my hand, though 'tis 
 little enough." 
 
 " You're not the old Polly any more," he sighed. 
 
 " Ay, there you're right," I agreed. 
 
 "But what has changed you?" he questioned. 
 " You had no such thoughts as these a year ago." 
 
 " I was a child then," I answered, with more truth 
 than even I realized. " I knew naught of what war 
 meant, and thought to thrust it out of my life. I 
 said to myself that it was all politics " 
 
 " And so it is, Polly," ^ Roger cut in. " Tis all 
 the work of selfish politicians on both sides." 
 
 " Nay," I protested, rising to my feet, angered 
 at his scornful tones. " You English may be ruled 
 by selfish men, but with us 'tis different. Think you 
 Mr. Washington or Mr. Franklin are seeking aught 
 for their own advantages? " 
 
 " How can a maid know what may be in the minds 
 of such fellows? " he retorted with a sneer upon his 
 lips. 
 
 " Because I have seen and talked to those who 
 have followed them," I returned. 
 
 " Oh, young captains," he said, with a derisive 
 laugh. " 'Tis a kind of junket for them, and " 
 
 " Should you chance to meet Mr. Nathan Hale 
 you would learn better," I interrupted. 
 
 " They can all talk, I grant you," he mocked, 
 " and 'tis evident you have been carried away by 
 their endless oratory." 
 
 It was so plain that he could see no side but his 
 own that my resentment cooled. To argue further 
 was useless for I doubted not the honesty of his con- 
 victions, yet I did want him to understand how I 
 felt about the matter.
 
 A Farewell 225 
 
 " Listen, Roger," I began earnestly; " 'tis not talk 
 that has changed me, though I grant you I have 
 heard a deal of that. How it has come about I 
 scarce know myself, but oh, Roger, I cannot think 
 of the poor soldiers that your men drove out of 
 Long Island, without a pain in my heart. I saw 
 them wounded, hungry and well-nigh dropping with 
 fatigue, and heard their pitiful cries of joy at the 
 sight of the little food I could offer them. I had 
 called myself a patriot before, but, when I saw how 
 brave they were to meet death, I asked myself why 
 they did it." 
 
 "And could you find an answer?" Roger ques- 
 tioned soberly. 
 
 " Ay, the real one," I told him. " They were 
 ready to give up their lives so that those that came 
 after them might be free. They were ready to go 
 to their graves for the cause they believed in, and 
 that cause was mine, too. I want to be a patriot 
 in more than words how then can I be the friend 
 of one who is an enemy to those who suffer for my 
 country." 
 
 " Do you mean that we shall never be friends 
 again?" Roger asked. 
 
 " How can we be? " I answered. 
 
 " Polly, I'll give up my commission in the army. 
 I'll do anything for your sake," he burst out. 
 
 " But in your heart you would be an enemy still." 
 
 " Nay, and you must have the truth there is 
 naught but you in my heart ! " cried Roger. " Say 
 the word and I'll give up my sword on the morrow." 
 
 I shook my head sadly. 
 
 'Tis not my word that must decide the matter," 
 I said. " I would not have you change for no better 
 reason than that. No, Roger, we must say good- 
 bye," and I held out my hand to him.
 
 226 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Do you really mean that I must not come 
 back? " he faltered, his voice breaking as he spoke. 
 
 " Yes," I answered, " there is no other way." 
 
 He looked at me searchingly for an instant, then 
 seizing my hand he kissed it, and the next moment 
 passed quickly out of the house. 
 
 For a time I stood as he had left me, unconscious 
 of aught but a great ache in my heart. Dumbly I 
 turned to go upstairs, but had not the courage to 
 face mother and Will then, so I sought the surgery 
 and threw myself upon the couch, letting my tears 
 flow as they would. 
 
 Surely, if to send Roger away was a measure of 
 my love for my country, then indeed was I a patriot.
 
 Seizing my hand he kissed it and the next moment passed 
 swiftly out of the house.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 UNWELCOME GUESTS 
 
 IT is perhaps fortunate that I had little leisure 
 after Roger's departure. To be sure I hadn't 
 seen him for a year or more and had even 
 thought of him as dead, but the hope that he might 
 be alive had never been wholly abandoned. Now 
 he had come back to me only to go again, leaving an 
 empty place in my life, and had I found the time to 
 dwell upon the sorrow of it I should have passed 
 many hours of misery. As it was, my anxieties for 
 those dear to me kept my mind on other matters, 
 and it was only when night came that my pillow was 
 sometimes wet with tears ere I went to sleep. 
 
 I was scarce dressed next morning when a great 
 hammering on the front door set my heart a-pound- 
 ing for fear that another search for Will was about 
 to be made, and I hurried down stairs. 
 
 Betty was ahead of me and as I reached the en- 
 trance she glanced at me with apprehension. 
 
 And well she might for there stood a British ser- 
 geant with half a dozen men behind him. It seemed 
 as if my worst fears were about to be realized and 
 there was a huge lump in my throat, but I nerved 
 myself to face them as bravely as I might. 
 
 " Whose house is this? " the sergeant demanded, 
 abruptly. 
 
 'Tis the house of Dr. Trotter, sir," I answered 
 politely, lest I should anger him. 
 
 227
 
 228 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Where is he?" he asked. 
 
 " He is away upon his duty," I replied readily. 
 
 "Duty? What duty? '\ 
 
 " For a doctor, sir, 'tis attendance upon his 
 patients." 
 
 " And these patients? Are they rebels or Loyal- 
 ists? " he snapped. 
 
 " Father physics both," I answered after a mo- 
 ment's hesitation. " I've heard him declare that 
 sickness takes no account of politics, favouring 
 neither King nor Congress." 
 
 " Ha ! " he grunted. " 'Tis a wise and wily man 
 who can please both sides. But 'twill scarce gull me. 
 Paint the letter, Bill!" And forthwith a man 
 armed with naught more warlike than a pot of paint 
 and a broad brush, scrawled a huge red " R " upon 
 the door of our house 
 
 "What does that mean?" I asked, and a titter 
 went up at my evident dismay. 
 
 " It means that this is a rebel house, young 
 missy," the sergeant answered, " and you may take 
 it from me that we shall keep a good watch upon it 
 in case the doctor returns on a sudden." 
 
 With that they went off to another dwelling and so 
 marked many throughout the city. 
 
 For myself I cared naught what the British might 
 paint upon the door, and had no fear that father 
 would return that way, but two facts were evident 
 from this visit; first that the British were prompt to 
 force their rule upon the city and second; that a 
 special watch would now be kept upon our house, 
 tnus adding one more obstacle to Will's escape. 
 
 But this was by no means the end of our difficul- 
 ties for I had scarce reached the top stair again on 
 my way to Will's room when another sharp bang 
 on the door brought me to a halt.
 
 Unwelcome Guests 229 
 
 " Fo' the land sake who's comin' now? " I heard 
 Betty mutter, as she went back to answer this second 
 summons. 
 
 I ran down and was just behind her as she admitted 
 a group of British officers, who pushed through into 
 the. passage with scant ceremony. A rather elderly 
 man led and, seeing me, scowled darkly. 
 
 " Where is the mistress of this rebel house? " he 
 demanded, without any compliment of hat or 
 greeting. 
 
 " That duty is mine, sir," I replied, " seeing that 
 my mother is ill." 
 
 " Humph ! " he grunted, and without further ado 
 began an inspection of the first floor followed by two 
 or three younger officers. 
 
 My one thought, of course, was that another party 
 had come for Will, and a great fear entered my 
 heart for I could see no way to warn him. Should 
 I leave my unceremonious visitors abruptly any sus- 
 picion they might have entertained would be con- 
 firmed and moreover, even should I succeed in tell- 
 ing my brother what was a-foot, I saw no ready 
 means for him to escape. With a double pang of 
 regret I realized that this time there would be no 
 Roger to save him. 
 
 But though I was still trembling with alarm I soon 
 saw that I was mistaken in our visitors' purpose. 
 The elder officer seemed not to be making any thor- 
 ough search. He but glanced into one room after 
 another, and though now and then he would nod his 
 head as if what he saw satisfied him, there was no 
 close scrutiny and I began to have a measure of hope. 
 
 " What rooms have you above? " he asked, com- 
 ing to a stop at the foot of the stairs. 
 
 I told him, though why he should wish to know 
 was still a mystery.
 
 230 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " And do I understand that you and your mother 
 are the only occupants of the house? " he questioned. 
 
 " There's Betty, too," I replied, indicating the 
 black servant at my side. 
 
 He glanced at her sharply as if he had been un- 
 aware of her presence till that moment, and she 
 curtsied politely, though I felt sure her knees were 
 shaking. 
 
 " You will take three," he informed me, and made 
 a move to leave. 
 
 " Three what, sir? " I asked blankly. 
 
 " Officers," he said, shortly. 
 
 " Soldiers here ! " I cried in dismay. 
 
 "Ay, why not?" he demanded, his thin jaws 
 coming together with a snap. 
 
 " My mother, sir, is very ill and ." 
 
 " Your mother need not be disturbed," he inter- 
 rupted. " The officers of His Majesty's service are 
 gentlemen." 
 
 " But, sir," I pleaded, " there are hundreds of 
 empty houses in the town. Cannot these officers 
 take one of them?" 
 
 " Nay, an empty house holds a cold welcome," 
 he answered, with a grim chuckle. 
 
 " I'm but an indifferent housekeeper, sir," I began, 
 but again he cut me short. 
 
 " Enough," he retorted angrily. " 'Tis plain you 
 are an unwilling hostess. Nevertheless, you will 
 have three officers quartered on you, and if you take 
 my advice you will prepare at once for their recep- 
 tion. We mean to teach the rebels of this city where 
 their duty lies." 
 
 With a curt nod he turned his back upon me and 
 stalked out of the house, followed by the others. 
 
 For a moment or two Betty and I gazed at each 
 other in consternation.
 
 Unwelcome Guests 231 
 
 " Sakes alive, Miss Polly ! " Betty exclaimed at 
 length, " how is we-all gwine to feed them hungry 
 soldier mens? " 
 
 Her words brought me back to my senses and I 
 started up the stairs. 
 
 " Come, Betty, I'll need your help," I called to 
 her. " As to feeding the British officers, that must 
 take care of itself when the time comes. We have 
 graver things to occupy us now." 
 
 I hurried to Will's room, Betty following more 
 slowly, and found him seated at the window with 
 his injured leg propped up on a chair. He was fully 
 dressed and I was amazed that a night's rest could 
 have altered his appearance so much for the better. 
 He seemed strong, alert and ready for any emer- 
 gency, so that for the moment my joy at seeing him 
 so well recovered put all other thoughts out of my 
 head. 
 
 1 You're better, Will! " I exclaimed. 
 
 " Ay, I'm fit for anything when I've had some 
 breakfast," he added with a laugh. 
 
 " And how is your poor leg? " I asked. 
 
 " 'Tis nigh as good as ever," he answered, get- 
 ting to his feet, and limping about the room to 
 show me. " I'm keeping it cocked up so that it 
 will be well healed against my adventure to- 
 night." 
 
 This brought me with a jerk to the difficulties 
 ahead of us. 
 
 " I fear you cannot wait until to-night, Will," I 
 said. 
 
 "What's up, sis?" he asked, noting the anxiety 
 in my voice. 
 
 " The house is marked with a great red ' R ' to 
 show that we are rebels, and we are to have three 
 officers quartered upon us." I rattled off the words
 
 232 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 in one breath in an effort to give him the whole of 
 my news at once. 
 
 "Humm! The Britishers are not so slow as I 
 thought," he murmured, half to himself. " When 
 do you expect your new guests? " 
 
 " I was ordered to prepare for them at once," I 
 answered. 
 
 " 'Twill be awkward," he said absently, shaking 
 his head in perplexity. 
 
 " Will it not be best for you to leave before they 
 come?" I suggested. 
 
 " Nay, 'tis impossible to slip through in the day- 
 time," he replied. " I have been peeping out from 
 behind the curtains, and the city is alive with bloody- 
 backs. I think they must have brought their entire 
 army in. No, I can't go to-night, Polly." 
 
 " Then you must e'en hide somewhere," I de- 
 clared. " This room will be taken by one of the 
 officers, another must have my room and the third 
 the spare chamber. Where can I put you? " 
 
 " There's the rain-bar'el, Miss Polly," Betty sug- 
 gested, having come in as we talked. " I done let 
 out the water jes' in case," she added. 
 
 " 'Tis well thought of," I agreed, heartily. 
 " You can stay safe in the cistern till it is dark." 
 
 " Nay," said Will, with a positive shake of his 
 head, " I'll not sit in a damp rain-barrel with this 
 leg of mine for all the British in the Americas. I'll 
 stay quiet with mother till dark. 'Twill be as safe 
 as a church. The officers are scarce brutes enough 
 to disturb a lady when she is ill." 
 
 " Ay, they said as much," I assented, and so the 
 matter was settled. 
 
 Will went down at once, while Betty and I began 
 setting his chamber in order, taking good care to put 
 out of sight all evidence of his recent occupation;
 
 Unwelcome Guests 233 
 
 for it was in my mind to conceal the very fact that 
 I had a brother if I could manage it. 
 
 Betty and I worked hard, but there was still much 
 to be done when a third summons interrupted us. 
 
 " There they is now," Betty half sobbed. 
 
 " Nay, 'tis too soon," I answered, as I left her to 
 finish and went myself to see who knocked. 
 
 On opening the door I faced a young officer who 
 was quite different from any one I had ever seen 
 before. My brother Will had no taste for finery, 
 deeming such fallals fit only for women. Indeed, 
 he was rather inclined to poke fun at Roger, who 
 had a liking for rich velvets and at Mr. Hamilton, 
 who was accounted a great dandy; but even these 
 would have appeared ill-habited beside the master- 
 piece who greeted me upon the stoop. He was 
 small, well-nigh insignificant in stature, but he man- 
 aged to convey an impression of distinction and ele- 
 gancy that is difficult to put into words. 
 
 He stood at the entrance holding up a gold quiz- 
 zing-glass and as I curtsied he honoured me with a 
 bow which no dancing master I had ever seen could 
 approach, so graceful was he and withal so dignified. 
 At first sight this gentleman looked very young in- 
 deed, but Tater I decided that he must be a man of 
 at least thirty years. 
 
 "Is it Madam Trotter?" he asked, smoothly, 
 and at my nod went on. " I pray you pardon this 
 intrusion, which I vow is inexcusable, and remember 
 in my favour that I am but a pawn in the game. I 
 must e'en go where I am sent, but I shall do my 
 utmost to make my residence as little irksome to 
 you as possible." 
 
 I saw that here was the first of my unwelcome 
 guests, but his words reassured me somewhat and 
 I was about to acknowledge his courtesy when he
 
 234 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 stepped into the house and closed the door behind 
 him, still talking as if he had a speech to make and 
 wished no interruption till it was finished. 
 
 " 'Tis little I require. A pallet of straw for my- 
 self and a bed on the floor for my servant. The 
 only favour I would ask of you is a pair of silken 
 sheets, for I find it impossible to sleep 'twixt home- 
 spun. As for food, my tastes are simple. Orto- 
 lans, cooked with slices of China ginger, or larks' 
 tongues seethed in milk " 
 
 Here he was interrupted by a double knock on the 
 door and with a glance of annoyance went on 
 hurriedly. 
 
 " 'Tis the others, no doubt, and I call you to wit- 
 ness, Mistress Trotter, ma'am, that I was first upon 
 the ground; for ' first come is first served ' in these 
 rough campaigns." 
 
 I could not but smile at my pretty gentleman's 
 anxiety as I opened the door to admit two other 
 officers, one of whom was bluff and ready, while the 
 third was considerably older and had a foreign air 
 about him. 
 
 "Egad, Hauptman!" cried the first of these, 
 " we're none too soon. * Gone away,' I shouted, 
 when I heard we were to lodge together, and gave 
 the view hello ! Off we trotted, hot upon the scent 
 and" 
 
 " And arrive' late ! " the third officer interrupted, 
 and at his speech with its marked German accent, I 
 knew that here we had one of the dreaded Hessians 
 to deal with. 
 
 " Ay," agreed the younger man readily, " he has 
 the edge on us. And I lay you five to seven he has 
 already asked for ortolans with ginger." 
 
 " I take you," said the Hessian, solemnly, " and 
 to you I'll say 'tis larks' tongues seethed in milk."
 
 Unwelcome Guests 235 
 
 With great seriousness the two gentlemen drew 
 forth their tablets to enter these wagers, ignoring 
 the little dandy who stood silently regarding them 
 through his quizzing-glass with an expression of 
 utter weariness in his face. 
 
 "And now who wins?" demanded the younger 
 man gaily, looking to me for an answer. 
 
 Though I had been brought up to abhor gambling 
 I could not, for the life of me forbear a smile. 
 
 " He asked for ortolans," I said to the English- 
 man, and would have gone on but he cut me short 
 with a great shout of triumph. 
 
 " Ah, ha ! " he cried in high good humour, " hand 
 over the yellow boys, Hauptman." 
 
 With no very good grace the Hessian drew forth 
 a netted purse and counted out the money, giving up 
 the coins with evident reluctance. 
 
 " But he also asked for larks' tongues seethed in 
 milk! " I explained, as the money changed hands. 
 
 " The glutton ! " exclaimed the young man, giving 
 back the gold pieces cheerfully. " Who would have 
 thought he'd ask for both? " 
 
 "Thinking differs from laughing, in that he who 
 thinks first thinks best," drawled the dandy, speaking 
 to no one in particular. 
 
 " Ay, Dawson, with all your foppery you're quick 
 enough when your comfort is concerned," the young 
 Englishman commented merrily. 
 
 " If you will permit me, Mistress Trotter," our 
 macaroni went on, addressing me and ignoring his 
 friend, " I shall be glad to present these noisy per- 
 sons to you. This," he waved a hand airily toward 
 the Hessian, " is Herr Adelbert Hauptman. This," 
 languidly indicating the young Englishman, " is Lieu- 
 tenant, the Honourable Ethelbert Mauleverer 
 Scott"
 
 236 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Scotty, for short," put in the incorrigible youth 
 with a loud laugh. 
 
 " And I," the dandy continued, scorning the in- 
 terruption, " am Captain Laurence Dawson, your 
 obedient and humble servant to command." 
 
 He ended with a most elaborate bow, and I 
 curtsied to each of the men in turn, who acknowl- 
 edged it most ceremoniously. 
 
 " Gentlemen," I said, thinking it as good a time 
 as any to speak my mind to them, " that you may be 
 comfortable in this house is my hope, but if you have 
 come expecting luxuries I fear you are doomed to 
 disappointment. My mother is ill. All of our 
 trained servants have fled at the approach of your 
 armies, and it is scarce possible to secure the bare 
 necessities; so that there will be no flummeries and 
 such like." 
 
 " Nay, Mistress Trotter, do not worry on our 
 account," said Mr. Scott heartily. " Give us what 
 you have and we shall be more than thankful. As 
 for Dawson and his ortolans " 
 
 " Your pardon, Scotty," the exquisite captain 
 broke in, " Dawson hath a tongue of his own. Mis- 
 tress Trotter," he went on, turning to me, " I allow 
 no man to exceed me in consideration. I shall do 
 my humble best to make our presence in your home 
 as little irksome as the exigencies of the position per- 
 mit. As for the ortolans eh oh ah ! " 
 
 His voice rose in a little sing-song and he ended 
 with a graceful wave of his hand skyward, as if waft- 
 ing away for all time a subject in which he had no 
 further interest. 
 
 The ready courtesy of the two Englishmen quite 
 won me to them, and I confess that neither then nor 
 later could I muster any degree of hatred for the 
 mannerly gentlemen who were indeed the enemies of
 
 Unwelcome Guests 237 
 
 my country but ever thoughtful and considerate of 
 mother and me. 
 
 As for Herr Adelbert Hauptman, the Hessian, I 
 noted at the time that he uttered no expression of 
 regret for the trouble his presence might entail nor 
 any promise to ease the burden of it.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 AN OPEN DOOR 
 
 IT was perfectly evident from the beginning that 
 the relations between the two Englishmen and 
 the Hessian officer were none too cordial. 
 This became apparent when, in selecting which 
 rooms they should occupy, Captain Dawson, who 
 was entitled to the spare-room, elected to share 
 Will's quarters upon the third floor with Mr. Scott 
 because he refused to see me put to inconveniency 
 by giving up my chamber to the German. This 
 quite won my regard, for although Ihad determined 
 to sleep with mother in any case, by this arrange- 
 ment my belongings were in no wise disturbed. At 
 this time it scarce seemed to make any difference how 
 our enforced guests disposed themselves, but no later 
 than that night I found that many anxious days might 
 have been spared us had Herr Hauptman been more 
 popular with his fellow officers. 
 
 By this arrangement, however, there was little to 
 do in preparation once Will's room was in order, 
 and I left the men to install themselves as they 
 pleased. This they did promptly and soon order- 
 lies were coming and going, bearing bags, boxes and 
 despatch boxes innumerable. They made an office 
 for themselves in the surgery and I may say here 
 that they were busy all the day and often well into 
 the night. 
 
 My chief concern was, of course, for Will. The 
 presence of the strangers added many times to the 
 
 238
 
 An Open Door 239 
 
 danger of his being discovered and kept me on ten- 
 ter-hooks for fear a chance word or an accidental 
 noise might betray him. He was safe, for the time 
 being at least, in the little powdering-closet adjoin- 
 ing mother's room, as all the officers were at great 
 pains not to disturb her. Indeed, 'twas as good as 
 a play to see Dandy Dawson, as Mr. Scott called 
 him, go mincing by the door on tiptoe lest the patient 
 within be annoyed, an example which the others were 
 prompt to follow; for in spite of his womanish ways 
 and pretty vanities Captain Dawson was no weak- 
 ling and, when he was so minded, put a force into 
 his politest speeches that made him much looked-up 
 to by his fellows. 
 
 Notwithstanding their consideration it was with 
 considerable impatience that I awaited the nightfall, 
 desiring to see Will started upon his journey. I 
 lost sight of the hazard he was like to encounter 
 outside of the house in view of the closer menace 
 within. 
 
 And Will himself held to this opinion of the mat- 
 ter, or at least so he expressed himself. 
 
 " Once away from here I shall be all right," he 
 whispered confidently, as we talked it over in moth- 
 er's room. " When they are sound asleep I shall 
 steal down, and none will be the wiser." 
 
 So certain was I of the success of his plan that I 
 fretted only that the hours passed so slowly. And 
 until evening naught happened to shake this con- 
 fidence. 
 
 At noontime, while the officers were having their 
 dinner, I loaded a tray with food enough for all and 
 took it upstairs where we three had a happy, though 
 very silent meal together. Mother, firm in her de- 
 termination to grow strong against the time when we 
 could quit New York, sat in a chair before the little
 
 240 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 sewing-table whereon I had set the tray and seemed 
 to improve hourly. 
 
 Again at eventide we had a hearty supper for, 
 thinking it more than probable that he might be de- 
 layed upon the road, I was minded to have Will well 
 fortified for his journey, and to this I lay the start 
 of the suspicion that upset our project. 
 
 Following my plan of dinner-time, I carried our 
 supper upstairs while the officers were at table and, 
 when we had eaten, piled the dishes upon the tray 
 intent upon returning them to the kitchen while our 
 guests lingered over their walnuts. With Will out 
 of sight in the powdering-closet, I left the room in- 
 cautiously, having little fear of meeting anybody. 
 I was obliged to place the tray on the floor of the 
 hall in order to close the door behind me and as I 
 stooped to pick it up again I heard some one come 
 bounding up the stairs. I straightened with my bur- 
 den and faced Herr Hauptman just as he reached 
 the top step. 
 
 He looked surprised, moved back a pace to let 
 me pass, and then his glance fell upon the tray I 
 carried. 
 
 " It is a heavy load for a miss to carry," he said, 
 lifting his bushy brows, but I noted he made no effort 
 to relieve me. 
 
 " 'Tis not too heavy," I replied, and was for going 
 on, but he made a motion as if to bar my way. 
 
 " Your mother has a fine appetite for an invalid," 
 he commented, gazing down upon the empty dishes. 
 
 " I, too, must eat," I told him boldly. 
 
 " Ach so ! " he murmured, his harsh accent more 
 pronounced than ever. " Still, even for a stout 
 girl " He shrugged and turned his look upon 
 mother's door, shaking his head thoughtfully the 
 while.
 
 An Open Door 241 
 
 He seemed in two minds what to do, and I grew 
 fearful lest he should push his inquiry further. So 
 for a moment we stood in silence. Then, with never 
 a civil word, he passed me and went straight to the 
 guest-chamber at the end of the hall. 
 
 I saw naught in this incident to cause me any great 
 alarm, but it made me uneasy, and, after depositing 
 my dishes in the kitchen, I hurried back to tell Will 
 of it. 
 
 He made light of the affair as was his wont, and 
 so I was reassured, nevertheless I could not deny 
 that it would be a huge relief to have him quit of 
 the house, and we settled down to wait as patiently 
 as we could for the time of his escape. 
 
 Our plan was simple enough. After nightfall, 
 once the streets had grown quiet, I was to make sure 
 the coast was clear inside, whereupon Will would 
 slip down the stairs and out the back by way of the 
 garden. We reckoned eleven the right hour and, 
 when at length it struck, Will kissed us both good- 
 bye, reminding us again of the plans he had for get- 
 ting us out of the city. 
 
 " I will see you soon again, mother dear," I heard 
 him whisper, and I blew out the candles ere I ven- 
 tured forth to spy whether or no any one was about. 
 
 It was understood that Will was to await my re- 
 turn from this inspection of the lower floor and the 
 garden, so I opened the door softly and stepped 
 forth. But at the threshold I halted, scarce able to 
 suppress a cry. Our way was blocked at the very 
 outset, for there was Herr Hauptman, sitting at the 
 little desk in the guest-chamber with his door set 
 wide so that he had a view of the entire length of 
 the hallway. He held a pen as if he had been writ- 
 ing, but even the slight click of mother's latch had 
 attracted his attention and he was looking at me
 
 242 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 over his shoulder. His face was in shadow so that 
 I could not see the expression of it, but his motion- 
 less figure gave an impression of sinister vigilance 
 and I was minded of a cat watching a mouse-hole. 
 For an instant I was about to turn back, but realized 
 in time that this would but confirm any suspicion he 
 might have, so, with a firm step albeit my knees 
 shook, I went to my own room. There I opened a 
 drawer in the press, took out the first garment my 
 hand touched, and at some pains to make a noise as 
 I closed it, returned to mother's room without haste. 
 As I entered, I looked back at Herr Hauptman. 
 He had not moved a hair's breadth but still sat 
 slightly bent forward across the desk, as if crouched 
 and ready on the instant to spring. I shuddered as 
 I went in and closed the door behind me. 
 
 ;' Is all safe, Polly? " Will whispered. 
 
 " Hush ! " I murmured, and at the tone he guessed 
 that something was amiss. 
 
 "What is it? " he asked, his mouth close to my 
 ear. 
 
 " I think we are watched," I answered, " come 
 away from the door. He may be listening." 
 
 We went to mother's bed on tip-toe. There, with 
 our heads together, and but half-breathing the 
 words, I told them the situation. 
 
 " Without doubt the Hessian has some sus- 
 picions," said Will. 
 
 " Ay," murmured mother, " and we dare do 
 naught to confirm it. 
 
 " He'll soon tire of his task," Will declared, con- 
 fidently. 
 
 " But 'twill be a risk to let Mary go out again," 
 mother cautioned. " Will it not seem strange to 
 have her going in and out at night in this way? " 
 
 " Jhat's well thought of," Will agreed.
 
 An Open Door 243 
 
 " Nay, I could try once again safely," I predicted. 
 " In an hour or two I can go to the kitchen to seek a 
 posset for mother. 'Twill seem but natural for an 
 invalid, and " 
 
 " Ay, that's a likely plan," my brother inter- 
 rupted, and so 'twas settled. 
 
 While we waited I went into the closet and donned 
 a dressing-wrapper, braided my hair into two tight 
 pig-tails and slipped on my slippers. This I did in 
 order that it might look as if I had but newly 
 risen from my bed, should I meet any one upon the 
 way. 
 
 'Twas well past midnight when I set forth again 
 and for an instant hope sprang up in my breast for 
 the candles were out in the Hessian's chamber. But 
 the next moment my spirits drooped. In the dim 
 light I made out that the door of his room still stood 
 open and I could not be certain that the man slept. 
 
 But I was not left long in doubt. Out of the 
 darkness came the harsh voice of Herr Hauptman. 
 
 " Is aught amiss? " he asked, and though I could 
 not see him for the gloom, I guessed he stood just 
 within the chamber. 
 
 " Nay, I go for mother's posset," I answered, but 
 my lips trembled with fear and vexation, and I was 
 thankful he could not see me. 
 
 " I regret I cannot help you with that," he re- 
 marked, " but should aught occur where I can be 
 of service, I beg you will summon me. You will not 
 need to call loud for I am a light, a so light sleeper, 
 Miss Trotter." 
 
 The words were polite enough and I could do no 
 less than murmur hurried thanks, but there was 
 menace rather than courtesy in his speech and I sped 
 to the kitchen knowing well that my brother dare not 
 quit the house that night.
 
 244 Po% Trotter, Patriot 
 
 I returned betimes with the milk and wine and 
 told my tale to mother and Will. They, too, saw 
 the danger of any further attempt, and that there 
 was naught for it but to wait through another day. 
 We tried to get what sleep we could, poor Will being 
 obliged to stretch himself out on the floor of the 
 closet, but my slumbers were fitful and I dreamed 
 more than once of Herr Hauptman seated at the 
 desk, gazing malevolently at me over his left 
 shoulder. 
 
 Yet on the following day there was naught to 
 show that the Hessian officer even harboured a sus- 
 picion. He greeted me as politely as he knew how, 
 going about his business with complete indifference, 
 so far as I could judge, to my comings and goings. 
 As a matter of fact I saw little of him or the others 
 for I kept away from the front of the house as much 
 as I could. 
 
 When we talked the matter over in mother's room 
 our confidence returned and we concluded that Herr 
 Hauptman's actions of the night before had no par- 
 ticular significance, though of this I was not wholly 
 satisfied. At any rate we looked forward hopefully 
 to Will's escape that night, only to be disappointed 
 again, for once more the Hessian kept wide his door 
 and Will dared not venture forth. It was exasper- 
 ating enough to strain the stoutest fortitude. In 
 three strides from mother's room my brother would 
 be out of sight of this silent watcher; but though 
 the distance was short 'twas long enough to hang 
 him an he tried to compass it. 
 
 We strove to bolster up our courage by telling 
 each other that it was mere accident and that the 
 next night our chance would come, but I cannot think 
 any of us really believed it now, though Will lacked 
 not the pluck to laugh silently at our alarms.
 
 An Open Door 245 
 
 Another day came and with it an end to all doubt. 
 Early in the forenoon, bent upon some errand I have 
 now forgotten, I had just passed the open door of 
 the surgery when the grating voice of Herr Haupt- 
 man brought me to a sudden stop all a-tremble. 
 
 " But I insist that the room shall be searched," 
 he stated loudly. 
 
 " Ah, yes, so you said before," said Captain Daw- 
 son suavely. " And I must point out once, more, 
 Herr Hauptman, that 'tis not the British custom to 
 war on invalids and children." 
 
 "Yes, you English are fools!" the Hessian 
 blurted out. 
 
 " In your teeth, sir! " Mr. Scott cried angrily, and 
 I heard a chair pushed back. 
 
 " This Hessian dog needs a lesson in the civilities," 
 came the calm accents of Dandy Dawson, " which 
 I shall be most happy to bestow." 
 
 The next instant I heard the rattle of a blade be- 
 ing drawn from its scabbard and, returning to the 
 door, looked into the room. 
 
 'Twas not Captain Dawson's weapon that had 
 made the ominous noise. That exquisite gentleman 
 stood calmly before the wrathful foreigner, as im- 
 perturbable as ever, daintily turning back the lace 
 ruffles at his wrists while the Hessian, brandishing his 
 naked sword, growled not unlike the animal to which 
 he had just been compared. 
 
 " Nay, Dawson ! " exclaimed Mr. Scott, " there 
 is no need to soil the best blade in the army to teach 
 this fellow manners. I'll put him through his paces," 
 and his hand went to his side as he stepped before the 
 Captain. 
 
 " Oh, I pray you," I cried in panic, " do not quar- 
 rel, gentlemen. Remember that my mother is ill 
 and that her room is just above."
 
 246 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 Mr. Scott's face showed something of disappoint- 
 ment as they all turned, but Captain Dawson looked 
 both grieved and embarrassed. 
 
 " A thousand pardons, Mistress Trotter," he said, 
 coming toward me. " I fear there is no excuse for 
 our unseemly brawling, but I assure you 'twill go no 
 further." 
 
 " Not here," Mr. Scott, put in with an angry glance 
 at Herr Hauptman, " but there are other times and 
 places." 
 
 " I but do my duty," the Hessian interrupted, " and 
 for my heated words I offer you apology; but as to 
 the matter which brought about this controversy, 
 that I shall see through, though it take me to head- 
 quarters! " 
 
 There was no doubt that the man meant what he 
 said and Captain Dawson exchanged a glance with 
 Mr. Scott that showed a resignation to the inevitable. 
 As for me, my heart sank at the prospect ahead of 
 me, for I could not escape from this difficulty. 
 
 " Be so kind as to be seated, Mistress Trotter," 
 Captain Dawson begged, placing a chair for me by 
 the table. 
 
 I did as he asked and tried to summon courage to 
 face the ordeal, but the strain of the situation was 
 telling on me and 'twas all I could manage to hold 
 back my tears for the time being. 
 
 The other gentlemen seated themselves and the 
 quizzing began. 
 
 " 'Tis a vastly delicate matter, Mistress Trotter," 
 the dandy hesitated, but Mr. Scott cut him short. 
 
 " Nay, you can put it in a nutshell," he said ir- 
 ritably, as if he hated the business and would have 
 done with it quickly. " Herr Hauptman wishes to 
 search your mother's room. Why we do not know, 
 but he says "
 
 An Open Door 247 
 
 " 'Tis as a precaution," the Hessian broke in. 
 " How can we tell she has not some spy concealed 
 there?" 
 
 " We can not, absolutely, I suppose," Mr. Scott 
 admitted, " but I vow 'tis a sin to harry a child and 
 an invalid." 
 
 " You will observe, Mistress Trotter," Captain 
 Dawson began, " that Mr. Scott and your most 
 obedient have no wish to pry into your private ar- 
 rangements." 
 
 " Egad, I should think not ! " declared Mr. Scott, 
 wholly disgusted. 
 
 " But Herr Hauptman means to press the mat- 
 ter," the Captain went on, " and we are therefore, 
 most reluctantly obliged to take some action. 'Tis 
 most distasteful to us. Perchance you can suggest a 
 way out of the difficulty? " 
 
 " Why, sir, 'tis not four days since that a sergeant 
 and half a dozen troopers searched the house from 
 top to bottom," I faltered, my distress mastering 
 me. 
 
 " Did they look into your mother's room?" de- 
 manded the Hessian. 
 
 " Ay, that they did," I answered, my voice full of 
 tears, " and I feared the shock would kill her." 
 
 " I pray you, do not grieve so," Captain Dawson 
 said, with sincere concern in his voice. " It desolates 
 me to see you suffer at our hands." 
 
 " 'Tis for my mother I am fearful," I replied. 
 
 " Tell us whether or not there is any one else in 
 her room now?" Herr Hauptman insisted, and to 
 do him justice I think he, too, was a little touched at 
 my misery. 
 
 " Nay, you would not believe me," I sobbed. 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders as if what I said was 
 indeed true.
 
 248 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " There's naught for it but a search of the room," 
 he muttered, and I was sure Will must be taken. 
 
 " Oh, please, Captain Dawson," I cried appeal- 
 ingly, " don't do that ! I dare not think of the shock 
 to my mother if more soldiers broke in upon her. 
 She is nigh distracted now, with worry and " 
 
 I stopped, for Captain Dawson and Mr. Scott 
 were looking over my head at something behind me. 
 My back was to the entrance of the room, but in- 
 stinctively I turned and there, framed in the door- 
 way, stood Mr. Nathan Hale, bowing smilingly to 
 my enemies.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE SCHOOLMASTER PAYS A VISIT 
 
 THE sight of Mr. Hale so dum founded me that 
 I sat with my mouth a-gape, staring at him 
 as if he were a ghost. He was dressed 
 plainly in a full-skirted coat, dark knee-breeches and 
 square-toed shoes with brass buckles. In his hand 
 he twitched a schoolmaster's hat of dull brown or 
 black, and his appearance contrasted mightily with 
 the remembrance I had of him when last he was in 
 our house. Then he was brave and erect in his bear- 
 ing, while now he stood slightly bent, humble in mein, 
 with a supplicating smile upon his lips. 
 
 " Egad, 'tis our schoolmaster ! " cried Mr. Scott, 
 and the other men greeted him as an old friend. 
 
 " I fear me I intrude upon your duties, gentle- 
 men," Mr. Hale remarked, and even his voice was 
 changed, for he spoke in a nasal whine, much affected 
 by the pedagogues. 
 
 " Ay, we have pressing business," grunted Herr 
 Hauptman. 
 
 " Most distasteful, most distasteful," murmured 
 Dandy Dawson, half to himself. 
 
 " I regret exceedingly to have interrupted upon 
 your useful labours," Mr. Hale went on, " but miss- 
 ing you for the last two days I took the liberty of 
 inquiring your whereabouts. Perchance I may call 
 again when you have more leisure." 
 
 " Nay, wait in the next room till we've finished 
 this pesky affair," suggested Mr. Scott. 
 
 249
 
 250 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Ay, do that," put in Mr. Dawson. " I vow 
 I've missed your drolleries infinitely. We must ar- 
 range for another merry meeting at the coffee-house." 
 
 " I await your pleasure, gentlemen," Mr. Hale 
 responded, and with a low bow he walked softly 
 away. 
 
 " If all your Provincials were as loyal as Master 
 Squaretoes we should not be here, Mistress Trotter," 
 Mr. Scott remarked to me. " 'Tis no great larks 
 for us, I can tell you." 
 
 But I scarce heard him. I was too bewildered 
 even to think. Not once had Mr. Hale so much as 
 glanced in my direction, and so different did he seem 
 that now he was gone I began to doubt my senses. 
 Could I be mistaken? I asked myself. In form and 
 features the man was no other than Captain Hale, 
 but there the resemblance ended. In naught else 
 was there the slightest hint of the dashing, Conti- 
 nental officer who had braved death to take a British 
 sloop but a short time back. 
 
 " And now," said Mr. Scott, " let us be done with 
 this plaguey search." 
 
 Confused though I was, I ceased to puzzle over 
 the mystery of this strange appearance of Mr. Hale 
 and summoned what wits were left me to save Will 
 if I could, though I felt that the battle was already 
 lost. 
 
 " Nay, have a thought for my poor mother," I 
 begged, looking from one to the other, for to work 
 upon their compassion seemed my only hope. 
 
 " We shall be but a minute," Herr Hauptman re- 
 plied, getting out of his chair restlessly. " She need 
 have no fear of us." 
 
 And at that I broke down and wept, for I could see 
 no way to thwart this surly officer who was not to be 
 moved from his purpose.
 
 The Schoolmaster Pays a Visit 251 
 
 " Egad, I can't support this," declared Captain 
 Dawson. " Nay, do not cry, Miss Trotter, 1 beg 
 of you." 
 
 " Will naught less than a search satisfy you, 
 Hauptman? " demanded Mr. Scott. " Must we all 
 go blundering into a sickroom on a fool's errand 
 to ease your suspicions? " 
 
 " Nay, we need not all go," retorted the Hessian. 
 " I can see for myself." 
 
 "You would not doubt my word, I take it?" 
 Captain Dawson inquired. 
 
 " Certainly not," Herr Hauptman replied, a little 
 nettled. " I have no wish to persecute a sick person. 
 All I ask is that some one I can trust takes a look 
 about. 'Tis a duty." 
 
 " Come, Mistress Trotter," Captain Dawson went 
 on, laying a kindly hand on my bowed shoulder, " I 
 promise not to alarm your mother, and we will have 
 it over with in a jiffy." 
 
 " The mere sight of your uniform will fright her," 
 I sobbed. " She may think you have come to take 
 her prisoner and " 
 
 " Then let the schoolmaster go," the Hessian 
 burst out, more moved by my tears than I would 
 have expected. " He wears no uniform and I have 
 heard him say he knows something of simples. Take 
 him to your mother in the guise of a physician." 
 
 " Now that's well thought of," cried Mr. Scott, 
 and forthwith called out through the door. " Hey, 
 Master Squaretoes ! We have a mission for 
 you." 
 
 " I wait upon you on the instant," came the whin- 
 ing reply from the other room. 
 
 Once more my thought went back to Mr. Hale and 
 for a moment it occurred to me that here was an es- 
 cape from the threatened peril, but this hope quickly
 
 252 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 faded. 'Twas plain enough the man must be a 
 traitor to be on intimate terms with officers of the 
 King's army, and, after the manner of traitors, he 
 was like to be more ruthless than those who kept 
 faith, albeit they were enemies. Had I dared I 
 would have protested against the suggestion that he 
 make the investigation, but I had come to the end 
 of my pleading. Having based my entreaty on 
 mother's alarm at the sight of a soldier, I could not 
 in reason murmur against the schoolmaster. 
 
 " In what way can my poor talents serve you? " 
 asked Mr. Hale, as he stepped into the room. 
 
 " Are we mistaken in thinking you know some- 
 thing of medicine? " asked Mr. Scott. 
 
 " Nay, I have some small knowledge of the art of 
 healing," was the ready answer. " But I make no 
 claim to any great skill." 
 
 Whereupon Captain Dawson aided by the Hes- 
 sian who failed not to point out the need of a thor- 
 ough search, explained the situation while I, with 
 my head bowed over the table, struggled to stifle the 
 dry sobs that shook me. 
 
 " I think 'twill not be beyond my small abilities to 
 personate a doctor for a time," said Mr. Hale at 
 the end, " and I promise you, Herr Hauptman, that 
 naught shall escape my notice. It is no small pleas- 
 ure, gentlemen, that I find myself able to be of 
 service." 
 
 At his treacherous words my anger at the mean 
 part he seemed to be playing dried up my tears and 
 stung me into self-control. I lifted my head and 
 looked at him, standing humbly before these officers 
 whose sworn enemy he had been but a short time be- 
 fore. Now he was ready to fawn upon them, to 
 do their slightest bidding, even to betray an old com- 
 rade if need be.
 
 The Schoolmaster Pays a Visit 253 
 
 But to Captain Dawson this solution of the diffi- 
 culty seemed a most happy one. 
 
 " I am rejoiced, Mistress Trotter," he said, en- 
 couragingly, " that we have been able to resolve all 
 your doubts. Sure your mother need take no fright 
 at a visit from a new physician, albeit he is a school- 
 master. Let me make you known to Master Nathan, 
 who hails, I believe, from the Massachusetts." 
 
 " Your most obedient," murmured the school- 
 master, and as he bowed to me our eyes met, while 
 for the fraction of an instant I seemed to see the 
 Captain Hale I had known before, for in the glance 
 there was a meaning that set my heart a-pounding. 
 
 " Your pardon, miss," he went on, " but I did not 
 catch the name." 
 
 Of a sudden a light seemed to break upon the 
 darkest of my doubts and a wild hope began to 
 struggle with the fear in my breast. 
 
 " My name is Polly Trotter, sir," I said, rising to 
 my feet. " I will warn my mother to expect your 
 visit." 
 
 I waited not for permission, but went straight out 
 of the room and up the steps in a sort of daze, only 
 half conscious of an objection on the part of Herr 
 Hauptman. 
 
 "Nay, man!" I heard Mr. Scott exclaim, "we 
 can watch the door from the foot of the stair." 
 
 I found mother dressed and seated at the win- 
 dow. At sight of me she straightened in her chair 
 and seemed to go a shade paler, though there was 
 scant colour in her face at any time. Without doubt 
 my wrought-up feelings were plain to be seen, for the 
 tears had hardly dried on my swollen eyelids. 
 
 "What is it, daughter?" she implored me, as I 
 went swiftly to her. 
 
 " Oh, mother, I scarce know myself," I replied,
 
 254 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 struggling to keep my feelings in hand, " but the 
 Hessian insists upon a search and where is Will? " 
 
 " In the powdering-closet to be sure," she an- 
 swered, and in a moment I had fetched him out. 
 
 *; Oh, Will," I murmured, " Mr. Hale is down 
 stairs and " 
 
 "Nathan Hale?" he interrupted, his eyes going 
 wide with astonishment. 
 
 "Ay, Nathan Hale!" I answered. "He's 
 dressed in the garb of a schoolmaster and is a great 
 favourite with the British officers." 
 
 ; ' With the British officers ! " Will repeated, 
 amazed. " Are you sure 'tis Hale? " 
 
 ' There is no doubt of it," I answered, though 
 he is named Mr. Nathan among them. He seems 
 a traitor, but but " 
 
 "Never ! " Will broke in. " Not a drop of blood 
 in his body but beats for the cause." 
 
 " Yet is he most friendly with our enemies, Will," 
 I faltered. 
 
 " Nay, an he hob-nobbed with General Howe I 
 should ne'er doubt him," declared Will with a loy- 
 alty and positiveness that ended my lingering dis- 
 trust. " See you not that he is here upon a mis- 
 sion? I would as lief question the patriotism of 
 Washington as of Hale. What is toward? " 
 
 " The Hessian means to search this room " I 
 began, but Will cut me short. 
 
 " Then give me my sword and let me out of here," 
 he cried, the light of battle coming into his eyes. 
 " I'll not be taken without a fight for it," and he 
 took a step toward the closet where lay his weapons. 
 
 " Nay, Will, wait," I said, hurriedly, clutching 
 him by the arm. " I pleaded with them not to send 
 soldiers for fear of frighting mother, so Mr. Hale 
 comes in their stead."
 
 The Schoolmaster Pays a Visit 255 
 
 He gazed at me for a moment as if he could scarce 
 believe me, then he smiled broadly. 
 
 " You've diddled them between you," he chuckled. 
 "When comes he?" 
 
 " He but tarries while I prepare mother for the 
 visit of a new physician," I answered. 
 
 " Fetch him up, Polly," Will said, eagerly. " I 
 vow I can scarce wait to clasp his hand. Hurry now 
 and I'll hide in the closet to give him a surprise, but 
 have a care lest you betray him." 
 
 So confident was my brother of Mr. Hale's loyalty 
 that my own suspicion was wholly set at rest and I 
 went out of the room to the head of the stairs. The 
 four waited below and, on a signal from me, Mr. 
 Hale, with a servile bow to the others, slowly 
 mounted the steps. Again doubts assailed me. 
 There was so much of the cringing schoolmaster 
 about him, and so little of the gallant Captain I 
 had known that I could not but be fearful. Never- 
 theless I had no choice and I led him boldly into 
 mother's room, once more a prey to all sorts of mis- 
 givings. 
 
 But the instant the door closed behind us Mr. 
 Hale changed in a twinkling. The manners of the 
 pedagogue dropped from him like a mantle and he 
 was the alert young soldier that I had known a few 
 months earlier. 
 
 " Quick, Miss Polly," he murmured, " I have 
 much to say," and he strode across to mother and 
 seated himself beside her while I followed close. 
 
 Mother gave him her hand in silence and he held 
 it for a moment or two as he talked. 
 
 " I am glad to see that you are better, Madam 
 Trotter," he began, speaking rapidly, in a low un- 
 dertone. " I bring you word from the doctor." 
 
 " Is he well? " mother asked anxiously.
 
 256 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Ay, in the best of health, but much concerned 
 for your welfare," Mr. Hale went on. " He is 
 most anxious to have you out of the city and bids 
 you make ready to leave upon the instant. We 
 shall contrive to arrange the matter with some one 
 of our loyal friends who is still here, so, when the 
 message comes, be ready to follow its instructions 
 without hesitation." 
 
 " Dr. Trotter still thinks me bed-ridden? " mother 
 questioned. 
 
 " Yes, but I shall be glad to relieve him on that 
 point," Mr. Hale answered. u He plans to have you 
 taken away in a chariot if possible. 'Twill not be 
 easy, but I think it can be managed. 
 
 11 We shall be ready," said mother firmly. 
 
 " Good," he murmured, and then a sad expression 
 came into his face. " I have a word to say, Madam 
 Trotter, which I would could be left unsaid," he 
 went on. " We have heard naught of Will since " 
 
 Now as we had listened, absorbed in Mr. Hale's 
 words my brother had tip-toed across the room and 
 stood behind the Captain's chair all unbeknown to 
 him. 
 
 " Do not fret for that scapegrace," he whispered, 
 leaning down, and at that Mr. Hale sprang to his 
 feet. 
 
 " Sure I'm right glad to see you, Trotter ! " he 
 exclaimed, softly. " We'd given you up for lost, 
 and here you are living on the fat of the land, safe 
 and sound." 
 
 " Ay, sound enough, but none too safe," Will an- 
 swered, at which Mr. Hale, remembering what had 
 brought him there, turned to me. 
 
 " My friend, the Hessian, was not far wrong in 
 his suspicions after all!" he said. "But have no 
 fear. The schoolmaster will satisfy him. I think
 
 The Schoolmaster Pays a Visit 257 
 
 you did not altogether trust me, Miss Polly," he 
 added, with a sly twinkle in his eyes. 
 
 " Oh, forgive me, Captain Hale," I pleaded. " I 
 am ashamed that I should have suspected you for a 
 moment, but I was so wrought-up and " 
 
 " Nay, ma'am," he interrupted, " say no more. 
 'Twas a great compliment you paid to my acting, and 
 moreover stood us both in good stead. Had you 
 not entertained some doubt of my intentions you 
 might have betrayed a previous knowledge and so 
 spoiled our play. As it is our friends downstairs 
 will be quite content with what I tell them." 
 
 "Why are you here at all, Hale?" Will de- 
 manded. " 'Tis no place for you." 
 
 " His Excellency needed information," the Cap- 
 tain explained. 
 
 " Then there were others whose business it was to 
 get it for him," said Will heatedly. " The cause 
 can ill spare you for such work." 
 
 " Nay, 'tis no ordinary mission," Mr. Hale in- 
 sisted. " A man who knew something of the art of 
 war was needed, and so I volunteered." 
 
 " Nevertheless you should not have undertaken it," 
 Will declared stubbornly. " I'll warrant Hull said 
 as much to you." 
 
 " Ay, he did and more," Mr. Hale admitted, 
 then added a solemn tone coming into his voice. 
 " But I told him that I owed it to my country to 
 accomplish an object of so much importance and I 
 knew no mode of obtaining the information but by 
 assuming a disguise and passing into the enemy's 
 camp." 
 
 " You are running a grave risk, Captain Hale," 
 said mother softly. 
 
 " Ay, madam," he responded with great gentle- 
 ness, " I am fully sensible of the consequences of
 
 258 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 discovery and capture in such a situation, but for a 
 year now I have been attached to the army and have 
 not rendered any material service." 
 
 " Why, you took the sloop 1 " I protested. 
 
 " An adventure," he returned scornfully. " That 
 was a poor return for the compensation I receive." 
 
 " They'll make you a colonel when you get back," 
 Will predicted. " That will be some satisfaction." 
 
 " Nay," returned Mr. Hale earnestly, " I am not 
 influenced by any expectation of promotion. I but 
 wish to be useful. But enough of this. We must 
 plan to get you out of the city, Trotter." 
 
 " Nay, an you're here I shall stay too," said Will. 
 " Surely you can make some use of me. ,Two strings 
 to a bow are better than one." 
 
 " Now that's well thought of," agreed the Cap- 
 tain. " I have wished many a time that there was 
 some one at hand I could trust to get my despatches 
 to His Excellency. Let me consider a moment." 
 
 We stood in silence watching Captain Hale, erect 
 and eager, and I could not help wondering how com- 
 pletely the schoolmaster had vanished. To be sure 
 he wore the same clothes, but in this case, at least, 
 they did not make the man. 
 
 " Listen, Trotter," he began presently, " in three 
 days I return to our camp by way of Long Island. 
 'Tis so arranged, and those who brought me over 
 will take me back. Now I propose that you should 
 go by way of the North River, carrying copies of the 
 information I have to His Excellency. One or other 
 of us is sure to win through." 
 
 " I'm your man," Will agreed sturdily, and his 
 sister felt a thrill of pride in her big brother. 
 
 " Good ! " Mr. Hale went on. " Know you 
 1 Squinty ' Robinson, who has a boat near the Bat- 
 tery?"
 
 The Schoolmaster Pays a Visit 259 
 
 " Right well," answered Will with a chuckle. 
 " I'll warrant him a good patriot in spite of his 
 crossed eyes." 
 
 " That he is," declared the captain, " and has 
 made more than one midnight trip up the river. I 
 shall arrange with him to take you. Meantime I'll 
 copy out my despatches and, Trotter, they'll be on 
 thin paper so you can slip them 'twixt the soles of 
 your shoes." 
 
 " I know that trick," Will replied, " but how shall 
 I win to the Battery?" 
 
 " Worry not about that," Mr. Hale assured him. 
 " Is not Master Nathan, the schoolmaster, a friend 
 to scores of British officers. They tell me I have 
 a pretty wit and, in return for amusement, load 
 me with information. I shall send you the pass- 
 words with the despatches. Now I must be off, 
 or those fellows down stairs will be growing impa- 
 tient." 
 
 He said good-bye tenderly to mother, who gave 
 him a blessing in return, pressed Will's hand and 
 started with me to the door. 
 
 " Miss Polly," he whispered, " I trust you to be 
 on the lookout for the schoolmaster who will visit 
 the house once more. And I pray you be on your 
 guard to take any paper he may slip to you." 
 
 And with that I let him out of the room and he 
 became again the cringing Master Nathan. 
 
 I watched him make his way to the floor below 
 and listened to hear what he might say to the three 
 officers. 
 
 " You've been a weary time gone, Master Square- 
 toes! " cried Mr. Scott at the top of his voice. 
 
 " A most interesting case, gentlemen," came the 
 whining reply. " The patient should recover in good 
 season, provided she is not disturbed."
 
 260 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " But what of the search? " demanded the Hes- 
 sian. 
 
 " 'Twas most thoroughly made, I assure you, sir, 
 but, as you see, without result." 
 
 " A plague upon such a pother for naught ! " 
 Dandy Dawson complained airily. " I was certain 
 there was no one there, and now I vow I shall have 
 the vapours for the rest of the day. 
 
 " We have but done our duties, sirs," declared 
 Herr Hauptman. Upon which sentiment some one 
 shut the door, and I heard no more.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 A PACKET OF PILLS 
 
 THE strange and unexpected appearance of Mr. 
 Hale changed our spirits as if by magic. 
 Whereas before we had been in constant 
 dread of disaster, it seemed that now our troubles 
 had vanished and that all we needed was a little pa- 
 tience to reach the end of our ordeal. 
 
 Will had unbounded faith in the Captain's ability 
 to carry out his part of the plan, and once more we 
 talked confidently of the time when we should see 
 father and the family be together again. 
 
 And, to hearten us still further, Herr Hauptman 
 was ordered to another post that afternoon. He 
 departed, bag and baggage, leaving none to mourn 
 his going; nor, do I think, was he greatly displeased 
 to be quit of companions who daily grew less con- 
 genial. He thanked me politely enough for my hos- 
 pitality, complimenting me for an excellent house- 
 wife in a manner which showed that to his thinking 
 no higher praise could be bestowed upon a mere miss. 
 
 In the place of Herr Hauptman came another Eng- 
 lish officer, Major Haughton, whose conversation 
 consisted, so far as I ever heard, of " Yaws " or 
 " No," drawled out laboriously as if the effort hurt 
 him. He was a dull-eyed man, fair of hair, with 
 pink cheeks like a baby's, and I saw him settled in 
 the guest-chamber with a huge sense of relief. I 
 doubted not that he would sleep like a dormouse in 
 winter, and that Will might dance a sailor's horn- 
 
 261
 
 262 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 pipe in the hallway without disturbing Major Haugh- 
 ton's peaceful slumbers. 
 
 I should have gone to bed that night with a lighter 
 heart than I had carried for many a long day, but, 
 once my mind was eased of Will's peril and I saw a 
 clear road to mother's happiness, I straightway 
 thought of Roger Delancy, and my own sorrows came 
 to plague me. I grieved not at the stand I had taken 
 with him, nor was I less a patriot if I found it hard 
 to bear, only it seemed too bad that of all the young 
 men I knew Roger should be the one to side with 
 the King. And worse still, I could not but admire 
 him for holding to his convictions, though I tried to 
 think him stupid for having such faith in so unworthy 
 a prince. I was very young and the years of spinster- 
 hood ahead of me seemed interminable. Small won- 
 der if, ere I went to sleep that night, I was much put 
 to it not to disturb mother with my sobbing. 
 
 The next day I took up my watch for the school- 
 master. How or when he would come I knew not, 
 nor could I foresee any plan by which he could slip 
 me the papers he meant for Will. There was a 
 constant stream of messengers and orderlies going 
 in and out of the house, besides a soldier or two al- 
 ways stationed at the entrance : it would appear more 
 than suspicious were any of our enemies to observe 
 the so-called Mr. Nathan handing me a paper, and I 
 doubted Captain Hale running any such risk. Then 
 it occurred to me that he might venture another 
 visit to mother's room in the character of physician; 
 but again I dismissed this as unlikely. It had been 
 for the ostensible purpose of deceiving mother, not 
 the British officers, that the schoolmaster had pre- 
 tended to be a doctor, and, this pretence having 
 served its purpose, Captain Dawson and Mr. Scott 
 were like to wonder should another call be necessary.
 
 A Packet of Pills 263 
 
 It would be highly dangerous to have any one think 
 that there was the slightest personal interest in any 
 member of the Trotter family on the part of the 
 Tory pedagogue. 
 
 The more I puzzled the matter the more difficult 
 appeared the problem which I had heretofore held 
 a simple one. 
 
 " Nay, have no fear," said Will, when I spoke to 
 him about it. " I know not how it will be done, 
 but I'll trust Nathan Hale to think of a way. You 
 need but be on your guard, Polly, to follow his lead 
 and I'll warrant we get the papers without the Brit- 
 ish knowing aught of it." 
 
 But that day he came not nor in the evening, 
 though I was about the house later than was my 
 wont in case he should put in an appearance. 
 Nevertheless our spirits were in no wise dampened 
 on that account, for there had been no time set and 
 so our confidence that he would return stood un- 
 broken. 
 
 About eleven of the clock I stole into the hall to 
 see if our new guest had any of Herr Hauptman's 
 tricks; but all that I saw, and heard reassured me 
 on that score. Not only was the door of the guest- 
 chamber tight shut, but there came from within the 
 most prodigous snore. Major Haughton slept. 
 There was small doubt of that for the regularity of 
 the uncouth noises he made could scarce be counter- 
 feited. I went back to mother's room well satisfied 
 that we had naught to fear from that direction. If, 
 in the beginning, Major Haughton had come instead 
 of the Hessian, Will would have long since made his 
 escape from the house; but ere the opportunity af- 
 forded, our plan was changed, and now that he 
 might go with little fear of hindrance, he had some- 
 thing more than his own safety to think of.
 
 264 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 not till later, however, that I fully realized how in- 
 finitely this new business was to increase the peril he 
 stood in. 
 
 'Twas nigh noon the next day that Mr. Hale ar- 
 rived. To give excuse to my presence in the front of 
 the house, I had taken a cloth and was busying my- 
 self polishing the handles of the front door. This 
 afforded me an opportunity to look about the Broad 
 Way and presently I spied Captain Dawson and Mr. 
 Hale, the latter in schoolmaster's garb, strolling 
 leisurely toward me. They were in an animated 
 talk together and I thought they would never come, 
 but at length they reached the foot of the steps. 
 
 The dandy was laughing gaily as they mounted, 
 clapping his companion gently upon the shoulder. 
 
 "Egad, Master Nathan!" he cried, "I must 
 have you in London when these misguided rebels 
 come to their senses. I vow you have a wit that will 
 make Horrie Walpole perish with envy. Oons, 
 man! You are wasted in this country of pesky 
 Whigs and pretty women. Ah, here is one of them 
 now," he went on, in high good humour as he spied 
 me. " Your most obedient, Mistress Trotter," he 
 added, giving me, as usual when we met, a most 
 elaborate bow. 
 
 Mr. Hale following closely, doffed his hat humbly 
 and I curtsied to both, intent upon what was to fol- 
 low; for here was the occasion to which I had been 
 looking forward and I wondered how we were to get 
 rid of the dandy. 
 
 " I trust, Mistress Trotter, that your mother suf- 
 fered no set-back from my intrusion upon her pri- 
 vacy?" the schoolmaster inquired solicitously. 
 
 " Nay, sir, she is no worse," I answered, alert to 
 follow his every move. 
 
 " I am most happy to hear it," he replied, and took
 
 A Packet of Pills 265 
 
 a step with the seeming intention of leaving me. 
 Then, as if he recollected something on a sudden, 
 he stopped and began to fumble in his waistcoat. 
 " I had nigh forgotten," he went on, fetching a box 
 out of a pocket. " 'Tis a medicine, Captain Daw- 
 son, which I had prepared for Madam Trotter. I 
 thought 'twould do no harm to carry the play to a 
 conclusion. 'Twill benefit her, I am sure." 
 
 I know not what answer the dandy made, for my 
 whole being was centred on the box. In it, I felt cer- 
 tain, lay the papers, and I marvelled at the coolness 
 with which Mr. Hale handled it. Should the cover 
 fall off by accident I was sure we would be betrayed, 
 and yet he toyed with it carelessly as he listened re- 
 spectively to the Captain's chatter. 
 
 " Egad, Master Nathan ! " he was saying, as I 
 began again to be cognizant of what was going on 
 about me, " I doubt I should permit you to go so far. 
 I know not where this combination of schoolmaster 
 and physician will lead. Mayhap to Paradise.'* 
 
 "Or Harlem Heights," said Mr. Hale, with a 
 quiet laugh. 
 
 "Eh, what? What?" quizzed the captain. 
 " Harlem Heights ! 'Tis where this Washington 
 and his tatterdemalian army is hid." 
 
 " Ay, and the very opposite of Paradise, I should 
 say," explained the schoolmaster. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! A pretty wit, indeed," chuckled the 
 Captain. " Yet somewhat grim withal, for Harlem 
 Heights might well prove the opposite of Paradise 
 for you, my friend, an the Whigs catch you; but 
 Madam Trotter scarce craves so fatal a journey. 
 Let's see what you have brought her." 
 
 At this demand I caught my breath for I was 
 sure we were undone, but Mr. Hale, in no wise dis- 
 mayed, lifted the lid and displayed six grayish-green
 
 266 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 boluses each of the bigness of a small marble. 
 Naught else was visible. " Indeed, Captain," he 
 said, offering the box to the dandy, " Madam Trot- 
 ter need have no fear. I'll stake my life she'll find 
 in them an excellent tonic." 
 
 The captain took the box daintily 'twixt his thumb 
 and forefinger, sniffed at the pills, and with a funny 
 little shudder handed them back. 
 
 " What is in the horrid things? " he asked, making 
 a wry face. 
 
 " Drugs well compounded, sir," said Mr. Hale, 
 " and certain other substances designed to ease the 
 mind and calm the spirit." 
 
 " Egad, I'll wager they calm not the body," 
 laughed Captain Dawson, and then to me, " What 
 say you, Mistress Trotter? Think you your mother 
 could survive so unappetizing a medicine ? " 
 
 " Nay, sir, I cannot tell," was my reply, " but 
 sure I know she would do anything in reason to re- 
 gain her health." 
 
 " Perchance the patient will be the best judge," 
 suggested Mr. Hale, and with a bow he handed me 
 the box. 
 
 " If aught harmful comes of this, Master Na- 
 than," said the dandy, " I'll bring you to account 
 for it right smartly." 
 
 " Nay then, my life is forfeit an it goes astray," 
 the schoolmaster answered in his most whining tones, 
 and, at that, with a curtsey to both, I made my way 
 upstairs taking care to curb my almost uncontrollable 
 desire to run as fast as my legs would carry me. 
 
 Mother and Will knew that something was a-foot 
 the moment I entered the room, for once hidden 
 there I had no need to conceal the excitement I felt. 
 
 "He's come, has he? " Will whispered, guessing 
 at the news I brought.
 
 A Packet of Pills 267 
 
 " Yes. He is with Captain Dawson below," I 
 answered. 
 
 " Well, have you got the papers? " he demanded. 
 
 " I don't know," I replied hesitatingly. " He 
 gave me naught but this, and there are only six pills 
 in it." Whereupon I handed him the box which he 
 snatched eagerly. 
 
 " What we seek is here, be sure of that," he said, 
 confidently. " I doubt not it has a false bottom. 
 
 With that he dropped to the floor and I flopped 
 beside him, keen to unravel the mystery. 
 
 With trembling fingers my brother opened the 
 box and after carelessly dumping out the contents on 
 the floor, began a thorough examination of its struc- 
 ture. He scrutinized the sides and bottom, but find- 
 ing no crack or seam to mark a hiding place, took 
 out his knife. 
 
 " 'Tis excellently contrived for the purpose," he 
 commented, beginning to cut the box apart; but 
 though he spent the best part of an hour picking and 
 prying with patient care lest by accident he damage 
 the hidden papers, naught did we find to reward us. 
 
 " It must be in the lid," said Will, when he had 
 whittled the box into tiny pieces ; but again we were 
 doomed to disappointment and, amid a litter of 
 scraps scattered about the floor, we looked at each 
 other much perplexed. 
 
 Then, in a flash, the talk between Captain Hale 
 and Dandy Dawson came back to me and I clapped 
 my hand to my forehead with an exclamation of 
 chagrin. 
 
 " Oh, dolt that I am!" I cried. " Mr. Hale as 
 good as told me where lay the message," and with 
 that I picked up one of the pills and broke it open 
 with my fingers. 
 
 Inside, carefully folded, was hid a small piece of
 
 268 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 thin, parchment-like paper which, upon being opened, 
 was found to be covered with finely written words. 
 
 " 'Tis but a fragment," said Will, as he read. 
 " Break open the others." 
 
 I obeyed him at once and in each of the boluses 
 we found a similar slip which Will pieced together 
 with some difficulty, till all was clear. 
 
 There were two messages, one a long despatch to 
 His Excellency, General Washington which, when 
 Will had digested it, set his nerves a-quiver. 
 
 " 'Tis Howe's plan to capture our whole army! " 
 he murmured excitedly. " They mean to deceive 
 Washington by fortifying Macgowan's Pass as if the 
 attack were to come from there, but the van of their 
 army is to go secretly by ship to Throg's Neck and 
 so get behind us. That would cut off our retreat 
 and our cause would be lost. An this news reaches 
 His Excellency, and I mean that it shall, Hale will 
 have saved our country to us." 
 
 " How came he by it? " I asked. 
 
 " Nay, I know not," Will answered. " But I'll 
 warrant Howe's eyes would pop out with astonish- 
 ment an he knew we had it." 
 
 The other message was for Will and read as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 " Meet R., Whitehall slip, 1-30 A.M. Sunday. 
 Watchword, London. Countersign, Home." 
 
 " Half past one Sunday morning is to-night, Will," 
 I said, as he finished. 
 
 " Ay," he answered. " I should reach the camp 
 on Harlem Heights before dawn. Now to hide the 
 despatches." 
 
 He slipped off his boots and lifting the thin cover- 
 ing inside the soles, put half the precious papers in 
 each replacing the leather with such skill that none 
 could tell it had been disturbed. The instructions
 
 A Packet of Pills 269 
 
 for meeting the boatman, " Squinty " Robinson he 
 destroyed forthwith by burning. 
 
 " No fear that I shall forget," he said. 
 " ' Watchword, London. Countersign, Home.' I 
 vow the British will be wishing that ere long." 
 
 " Would it not be well, my son, to rest against 
 your journey to-night?" asked mother who had 
 watched us, mostly in silence, though with no want of 
 interest on that account. 
 
 "Nay," answered Will, "I couldn't lie still, 
 mother dear. I scarce can tell you how vital it is 
 that this information gets into His Excellency's 
 hands." 
 
 " For that very reason you should gather all your 
 strength," mother reminded him. " 'Tis your coun- 
 try you must think of now, naught else." 
 
 At that Will sobered. 
 
 " You are always right, mother," he answered. 
 " I'll stretch out and try to sleep though I know the 
 hours will crawl till the time comes for me to start, 
 for I am nigh distracted with impatience to be on 
 my way." 
 
 He went to the powdering-closet and, lying down, 
 rested his head upon the pillow I brought him from 
 the bed. 
 
 " Thanks, sis," he whispered. " I warrant you'll 
 be glad to be rid of a bothersome brother." 
 
 " Nay," I told him, " I shall not be content till we 
 are all together again among our own soldiers." 
 
 Naught happened throughout the rest of the day 
 nor that night to change our plans in any way and, 
 though the hours passed very slowly, they did pass 
 till at length the moment came. 
 
 I went ahead to see that all was clear, tiptoeing 
 through the house (all silent, save for Major Haugh- 
 ton's reassuring snores), and out through the garden
 
 270 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 to the gate where a peep up and down showed me 
 that the street was deserted. 
 
 I hurried back to tell Will that all was well and he 
 kissed us each good-bye. 
 
 " Forget not to be ready, Polly, when father sends 
 for you," were his parting words to me and with a 
 noiseless step he vanished down the stairs. 
 
 For perhaps five minutes we waited with strained 
 ears to catch any sounds that might tell of an en- 
 counter, but naught untoward happened and mother 
 and I lay down to sleep, well assured that at last 
 Will was set straight upon the road of escape from 
 the city. 
 
 I know not why I should have been so thoroughly 
 content to have Will quit of the house. It needed 
 no very little imagination to picture him seized a 
 dozen times on his way to meet the boatman in spite 
 of his knowing the British watchword and counter- 
 sign. Yet so certain was I that naught would hinder 
 him that, after a loving little talk with mother as I 
 lay for a moment or two in her arms, I turned over 
 and went to sleep like a baby. 
 
 Some two hours later I awakened suddenly with 
 a sense of great confusion about me and as I sat up 
 there came a heavy knock upon the chamber door. 
 
 " What is it? " I asked, hopping from the bed. 
 
 " I beg that you and your mother will dress at 
 once," came the voice of Captain Dawson in a tone 
 that betrayed the man inside the dandy. 
 
 " What is the matter, Captain? " I asked. 
 
 " Some rascally rebel has set fire to the city," he 
 answered. " Half of it is gone and I know not how 
 soon the flames will reach here. You must prepare 
 to quit the house if need be." 
 
 With that I heard him clatter down the stairs. 
 
 'Twas then that I began to realize that a dull red
 
 A Packet of Pills 271 
 
 glare filled the room and distant sounds, as of a great 
 clamouring, reached me faintly. 
 
 Mother, by this time, was up and already putting 
 on her clothes, for she had gained so much of her 
 old vigour that she no longer needed my help. I, 
 without loss of time, prepared to awaken Betty, for 
 I knew not whether she had been warned. But 
 after I had hurried downstairs on my way to the 
 servants' quarters I met her just outside the kitchen 
 coming to us upon a similar errand. 
 
 " Land sakes; Miss Polly," she moaned, " the end 
 of the world am surely comin'. What wif war an' 
 fire the good Lord am chastenin' his sinful chillen." 
 
 There was no gainsaying Betty's pious words but 
 ere I could answer Mr. Scott, spying us, shouted a 
 reassurance. 
 
 " 'Twill never reach us, Mistress Trotter," he in- 
 sisted. " An the wind holds I stand to make a for- 
 tune out of Dawson. I told him not to disturb you 
 but he vowed it was his duty. And I say, Betty," 
 he went on, striding down the hall toward us, " I'd 
 give something handsome for a dish of tea. This 
 soot and smoke would choke a sweep." 
 
 In spite of his hated uniform Mr. Scott had a win- 
 ning manner, and Betty, though she grumbled at 
 making tea by candle-light, went off to do his bidding, 
 I being well content to have her occupied if only to 
 still her ill-omened prophecies. 
 
 "You really think we are safe?" I asked Mr. 
 Scott. 
 
 " As a church, Mistress Trotter," he answered. 
 " Come to the front door and see. It is something 
 of a sight, but we stand in no danger unless the wind 
 veers again." 
 
 I would that I could tell something of the beauty 
 and awesomeness of that great fire which left half
 
 272 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 the city a blackened ruin. As I stood upon the 
 stoop and gazed upon the terrifying scene scarce two 
 blocks away, my first action was to cover my eyes to 
 shut out so appalling a sight. High into the sky 
 sparks flew to the west as thick as snow-flakes in a 
 winter's storm. Now and then, with a great crash, 
 the blazing roof of some building fell and from the 
 centre of the raging mass there arose a cloud of 
 flaming yellow light that illuminated the city as on a 
 sunny day. Against the sombre wreaths of black 
 smoke, living sheets of fire leapt up and up into the 
 darkened Heavens, while below a glowing heap of 
 crackling embers marked the path of destruction. 
 
 But I was not permitted to watch very long for 
 presently there came marching up the street an offi- 
 cer, followed by a squad of soldiers, who, when they 
 had reached the house, came brusquely in. This 
 newcomer was evidently in high command for Mr. 
 Scott saluted stiffly and stood at attention awaiting 
 his superior's orders. 
 
 " Where is Captain Dawson? " was the first ques- 
 tion. 
 
 " Gone to headquarters scarce five minutes ago, 
 Colonel," replied Mr. Scott. 
 
 " Humph ! " grunted the other, plainly annoyed 
 at this information. u Do you know aught of the 
 whereabouts of a certain schoolmaster calling him- 
 self Nathan?" 
 
 " He was here at noontime, sir; but I know not 
 where he may be now," was the answer. 
 
 " Well, sir, there is an order out for his immedi- 
 ate arrest," the Colonel continued. " It seems that 
 this innocent pedagogue is a rebel spy." 
 
 " A spy 1 " echoed Mr. Scott. " Nay, sir, 'tis not 
 possible." 
 
 " Nay, sir, 'tis not impossible ! 'Tis bitter fact! "
 
 A Packet of Pills 273 
 
 came the sharp retort. " He has gulled us all and 
 gained much valuable information. You are cer- 
 tain he is not here? " 
 
 "Ay, Colonel, I am certain of that," said Mr. 
 Scott and then his eyes fell upon me standing near, a 
 prey to growing anxiety. " Do you know aught of 
 him, Mistress Trotter? " he demanded suddenly. 
 
 " I know naught of his whereabouts," I answered 
 truthfully, but I think Mr. Scott would have cate- 
 chized me further had we not been interrupted by 
 the arrival of my old enemy, the Tory spy. He 
 crowded his way through the knot of men standing at 
 the door and came hurriedly to where we stood. 
 
 " Ah ! " exclaimed the Colonel, " here is the fellow 
 who warned us of this schoolmaster." 
 
 "Is he here, your Lordship?" asked the spy, 
 doffing his hat. 
 
 " Nay," was the short answer. 
 
 " Have you searched the house ? " 
 
 " We thought that not necessary." 
 
 " 'Tis very necessary, your Lordship," the spy 
 went on. " There's more than one in this business, 
 and this house is a very nest of rebels." He stopped 
 looking keenly about him and then, seeing me for 
 the first time, he thrust his wrinkled face close to 
 mine and snarled. "Where is your brother? I 
 vow he knows where Master Nathan Hale can 
 be found." 
 
 At this there was great volley of questions hurled 
 at me from all quarters, but I had but one answer 
 for them all. 
 
 " My word would not be believed, gentlemen," I 
 answered boldly. " I know no better way to satisfy 
 you than by advising that the house be searched forth- 
 with." 
 
 " Ay, we'll do that, miss, on the instant," declared
 
 274 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 the Colonel, " without advice from you ! " and at 
 once gave the necessary orders. 
 
 " Perchance your mother has lost her fear of 
 soldiers, Mistress Trotter," sneered Mr. Scott, in 
 an undertone. 
 
 " I have assured her she had naught to fear from 
 you," I answered him, and was for leaving them, but 
 here I had miscalculated. 
 
 '" Nay, miss, you will stay with us," was the 
 Colonel's command. " I have no mind that you shall 
 carry warning of our coming." 
 
 But I cared not. I felt certain that Will was far 
 up the river by now and hoped Captain Hale, too, 
 had made good his escape, knowing it had been 
 planned for that night. I accompanied them in- 
 differently throughout the search, which took a deal 
 of time, hunting about in corners by lanthorn light, so 
 that the day was breaking ere they finished. In 
 mother's room they left no nook or cranny unex- 
 plored, for here the spy seemed, like a dog, to scent 
 my brother. But mother they treated with con- 
 sideration, though they neglected not their business 
 on that account. 
 
 " I rejoice that your mother's health is so vastly im- 
 proved, ma'am," said Mr. Scott ironically, as we at 
 length left the room. " I was under the impression 
 she could not leave her bed." 
 
 " 'Twas because of the fire Captain Dawson or- 
 dered her to dress," I answered, for though 'twas on 
 my lips to give a saucy answer, I held my tongue, 
 seeing no good to be gained by angering him. 
 
 Nevertheless that vain hunt was something of a 
 triumph for me, albeit I could not but realize how 
 near a thing was Will's capture. A few hours would 
 have made all the difference.
 
 A Packet of Pills 275 
 
 At the end, the Colonel, angry that naught was 
 forthcoming from his quest, was for quitting the 
 place with his men to go elsewhere, but once more the 
 spy interposed. 
 
 " If I may suggest it, your Lordship," he said, " I 
 would post the house." 
 
 " And why, man? " asked the Colonel. 
 
 " In case either of those we look for return," he 
 explained. " Being headed off in all directions out 
 of the city they are like to come here hoping to find 
 a refuge. 'Twould be their last chance, your Lord- 
 ship." 
 
 " Ay, you're right," agreed the Colonel, and at 
 once gave his orders. " And see to it," he said, ad- 
 dressing Mr. Scott, " that there is a man on duty, 
 night and day, both back and front. And as for 
 this rebel miss," he went on, with a scowl at me, 
 " she and her mother are to be kept within till 
 further orders." 
 
 With that all departed, leaving me and Mr. Scott 
 vis-a-vis at the front door. 
 
 " Is it permitted that I ask Betty if your tea is 
 served? " I asked pertly, dropping a curtsey. 
 
 " Go where you please," he answered, in a rare 
 ill-humour, " so long as it is not out of the house," 
 and he turned his back upon me and went into the 
 surgery. 
 
 Thinking that a dish of tea would be pleasing to 
 mother I hurried to the kitchen to get it; but there my 
 hopes came tumbling fast and in a moment my 
 spirits dropped from happy confidence to deep de- 
 spair. 
 
 " Oh, Miss Polly," moaned Betty, as she hurried 
 to meet me, " what's we-all gwin' to do? " 
 
 " Going to do about what, Betty? " I asked.
 
 276 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " 'Bout Mars Will," she answered. 
 'What about Master Will?" I demanded, a 
 great fear coming over me. 
 
 " Oh, Miss Polly," she sobbed, " he's in the rain- 
 bar'ell"
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 BETTY GOES A-MARKETING 
 
 BETTY'S incredible news staggered me, and 
 only after she had repeated her assertion 
 that Will was in the rain-barrel, could I bring 
 myself to realize the fact. 
 
 " When did he come back, Betty? " I asked breath- 
 lessly, for the servants' quarters had been searched 
 most thoroughly. 
 
 " 'Twas jes' the minute them soldier men left the 
 wash-house an* starts Vestigatin' the cellar, Miss 
 Polly," she explained. 
 
 " Did he come into the kitchen? " 
 
 " No'm," she went on. " I were a-lookin' out o' 
 the door and I sees a shadder movin' in the garden. 
 It was kind o' dark, spite of the fire, Miss Polly, 
 and I couldn't rightly make out what it was; but I 
 notices it kind o' dodged among the bushes and I 
 says to myself, ' Now what new pestilence am that 
 there ? ' f o' I was plum nervious wif all these calami- 
 ties gwin' on an' was fo' closin' that door right smart. 
 But as I were a-doin' it I hears a voice callin' soft in 
 a whisper; ' Betty,' it says, timid-like, * Betty, come 
 here ! ' But, land sakes, miss, I were too scared 
 to" 
 
 " Scared of Master Will? " I broke in. 
 
 " I didn't know it were Mars Will then," she an- 
 swered indignantly. " It weren't till I beared that 
 voice sayin' ' Betty, you worthless ol' curmudgen, 
 come down here,' that I rightly knowed who 'twas, 
 
 277
 
 278 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 'cause Mars Will allers calls me some such jokirT 
 name and " 
 
 " Yes, yes, I know, Betty," I interrupted, impa- 
 tiently, " but do hurry and tell me what happened." 
 
 " Well, Miss Polly, Fs tryin' to," she maintained, 
 " but my poor head's been that upset wif all these 
 here confligrations " 
 
 " Did you go down to Master Will when you 
 recognized him? " I demanded. 
 
 " Why to be sure I did, Miss Polly, right away," 
 she replied. 
 
 " And what did he tell you? " 
 
 " Fust of all he was fo' gwin' right into the 
 house," Betty explained, once more upon the straight 
 track of her tale, " but when I tells him that the 
 house was full o' them unmannerly red-coat soldiers 
 he whistles low, like he was surprised. ' That's no 
 place for me, Betty! ' he says, jes' as calm as calm. 
 * How's that rain-bar'el o' yours empty, eh ? ' and 
 when I tells him it were he says, ' Let Miss Polly 
 know,' an' off he goes to the quarters like he was 
 gwin' to a party. An' there he is this minute, Miss 
 Polly," she ended. 
 
 Ay, there he was, as Betty said, and there he was 
 like to stay for, in the growing light I could see, 
 through the window, a scarlet-coated figure with a 
 musket, pacing slowly up and down before the gar- 
 den gate. By a miracle Will had managed to con- 
 ceal himself in the time between the ending of the 
 search and the posting of the guard. So far luck 
 had been with him; but I dreaded the days to come, 
 though as yet I had not fully fathomed the peril of 
 his situation. 
 
 My first desire was to run to him, to see with my 
 own eyes that he was unhurt, and to hear how it 
 came about that he had been driven back after so
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 279 
 
 promising a start. But I hesitated, sensing the dan- 
 ger though not entirely realizing it. 
 
 " Betty," I said, " you will have to change your 
 room; for I know not how long Master Will must 
 stay hidden." 
 
 " I'll go at once, Miss Polly," she answered, mak- 
 ing for the door. 
 
 " Nay, there must be no haste," I cautioned. " In 
 a hour or so go quietly, as if naught was the matter. 
 And Betty, whisper to Master Will that I will come 
 to him as soon as I dare." 
 
 " I'll tell him," Betty promised, solemnly, " an' 
 there won't be no 'spectin' me, Miss Polly; but if 
 you-all hears me a-singin' fit to wake the dead, you- 
 all can reckon I'm havin' a conversation wif the rain- 
 bar'el." 
 
 I left her with the intention of going straight to 
 mother with my bad tidings, but my feet lagged upon 
 the road. After all there was naught to be gained 
 by telling her that instead of being safe, as she be- 
 lieved, Will was in greater danger than before. If 
 matters so shaped themselves that I stood in need 
 of her advice, then I would break the news as gently 
 as I might; but as yet I had not the heart to kill the 
 certainty I knew she had that Will was well upon his 
 way to safety. 
 
 I guessed that this forced return had come about 
 through the great fire which still raged, though the 
 angry glare of the flames was growing paler in the 
 light of the slowly rising sun. But I curbed my curi- 
 osity about that, being concerned only with the dread- 
 ful fact that he was trapped and like to be discovered 
 at any moment. 
 
 While I stood hesitating at the foot of the stairs, 
 puzzling over what steps I should take to meet this 
 new situation and dreading mightily lest I take a
 
 280 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 false one, I suddenly became conscious of Captain 
 Dawson saluting me gravely. It was evident at once 
 that he had laid aside, for the time being at least, 
 his mincing, macaroni manners, though he still re- 
 tained his courtesy. 
 
 " You will be glad to know, Mistress Trotter," 
 he said, " that the fire is abating and that we stand 
 in no danger." 
 
 " I thank you for telling me, Captain Dawson," 
 I answered politely, for though an enemy, I confess 
 his thoughtfulness always tempered my resentment 
 against him. 
 
 " I am sorry that all my news is not so good," he 
 went on, soberly. " Certain things have happened 
 that are bound to make our relations less less 
 what shall I say less friendly? " 
 
 " I have never pretended to be aught but a pa- 
 triot, sir," I replied, with some show of spirit, though 
 I guessed not at what he was hinting. 
 
 "Ay, to be sure," he agreed, " but heretofore you 
 have played the part of hostess excellently well, while 
 I have been a guest, though somewhat unwelcome 
 perchance." 
 
 " You have ever been most considerate, Captain 
 Dawson," I replied, with truth. 
 
 " I am much gratified to learn that you have felt 
 that way now that my position is perforce changed," 
 he remarked, with a shade of regret in his voice. 
 
 " Changed? " I repeated. 
 
 " Ay, from guest to jailer, Mistress Trotter," he 
 continued. " A most unwelcome honour; but, in this 
 grim game of chess we are all playing, each move is 
 a gain or loss to one side or the other. This time 
 we have won. Captain Nathan Hale of your Army, 
 was taken last night in Long Island." 
 
 I do not think Captain Dawson told me this with
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 281 
 
 any intention of tricking me into a confession of my 
 knowledge of poor Captain Hale, but so unexpected 
 was the announcement that I was completely taken 
 off my guard. 
 
 " Oh, it can't be true ! " I burst out. " Not taken ! 
 You can't mean he is a prisoner? " 
 
 " Yes, a prisoner," he replied quietly, " and a most 
 interesting one. We found complete details of his 
 plans hidden in his boots." 
 
 "In his boots!" I gasped, feeling as if an icy 
 hand clutched my heart. 
 
 " Ay," said the captain, not seeming to notice my 
 agitation. " '.Tis one of the first places we look 
 when we lay our hands upon a suspected person." 
 
 'Twas then the full peril of Will's position flashed 
 upon me. In his boots, too, were papers. 
 
 " And what will they do with this Captain Hale ? " 
 I asked, struggling to hide my personal concern. 
 
 " The court martial will sit to-day," he answered, 
 " but there can only be one outcome to their delibera- 
 tions. Captain Hale is a spy and his life is forfeit." 
 
 He told me nothing that I did not know already, 
 and yet the quiet certainty with which he spoke, 
 seemed to close the door to all hope and to bring the 
 awful reality of my brother's danger close home to 
 me. 
 
 I felt that I must speak. That for Will's sake I 
 should deny a personal interest in Captain Hale's 
 fate. But I could not bring my tongue to shape the 
 words and my brain was numb. 
 
 Fortunately, however, Captain Dawson made it 
 plain that any pretended indifference on my part 
 would but confirm his already settled conviction. 
 
 " You need not be at pains to conceal your pre- 
 vious knowledge of Captain Hale, Mistress Trot- 
 ter," he continued. " We know that he frequented
 
 282 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 this house ere our troops took the city, and you must 
 have been well acquainted with him." 
 
 " I thought he was a traitor when he came with 
 you ! " I cried, scarce knowing what I said. 
 
 " And I that he was a schoolmaster," Captain 
 Dawson remarked reminiscently. " To be sure I 
 might have guessed that no provincial pedagogue 
 possessed his wit. He gulled us all, and that's a 
 fact; but 'tis past and done. What concerns us 
 now, Mistress Trotter, is what happened to that in- 
 nocent box of pills he gave you. I confess to a very 
 deep interest in those pills." 
 
 " They have been destroyed, sir. My mother did 
 not care to take them," I answered, for I had burned 
 every scrap in the kitchen fire. 
 
 " I am sorry," he replied, and there was a note of 
 genuine regret in his voice, " though indeed, I ex- 
 pected it. But failing their recovery, Mistress Trot- 
 ter, we must consider you and your mother impli- 
 cated with the unfortunate Captain Hale." 
 
 " How can that be? " I demanded, staring at him 
 in consternation. 
 
 " Surely you cannot think we are so stupid as to 
 believe there was naught in that box but pills? " he 
 protested. " And moreover, there is a well-founded 
 belief that your brother came with Hale upon this 
 mission." 
 
 " Nay, that is not true ! " I declared, glad that I 
 could state the fact so positively. 
 
 " I hope it is not, for your sake," he said. 
 " Nevertheless, you must keep to the house until 
 further notice. I pray you do not make my task of 
 jailer more uncomfortable than it already is." 
 
 " May I not even go into the garden? " I asked, 
 and he guessed not how much hung upon his answer. 
 
 " Of course you may do that," he assented, read-
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 283 
 
 ily. " But the sentry at the garden gate is instructed 
 to permit no one to pass either in or out." 
 
 ' And how are we to obtain food? " I questioned. 
 
 " We must depend upon Betty," he answered. 
 " She is a good cook, I grant you, but I doubt her 
 usefulness as a go-between. However, to avoid 
 temptation I shall send a guard with her when she 
 goes a-marketing." 
 
 And so ended our talk. Captain Dawson had been 
 at pains to show me our exact position, and in the 
 process had all but broken my spirit. I went back 
 to the kitchen and, seating myself upon a chair, stared 
 blankly at the wall. I was ready to give up ; to say 
 to myself that sooner or later Will would surely be 
 taken; that like Captain Hale his life, too, was for- 
 feit. He was hemmed in on all sides, under suspi- 
 cion, watched for day and night, driven into a 
 corner from which no escape seemed possible. To 
 my shame I confess that I was ready to admit my- 
 self beaten. 
 
 Meanwhile Betty had gone back to the servants' 
 quarters and I was brought to my senses by hearing 
 her chanting a darky melody at the top of her voice. 
 I knew well enough what that meant and the thought 
 came to me that here was a good chance for me to 
 see Will. I had no fear that we should be spied on 
 by the sentry, in the garden, for the top of the cistern 
 came well above the sill of the window, but I was not 
 so sure we might not be overheard if all were quiet. 
 Therefore I deemed it wise to take advantage of 
 Betty's singing to hide our whispered talk. 
 
 The sentry eyed me sharply as I passed deliber- 
 ately through the garden, but made no move to halt 
 me, and in a minute or two I had run upstairs to 
 Betty's room. Her song stopped abruptly at my 
 appearance, and speaking loudly in the hope that
 
 284 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 the soldier below might hear, I addressed her rather 
 tartly. 
 
 " This room is a disgrace, Betty ! " I cried. " Get 
 a besom and sweep it at once." 
 
 She looked at me in wide-eyed amazement, for 
 the little chamber was like a new pin for neatness, 
 and opened her mouth to protest; but I silenced her 
 with a gesture. 
 
 " Do as I bid you," I murmured. " And Betty, 
 sing! Sing like mad! " 
 
 She understood and fetching a broom, set to work 
 with a will, lifting her voice lustily the while. 
 
 Under cover of this racket I went to the window 
 next the rain-barrel. 
 
 "Will," I whispered. "Will, are you there?" 
 
 " Ay, like a rat in a trap," he answered with a 
 faint chuckle. " Faith, Polly I keep turning up like 
 a bad penny." 
 
 ;' Was it the fire? "I asked. 
 
 4 Yes. It started in a tavern near the Whitehall 
 Slip," he told me. " 'Twas raging when I reached 
 there and, foot by foot, I was driven back till there 
 was naught else for me to do but come here. I'll 
 try again to-night, counting upon Robinson to guess 
 what hindered me." 
 
 " Nay, 'tis impossible," I informed him. " There 
 is a sentry posted at the garden gate, night and day." 
 
 " 'Twill take more than one sentry to stop me," 
 he answered. " I'll make short work of him in the 
 dark." 
 
 " But the city is being searched high and low for 
 you," I went on. " You could scarce go a block 
 without being halted. Oh, Will, I don't know how 
 to tell you, but but Captain Hale is taken." 
 
 "What! Hale taken?" he broke out. "It 
 can't be true, Polly! "
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 285 
 
 " Oh, but it is, Will," I declared. " That Tory 
 spy recognized him and set them on his trail. Now 
 they are after you." 
 
 He was silent for what seemed a long time and I 
 knew that he was struggling to master himself, for 
 the news I had given him went straight to his heart. 
 
 " Polly," he said, at length, his voice betraying 
 the emotion he felt, " did you hear aught of the 
 despatches he carried?" 
 
 " Ay, they found them in his boots," I whispered. 
 
 "Poor Nathan 1 Poor Nathan!" he repeated, 
 and I needed not to see his face to know he suffered 
 sore. " He was the brightest spirit in our army and 
 the Cause can ill-afford to lose him. I had rather 
 you brought me news of a lost battle than this cap- 
 ture of Nathan Hale." 
 
 " Will he surely be put to death? " I asked. 
 
 " I see naught else for it," he answered sadly. 
 
 " And is there no way to save him? " 
 
 " None ! The papers he carried will cut him off 
 from all hope of clemency." 
 
 " Then Will, you must destroy the despatches you 
 carry," I insisted. 
 
 ** Never ! " he asserted, positively. " That poor 
 Nathan did not win through is all the more reason 
 that I should try. The plans must go to Washing- 
 ton." 
 
 " But think of yourself, Will," I begged, selfishly, 
 perhaps, but my heart was nigh torn asunder. 
 
 " Polly, you don't mean that," he replied gently. 
 
 " Then give me the papers." 
 
 " No, no," he answered hurriedly. " They will 
 be searching high and low for what was in that pill 
 box. They were fools an they did not guess now 
 that there was more than boluses in it." 
 
 " Ay, Captain Dawson said as much," I admitted.
 
 286 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " You see," he challenged. " They'll be on the 
 hunt for them." 
 
 " Then you must destroy them, Will," I persisted. 
 " Think of mother if aught happens to you." 
 
 " Nay, Polly, do not press me further," he de- 
 clared. " I owe it to Nathan Hale to see that his 
 life is not given in vain. I'll take the despatches to 
 Washington by hook or crook. Now tell me exactly 
 how stands the case against us." 
 
 While Betty continued to sing I recounted my talk 
 with Captain Dawson and explained what arrange- 
 ments had been made to keep us prisoners. Will 
 listened attentively, putting in a question, now and 
 then, but at the end I could tell from the sound 
 of his voice that he saw no ready road out of our 
 perplexities. 
 
 " We'll befool them yet, Polly," he said, trying to 
 reassure me, but his words lacked conviction. " But 
 we must not be in haste," he went on. " I'm safe 
 enough here for the present and at night I can get 
 out and stretch a bit. Betty can bring me food 
 then, too. Have you told mother?" 
 
 " Not yet," I answered, and pointed out my rea- 
 sons for keeping her in ignorance. 
 
 He agreed with me that it would serve no good 
 purpose to worry her, and, at that I left him, fear- 
 ing that suspicion might be aroused by too long a 
 stay. 
 
 Betty eyed me questioningly, still shouting her 
 song, and when I signalled that she might cease, she 
 ended with a huge sigh of relief. 
 
 " 'Deed, Miss Polly," she whispered, " it am sure 
 mighty hard labour to sing when you ain't got no 
 heart in it." 
 
 The day passed without further incident to alarm 
 me. Both Mr. Scott and Captain Dawson were
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 287 
 
 away from the house and Major Haughton kept to 
 the surgery. At night I stole out to Will for a final 
 word before going to bed and was relieved to find 
 that he would make no attempt to leave his hiding- 
 place for the present. 
 
 " I have decided to wait awhile, Polly," he told 
 me. " 'Twould be folly to try to elude them while 
 they are keen to take me. In a few days, an they 
 find me not, their interest will wane. Doubtless they 
 will conclude ere long that I am back in our own 
 camp and their vigilance will be abated. Then will 
 be my chance. So," he concluded, " you are to have 
 me on your hands for some time, yet." 
 
 I could in truth tell him that I was glad to find 
 that he had come to so sensible a decision, for I was 
 convinced that he was doomed the moment he left 
 the rain-barrel. On the other hand my nerves were 
 on the stretch for fear some accident would betray 
 his hiding-place, and the papers in his boots weighed 
 upon my thoughts like lead. 
 
 Nor was my task of seeming cheerful before 
 mother an easy one. 'Twas no simple matter to 
 hide my real feelings from her, and when we went to 
 bed I had liefer wept my eyes out upon her com- 
 forting shoulder than pretend to believe Will was 
 safe and sound on Harlem Heights. 
 
 Next morning, Betty, under the escort of a British 
 soldier who carried the basket and so reconciled her 
 in a measure to his presence, went forth to buy pro- 
 visions for our household. 
 
 I was busy in the kitchen when she returned and 
 but half-heeded her chatter as she recounted her ex- 
 periences. She bemoaned the high price and scant 
 choice of food, but this was an old story which 
 seemed to have no ending. I was indifferently aware 
 that she was unpacking the basket, when she gave
 
 288 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 an exclamation of surprise that claimed my instant 
 attention. 
 
 " Fo' the land sakes 1 Somebody am writin' me 
 a love letter I do believe! " she burst out with a 
 laugh, and I looked to see her holding a square piece 
 of white paper with the writing upside down. 
 
 Instinctively, for my anxiety kept me always on the 
 alert to divert suspicion, I ran to her with a warn- 
 ing on my lips. 
 
 " Be careful, Betty," I whispered, and took the 
 missive, concealing it beneath my kerchief until I was 
 sure I was unobserved. 'Twould be easily possible 
 for the sentry outside to see us through the window 
 and in my then state of mind I was fearful of my 
 very shadow. 
 
 When assured that no one could surprise me, I 
 looked at the paper and found written thereon the 
 following : 
 
 " If Mistress Trotter, her mother and black Betty 
 will be at the garden gate to-night, two hours after 
 midnight, they will find a chariot to take them out 
 of the city. Fail not to be ready at the appointed 
 time. Fear naught, keep silent. All will be well if 
 this note is followed to the letter." 
 
 'Twas writ in a crabbed hand, plain enough to 
 read, but giving no clue to him who penned it. 
 
 " Where found you this? " I asked excitedly. 
 
 " 'Twas in a packet from the butter and eggs 
 man," Betty answered, referring to a trusty farmer 
 from whom we had bought these commodities for 
 many years. 
 
 " Did he say aught to you? " I questioned. 
 
 " No'm, not a word, Miss Polly," she returned. 
 " He didn't even look nuffin'. I was that unsus- 
 pectin' I jes' opened the bundle an' there was that
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 289 
 
 letter slap on the bottom of a butter print. What 
 is it, Miss Polly?" 
 
 " 'Tis a message from father, Betty," I said. 
 " We are going out of the city to-night." 
 
 " Glory be 1 " she exclaimed, fervently. 
 
 " Hush I " I warned her, " not so loud. I must 
 to Master Will with this. See to it that you do 
 naught to betray us." 
 
 Conscious of the soldier on guard I loitered about 
 the garden on my way to the servants' quarters, but 
 once inside, I fairly flew to Betty's room. 
 
 My voice dropped to a low whisper, I told Will 
 my news and read to him the message. 
 
 " But 'tis not writ in father's hand," I explained. 
 
 " Nay, of course not," Will replied. " Father 
 dare not come himself. 'Tis some one of our 
 friends he has been planning with. But Polly, they 
 know not of the sentry at the garden gate nor of my 
 being here." 
 
 " Oh, I forgot the sentry," I murmured in dismay. 
 
 " Be not cast down on that account," Will reas- 
 sured me. " I'll see to that gentleman ! But some- 
 how I fear a trick." 
 
 ' Trick ! What kind of a trick? " I asked. 
 
 " Of course I cannot be sure," he explained, " Na- 
 than told us father had some such thought in his 
 mind, but every Whig in the city is suspect and I 
 scarce see how they would dare to drive a coach out 
 of the town even at night. None but an officer of 
 their own army could do that, or I'm very much mis- 
 taken. It smacks of the impossible." 
 
 " Then you think we had best not heed the 
 note ? " I questioned. 
 
 " Nay, you and mother and Betty must go, of 
 course," he declared.
 
 290 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " And you, too," I insisted. 
 
 " That needs thinking over," he replied, and for 
 a while was silent. " Listen, Polly," he went on 
 presently. " If 'tis a trick it must be planned to 
 catch me. The British may guess that we are in 
 communication and that you would send me word 
 of this chance to escape. They may only purpose to 
 drive from the back to the front of the house after 
 taking me. That is, if the British are at the bottom 
 of it. On the other hand it may be from father and 
 mean exactly what it says." 
 
 " But how will we know which without your be- 
 ing taken? " 
 
 " We must risk something," he said thoughtfully, 
 " for it seems too good an opportunity to let slip. 
 This is what I propose we shall do. First of all, 
 have Betty fetch me some stout cord and a coffee sack 
 when she comes up to bed. Then, half an hour 
 before the chariot is to be here, do you come down 
 into the garden and engage the sentry in talk. 
 While you are doing this I shall seize him, covering 
 his head so that he makes no outcry." 
 
 " And I shall manoeuvre him so that he has his 
 back to you, if I can," I cut in, carried away a little 
 at the prospect. 
 
 " Ay, that's your part," Will assented. 
 
 " But I don't quite see " I began. 
 
 " You will in a moment," he interrupted. " I 
 shall drag the sentry into the wash-house and put on 
 his uniform. Then I shall come back and take his 
 place. If the carriage brings friends I can go off 
 with you. If not, I have a chance to escape in a 
 red coat." 
 
 That then was the plan, and throughout the rest 
 of that day until the time came for me to act, I 
 thought of naught else. Mother took the news
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 291 
 
 calmly and thankfully, no doubt entering her mind 
 that all would be well, as the message foretold, in- 
 deed the prospect of escape from the city seemed 
 to give her new strength. Betty, to whom I gave 
 careful instructions, made her preparations with 
 more composure than I expected, going off to bed 
 with the bag and cord under her apron and with a 
 grin of pleasure at the prospect of soon being out of 
 the clutches of the British. 
 
 Mother and I were dressed warmly for the jour- 
 ney long ere the time came, and at half-past one I 
 left the room explaining that I went to reconnoitre. 
 I reached the garden without hindrance and made 
 my way to the gate. 
 
 There was no moon but the sky was clear and the 
 stars shone brightly, so that there was light enough 
 to see the red-coated soldier pacing slowly up and 
 down. 
 
 As I approached him he stopped and halted me in 
 an undertone. 
 
 " Why are you not in bed, Missy? " he asked, as 
 he recognized me. 
 
 " Indeed, I could not sleep," I answered with per- 
 fect truth. 
 
 * You'd best go back," he said, suspiciously. 
 
 " Nay, I can do no harm talking to you," I replied 
 and, walking around him, stood fronting the 
 quarters. 
 
 As I expected, he moved to face me, standing 
 stiffly before the gate. 
 
 " Isn't it very lonely out here at night? " I asked 
 him, struggling to keep down the excitement that 
 threatened to betray me. 
 
 " Ay, that it is, Missy," he answered. " There's 
 times when the hours crawl like lame snails. But 
 we grow used to it."
 
 292 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Of course it's your duty," I murmured, finding 
 it most difficult to make conversation. 
 
 " There's always some duty ," he began, but at 
 that moment his head was jerked back and the coffee- 
 sack pulled over it. There was a short, sharp strug- 
 gle, but Will was strong and in a moment or two 
 the sentry was on the ground with never a sound out 
 of him. 
 
 With quick fingers Will tied the bag about the 
 man's head and together we trussed him up in short 
 order. 
 
 " In with you, Polly," Will whispered, starting to 
 drag our poor victim into the wash-house. " Do 
 not come again until the stroke of two." 
 
 I left him, meaning to go at once to mother's room, 
 but in the kitchen I lingered, staring out of the win- 
 dow to see how Will fared. I had not long to wait 
 for presently, I saw a figure steal forth and a mo- 
 ment later my brother was pacing slowly up and 
 down before the gate with a musket over his shoul- 
 der. 
 
 So far all was well, and I mounted the stairs with 
 the growing certainty that at last we should escape. 
 Mother and I, hand in hand, sat patiently while the 
 few remaining minutes crawled by, then, as the little 
 French clock on the dresser began to strike two, we 
 rose and started down. 
 
 Without mishap we reached the garden where 
 Betty, looming large in the darkness, met us, and to- 
 gether we made our way to the gate, which, to my 
 surprise stood open. Outside we found a chariot, 
 drawn by two horses, and without a word to the 
 muffled figure on the front seat, we mounted the 
 steps. 
 
 But of Will there was no sign. Inside the car-
 
 Betty Goes a-Marketing 293 
 
 riage, where I had thought to find him we three were 
 the only occupants and, as we started off, my heart 
 sank with apprehension. 
 
 What had become of the substitute sentry?
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 IN THE WOODS ON HARLEM HEIGHTS 
 
 SO convinced was I that the trick Will had feared 
 was being played on us that I looked to find 
 the chariot halted in a moment or two at the 
 front door of the house. I was certain that we had 
 fallen into the hands of our enemies. By no other 
 explanation could I account for my brother's dis- 
 appearance. Whether he had been taken or, see- 
 ing the peril in time, had made off in the uniform of 
 the sentry, I had no means of knowing; but I ex- 
 pected my doubts would be resolved shortly. 
 Those British officers who were at the bottom of this 
 plot, would presently open the door of the carriage 
 and escort us back to our prison with lame excuses 
 for having put us to so much inconvenience, or with 
 half-concealed smiles of triumph. 
 
 This, I confess, is what I anticipated in the first 
 five minutes after we had entered the chariot; but 
 nothing of the sort happened. We went straight on 
 until the cessation of the rattling of the wheels told 
 me that we had left the cobble streets of the city be- 
 hind and were on the country roads leading out of 
 the town. 
 
 I puzzled my brains a-new, but came on no satis- 
 factory key to the riddle. We seemed to be set upon 
 the way of escape, yet Will's absence made that 
 happy outcome most unlikely. 
 
 At length I ceased to speculate further and settled 
 down to await what was before us with as much pa- 
 
 294
 
 In the Woods on Harlem Heights 295 
 
 tience as I could muster. The curtains of the chariot 
 were drawn so that we sat in absolute darkness, hav- 
 ing but the slightest notion of the direction in which 
 we travelled and wholly at the mercy of the driver, 
 of whom I had caught but a fleeting glimpse. 
 
 At the start we had gone very slowly but increased 
 our pace when, as I judged, we had left the city well 
 behind. Still, at best, our progress was by no means 
 rapid, for the state of the roads made fast travelling 
 impossible. 
 
 At the end of half an hour mayhap, the raised voice 
 of a sentry challenging our further progress halted 
 us abruptly. Our driver replied, but in so muffled 
 a voice that I could gather neither the import nor 
 the manner of his greeting. A low-tone conversa- 
 tion followed, the quick exchange of what were evi- 
 dently countersigns, though I could not distinguish 
 them, and a moment later we were off again. 
 
 'Twas plain that he who conducted our journey 
 was well prepared to pass through the British lines, 
 if he were so disposed. Of that I was as yet in no 
 wise convinced and when, ten minutes later we were 
 stopped once more, I did not think it unlikely that we 
 had reached the end of this adventure and would 
 find ourselves still prisoners of the British but in a 
 less comfortable jail. I could not rid myself of the 
 significance with which Captain Dawson had re- 
 marked that we were implicated with the unfortunate 
 Captain Hale. That seemed to me to be the only 
 theory that would fit all the facts of the case, and I 
 awaited the final proof with despair in my heart. 
 
 The commotion caused by our arrival at this new 
 post seemed to set a seal of certainty upon my worst 
 fears. From the sound of the many voices that 
 reached us I judged we were in the midst of a con- 
 siderable camp. Through the cracks of the curtains
 
 296 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 lights gleamed now and then, while shouted orders 
 and the noise of running feet appeared to indicate 
 that our arrival had created a considerable stir. 
 
 I heard the murmured answers of our driver but 
 could not distinguish his words and so caught no 
 clue to what was going on ; but suddenly the door of 
 the carriage was jerked open and a young lieutenant, 
 with a frank boyish face, thrust a lanthorn into our 
 compartment. 
 
 " Your pardon, ladies I " he remarked, as he sur- 
 veyed us, and without further comment withdrew, 
 shutting us in once more. 
 
 "A special mission, eh?" I heard him say, and 
 then, as the driver muttered an answer, he gave the 
 order to let us pass, and again we rumbled on. 
 
 Once more I had been mistaken, and my tired 
 brain refused to speculate further upon the strange- 
 ness of these proceedings. Had it not been for Will's 
 unaccountable absence I could have let myself hope 
 that father's friends were taking us to him, but even 
 if this were happily true my brother had been left 
 behind and he had in his boots that which would 
 make his life not worth a penny's purchase. 
 
 Mother and Betty were very silent, so that at last 
 I dozed, and 'tis small wonder I did, seeing that I 
 was nigh worn out with anxieties and fatis^ie. 
 
 .,0 rrhb 
 
 I awoke with a start to hear a man 'if* just 
 
 outside the carriage and I shall nevfi- ^rget his 
 words. 
 
 " Here comes Captain Hamilton, sir," he said, 
 and at that I knew that we had reached the patriot 
 camp on Harlem Heights. With a cry of joy I 
 threw open the door and leaped to the ground. 
 
 The daylight had come and I found myself in a 
 deep wood, dotted here and there with the huts of
 
 In the Woods on Harlem Heights 297 
 
 our soldiers. The sun had not yet risen but the 
 men were astir, and in and out of the dark shadows 
 of the tall trees, the cheerful campfires burned 
 brightly. A half-dozen Continental solders were 
 grouped about us, looking none too cordial; but as 
 I stepped out one of them gave an exclamation of 
 astonishment and welcome. 
 
 " Burn me 1 " he cried, " 'Tis the coffee gal come 
 back to us! " 
 
 I turned a beaming face upon him and would have 
 replied, but at the same moment Mr. Hamilton came 
 up to me. 
 
 " Mistress Trotter! " he called, as he caught sight 
 of me. " I'm right glad to see you. They told me 
 they had bagged some Tories." 
 
 " Nay, there's only mother and me and Betty," I 
 answered, holding out my hand to him in greeting, 
 " and we are all stout Whigs still." 
 
 ' You need not have told me that," he answered. 
 
 " Do you know where father may be found? " I 
 asked, eagerly. 
 
 " Ay, he's not far away. I'll send for him," 
 and he gave the necessary order. " Now take me 
 to your mother," he went on, " that I may pay my 
 respects to her." 
 
 We started back to the carriage, but as we did 
 so the ame down from the front seat and 
 
 faced 
 
 Foi cnt I could not believe my eyes for 
 
 there, among his enemies and dressed as a civilian 
 stood Roger Delancy ! 
 
 While one could count ten slowly we three gazed 
 at each other in silence, then, as the truth dawned 
 upon me, I went to him. 
 
 "Was it you who brought us here, Roger?" I 
 faltered.
 
 298 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 " Ay," he answered, with a sober smile upon his 
 lips, "Art sorry, Polly?" 
 
 " Nay but but " I stopped, finding no 
 words to tell him what was in my heart for I saw 
 clearly that 'twas Roger and not father who had 
 contrived to bring us safely out of the city. I could 
 but give him my hand, which he took eagerly, and I 
 think he lacked not understanding of my gratitude. 
 
 Roger and I forgot our surroundings for the mo- 
 ment, but Mr. Hamilton brought us to our senses. 
 
 " Mr. Delancy," he said, in a cold formal tone, 
 " I find you within our lines out of uniform. 'Tis 
 but fair to tell you that we are in no complacent 
 mood to deal with spies. But yesterday Captain 
 Hale " 
 
 " Ah, you've had that news? " Roger interrupted, 
 his voice falling. 
 
 " Ay, such news travels fast," Mr. Hamilton re- 
 plied. " 'Tis the fortune of war, but I would that 
 Fate had spared so gallant a gentleman." 
 
 " Is Captain Hale dead? " I asked. 
 
 " Yes. Yesterday morning at daylight the Brit- 
 ish hanged him," Mr. Hamilton answered, bitterly. 
 
 " Oh, they are cruel 1 " I murmured, tears coming 
 into my eyes. 
 
 " Nay, we cannot complain if General Howe sees 
 fit to execute a spy," Mr. Hamilton replied. 
 
 "But we may complain of the manner of it!" 
 Roger broke in passionately. " 'Twill be to the 
 everlasting disgrace of the British forces in America 
 that so foul a man as Cunningham could torture a 
 brave and honest gentleman like Nathan Hale." 
 
 " Torture ! " cried Mr. Hamilton, in a loud voice. 
 " What mean you, man? " 
 
 " Not bodily torture," Roger answered, " but tor- 
 ture of the soul. Cunningham, like the brute that
 
 In the Woods on Harlem Heights 299 
 
 he is, would not even give his prisoner a Bible for 
 final consolation. Hale begged for means to write 
 his farewell letters; but his requests were refused. 
 I was on guard and gave him pen and paper in spite 
 of orders, but on the morrow they found his last 
 messages and tore them up before his eyes. Cun- 
 ningham vowed the rebels should not learn that they 
 had a man who could die with such firmness; but they 
 shall learn. I saw him die, and never was there 
 a braver man born than this same Nathan Hale." 
 
 There was no word spoken for a time after 
 Roger's outburst and then Mr. Hamilton broke the 
 silence. 
 
 " This does not explain, Delancy," he said, with 
 measured accents, " why you are in our camp out of 
 your uniform." 
 
 " It is because I have quit His Majesty's service," 
 Roger answered. " My resignation is now in Gen- 
 eral Howe's hands. I cannot in honour betray what 
 plans are a-foot in the British army, but if my poor 
 abilities can do aught to thwart them I am at your 
 command. And Hamilton," he added, stepping for- 
 ward, " I once refused to take your hand. I was 
 wrong then but I have learned better. Will you 
 take mine now? " 
 
 " With all my heart! " cried Hamilton, seizing it 
 eagerly. " I never doubted your intentions, De- 
 lancy, and a man who can frankly own himself in the 
 wrong is to be counted doubly honest. We're right 
 glad to have you, and I doubt not His Excellency 
 will be quick to find a place for you." 
 
 'Twas then that father came running and soon he 
 and mother and I were hugging each other, so over- 
 joyed to be together again that we laughed and cried 
 by turns. But there was one matter that dulled the 
 edge of my happiness. I knew that it must be but a
 
 300 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 few minutes ere mother asked for Will, and with 
 this in mind I went quickly to Roger who, with Mr. 
 Hamilton, stood talking a little distance away. 
 
 " Roger," I said, " did you see aught of a sentry 
 at our garden gate? " 
 
 " Save us! " he cried. " I'd forgot all about the 
 fellow. I brought him with us, fearing he would 
 raise an alarm." 
 
 "Brought him with us?" I repeated, not at all 
 comprehending. 
 
 " Ay," he answered with a chuckle. " You see, 
 Polly, I had to silence him so I crept up behind him, 
 clapping a sack over his head and ere he knew what 
 was going on I had him trussed up like a fowl. He 
 was a sturdy rascal, but I made short work of him." 
 
 " But what did you do with him? " I cried, in an 
 agony of suspense. 
 
 " Faith, I just dumped him into the rumble-tumble 
 of the chariot," said Roger, not at all understanding 
 why I should be so much interested in a British pri- 
 vate. " Come, I'll let him out." 
 
 We hurried to the basket at the back of the chariot 
 where boxes may be stowed, and there, gagged and 
 bound, lay my poor brother. 
 
 Roger untied him, took the sack off his head and 
 with a great shout of surprise stepped back. 
 
 " Will ! Will ! " he cried. " Can it be you ? " 
 
 Nor was my brother less astonished. He stood 
 gazing from one to the other of us as if he could 
 scarce believe his eyes and we stared back at him, 
 for in the daylight he made a comical figure in his ill- 
 fitting scarlet uniform. Then mother spied him and, 
 caring naught for his looks, took him in her arms. 
 
 'Twas no easy matter to explain all the events that 
 had brought us together in safety, but I was too 
 happy to care greatly whether or not it was all un-
 
 In the Woods on Harlem Heights 301 
 
 derstood. Will was in no wise hurt, but vowed, 
 jestingly, that he would pay Roger back for his rough 
 handling, though he rejoiced mightily that his old 
 friend had quitted our enemies. 
 
 " 'Twas that he was so good a fighter I was 
 grieved to see him with the bloody-backs," declared 
 Will. 
 
 " We'll give him plenty of that to do," replied 
 Hamilton, and then, sorrowfully, " Did you hear the 
 news of poor Hale? " 
 
 " I knew that he was taken," Will replied, " and 
 guessed the worst, but I have copies of his des- 
 patches." 
 
 "You! What?" cried Hamilton, stuttering in 
 his surprise. " You have his despatches? " 
 
 " Ay," answered Will, and tapped his boot. 
 
 " 'Tis glorious ! " said Mr. Hamilton, with marked 
 emotion. " He will not have died in vain now. 
 You must to His Excellency with them at once." 
 
 " Ay, they make interesting reading," declared 
 Will, and a moment later they went off together. 
 
 So, on a sudden, I found myself alone with Roger 
 and, for some cause I could not explain, I felt very 
 shy. And yet my heart was singing a song of glad- 
 ness for now there was no war 'twixt my fondness 
 for him and my patriotism. 
 
 "Polly, are we friends now?" he asked pres- 
 ently. 
 
 " Of course, Roger," I answered. " But tell me, 
 how did it come about? " 
 
 " 'Twas Nathan Hale brought me to my senses," 
 he began. " They put me to guard him that night 
 before he died, thinking, no doubt, to teach a lesson 
 to a luke-warm provincial." 
 
 " Did you talk to him, Roger? " 
 
 " Ay, fitfully at first, but 'twas when we spoke of
 
 302 Polly Trotter, Patriot 
 
 you that our tongues were loosened. He put it into 
 my mind to take you and Madam Trotter out of the 
 city. Not in so many words, perchance, but he 
 played on my dull wits till I came to see that I was 
 but helping those who would make slaves of us. 
 He railed not at the King, even, nor had he a hard 
 word of reproach for those who were to hang him. 
 He thought not of himself nor of his fate. But for 
 the cause of liberty in this dear land of ours he had 
 burning words that shook my faith in all the things 
 I had believed in." 
 
 " He was indeed a patriot," I murmured. 
 
 " Ay, that he was ! " Roger replied. " Yet 'twas 
 not so much what he said but how he died that 
 brought me to a better understanding. Cunningham 
 commanded that I should form one of his escort, 
 though I would have given much to have escaped that 
 duty, but now well, now I am not sorry I was 
 there, for I saw as brave a man as ever lived face 
 death with a smile upon his lips." 
 
 Unconsciously we had walked slowly into the 
 woods and paced on in silence for a time. 
 
 ;< Tell me about him, Roger," I begged. 
 
 " Ah, if I had a gift of words like Hamilton," he 
 sighed. 
 
 " Nay, I want no oratory," I protested. " Tell 
 me how you felt yourself." 
 
 " I scarce can, Polly," he went on. " I forgot 
 all about myself and knew only that for me all 
 things were changed. Till I die I shall remember 
 the last glimpse I had of him as he stood looking out 
 across the land he loved. He saw not the rabble 
 below, with the snarling Cunningham at their head, 
 and I know that there was no hate in his heart even 
 for the brute that tried to break his spirit. Then, 
 suddenly, there came a hush, even the birds stopped
 
 In the Woods on Harlem Heights 303 
 
 their morning-song as if to listen, and Hale, as if 
 addressing a world unseen spoke slowly. ' I only 
 regret that I have but one life to lose for my coun- 
 try,' he said, and oh, Polly, I cannot tell you how 
 those words have sunk into my heart. I covered my 
 face with my hand and turned away resolved on the 
 moment, that although mine was a poor life to give 
 in exchange I should bring it to the cause Hale died 
 for. That is why I am here, Polly. I, too, want to 
 be a patriot." 
 
 I could not speak, and indeed there was little need 
 of words between us; but I looked up into his face 
 and he read in my eyes that which I no longer wished 
 to hide from him. And it seemed to make him very 
 happy, for he seized my hands and kissed them. 
 
 THE END 
 
 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
 
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