The Coolidge examiner., 1933-05-26
CHAPTER Vl-Continued

nal at the door. AS usual when he
occupied this room. there was no
light in it, Suddenly he heard the
signal. which was the flick of a
handkerchief. The door opened
and the mistress of the mansion
entered.
what have you to say?" she
whispered.
Revere answered with like eau
tion. THE Chief appreciates your
help but he wishes me to remind
YOU that ii is a perilous kind of
work and that you may even lose
your life in doing it,"
Yes! know" the lady ex-
claimed. THAT is war. would
have you remind him of quite an
other thing even greater than war.
That you will do when you say TO
him. and only To him. that life Is
not so much to me as il was once
long ago. That mine is a failure
unless | can make II in some way
useful To him and that ] would
gladly give IL TO the cause he
loves" There was a note of sad
ness In her tone.
Touched by the sacred character
Of the message. the spy. who had
a remarkable memory. applied him
self to the task of noting In his
mind the ordering of its phrases.
There will be bombardment," ="
he went on. AT the sound of the
first gun our friends are TO come
here and keep indoors. You are TO
tell Pat Fayerweather that she
and her family are 10 come here.
an other points will be in danger"
When will the trouble beginI"
I'VE cannot say. but probably
early in March,
Anything more TO tell me?"
NO"
Then you must 90. Here are
letters The litterman is waiting"
Revere descended the servants
stairs in the darkness to the kitch-
en-. He stepped out of its door and
down into an empty ash barrel on
The wagon. A sunken top that held
n foot of ashes was showed into
the barrel above his head. Thus he
rode in a wagon behind horses
driven by an unsuspected patriot
to Snoach's yard. There. II the
driver saw no signal, Revere would
take a water route on his way to
Cambridge. The barrel journey to
Winnisimet was now rarely used.
Mrs. Shipman was a kind of
postmistress for the patriots in
Boston. Revere and others in the
secret service brought letters to the
mansion and there received a few
from friends of its mistress to be
taken beyond the lines. Pat Fayer-
weather was one of this band Of
friends. She came TO the mansion
in her ehaise next morning.
I'm going through the lines" she
said. I'm desperate. Can't wait
any longer. I've got TO see that
man. Good Lord I'm in love"
Mrs. Shipman laughed.
Well! I've had the same trou-
bic. | know that restless feeling.
But it's robber. Women have to
look out or ii will deprive them of
their sanity. Even greater treas
hn
ITO tell you the truth l am a
reckless creature. | am not quite
respectable"
You wouldn't risk your life try
ing to break through the lines?"
The apple woman is In town. /
have told her TO come here at
eleven and that | will buy all her
apples at a shilling each. She will
be here in FIVE minutes. ! shall buy
her costume and put it on with
padding. and make my face as ugly
as hers If | can. and go through
the lines tonight. | shall reward
her well. and have in the chaise
an old gown of one of our maids
that will. ] am sure. fit the
woman"
ut is madness. Contain yourself.
Well be out of our trouble soon. |
have good reason for saying that
! know things which | cannot tell
you"
81 am weary OF that kind of talk
l must go. You know how feel
My friends in Roxbury will meet
me tonight on the road beyond the
lines"
The girl threw her arms around
the neck of the woman and kissed
her.
''Tll see how you look as an ap-
pie woman" said Mrs. Shipman
Meanwhile l shall think about it,
The apple woman came. She was
an eccentric. harmless old widow
who lived alone in an abandoned
mill on Stony brook aboui mile be-
yOnd the western entrance TO Rox.
bury neck She always carried with
her gift of stockings or mittens
knit by her own hands for the pick.
cts of each army. They were all
her boys" and they called her