Daughters of the Revolution and Their Times

by Charles Carleton Coffin

  III.

  THE SONS OF LIBERTY.

  "Is it far to Doctor Warren's house?" Robert asked of the landlordafter supper.

  "Oh no, only a few steps around the corner on Hanover Street. So youare going to call on him, just as your father always does. You willfind him a nice gentleman. He is kind to the poor, charging little ornothing when they are sick and need doctoring. He isn't quite thirtyyears old, but there isn't a doctor in town that has a largerpractice. He is a true patriot. I heard a man say the other day thatif Joe Warren would only let politics alone he would soon be riding inhis own coach. The rich Tories don't like him much. They say it was hewho gave Governor Bernard such a scorching in Ben Edes's newspaperawhile ago. He is eloquent when he gets fired up. You ought to hearhim in town meeting; you won't find him stuck up one mite; you cantalk with him just as you do with me."

  With the cheese under his arm Robert walked along Hanover Street toDoctor Warren's house[17]. It was a wooden building standing end tothe road. Entering a small yard, he rattled the knocker on the door.The doctor opened it.

  [Footnote 17: The home of Doctor Warren stood upon the spot nowoccupied by the American House. It was a plain structure and wassurrounded a garden. Mrs. Warren--Elizabeth Hooton beforemarriage--was the daughter of Richard Hooton, a merchant possessinglarge wealth. She was beautiful in person and character. She died May,1773. The Boston _Gazette_ contained an appreciative tribute to herworth.

  "Good sense and modesty with virtue crowned; A sober mind when fortune smiled or frowned. So keen a feeling for a friend distressed, She could not bear to see a man oppressed."]

  "Good-evening; will you walk in?" he said. It was a pleasant, cheeryvoice, one to make a sick person feel well.

  "Please step into the office."

  Robert entered a room smelling of rhubarb, jalap, ipecac, and othermedicines in bottles and packages on the shelves.

  Sincere and hearty were the thanks of Doctor Warren for the present.

  "I want Mrs. Warren to make your acquaintance," he said.

  A beautiful woman entered and gave Robert a cordial greeting.

  "It is very kind of you to bring us such a gift. It is not the firsttime your father has made us happy," she said. "We must find some way,husband, to let Mr. Walden know we appreciate his kindness."

  "That is so, wife."

  "We live so far away," said Robert, "we do not know what is going on.Father wishes me especially to learn the latest news from London inregard to the proposed tax on tea, and what the Colonies are going todo about it."

  "That is a very important matter," the doctor replied, "and we are tohave a meeting of the Sons of Liberty this evening to consider whatshall be done in case the bill now before Parliament becomes a law, asI have no doubt it will. I shall be pleased to have you go with me. Ofcourse our meetings are somewhat secret. We do not care to have anymousing Tory know just what we intend to do. You will have a heartywelcome from the boys. It is only a few steps from here, at the GreenDragon."

  "That is where I am stopping," Robert replied.

  "You can say to your father," the doctor continued, "that the redcoatsare becoming very insolent, and we fear there will be trouble."

  Robert said nothing about his experience at the town pump.

  "Tommy Hutchinson," the doctor went on, "is acting governor. He is notthe hyena Bernard was. Hutchinson was born here. He is a gentleman,but loves office. I would not do him any injustice, but being inoffice he naturally sides with the ministry. He does not see which waythe people are going. King George believes that he himself is chosenof God to rule us, and Lord North is ready to back him up. The peoplearound the king are sycophants who are looking after their ownpersonal advantage. The ministers know very little about affairs inthe Colonies. They are misled by Bernard and others. They aredetermined to raise revenue from the Colonies, but will bedisappointed. But we will go round to the Green Dragon."

  DOCTOR JOSEPH WARREN]

  They reached the tavern. Doctor Warren nodded to the landlord, and ledthe way up the stairs along the hall and gave four raps on a door.One of the panels swung open. A man on the other side said somethingwhich Robert could not understand, neither could he make out what thedoctor said in reply. The panel closed, the door opened, and theypassed into a large room dimly lighted by two tallow candles. A dozenor more young men were seated in chairs around a table smoking theirpipes. At one end of the table was a large punch-bowl, a basket filledwith lemons, a bottle of rum, a plate of crackers, and half a cheese.One young man was slicing lemons and making rum punch. All clappedtheir hands when they saw Doctor Warren.

  "I have brought a young friend; he is from New Hampshire and as trueas steel," said the doctor.

  "Boys," said Amos Lincoln, "this is the gentleman I was telling youabout; let's give him three cheers."

  The room rang. Robert did not know what to make of it; neither didDoctor Warren till Amos Lincoln told how he had seen Mr. Walden at thetown pump, knocking down one lobster, throwing another into thewatering-trough, and calmly confronting the prig of a lieutenant. WhenAmos finished, all came and shook hands with Robert.

  Mr. John Rowe called the meeting to order.

  "Since our last meeting," he said, "a ship has arrived bringing thenews that the king and ministers are determined to levy an export dutyof three pence per pound on tea: that is, all tea exported fromEngland will be taxed to that extent. Of course, we could pay it if wechose, but we shall not so choose."

  The company clapped their hands.

  "We have sent round papers for the merchants to sign an agreement thatthey will not sell any tea imported from England. All have signed itexcept Hutchinson's two sons, Governor Bernard's son-in-law,Theophilus Lillie, and two others. The agreement does not prevent themerchants from selling tea imported from Holland. The Tories, ofcourse, will patronize the merchants who have not signed theagreement, and the question for us to consider is how we shall keepout the tea to be imported by the East India Company."

  "We must make it hot for 'em," said Mr. Mackintosh.

  "The tea, do you mean?" shouted several.

  There was a ripple of laughter.

  "I don't see but that we shall have to quit drinking tea," said DoctorWarren. "We drink altogether too much. It has become a dissipation. Wedrink it morning, noon, and night. Some of the old ladies of myacquaintance keep the teapot on the coals pretty much all the time.Our wives meet in the afternoon to sip tea and talk gossip. The girlsgetting ready to be married invite their mates to quiltings and servethem with Old Hyson. We have garden tea-parties on bright afternoonsin summer and evening parties in winter. So much tea, such frequentuse of an infusion of the herb, upsets our nerves, impairs healthfuldigestion, and brings on sleeplessness. I have several patients--oldladies, and those in middle life--whose nerves are so unstrung that Iam obliged to dose them with opium occasionally, to enable them tosleep."

  "Do you think we can induce the ladies to quit drinking it?" Mr.Molineux asked.

  "I am quite sure Mrs. Warren will cheerfully give it up, as will Mrs.Molineux if her husband should set the example," Doctor Warrenreplied.

  Mr. Molineux said he was ready to banish the teapot from his table.

  "I believe," continued the doctor, "that the women of America will beready to give up the gratification of their appetites to maintain agreat principle. They will sacrifice all personal considerations tosecure the rights of the Colonies. Parliament proposes to tax thiscountry without our having a voice in the matter. It is a seductiveand insidious proposition--this export duty. I suppose they think weare simpletons, and will be caught in the trap they are setting. Theythink we are so fond of tea we shall continue to purchase it, but thetime has come when we must let them know there is nothing so preciousto us as our rights and liberties; that we can be resolute in littleas well as in great things. I dare say that some of you, like myself,have invitations to Mrs. Newville's garden party to-morrow afternoon.I expect to attend, but it will be the
last tea-party for me, if thebill before Parliament becomes a law. Mrs. Newville is an estimablelady, a hospitable hostess; having accepted an invitation to bepresent, it would be discourteous for me to inform her I could notdrink a cup of tea from her hand, but I have made up my mindhenceforth to stand resolutely for maintaining the principleunderlying it all,--a great fundamental, political principle,--ourfreedom."

  The room rang with applause.

  "Sometimes, as some of you know, I try my hand at verse-making. I willread a few lines."

  FREE AMERICA.

  That seat of Science, Athens, And earth's proud mistress, Rome: Where now are all their glories? We scarce can find their tomb. Then guard your rights, Americans, Nor stoop to lawless sway; Oppose, oppose, oppose, For North America.

  We led fair Freedom hither, And lo, the desert smiled, A paradise of pleasure Was opened in the wild. Your harvest, bold Americans, No power shall snatch away. Huzza, huzza, huzza, For free America.

  Some future day shall crown us The masters of the main; Our fleets shall speak in thunder To England, France, and Spain. And nations over ocean spread Shall tremble and obey The sons, the sons, the sons, Of brave America.

  Captain Mackintosh sang it, and the hall rang with cheers.

  "It is pitiable," said Mr. Rowe, "that the people of England do notunderstand us better, but what can we expect when a member ofParliament makes a speech like that delivered by Mr. Stanley justbefore the last ship sailed. Hear it."

  Mr. Rowe, taking a candle in one hand and snuffing it with his thumband finger, read an extract from the speech: "What will become of thatinsolent town, Boston, when we deprive the inhabitants of the power ofsending their molasses to the coast of Africa? The people of that townmust be treated as aliens, and the charters of towns in Massachusettsmust be changed so as to give the king the appointment of thecouncilors, and give the sheriffs the sole power of returning juries."

  "The ignoramus," continued Mr. Rowe, "does not know that no molassesis made in these Colonies. He confounds this and the other Colonieswith Jamaica. One would suppose Lord North would not be quite sobitter, but he said in a recent speech that America must be made tofear the king; that he should go on with the king's plan until we wereprostrate at his feet."

  "Not much will we get down on our knees to him," said Peter Bushwick."Since the war with France, to carry on which the Colonies contributedtheir full share, the throne isn't feared quite as much as it was.Americans are not in the habit of prostrating themselves."

  Captain Mackintosh once more broke into a song.

  "Come join hand in hand, Americans all; By uniting we stand, dividing we fall. To die we can bear, but to serve we disdain, For shame is to freedom more dreadful than pain. In freedom we're born, in freedom we'll live. Our purses are ready: steady, boys, steady, Not as slaves but as freemen our money we'll give."

  The Sons again clapped their hands and resolved that they would drinkno more tea. The formal business of the evening being ended, theybroke into groups, helped themselves to crackers and cheese, andlighted their pipes.

  A young man about Robert's age came and shook hands with him.

  "Did I understand correctly that you are Robert Walden from Rumford?"he asked.

  "That is my name, and I am from Rumford."

  "Then we are cousins; I am Tom Brandon."

  "I was intending to call upon you to-morrow."

  "You must go with me to-night. Father and mother never would forgiveme if I did not take you along, especially when I tell them how yourubbed it into the king's lobsters."

  The bells were ringing for nine o'clock--the hour when everybody inBoston made preparations for going to bed. All the Sons of Libertycame and shook hands with Robert.

  "It is the most wholesome lesson the villains have had since theylanded at Long Wharf," said Doctor Warren, who hoped to have thepleasure of seeing more of Mr. Walden.

  "We must rely upon such as you in the struggle which we are yet tohave to maintain our liberties," said Mr. Molineux.

  Tom Brandon took Robert with him to his home on Copp's Hill. Robertcould see by the light of the moon that it was a large wooden housewith a hipped roof, surmounted by a balustrade, fronting the burialground and overlooking the harbor and a wide reach of surroundingcountry.

  "Why, Robert Walden! where did you come from?" Mr. Brandon exclaimedas Tom ushered him into the sitting-room.

  "What! stopping at the Green Dragon! Why didn't you come right here,you naughty boy?"

  He tinkled a bell and a negro entered the room.

  "Mark Antony, go up to the Green Dragon and get this gentleman'strunk. Tell the landlord I sent you. Hold on a moment: it is afternine o'clock, and the watchman may overhaul you and want to know whatyou are doing. You must have an order."

  Mr. Brandon stepped to a writing-desk and wrote an order, receivingwhich Mark Antony bowed and took his departure.

  Mr. Brandon was in the prime of life, hale, hearty, vigorous, a formership captain, who had been to London many times, also through theStraits of Gibraltar, to Madeira, Jamaica, and round Cape of Good Hopeto China. He had seen enough of ocean life and had become a builder ofships. He was accustomed to give orders, manage men, and was quick toact. He had accumulated wealth, and was living in a spacious mansionon the summit of the hill. On calm summer evenings he smoked his pipeupon the platform on the roof of his house, looking through atelescope at vessels making the harbor, reading the signals flying atthe masthead, and saying to himself and friends that the approachingvessel was from London or the West Indias.

  Robert admired the homelike residence, the paneled wainscoting, thefluted pilasters, elaborately carved mantel, glazed tiles, mahoganycentre-table, armchairs, the beautifully carved writing-desk, thepictures on the walls of ships under full sail weathering rockyheadlands.

  Mrs. Brandon and her daughter Berinthia entered the room. Mrs. Brandonwas very fair for a woman in middle life. Berinthia had light blueeyes, cherry ripe lips, and rosy cheeks.

  "I have heard father speak of you often, and he is always holding upcousin Rachel as a model for me," said Berinthia, shaking hands withhim.

  Tom told of what had happened at the town pump.

  "The soldiers are a vile set," said Mrs. Brandon.

  "They are becoming very insolent, and I fear we shall have troublewith them," said Mr. Brandon.

  Mark Antony came with the trunk, and Tom lighted a candle to showRobert to his chamber. Berinthia walked with him to the foot of thestairs.

  "Good-night, cousin," she said; "I want to thank you in behalfof all the girls in Boston for throwing that villain into thewatering-trough."