The Secret Letters of 75

by C. Fennessy

  “But-“ Jamie began, but Sarah went on,

  “We’ll have to sneak in later, when he’s not there.”

  Jamie reminded her that the school house would probably be locked.

  “Don’t worry,” she smiled smugly, “I’ll come up with something.”

  At Boston Neck, he pulled the horse to a stop. He handed her the reins and slid down, to go the rest of the way to the Governor’s house on foot.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” Sarah promised, “I should have a plan by then.” She gave the horse a nudge and headed towards home.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 7: Spying

  The following afternoon, Mr. Holbrook watched Sarah as lugged a heavy bucket of water into the classroom.

  “It is indeed very thoughtful and admirable of you to stay after school to wash the windows, Sarah. After all, you must have many other chores to do at home.”

  She set the bucket down and smiled at him, “Oh, I don’t mind at all, sir. In fact, I really enjoy washing windows. I like the way they sparkle when they’re all clean. It lets the light in so much better, don’t you agree?”

  “Indeed I do,” he smiled.

  She wrung out the wet rag in the bucket and climbed on a chair to begin washing. Mr. Holbrook was about to tell her to be careful, but he saw her go about the task with such confidence and skill that he realized that she was accustomed to doing such work. He wondered about her as he sat at his desk, preparing his lessons for the next day. He knew that her mother and baby brother had died nearly two years ago during the smallpox epidemic, leaving Sarah and her father alone on their small farm just up the road.

  Watching Sarah, he thought about how much he admired her ambition and her quick mind. She was one of the brightest pupils he had ever had. There were not many girls in his school because most were tutored at home by their mothers. Most Colonists believed that too much education was not proper for girls, or at best, a waste of time since their purpose was to someday serve as wives and mothers.

  He regarded Sarah’s dress. It was clean and unwrinkled, but the color had faded from a dark blue to a bluish-purple. It had patches under the arms, and the sleeves and hem were too short. Sarah had outgrown the clothes her mother had made for her before she died, but the cost of buying a ready-made dress these days was impossible for anyone but the rich to afford one. He wondered when the last time was that Sarah had a new dress.

  Some of the other students sometimes made fun of her. She was very smart, but plainly dressed. But she was an attractive girl, looking more like her mother every day. Mr. Holbrook remembered Martha Harper very well, and had attended her funeral when she and the baby died.

  “I’m nearly finished, Mr. Holbrook,” Sarah said as she scrubbed the last window. He replied, “Good, because I have an appointment in town soon.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw Mr. Holbrook writing tomorrow’s lessons on the chalk board. Carefully, she unlocked the latch on the last window. Then she quickly dried it, and emptied the bucket of water outside.

  Mr. Holbrook locked the schoolhouse after she came out. He said goodbye and rode his horse toward Boston while Sarah rode home.

  As soon as Sarah's father left the house that evening to visit a nearby farm, she and Jamie both put on their warmest clothes and packed some tools in a satchel. They rode through the April mists swirling across the fields. The air grew wet and raw as the fog crept in. The darkening roads and the threat of bandits made the two teens alert to every sound.

  When they reached the schoolhouse, they discovered the window was too high up from the ground to reach, so Sarah got onto her mare, leaned over, and pushed the window sash up. She climbed in and Jamie used the horse’s stirrup to boost himself through the window.

  The schoolhouse was in such complete darkness that they both tripped over a stool near the front of the room. After Sarah lit her lantern, they scanned the floor to find the boards that had been pried up last year to hide the rebel's weapons.

  “I think it was these boards here,” Jamie said, tapping them with his foot. He looked around the room, trying to remember where he had stood the night that the weapons were hidden.

  “Yes, I think you’re right,” she agreed.

  He took out the hammer and a chisel and began to pry at one of the boards, and between them they were able to loosen one.

  “I’m almost afraid to look,” said Sarah, “I mean, what if they’re not there?”

  Jamie looked at her and nodded in understanding, “Then we’ll know he’s the traitor.”

  Sarah sighed heavily, “I don’t think I will ever be able to face him again if he is.”

  “Well, let’s not worry just yet. Let’s get this next board up.”

  She nodded and he tapped the hammer carefully as she held the chisel. Finally the board gave way and they lifted it out of place. The hole before them looked black and empty.

  “Get the lantern,” said Jamie.

  As soon as light flooded the gaping hole, Sarah's eyes widened and she gasped.

  Under a layer of fine dust and cobwebs lay the rifles.

  She brought the lantern from the desk and held it over the hole. Under a layer of fine dust and cobwebs lay the rifles. Around them, four and six pound cannon balls were stacked into short piles.

  They both let out a sigh of relief and smiled at one another.

  “Whew! I was worried there for a moment,” Jamie said lightly.

  “So was I!” admitted Sarah, “But now we know that the traitor isn’t Mr. Holbrook. Who could it be?”

  Jamie shook his head, “I don’t know. Come on. Let’s get these boards back before someone sees the horse outside. They might get suspicious.”

  Sarah was startled into that possibility, and quickly helped Jamie to fasten the boards back down with the nails and hammer. Exiting back out through the window, they were soon heading for home under the eyes of the watching stars.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 8: More News

  When Jamie arrived at the Governor’s house Saturday morning, he noticed an armed guard standing at the front door. After being admitted into the house by Mr. Heath, he went into the drawing room. Mr. Roberts pulled him into the corner and spoke quietly.

  “Something’s afoot. There have been officers rushing in and out of here all morning, but I haven’t been able to find out why. Keep your eyes and ears open. If you discover anything, come and tell me. If needed, I shall dispatch you directly to Mr. Revere. Now, mix up some pale gray for the cloud shadows. You can do it over there by the entrance so you can hear what’s going on.”

  Jamie went to the box of paints sitting near the entrance, and got down to work, mixing powders and oil together to make paint. He added a smudge of black to the white and mixed it thoroughly while Mr. Roberts added the finishing touch to the white clouds in the mural.

  Jamie saw two officers go into the large dining room and close the door, but he couldn’t hear anything more than muffled voices.

  “Bring the gray and a clean small brush,” Mr. Roberts said.

  When Jamie brought them to him, Mr. Roberts examined the color and nodded in satisfaction, saying,

  “Good. It’s not too dark. If you want to keep the feeling of sunlight, just add a very pale gray shadow to the bottom of each cloud, and around the edges like this…”

  He dabbed at the wall with the gray paint and Jamie watched, fascinated as the clouds suddenly appeared as if they were really floating in front of him.

  “Here, you try now,” said Mr. Roberts, holding out the brush.

  Since Jamie had no left hand to hold the palette, Mr. Roberts had nailed a leather strap across the back of it. He slid his left arm through the strap and brushed the paint carefully on the clouds just as Mr. Roberts had done. A smile grew on the old man’s face and he nodded in approval.

  “Yes, very good! You learn quickly, my lad.”

  T
he front door opened and another officer rushed into the hallway and rapped loudly upon the office door. He was admitted and it closed quickly again. Jamie was getting anxious to find out what was going on behind that door, but Mr. Heath was still in the hallway.

  “I think we’ll need some more gray,” Mr. Roberts said, “Mix another batch, please.”

  “We’re nearly out of black,” said Jamie.

  “There’s some in my box out in the carriage house. The groom knows where it is.”

  Jamie nodded and went outside to the carriage house in the back of the manor. He found Joshua guiding a horse into a stall.

  “Hello, Joshua,” Jamie greeted. The young man turned and gave a bright smile,

  “Oh, hello, James.”

  “You’ve got plenty of horses to take care of today,” Jamie noted.

  “Yes, there’s some kind of big meeting going on here…very secret.”

  “What’s it all about?”

  Joshua shrugged, “I don’t know, but when they come out I may hear something about it.”

  Jamie looked at him, thinking. Finally, he asked,

  “If there is going to be a war, whose side will you be on?”

  Joshua stared at him in surprise.

  “Nobody’s, I guess.”

  Jamie shook his head, “That won’t be possible. You’ll have to choose one side or the other.”

  “Whose side are you on, Englishman?” Joshua’s eyes held a teasing look.

  Jamie looked around and made sure no one else was around before answering.

  “I think the Colonists deserve to have their freedom, even if they have to fight for it. I think everybody should be free to do as he pleases, within reason, don’t you?”

  Joshua considered the question and nodded, “Of course.”

  “Then if war does come, would you help us fight against the British?”

  Joshua nodded in agreement, “Yes, I will.”

  Jamie smiled, “Good. In the meantime, if you see or hear anything that could be important, let me know, will you?”

  Joshua smiled and put out his hand to shake.

  “You’ve got my word on that.”

  Jamie shook his hand firmly and grinned. “Thanks. In the meantime, I’d better get back to work. Mr. Roberts needs something from his box. Can you show me where it is?”

  Joshua showed him the large wooden box in the carriage house. Jamie quickly found what he needed and returned to the house. He mixed up more paint for Mr. Roberts and helped paint all the clouds in the mural. Next, they began to paint in the buildings in the background. Mr. Roberts applied a soft bluish gray, and then added lighter and darker shades of blue and lavender for shadows.

  “Not all shadows are the same colors,” Mr. Roberts explained, “Some are light and some are dark, with all kinds of variations in between. Here’s where you can add a little more color to make it interesting…a bit of pink, crimson, or purple can liven up the painting.”

  Jamie watched in fascination as the buildings came to life. He felt as if he were standing before them in person, expecting one of the perching birds to fly off into the clouds. He was surprised when Mr. Roberts handed him the brush.

  “Here, you do it.”

  Jamie stared at him and said, “But I don’t know-“

  “Go on, just try. I’ll tell you what to do if you need it. And don’t worry. If you make a mistake, we can paint over it and fix it. Go on, just try your best.”

  Jamie was a little nervous about painting on such a beautiful work of art. But he slipped the palette over his arm and picked up the brush. He studied the colors that Mr. Roberts had used and tried to mix them on the palette exactly the same way. Then he applied the first strokes and filled in the areas, adding lights and darks as Mr. Roberts suggested. When he stepped back to view his work, he was amazed.

  “Excellent!” Mr. Roberts cried, “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  Jamie was about to reply when the office door opened and a group of officers came out in a hurry. Their heavy boot steps echoed in the hallway like the sound of a stampede. Mr. Roberts and Jamie exchanged curious looks. General Gage emerged from the dining room and called out to the last officer,

  “As soon as Major Cane arrives, send him directly to me.”

  “Yes, sir!” the officer saluted.

  At that moment, a woman’s footsteps echoed in the foyer, and Mrs. Gage entered the hallway. She exchanged greetings with her husband briefly and asked, “Will you dine with me for lunch, dear?”

  “I’m sorry. That’s not possible today, I’m afraid. The marines are landing and I’ve too much to do. I’m not even certain I shall be able to dine with you this evening.”

  He kissed her cheek and bid her goodbye before disappearing back into the dining room where the other officers waited. She pulled off her shawl and walked into the drawing room. As soon as she saw the mural, she caught her breath, crying,

  “Oh, it’s so lovely! So incredibly realistic! I almost feel as if I’m drifting in a boat on the Thames River.”

  Mr. Roberts turned and nodded appreciatively.

  “Thank you, madam. We’ve only just begun, but I’m happy that you approve.”

  “Approve? It’s wonderful! And so much more than I had expected! You are truly gifted, Mr. Roberts.”

  He thanked her for her compliment and Jamie bowed slightly as she left.

  When they were sure that no one was in the hall, Jamie said quietly, “The marines are landing! That could mean they’re planning to march the troops out of Boston, couldn’t it?”

  Mr. Roberts nodded, “It could, but not necessarily. But it should be reported, nonetheless. Do you know where Mr. Knox’s London Book Shop is?”

  Jamie nodded, “Yes, of course.”

  “Go there quickly and tell him what we’ve heard. I’ll make an excuse for your absence--that I’ve sent you out to purchase some supplies for me. Now hurry!”

  Jamie slipped the palette from his arm and quickly headed out of the door.

  In the carriage house, he found Joshua sitting on a wooden box polishing a leather harness. Joshua looked up and grinned. “What’s going on, Jamie?”

  “Plenty,” said Jamie, “The marines have landed.”

  Joshua frowned, “Oh, my auntie won’t like that. She’s got three soldiers put up at her house now and it’s so crowded we can hardly move! Plus, they eat more than their horses! I hope we don’t get any marines, too! What about you?”

  “I live on a small farm in Roxbury. There aren’t any soldiers out there.”

  “Huh! Well, you just wait. Pretty soon they’ll be everywhere.”

  “Unless we stop them,” Jamie said, “Have you heard anything?”

  Joshua looked at him and when their eyes met, he said, “I did hear one of the officers say something like, wait til we get our hands on those rebels…we’ll string them up right on the steps of the State House, or something like that.”

  Jamie sighed, “So they intend to hang us here in Boston! But I think they’re getting ready to march.”

  “To where?”

  Jamie shrugged, “That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

  “Well, if I hear anything else, I’ll let you know,” Joshua promised.

  Jamie slapped his shoulder in appreciation. He walked Mr. Roberts’ horse out of a stall and Joshua helped him put on the saddle and to mount the horse.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 9: A Suspect

  As he rode through the streets of Boston, he passed columns of marching marines carrying heavy packs. Some were being led to homes where they would be staying, whether the residents liked it or not. Although it was usually busy on Saturdays with farmers and tradesmen bringing their goods to sell, Jamie couldn’t remember ever seeing it this busy before. Riding through the crowded streets, he finally arrived at Mr. Knox’s London Book Shop.

  Mr. Knox was a secret member of the Sons of Liberty. When Jamie entered, Mr. Knox wave
d him over to a corner where they could speak privately. Jamie told him what he had overheard at the governor’s house.

  Knox nodded, “I thought something was up. I’ve never seen this many marines before. We'll have to meet tonight at The George Tavern, nine o’clock. You let Jonathan know and I’ll send word to the others.”

  Jamie nodded and hurried back out and climbed up on the horse. He navigated through the crowds to Boston Neck, where he saw Redcoats guarding the entrance to the Neck. Once he was past the Neck, he urged the horse to a gallop and hurried to the Harper’s farm.

  Jonathan and Sarah were surprised at the news. They sat down for dinner, and Jamie told them everything that had happened, including what Joshua had overheard.

  “Father: since The George Tavern is just down the road in Roxbury, may we come? After all, if the marines do come out, I don’t think we would like being home on our own without you here.”

  Jamie was about to protest that he was perfectly capable of protecting her, but when he opened his mouth and began to speak, he felt a painful kick to his shins.

  “Ow!” he cried, grabbing his leg. Sarah gave him a wide-eyed stare and he knew that she was up to something.

  “Sorry,” Jamie said, rubbing his leg, “I hit my foot on the table leg.”

  Jonathan nodded and turned to Sarah, “Well, I guess I would agree with you on that.”

  Sarah nodded and gave Jamie a wink, and he smiled back at her.

  When Jonathan left the room to get his things, Jamie asked, “Why did you kick me?”

  “Because I knew what you were going to say, and it would've ruined my plan to get us into Roxbury with father. You don't want to be left out of the action, do you?”

  “Well, no, but did you have to kick so hard?”

  She smiled, “You'll thank me later!”

  At The George Tavern in Roxbury, they spotted Dr. Warren standing near a table where the others were seated. Jamie and Sarah were surprised to see that Paul Revere had returned to Boston.

  Sarah turned to Jamie and whispered, “Should we tell Mr. Revere about the traitor among us?”

  Jamie shook his head and replied, “Until we know more about who the traitor is, let’s keep it to ourselves.”

  A barmaid brought them tankards of cider and ale. As soon as everyone was served, Dr. Warren said, “Well, we all know the state of things. The marines have landed and the soldiers are preparing to march. We just don’t know when or where they’ll go.”