A Little Maid of Massachusetts Colony
Page 15
CHAPTER XV
AMOS APPEARS
Anne picked up her thimble and said: "I'm sorry I went to sleep. I sewedonly a little."
"Let me see," and Mrs. Freeman picked up the dress, and looked at theneatly stitched seams. "These seams are all stitched," she saidsmilingly.
Anne looked at them in surprise. "Did you do them?" she asked.
Mrs. Freeman shook her head. "No," she replied; "you see, I went tosleep, and awoke only a few moments since."
Anne hardly knew what to make of this, for she was quite sure that shehad waked when Rose entered the room.
"P'raps it's fairies!" said little Millicent hopefully. "Don't you knowabout fairies, Anne?" and Millicent came close to Anne and laid thebeloved "Martha" in her lap. "I'll tell you," she went on, in responseto Anne's puzzled look. "Fairies are little, oh, littler than my thumb.I've never seen one, but Caroline's grandmother saw one, and real goodchildren may see them some time."
"But how could anything so small sew?" questioned Anne.
"Fairies can do anything!" declared Millicent. "Caroline knows all aboutthem. Let's go out in the yard where she is sitting with her sewing andget her to tell us a fairy story."
"Run along," said Mrs. Freeman. "You see you need not stay in to sew,since the seams are stitched."
Anne actually forgot "Martha Stoddard," so that when she jumped up tofollow Millicent the wooden doll fell to the floor without either Anneor Millicent heeding it.
Rose smiled as she picked it up. "Fairies are useful little peoplesometimes," she said to her mother.
The days went very rapidly. Every morning Anne helped Rose with thehousehold work, and sewed on the garments Mrs. Freeman basted for her.Every day, too, she wrote in the book for Aunt Martha. Rose made tinysketches on many pages: of a wasp's nest, of Anne riding "Range," ofAunt Anne Rose; and here and there were little landscapes. Anne hadmade up her mind to let Millicent keep the wooden doll, but shesometimes wished that she had left "Martha Stoddard" safe at home inProvince Town.
Beside the work there were games of bowls on the green back of thehouse, and pleasant walks about the town. Rose and Anne had made severalvisits to Mistress Mason, and Anne had already purchased a fine pewterpitcher to take home to Aunt Martha, and was knitting a warm scarf forUncle Enos. She had not spent all of her money, and planned to buy awonderful blue silk sash, which Mistress Mason had shown the girls onone of their visits, as a gift for Amanda. She had sent a letter to AuntMartha Stoddard by a Province Town fisherman known to the Freemans, andthe time was near when "The Yankee Hero," of which Anne's father wasfirst mate, was due in Boston.
"Like as not your father's vessel will bring a fine prize into harbor,"Frederick said one morning as he and Anne were teaching Millicent tobowl, "unless some English frigate has captured her," he added.
All up and down the coast English vessels were on the alert to seizeAmerican ships; but the American vessels were also on the outlook andhad captured many of the enemy's ships.
"They'll not capture 'The Yankee Hero,'" declared Anne. "She's sailed byProvince Town sailors," and Anne gave her head a little toss, as if tosay that Province Town sailors were the best in the world, as she indeedthought they were.
Frederick laughed pleasantly. "You think a good deal of that old sandheap," he replied.
Anne held a ball ready to roll, but at Frederick's remark she droppedit, and stood looking at him angrily.
"It's your turn!" he reminded her, looking at her in surprise.
"It's not an old sand heap. It's the loveliest place in the world. Youcan see twice as much salt water there as you can in Boston," shedeclared.
"So you can," agreed Frederick, "but it's a sand heap just the same. Agood place to catch cod, though."
"Want to see my workshop?" the boy asked when they were all tired ofbowling. "Father's given me some fine pieces of wood, and I'm making asled for Millicent to play with next winter."
Frederick's workshop was a corner of the carriage-house, where the finechaise stood, and he had a work-bench there well supplied with tools,and spent many happy hours over his work.
"I'm going to have a shipyard and build ships," he told Anne. "See thislittle model!" and he held up a tiny wooden ship, fully rigged, with alittle American flag fastened at the top of the mainmast. "Rose madethat flag," he said proudly. "See, there's a star for each colony,thirteen of 'em."
Almost every day Anne and Rose walked to the wharves with Mr. Freeman tohear if there was any news of "The Yankee Hero." It was the very lastday of July when Mr. Freeman said, as they walked down the wharf,"There's a Province Town schooner in harbor, Anne--'The Sea Gull.' Shecame for a new mainsail and will probably sail when the tide serves.There's a boat from her now, headed for my wharf."
Anne did not know that Amos Cary was on board the "Sea Gull," but shewas eager to see any one who came from the place Frederick had called"the old sand heap," and watched the boat from the schooner as it cameswiftly toward the Freeman wharf.
"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, and ran further out on the pier, quicklyfollowed by Rose. "It looks just like Amos Cary's head. Do you supposeit is?" she asked turning to Rose.
"If it is, Amos is probably with it," Rose answered laughingly. "Isuppose Amos is Amanda's brother, who came to Brewster with you. Is itthat red-headed boy sitting in the bow?"
"Yes, yes!" answered Anne, fairly jumping up and down in her excitement.
Amos was now near enough to recognize Anne, and took off his cap andwaved it gaily. The boat drew up to the wharf, but Amos did not jump outas Anne expected.
"I can't," he explained. "Father told Captain Nash not to let me setfoot on shore," and Amos grinned as if he was delighted at what hisfather thought would be discipline. "I'm going to be on the 'Sea Gull'for months; maybe a whole year! Isn't that fine?"
"Jump out, Amos," said Captain Nash.
"But father said I wasn't to step foot on shore," responded thesurprised boy.
"Unless I told you to," added the captain, and Amos scrambled up ontothe wharf a little disappointed at the permission. "Mr. Freeman hasinvited you to dinner," added the captain, "but you must be here at thewharf at two sharp."
"Yes, indeed, sir," Amos answered promptly, looking back almostreluctantly toward the boat.
"Born for a sailor," the captain said to Mr. Freeman, as Amos walkedwith Anne and Rose toward the Freemans' house. He answered Anne'squestions about Aunt Martha, Uncle Enos, Amanda and the Starkweathers,and listened to her account of the wonderful journey to Boston.
"Wasn't it great to be shut up in that dark room!" he exclaimed, whenAnne told him of Bill Mains' mistake. "Wish I'd been there. But maybethe 'Sea Gull' will run afoul of a pirate ship before long," heconcluded hopefully.
When Anne introduced him to Mrs. Freeman Amos took off his cap and bowedvery politely, as he had noticed Captain Nash do. Frederick and hebecame friends instantly, and Amos was taken out to the workshop to seethe model ship which had the American flag fastened to its mainmast,and he listened to Frederick's plans for building ships approvingly.
"Maybe I'll sail one of your vessels for you," he said. "I'm going tolearn navigation. I'm not planning to be on shore much after this, I cantell you."
Frederick listened enviously; he thought Amos was a very fortunate boyto be going for a year's voyage on the "Sea Gull."