THE STRANGE SCHOONER
On the morning when Mr. and Mrs. Pierce started for home, Rose and Anne
went to Mistress Mason's shop on an errand. As they walked along the
street Rose exclaimed suddenly: "Anne, look! There is one of father's
best friends!" And Anne looked up to see a gentleman, wearing a cocked
hat and red cloak, coming toward them. He was very erect and his wig was
tied with a narrow ribbon.
"Good-morning, Mistress Rose," he said, and Anne thought to herself that
his voice was very kind and pleasant.
"Good-morning, Mr. Adams," Rose responded. "This is Anne Nelson from
Province Town."
The friendly smile now rested on Anne. "Let me see; was there not a
little maid from Province Town who helped the cause of Liberty by
carrying a message to Newburyport?" he asked, clasping her hand.
Anne looked up at him and smiled. "I went with Uncle Enos," she
answered.
"So you did! And now you are a visitor in Boston, as I am myself, for my
family are now living in Dedham," he responded pleasantly, and, with a
friendly message for Mr. Freeman, he bade the girls good-bye, and walked
on.
"That is Mr. Samuel Adams," explained Rose; "he came from Philadelphia
but a few days ago. He signed the Declaration of Independence, Anne. And
father says had it not been for Samuel Adams 'twould have been years
before Congress would have come to so great a decision."
"And to think he knew of me!" said Anne.
"He knows of everybody who helped even a little bit toward American
independence," said Rose. "Mr. Adams goes back to Philadelphia in
September. 'Twill be a fine thing to write in your book, Anne, that you
have spoken to him," said Rose, "and very likely your father will be
pleased to have you go and stay with Mrs. Pierce. It's so much nearer
Boston than Province Town, and the Pierces have such a pleasant house."
"It's not so pleasant as my Aunt Martha's," declared Anne loyally.
It seemed to Rose that it would be a very fortunate thing for her little
friend to live with Aunt Anne Rose, and she could not understand Anne's
eagerness to return to Province Town.
"May we not walk down to the wharf, Rose?" Anne asked eagerly. "Your
father may have news of the ship."
But Mr. Freeman only shook his head, a little soberly, Anne thought, and
the day passed without any sight or news of the "Yankee Hero."
Anne was not very happy that day. She wondered what would happen to her
father if the English had captured his ship, and wished with all her
heart that she was with Aunt Martha Stoddard. That night she dreamed of
a fairy hid beneath her pillow, and that it whispered to her, "There is
your father! Right beside the bed," and when she awoke the next morning
Anne said to herself, "I feel happy, but I don't know why," and then
decided that a good fairy had visited her. But when she went
down-stairs, there in the front hall stood a dark man smiling as Anne
exclaimed, "My father!"
For the "Yankee Hero" had arrived in the early evening of the previous
night, and John Nelson had lost no time in making his way to Mr.
Freeman's house, hoping for news of Anne. And he had tiptoed into her
room for a look at his little daughter, just as the fairy whispered.
There was so much for Anne to tell him! John Nelson looked very grave
when he heard of Anne's running away in the night.
"But Uncle Enos and Aunt Martha know that I believed they no longer
wanted me," pleaded Anne. "And, oh, father, Aunt Martha said I was not
to go to Brewster and journey to Boston with the Freemans to see you."
Anne had not known that her father could be so stern.
"You might never have been heard from, Anne, starting off like that. I
do not know if Mistress Stoddard will be willing to again take charge of
you," he said.
But after Rose had told him the story of their journey, of Anne's
courage when they believed themselves prisoners in the house in the
woods, and had said that it was really Amanda Cary's fault more than
Anne's that she had run away, Mr. Nelson was quite ready to forgive her.
"I am glad indeed that my little girl has a good friend in Mrs. Pierce,"
said Mr. Nelson, after he had read Aunt Anne Rose's letter, "but I
think we must go to Province Town at the first opportunity."
Anne now felt that there was nothing to wish for. With her dear father
safe on shore, and the prospect of soon sailing away to Province Town
she was quite happy.
"You must make Rose a fine present, Anne," he said one day as they came
down King Street.
"I heard her say once that she hoped some day to have a gold ring,"
replied Anne.
"You shall give her one," said Mr. Nelson.
"I'll give it to her when I say good-bye," said Anne as they walked
toward home.
"That may be to-morrow," responded Mr. Nelson, "for Mr. Freeman says
that not a boat from Truro, Wellfleet or Province Town has come in to
Boston for a week, so if the wind favors, 'tis like to-morrow will give
us a chance for a passage."
Rose was on the porch, and as she watched Anne come up the path thought
to herself that she would be very lonely without the little maid from
Province Town.
"Captain Starkweather from Province Town is at father's wharf," she
said, "and I had half a mind to tell him not to take any passengers
back to Province Town, for father says he will start back when the tide
serves very early to-morrow morning."
Mr. Nelson hurried away to the wharves, and Anne and Rose went up to the
attic for Anne's book. "For I suppose we must pack up your things
to-night," Rose said. "Your father has bought you a fine portmanteau.
It's in your room now."
Anne picked up the book, and was eager to hurry to her room to see the
new bag, but Rose detained her a moment.
"Why, Anne," she exclaimed, "you have left out the most important
thing."
"What did I leave out?" questioned Anne.
"Why, about Amanda!" replied Rose. "You started this on purpose for
Mistress Stoddard, so that she could know all about your running away."
"Oh," said Anne, in a tone of relief, "then I haven't forgotten
anything. You see, Rose, Amanda told Aunt Martha all about it, so it's
all right."
Rose looked at her little friend for a moment as if she were going to
scold her, then she began to smile, and leaning down kissed the little
girl's cheek.
"You know how to be a friend, Anne," she said, "and I'm sure Amanda will
never do another hateful thing to you."
"Captain Starkweather says he'll take me to Province Town to see his
boys some time," Frederick announced as the family gathered at the
supper table, "and Anne's father tells me that if I go to Salem
to-morrow I'll see ships that go to all parts of the world."
"That is true, my son," replied his father. "There's a ship now in Salem
just arrived from Cadiz with a load of salt, and another with tea and
silks from China. 'Twas great good fortune that they reached harbor
safely. They would have been a fine prize for some British ship."
The Freemans all went down to the wharf with Anne the next morning. The
fine portmanteau, filled with Anne's new clothing and with her gifts for
the Province Town friends, was placed carefully in the little cabin.
Captain Starkweather had already hoisted the sloop's mainsail, and gave
Anne a warm welcome as her father helped her on board.
"Good-bye, good-bye, dear Rose," Anne called back.
As the sloop swung off from the wharf and the little girl looked back
toward the friends who had been so kind to her there was a little mist
in her eyes.
"It's good luck indeed to have this favoring wind," said Captain
Starkweather, as the boat moved swiftly down the harbor. "I doubt not
Amanda Cary is on the beach already hoping we may have sailed at
midnight," and the Captain nodded smilingly toward Anne. "What are you
watching so sharply, John?" he asked, for Mr. Nelson, shading his eyes
with one hand, was watching a small schooner.
"Why, I'm wondering a bit about that schooner," he replied. "Her sails
were hoisted and her anchor up when we left the wharf, and she's kept
the same course. She couldn't be after us right in Boston harbor, but I
don't like her keeping so close."
"'Tis hard work to know friends from foes on land or sea these days,"
said Captain Starkweather a little anxiously. For several fishermen had
recently been captured by English vessels, the men taken to England,
and their boats kept by the captors.
"Hoist the jib, John," directed the captain. "We'll sail away from that
craft; I don't like her company."
Up went the jib, but the sloop did not increase the distance from the
schooner. Both boats had now left Boston harbor well behind them. The
sloop could not hope for any help now if the schooner really meant to
capture it.
"There are guns on that schooner," exclaimed John Nelson. "Go into the
cabin, Anne, and don't come out until I tell you to. Remember, stay in
the cabin," and almost before she realized what had happened Anne found
herself in the sloop's cabin, and the little door shut. A moment later
she heard the bang! bang! of a gun, and felt the boat swing heavily to
one side.