“Play—why, war of course!” responded George, placing his fingers between his lips and giving a shrill whistle. “What’s that for?” wondered Anne. “That’s the signal for Jim that we are going to have an engagement with the British!” replied George, watching eagerly the side of the house where the kitchens were located. “Hist!” sounded from a thick arbor of clematis that shaded the kitchen porch. “There he is! Come on now,” ordered George, starting for the lilac bushes across the lawn. “Children! Come and get your overshoes! Everything is soaking wet!” cried Mrs. Davis from the library window when she saw them race through the wet grass. “Oh, dear me! Martha, you go and bring them to us, will you?” asked George impatiently. “I’m not Mrs. Washington yet, and she didn’t run errands for George before she was married to him,” objected Martha. “Send Jim for them!” whispered Jack, as he saw the little fellow running with might and main to join his adored commander-in-chief. “What will you play with if the weapons and uniforms are in the attic?” asked Anne. At this they all stopped short, as no one had thought of the army equipment till then. “Guess Jack and I had better go for the overshoes and then we can bring along some things for the Continental army,” ventured George. “And send Jim on to John’s house to call him out,” added Martha. “Yes, that’s a good plan. You, Jim, see here!” explained George. “Climb over the hedge and look for John. If you don’t see him, whistle, and when he comes out, tell him we are going to the creek to have the Boston Tea Party—see?” “Yeh, Ah see all right!” eagerly replied Jim, nodding his woolly head energetically as he started off for the hedge that separated the Grahams’ from the Parkes’ estate. The two girls were told to go to the barn and find some tools—axe, nails, hammers, or hatchets, and a saw, if possible. “What for?” asked Anne. “Don’t we have to have warships out in Boston harbor if we want a tea party like that real one was?” scorned George, as he caught hold of Jack’s hand and ran for the house. The lilac bushes were abandoned for a time, while the girls sought for and captured various tools in the barn when the gardener was absent. The two boys tied up whatever uniforms they could conveniently carry, and Jim hid them near the Grahams’ house and gave the familiar cat-call for John. These important errands completed, they all went to the creek that crossed the private road leading to the Parke estate. Again assembled for play, they examined the items on hand and John said: “You can’t have ships without material.” “I thought maybe we could rope together some of these logs the men chopped down last spring; but they look kind of heavy to handle,” replied George calculatively. “Humph! They’d take a tackle and derrick to move. What we need is just boards and some crosspieces to tie together like a raft. I’ve made ’em in camp,” said Jack.