The Only Woman in the Town, and Other Tales of the American Revolution — John Shaqi
The Only Woman in the Town, and Other Tales of the American RevolutionPrichard, Sarah J. (Sarah Johnson)
History
The Only Woman in the Town, and Other Tales of the American Revolution
Prichard, Sarah J. (Sarah Johnson)
Short stories; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction
"There is nothing here, even if he (meaning her husband) should take
it into his head to come up and look about."
Meanwhile young David had crossed the Pochaug River, and was half the
way to Pautapoug.
All this happened more than a thousand moons ago, when all the land
was aroused and astir, and David Bushnell was not in the least
surprised to meet, at the ship-yard of Uriah Hayden, Jonathan
Trumbull, Governor of Connecticut.
This man was everywhere, seeing to everything, in that year. Whatever
his country needed, or Commander-in-chief Washington ordered from the
camp at Cambridge, was forthcoming.
A ship had been demanded of Connecticut, and so Governor Trumbull had
come down from Lebanon to look with his own eyes at the huge ribs of
oak, thereafter to sail the seas as "The Oliver Cromwell."
The self-same oaken ribs had intense interest for young David
Bushnell. Uriah Hayden had promised to sell to him all the pieces of
ship-timber that should be left, and while the governor and the
builder planned, he went about gathering together fragments.
"Better take enough to build a boat that will carry a seine. 'T won't
cost you a mite more, and might serve you a good turn to have a
sizable craft in a heavy sea some day," said Mr. Hayden.
Now David Bushnell had been wishing that he had some good and
sufficient reason to give Mr. Hayden for wanting the stuff at all, and
here he had given it to him.
"That's true," spoke up David, "but how am I to get all this over to
Pochaug?"
"Don't get it over at all, until it's ready to row down the
Connecticut, and around the Sound. You're welcome to build your boat
at the yard, and, now and then, there will be odd minutes that the men
can help you on with it."
David thanked Mr. Hayden, grew cheerful of heart over the prospect of
owning a boat of his own, and went merrily back to the village of
Pochaug.
Two weeks later David's boat was ready for sea. It was launched into
the Connecticut from the ways on which the "Oliver Cromwell" grew, was
named Lady Fenwick, and, when water-tight, was rowed down the river,
past Saybrook and Tomb Hill, and so into the Long Island Sound.
When its owner and navigator went by Tomb Hill, he removed his hat,
and bowed reverently. He thought with respect and admiration of the
occupant of the sandstone tomb on its height, the Lady Fenwick who had
slept there one hundred and thirty years.
With blistered palms and burning fingers David Bushnell pushed his
boat with pride up the Pochaug River, and tied it to a stake at the
bridge just beyond the sycamore tree, near his father's door.
"I'll fetch father and mother out to see it," he thought, "when the
moon gets up a little higher."
With boyish pride he looked down at the work of his hands from the
river-bank, and went in to get his supper.
"David!" called Mr. Bushnell, having heard his steps in the
entry-way.
"Here I am, father," returned the young man, appearing within the
room, and speaking in a cheerful tone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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