“He’d probably have whipped out a foil and run King George through! He was a real fighter, that one.”
Adams looked toward the door, nodded slowly, then said, “We could do with some hot blood like that in this place. But it seems more likely that the real Winslow blood’s in the young fellow—my hope’s in him—not the older one.”
“Maybe.” Revere was rubbing his chin thoughtfully, but then he shook his head. “I remember that Gilbert Winslow, according to his book, got off the track himself when he was about this boy’s age—but when he finally got his head pointed in the right direction, why, sir, he just about got the job done!—and this tall one has the same look about him!”
Nathan said nothing all the way back to the house, knowing that there was an iron stubbornness running through his brother. He had seen it many times as they had grown up together, and the one thing that he could not do with Caleb was force him to do something. When they were children, he had always been able to dominate Caleb physically, but no matter how much he was hurt, the boy never gave up. Knowing this, he determined to say nothing of the business. But Caleb felt differently.
As soon as they were in their room, he said, “Nathan, don’t you ever do that again—not ever!”
Nathan made no attempt to avoid the charge, for his anger had gone, and it was replaced by a fear of what might happen. He shook his head sadly, then said, “Caleb, you don’t know what you’re getting into.”
“I think I do!”
“I know you think so, but will you let me tell you how it looks to me?”
The request caught Caleb off guard. He’d expected hard talk, and now there was a plea on his brother’s face that he’d rarely seen. “Well, I’ll listen, Nathan.”
“All right, here it is. You are forgetting one thing, and that is that we are Englishmen. Oh, I know King George is an idiot, probably insane! And I know that he’s surrounded himself by men who are not fools, but are greedy and unscrupulous. And it doesn’t take a smart man to see that we’ve been treated unfairly.”
“Why, if you see that, Nathan,” Caleb said in surprise, “why can’t you see that we have to stand against them?”
“Say that we do,” Nathan said slowly and with great intensity. “Say that we even do what Adams and Revere say we can do—defeat the Crown and set up our own government—which is impossible, but say that a revolution worked, where would we be then?”
“Why, we’d be free!”
“Not for long, Caleb. Have your forgotten Spain? She’s already got a foothold in Florida and Louisiana. We’d be a little group of states with nothing in common—no army, no law, nothing to fight with. And if not Spain, it’d be one of the strong European nations like Prussia who’d get us.”
“But we could be strong, Nathan, in time—”
“That’s just it, Caleb,” Nathan interrupted; “wouldn’t have time! We’d be little and weak, and one of the wolves would pick us off sure as the world. Can’t you see that?”
Caleb’s face settled into the stubborn lines that Nathan had learned to dread, so he broke off at once. “Well, I’m sorry if I shamed you, Caleb, coming for you, but I—” The words stopped, and silently the tall young man who spoke so well on some things had no way to say what he felt. He wanted to say, I came because I love you and you’re my only brother and I don’t want you to be hurt. But his emotionswere too subdued for that, so he merely put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder and said, “I just want what’s good for you, Caleb, that’s all.”
Caleb tried for a smile that didn’t quite work. He said only, “I wish we thought the same about this thing, Nathan. I—I don’t want to be against you.” Then he whirled to hide his confusion and began to prepare for bed.
Nathan’s heart was full, but there was no more to be said. He sat down at the desk and said, “I’ve got to write Father and
Adams looked toward the door, nodded slowly, then said, “We could do with some hot blood like that in this place. But it seems more likely that the real Winslow blood’s in the young fellow—my hope’s in him—not the older one.”
“Maybe.” Revere was rubbing his chin thoughtfully, but then he shook his head. “I remember that Gilbert Winslow, according to his book, got off the track himself when he was about this boy’s age—but when he finally got his head pointed in the right direction, why, sir, he just about got the job done!—and this tall one has the same look about him!”
Nathan said nothing all the way back to the house, knowing that there was an iron stubbornness running through his brother. He had seen it many times as they had grown up together, and the one thing that he could not do with Caleb was force him to do something. When they were children, he had always been able to dominate Caleb physically, but no matter how much he was hurt, the boy never gave up. Knowing this, he determined to say nothing of the business. But Caleb felt differently.
As soon as they were in their room, he said, “Nathan, don’t you ever do that again—not ever!”
Nathan made no attempt to avoid the charge, for his anger had gone, and it was replaced by a fear of what might happen. He shook his head sadly, then said, “Caleb, you don’t know what you’re getting into.”
“I think I do!”
“I know you think so, but will you let me tell you how it looks to me?”
The request caught Caleb off guard. He’d expected hard talk, and now there was a plea on his brother’s face that he’d rarely seen. “Well, I’ll listen, Nathan.”
“All right, here it is. You are forgetting one thing, and that is that we are Englishmen. Oh, I know King George is an idiot, probably insane! And I know that he’s surrounded himself by men who are not fools, but are greedy and unscrupulous. And it doesn’t take a smart man to see that we’ve been treated unfairly.”
“Why, if you see that, Nathan,” Caleb said in surprise, “why can’t you see that we have to stand against them?”
“Say that we do,” Nathan said slowly and with great intensity. “Say that we even do what Adams and Revere say we can do—defeat the Crown and set up our own government—which is impossible, but say that a revolution worked, where would we be then?”
“Why, we’d be free!”
“Not for long, Caleb. Have your forgotten Spain? She’s already got a foothold in Florida and Louisiana. We’d be a little group of states with nothing in common—no army, no law, nothing to fight with. And if not Spain, it’d be one of the strong European nations like Prussia who’d get us.”
“But we could be strong, Nathan, in time—”
“That’s just it, Caleb,” Nathan interrupted; “wouldn’t have time! We’d be little and weak, and one of the wolves would pick us off sure as the world. Can’t you see that?”
Caleb’s face settled into the stubborn lines that Nathan had learned to dread, so he broke off at once. “Well, I’m sorry if I shamed you, Caleb, coming for you, but I—” The words stopped, and silently the tall young man who spoke so well on some things had no way to say what he felt. He wanted to say, I came because I love you and you’re my only brother and I don’t want you to be hurt. But his emotionswere too subdued for that, so he merely put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder and said, “I just want what’s good for you, Caleb, that’s all.”
Caleb tried for a smile that didn’t quite work. He said only, “I wish we thought the same about this thing, Nathan. I—I don’t want to be against you.” Then he whirled to hide his confusion and began to prepare for bed.
Nathan’s heart was full, but there was no more to be said. He sat down at the desk and said, “I’ve got to write Father and
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