l to discourage the British, he intended to
retire behind a stone fort he had built on the lawn, between the two
tall elms, and to fire stones at the invaders until they fell back in
confusion, while his mother would look on and encourage him from the
front porch.

When the redcoats unexpectedly appeared in the distance, one afternoon
in May, what Brinton really did was to run helter-skelter down the road,
up the broad path to the house, through the front hall into the library,
close the door, and then peep out of the window to watch them go by.

When he first caught sight of the soldiers Brinton was sure that there
was at least a regiment of them, but when they were opposite the front
gate all that he could see were a corporal and three privates. Instead
of keeping on their way, however, they turned up the path toward the
house, and then it seemed to Brinton that they were the most gigantic
human beings that he had ever seen.

His mother was away for the day, and had taken Towser with her. This,
together with the fact that the enemy were now between him and his fort,
entirely spoiled Brinton's plan of campaign, and he decided to seek at
once some more secluded spot, and there to devise something to meet the
changed conditions. But when he started to run out of the room, he found
that in his hurry he had left the front door open, so that any one in
the hall would be in plain sight of the soldiers, who were now very
near.

Unfortunately there was no other door by which Brinton could leave the
room. What was worse, there was no closet in which he could hide. The
soldiers were now so close at hand that he could hear their voices, and
a glance through the window showed him that two of them were going
around to the back of the house, as if to cut off any possible escape in
that direction.

And his mother would not be back until six o'clock. Instinctively his
eyes sought the face of the tall time-piece in the corner. It was just
three; and he could hear the soldiers' steps on the front porch!

The clock!

Surely there was room within its generous case for a very small boy.

[Illustration: THE MINUTE-MAN TAKES HIS POSITION.]

In less time than it takes to write it Brinton was inside, and had
turned the button with which the door was fastened. As he pressed
himself close against the door, so that there should be room for the
pendulum to swing behind him, he heard the corporal enter the room. He
knew it must be the co