FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157  
158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   >>   >|  
e washbowl, opened a clothespress, got down on their knees and looked at the floor, to see if they could find any tea. "Here is another chamber, my sister's; she spoke to you from the window. You will hardly think of entering the room till she has had time to put on her dress." "Oh, no; we would not be so rude as to enter her chamber. We do not suppose she had anything to do with it," said the officers. "Will you not take a look at the garret?" Tom asked. "No. You have covered your tracks so well, I do not suppose we should find anything." "Thank you. If, as you say, I had a hand in it, I regard it quite a compliment that I have covered my tracks so well," Tom replied, as the officers took their departure. He went upstairs and opened the door to Berinthia's chamber a little. "'Rinth, you are the best girl that ever lived," he said. "Oh, Tom, you did that splendidly," she replied. There was merry laughter from her lips as he closed the door and returned to his chamber. XIV. BENEVOLENCE AND BROTHERHOOD. The summer of 1774 was waning. Once more Robert Walden was on his way to Boston. The wagon which Jenny and Paul were dragging was loaded with bags filled with corn and rye, not to be sold in the market, but a gift from Joshua Walden and his fellow-citizens of Rumford to the people of Boston. Parliament, in retaliation for the destruction of the tea, had passed an act closing the port to commerce.[50] After the first day of June, no vessels other than those of the navy could enter or depart from the harbor. Fishermen could no longer catch cod or mackerel for the market. Farmers on the banks of the Mystic could not dig potatoes from their fields and transport them down the river on the ebbing tide to the town dock. The people of Charlestown could not gather cabbages from their gardens, take them across the ferry, and peddle them in Boston. Only by the road leading to Roxbury could the suffering people be supplied with food. Besides closing the port, Parliament had abolished the charter of Massachusetts. The people no longer could elect thirty-six councilors; they were to be appointed by the king, instead. No more could they lawfully assemble in town meeting to elect representatives to the legislature. All rights and privileges were swept away. [Footnote 50: It is known in history as the Boston Port Bill. It was passed as a retaliatory measure. No possible advantage could accrue to governm
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157  
158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
chamber
 

people

 

Boston

 

tracks

 

officers

 
covered
 
market
 

closing

 
passed
 

Parliament


opened

 

longer

 
Walden
 

replied

 
suppose
 

depart

 
harbor
 
lawfully
 

assemble

 

Fishermen


Mystic

 

advantage

 

Farmers

 

meeting

 

mackerel

 

legislature

 

rights

 

privileges

 

retaliation

 

destruction


commerce

 
representatives
 

vessels

 

accrue

 

governm

 
supplied
 

councilors

 
suffering
 

Roxbury

 
retaliatory

leading
 

Besides

 
thirty
 
history
 

Massachusetts

 

abolished

 
charter
 

Footnote

 
appointed
 

ebbing