CHAPTER VI
LUCIA HAS A PLAN
"I have brought you a birthday gift, Rebby," said Lucia, who had beenlooking forward all day to the moment when she could give her friend thesmall package that she now handed her.
Rebecca received it smilingly, and quickly unwound the white tissuepaper in which it was wrapped, showing a flat white box. Inside this boxlay a pair of white silk mitts.
Rebecca looked at them admiringly, and even Mrs. Weston declared thatvery few girls could hope for a daintier gift; while Anna and Lurettaurged Rebecca to try them on at once, which she was quite ready to do.They fitted exactly, and Lucia was as proud and happy as Rebecca herselfthat her gift was so praised and appreciated.
"They came from France," she said. "Look on the box, Rebby, and you willsee 'Paris, France.' My father bought them of a Boston merchant, and Ihave a pair for myself."
"Are any more girls coming, Mother?" Rebecca asked as Mrs. Weston ledthe way to the living-room.
"No, my dear. And I only----" Mrs. Weston hesitated. She had started tosay that she had only remembered Rebecca's birthday a few momentsearlier; but she stopped in time, knowing it would cloud the afternoon'spleasure; and Rebecca, smiling and delighted with Lucia's gift, and surethat her mother had some treat ready for them, exclaimed:
"I do not mind now so much that the _Polly_ has not arrived; for I couldhave no gift finer than a pair of silk mitts."
Anna had taken off her sunbonnet and was sitting on one of the lowrush-bottomed chairs near a window. She was very quiet, reproachingherself in her thoughts that she had no gift for her sister. What couldshe give her? For little girls in revolutionary times, especially thosein remote villages, had very few possessions of their own, and Anna hadno valued treasure that might make a present. If she had remembered intime, she thought, she would have asked her mother to help her make aneedle-book.
Suddenly she jumped up and ran across the room and kissed her sister,first on one cheek and then on the other, saying:
"If I had golden beads in strings, I'd give you these, and other things. But Rebby, dear, I've only this To give to-day: a birthday kiss."
Lucia and Luretta were sure that Anna must have had her verse all readyto repeat; and even Rebecca, who knew that Anna rhymed words easily,thought that Anna had prepared this birthday greeting, and was veryproud of her little sister. But at the words, "golden beads," a greathope came into Rebecca's heart. Perhaps that was what the _Polly_ wasbringing for her.
"I am to have a rabbit," said Anna happily. "What shall I name it?"
Lucia did not seem much interested in anything so ordinary as a rabbit,and had no suggestion to offer, and while Anna and Luretta were decidingthis question Lucia whispered to Rebecca: "When I go home be sure andwalk a little way; I want to tell you something important."
Rebby nodded smilingly. For the moment she had entirely forgotten theuncomfortable secret that Lucia had confided in her, and was thinkingonly that it was really a wonderful thing to have a fourteenth birthday.
While the four little girls were talking happily in the living-room,Mrs. Weston was trying to think up some sort of a birthday treat forthem. There was no white sugar in the house, or, for that matter, in theentire settlement. But the Westons had a small store of maple sugar,made from the sap of the maple trees, and Mrs. Weston quickly decidedthat this should be used for Rebecca's birthday celebration. She hurriedto the pantry, and when an hour later she opened the door and called thegirls to the kitchen they all exclaimed with delight.
The round table was covered with a shining white cloth, and Mrs. Westonhad set it with her fine blue plates, that she had brought from Bostonwhen she came to Machias, and that were seldom used.
By each plate stood a lustre mug filled with milk, and in the centre ofthe table was a heart-shaped cake frosted with maple sugar.
"Oh, Mother! This is my very best birthday!" Rebecca declared happily,and as the other girls seated themselves at the table she stood withbowed head to say the "grace" of thanks before cutting her birthdaycake.
Anna wished to herself that Melvina Lyon might have been one of theguests, and shared the delicious cake. She wondered just how Melvinawould behave on such an occasion; and was so careful with her crumbs,and so polite in her replies to the other girls that Lucia and Rebeccabegan to laugh, thinking Anna was making believe for their amusement.
Before the little girls left the table Mr. Weston appeared at thekitchen door, and was quite ready to taste the cake, and again remindRebecca of the gift the _Polly_ was bringing.
"Let me whisper, Father," she responded, drawing his head down near herown. "It's _beads_!" she whispered, and when her father laughed she wassure she was right, and almost as happy as if the longed-for gift wasaround her neck.
"Well, Paul and I found the liberty tree," said Mr. Weston, "and I cutit down and trimmed it save for its green plume. Paul is towing itdownstream now; and when we set it up 'twill be a credit to the town."
Lucia rose quickly. "I must be going home," she said, a little flushcoming into her cheeks. "I have enjoyed the afternoon very much," sheadded politely; for if Melvina Lyon was the smartest girl in the villageno one could say that any of the other little girls ever forgot to bewell-mannered.
Rebecca followed her friend to the door, and they walked down the pathtogether, while Anna and Luretta questioned Mr. Weston eagerly as toPaul's success in capturing a rabbit, and were made happy with the newsthat he had secured two young rabbits, and that they were safe in thecanoe which Paul was now paddling down the river, towing the libertytree behind him.
Rebecca and Lucia had gone but a few steps when Lucia whispered: "Wemustn't let them put up the liberty tree. Oh, Rebby, why didn't you tryto stop your father going after it?"
"How could I?" responded Rebecca. "And when I said: 'Why must Machiashave a liberty pole?' he was ill pleased with me, and said I must beloyal to America's rights. Oh, Lucia! are you sure that----"
But Lucia's hand was held firmly over Rebby's mouth. "Ssh. Don't speakit aloud, Rebby. For 'twould make great trouble for my father, in anycase, if people even guessed that he knew the plans of the British. ButI could not help hearing what he said to Mother the day he sailed. But,Rebby, we must do something so the liberty pole will not be set up."
"Can't we tell my father?" suggested Rebecca hopefully.
"Oh, Rebecca Weston! If your father knew what I told you he would do hisbest to have the liberty pole put up at once," declared Lucia.
"But I have a plan, and you must help me," she continued. "Paul Fosterwill bring the sapling close in shore near his father's shop, and itwill rest there to-night; and when it is dark we must go down and cut itloose and push it out so that the current will take it downstream, andthe tide will carry it out to sea. Then, before they can get anotherone, the _Polly_ will come sailing in and all will be well."
"Won't the British ship come if we do not put up the liberty pole?"asked Rebecca.
"There! You have said it aloud, Rebby!" whispered Lucia reprovingly.
"Not all of it; but how can we go out of our houses in the night,Lucia?" replied Rebecca, who had begun to think that perhaps Lucia'splan was the easiest way to save the village. For Lucia had told herfriend that the _Polly_, of which Lucia's father was captain, and thesloop _Unity_, owned and sailed by a Captain Jones of Boston, would beescorted to Machias by an armed British ship; and if a liberty pole wasset up the British would fire upon the town. So it was no wonder thatRebecca was frightened and ready to listen to Lucia's plan to avert thedanger.
She did not know that her father and other men of the settlement werealready beginning to doubt the loyalty of the two captains to America'scause.
"It will be easy enough to slip out when everybody is asleep," Luciareplied to Rebecca's question. "We can meet at Mr. Foster's shop. If Iget there first I will wait, and if you get there before me you mustwait. As near ten o'clock as we can. And then it
won't take us but a fewminutes to push the sapling out into the current. Just think, Rebby, wewill save the town, and nobody will ever know it but just us two."
Rebby sighed. She wished that Lucia's father had kept the secret tohimself. Besides, she was not sure that it was right to prevent theliberty pole from being set up. But that the town should be fired uponby a British man-of-war, and everyone killed, as Lucia assured her, whenit could be prevented by her pushing a pine sapling into the current ofthe river, made the little girl decide that she would do as Lucia hadplanned.
"All right. I will be there, at the blacksmith shop, when it strikes tento-night," she agreed, and the friends parted.
Rebecca walked slowly toward home, forgetting all the joy of theafternoon; forgetting even that it was her fourteenth birthday, and thata string of gold beads for her was probably on board the _Polly_.
Paul Foster towed the fine sapling to the very place that Lucia hadmentioned, and his father came to the shore and looked at it admiringlyas he helped Paul make it secure. "It is safely fastened and no harm cancome to it," Mr. Foster said after they had drawn the tree partly fromthe water. Paul drew his canoe up on the beach, and taking the rabbitsin the stout canvas bag, started for home.
Anna and Luretta were both on the watch for him, and came running tomeet him. Anna now wore her every-day dress of gingham, and in hereagerness to see the rabbits she had quite forgotten to try and behavelike Melvina Lyon.
"Why, it is a pity to separate the little creatures," Paul declared,when Luretta told him that she had promised one to Anna. "See how closethey keep together. And this box is big enough for them both. And theyare so young they must be fed very carefully for a time."
"I know what we can do," declared Anna; "my rabbit can live here untilhe is a little larger, and then my father will make a box for him and Ican take him home."
Paul said that would do very well, and that Anna could come each day andlearn how to feed the little creatures, and what they liked best to eat.
"But which one is to be mine? They are exactly alike," said Anna, alittle anxiously. And indeed there was no way of telling the rabbitsapart, so Anna and Luretta agreed that when the time came to separatethem it would not matter which one Anna chose for her own.
At supper time Anna could talk of nothing but the rabbits, and had somuch to say that her father and mother did not notice how silent Rebeccawas.
The little household retired early, and by eight o'clock Rebecca was inbed, but alert to every sound, and resolved not to go to sleep. Thesisters slept together, and in a few minutes Anna was sound asleep.Rebecca heard the clock strike nine, then very quietly she got out ofbed and dressed. Her moccasins made no noise as she stepped cautiouslyalong the narrow passage, and down the steep stairway. She lifted thebig bar that fastened the door and stood it against the wall, then sheopened the door, closing it carefully behind her, and stepped out intothe warm darkness of the spring night.