Captain Enos and the men of the port went fishing in the harbor, and the women and children kept snug at home in the little houses.
Captain Enos had finished the cedar chair for Anne’s doll, and Amos had made one as near like it as possible for Amanda’s “Lovely Anne.” Both the little girls could now knit nearly as smoothly as Mrs. Stoddard herself, and almost every day Amanda came up to Mrs. Stoddard’s, for she and Anne were reading “Pilgrim’s Progress” together. Now and then Mrs. Stoddard would read several pages aloud of the adventures of Christian, while the two little girls knit. Anne had a warm hood of gray and scarlet yarn which she had knit herself, and mittens to match, so that she could go to church on Sundays, and run down to Mrs. Starkweather’s or to see Amanda without being chilled by the cold.
It was a mild day late in February when Jimmie Starkweather brought home a pink blossom from the woods.
“See, mother! The first Mayflower,” he exclaimed. “I found it half under the snow. Does it not smell sweet?”
“It does indeed, son,” replied Mrs. Starkweather; “bring me your grandmother’s pink china cup from the cupboard, fill it with cool water, and we will put the blossom on the table for thy father to see. Spring is indeed close at hand.”
On the same day that Jimmie found the arbutus bloom, Captain Enos came in from fishing with news to tell. A Boston schooner outward bound had come near to where he was fishing, and in response to his hail and call of “What news?” had answered that a battle was now expected at any day between the British and Americans.
“If it be so,” said Captain Enos, “’twill not be long before the British ships will be homeward bound, and they’ll not stop to trouble us much on their way.”
“We must keep a lookout for them,” said Captain Starkweather. “I wish we could get more news. ’Tis like enough all will be settled before we know aught of it.”
All through March, with its high winds and heavy rains the people watched the harbor for a sight of the big white-winged ships, knowing that if the English ships were homeward bound it would mean that the Americans had won, and that the colonies would be free from paying the heavy taxes which England had fixed upon them, and that they could go about their work in peace and quiet.
April brought warm, sunny days, and Anne no longer wore the knit hood and mittens, and had once more set her playhouse under the pine trees in order, and now Amanda with her doll often came to play with her.