“I had never thought of such a thing.”
“You are sending soldiers and food and cattle to the camps, I hear; who knows what General Gage might be led to do? They have secret guards in foreign parts, men of the ‘secret service,’ as they call them. Lady, there are things that come to one, down from the skies, or up from the soul. It is all like the ‘pattern on the mount of vision’ that they preach about. A voice within me has been saying, ‘Go and work for the Governor among the hills, and watch out for him.’ But you must test me first, lady. I would keep you from harm; there is nothing that should ever stand between these two fists of Dennis O’Hay and such as you. But that day will come. I will go to the tavern now, and God and all the saints bless you, and your goodman forever, and make a great nation of this green land of America, and keep the same Dennis O’Hay, which I am that, in the way of his duty.”
The tavern, which became an historic inn, where some of the most notable people of America and of France were entertained during the days of the Revolution, stood at a little distance from the Governor’s house. Dennis O’Hay went there so elated that he tossed his sailor’s hat into the air.
“It is little that I would not do for a lady like that,” he said. “The sea tossed me here on purpose. Night, thou mayest have my service; watch me, ye stars! Liberty, thou mayest have my blood; call me, ye fife and drum. Let me but get at the heart of the Governor, and his life and home shall be secure from all harm under the clear eye of Dennis O’Hay. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! and it is here I am in America!”
The landlord stood in the door.
“And who are you, my friend?”
“Dennis, your Honor.”
“And what brings you here?”
“Not the ship; for the ship went down. What brings me here? My two legs—no——”