Читать книгу Brother Jonathan онлайн

17 страница из 54

He looked out of the window, and suddenly exclaimed—“Look!”

A man on a noble horse was coming, flying as it seemed, down the Lebanon road from the Windham County hills. His horse leaped into the air at times, as full of high spirit, and dashed up to the store.

Faith, the beautiful girl, went to the door.

“He is gone to New Haven, Mr. Putnam.”

“I want to see him at once; there is secret news from Boston. But I must see him. I must not leave here until he returns. I will go over to the tavern and wait.”

Dennis came out and stood in front of the store.

“Stranger,” said the rider, “and who are you? You do not look like a farmer.”

“Who am I? I am myself, sure, a foreigner among foreigners, Dennis O’Hay, a castaway, from the north of Ireland.”

“And what brings you here?”

“I came to enlist,” said Dennis.

“You will be wanted,” said Mr. Putnam. “You have shoulders as broad as Atlas, who carried the world on his back.”

“The world on his back? What did he walk upon?”

“That is a question too much,” said the rider. “I’ll leave my horse in your hands, Dennis O’Hay, and go to the tavern and see what I can find out about the Governor’s movements there.”