Patriots: Boston

Chapter Seven The Burning House

     The Monday after the night at Uncle Tad's farm, Isaac and I went to visit Eli at the Boston Gazette. We talked about our families.
  "I used to live with my Ma and my Pa in Lexington," Eli explained. "My father ran a cottage business. He's an artist. I, being the oddball I am, have inherited absolutely no talent when it comes to art, so they sent me to Boston when I was 11 years old to learn to become a printer from Mr. Edes. Of course, they probably never expected me to get into revolution."
  "My family is really poor," Isaac began. "I lived with my mother, my father, and my sisters, Caroline and Marie. Caroline is 9 years younger than me and Marie is 11 years younger. My father is a farmer. When Marie was born they couldn't afford to feed me, so they took me into town to find a job apprenticing for someone. They found Mr. Byers' shop with his family and good business and I chose to work there. That of course is when I met Liza."
  I blushed, but I wasn't sure why.
  "My father never seemed to belong to a party. He loved peace and did not want to see anyone suffer. He would gladly take on any suffering for anyone else," Isaac said.
"He sounds amazing," I said.
"He is. My mother is great to, and my little sisters," Isaac said. "I haven't seen them in so long. I hope to soon."
Mr. Edes came in. "Oh hello, Miss Byers, Mr. North. How's that Mr. Byers?"
"He's fine," I said.
"That's great. Tell him thank you for inviting us to your Uncle Tad's party the other night," He said.
"I will, Mr Edes," I said.
"Eli, you seem to have worked very hard on these papers. Why don't you take your friends for a walk in the city?" Mr. Edes suggested.
"Ok, Mr. Edes," Eli said.
The three of us got up and walked out into the crisp March air. It was cloudy but not really cold or dreary. We saw the soldier's camp on the town green. They looked at us scornfully as we walked by. There were not many other civilians just out for a walk. Shops and inns were quiet. There were obviously people in there, but they almost seemed to be doing something in secret. Had we missed something, or are we just brave to go walking in soldier infested streets?
"We should pay Doctor Warren a visit," Eli suggested.
"Good idea," Isaac said.
We walked farther north to Doctor Warren's house. I've been here plenty of times. I knocked on the door.
"You think he's busy?" Isaac asked.
"Maybe," I said.
"His curtains are rustling!" Eli pointed out.
Then we saw Doctor Warren peeking out his window to see who had knocked. When he saw us we waved cheerfully and he opened the door. He looked rather grave.
"Come in children, now. Quickly!" He said quietly.
We stepped inside and shut the door.
"Is everything alright Doctor Warren?" I asked.
"There's more of them arriving everyday! There hasn't been much trouble lately that I've noticed, but they've taken over Boston town green! Did you see them?" He asked.
"We did see a lot of soldiers this morning," Eli said thoughtfully.
"And we were the only civilians outside walking on a nice morning today," Isaac added.
"I feel like they're up to something. I'm trying to find out what it is, but the other problem is their invasion of farms. Your uncle Tad told me all about things he has heard, Liza. They've even killed a few farmers and their families for not immediately submitting their land to them or being rebels!" Doctor Warren sounded stressed.
"You haven't heard anything of the farm just north of here, have you?" Isaac asked, concerned.
"No, I have not. Why do you ask?" Doctor Warren questioned.
Just then we heard five British soldiers gallop noisily by. Eli ran over to the window.
"They're going behind the house, Doctor," he said.
"Oh no! What do they want with me?" Doctor Warren huffed as he stood up.
"Wait wait! They're not stopping! They're going past here and leaving the city!" Eli observed.
"That is where my family's farm is!" Isaac exclaimed nervously. "We should just watch them and make sure they don't cause any trouble."
"You three may go out back and look over the hill. Don't let yourselves be seen or you might risk getting hurt," Doctor Warren said gravely.
We all nodded and went out the back door. Isaac was going fastest. He ran to the top of the hill and stood up. Eli pulled him down to keep him from being seen. I scrambled up the hill behind them and peeked over the top of it.
"Is that your farm house, Isaac?" I asked, pointing at the one about half a mile from us.
"Yes," he said nervously.
"I'm sure they won't hurt them if they're peaceful people," Eli tried to reassure Isaac.
"I don't know," Isaac said. "We need to get closer."
We tiptoed down the hill and behind a big bush and tree.
"He's knocking on the door!" Isaac whispered, pointing to a soldier knocking aggressively on the door.
A man opened the door, probably Isaac's father. The soldier made a gesture and Isaac's father stepped out of the house. The soldier and Isaac's father talked for a few minutes. I looked to Isaac who was holding his breath.
"Hey," I whispered, "Don't do that. You'll pass out."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Eli said with false confidence.
The soldier pointed to the house and the rest of the property. This probably meant they wanted it. Isaac's father shook his head and began to say something. The soldier then raised his gun. Isaac's father stood firm.
"No! No! Pa! No!" Isaac whispered hysterically.
I was holding my breath now.
Isaac's father said something. The soldier lowered his gun and turned to leave. He took a few steps and stopped. He turned his gun and flipped it to reveal his bayonet. There was a short pause. I saw one of the other soldiers nod to him. The soldier immediately turned around and ran at Isaac's unsuspecting father, bayoneting him straight through.
"No!" Isaac screamed.
Isaac almost took off running to his dying father, but Eli and I grabbed him, holding him back. He tried to pull away.
"Let me go!" He whispered harshly.
"You'll wind up on a bayonet too!" Eli said, pinning Isaac to the ground.
"That is my father! I need to help him and kill those bastard soldiers!" Isaac said furiously. He didn't sound like himself.
I watched in horror as another soldier set a large dry tree branch on fire and set on the porch. Another took an even bigger branch and set it on fire, throwing it onto the roof. They continued to burn the house until it went up in flames. Isaac continued to fight us until he finally broke free and broke into a dead sprint towards his burning childhood home and horribly wounded father lying on the ground in front of it. He was unarmed. How could he possibly do anything now? We ran after him.
  Isaac ran towards his father. Two soldiers saw him and aimed their guns at him.
"Get down!" I shrieked, tackling Isaac to the ground.
  The bullets flew over our heads as we fell.
  "Damn it, Liza! Get off of me!" He shouted with rage. 
  I leapt to my feet and he ran out from under me. Eli and I ran after him again.
"Are his mother and sisters still in that burning house?" Eli asked as we ran.
"Well, you haven't seen them escape have you?" I asked.
"No, but look! They've barred the doors!" Eli exclaimed in distress. "Oh poor Isaac!"
"We need to grab him! He's going to get himself killed!" I shouted to Eli.
Two soldiers ran after Isaac with their bayonets out. They were not trying to shoot him, now they were trying to kill him in the same gruesome way as they had his father! I trembled just thinking about it.
"I have an idea!" Eli said.
"Is it suicide, because I won't let you do that!" I shrieked.
"No, better!" He pulled a pistol out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Use it to defend yourself!"
"But won't you need it?" I asked.
"No," he said. "I'm fast!"
Eli ran over to the soldier's horses. He quietly mounted the horse in the middle and grabbed the reigns of all the other horses. He began to ride away very quickly with all of the horses. None of the soldiers noticed, so I shot the pistol in the direction Eli was riding. I aimed far away from him, but all of the soldiers looked at Eli stealing their horses.
"Sergeant! He's stealing our horses!" One shouted.
"Go after him! All of you!" The sergeant yelled.
"What about that boy?!" Another soldier asked.
"Forget him! What good is he to us?" The sergeant yelled.
They all ran off after Eli, leaving the house to burn and Mr. North dying on the ground. I ran to Isaac, who was now trying to open the doors of his house. The soldiers had barred them shut so that his mother and sisters could not get out. I didn't understand why they wanted to kill them too!
"Isaac! Isaac! You'd need an ax to open that door!" I shrieked.
Just then a wall of the house fell over and took half the house down with it. Isaac ran to his father, who was now lying in a puddle of his own blood, horribly wounded and barely alive. Isaac knelt down beside him and grabbed his hand.
"Pa, please! No! Not now! We'll get Doctor Warren! He'll save you!" Isaac said in desperation. Tears were beginning to flow from his eyes.
"No, son. No Doctor can help me now I'm afraid," Mr. North breathed. As he spoke more blood flowed from his side.
"Pa, you can't die!" Isaac sobbed.
"Son, my time has come. I'm dying for the cause you believe in so strongly. Be proud of me, won't you?" Mr. North smiled weakly.
This scene was too much for me. I was crying silently now too.
"Oh Pa, I couldn't be more proud of you, but this isn't fair!" Isaac whispered.
"Life isn't fair, and this end of my life might not be either, but you can fight so that more people don't need to die this way. Can you do that, Isaac?" Mr. North asked.
"Of course!" Isaac sobbed.
"Good. You've always made me so proud, Isaac, and I hope to see you someday in Heaven," Mr. North closed his eyes and his life ended. He still had a warm little smile on his face.
"No! No! No! Pa, no!" Isaac whispered in desperation.
I put my hand on his shoulder. Isaac touched it with one hand and held his father's lifeless hand with the other. I continued to cry quietly. Just then Eli came walking across the field cheerfully to us. When he saw both of us weeping by Mr. North's body, he slowed down and approached us more respectfully.
"Isaac I-I'm so sorry," He said apologetically.
Isaac didn't look up. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and stood up.
"He ought to have a proper burial. They all ought to have one, but we will probably never find the others," Isaac said, stifling a sob.
"We should go up to Doctor Warren's and tell him what happened," Eli said. "He might know how to get someone to do it."
I thought of Father Ignatius. Maybe he could do a funeral.
"Are you physically alright, Isaac?" I asked.
"Yes," he said. "You saved my life earlier when they shot at me."
"Why don't we go up to Doctor Warren's now?" I suggested quietly.
"I can't just leave my father here," Isaac said seriously.
"I'll help you carry him," Eli offered.
They lifted up the body of Isaac's father and walked back up the hill to Doctor Warren's house. They laid him under a tree in Doctor Warren's back yard and went inside.
"My goodness!" Doctor Warren exclaimed. "What has happened?! You boys have blood all over your hands, and Liza, you look like you've been crying."
"My family is dead," Isaac said, staring at the ground. "The British wanted their farm but my father refused so they b-bayoneted him and burned the house with my mother and little sisters inside!" Isaac's voice broke.
"I'm so sorry," Doctor Warren said shaking his head. "You obviously have just been through a lot. Why don't you wash your hands and have a seat."
Isaac and Eli washed their hands in the bucket outside and Isaac sat in a chair at the doctor's kitchen table.
"Do you want something to eat, Isaac?" Doctor Warren asked.
"No thank you, I'm not hungry," Isaac said sullenly.
Eli and I stood on either side of him.
"How did you three escape this unhurt?" Doctor Warren asked.
"I steered the redcoats away from the property when I stole their horses. I rode them into the woods for about a mile and then jumped off, leaving them to run wild and for the soldiers to catch
themselves," Eli explained.
"Were any of you armed?" The doctor asked.
"Eli was," I said pulling the gun out of my pocket. "Here's your pistol back."
"You didn't kill any of the soldiers, did you?" The Doctor asked gravely.
"No," I said.
"Alright," Doctor Warren said. "It's getting a little late to be out after what just happened. You might want to start walking home. I'm dreadfully sorry about your family, Isaac. I'll ask the sons about funeral plans and burial sights if that's alright with you."
"That would be very nice. Thank you, doctor," Isaac said.
We all said goodbye and walked back to the Gazette. We said goodbye to Eli and Isaac and I walked home in silence. When we arrived back at the store it was empty except for Zeb.
When Zeb saw us he looked angry. "You two have been gone for five hours! Isaac North, you slacker apprentice! Your work has piled up so high that I had to do it because of the number of customers! You may not see any right now, but there were a lot and I had to handle them all by myself! Mr. Byers is quite angry with you two for staying out so long! Going out on the town is not how you gain the skills for your career, Isaac. You-"
"Shut up, Zebulun Morris! You don't know what happened!" I yelled angrily.
Isaac just ran out of the store and up to the loft.
"What's wrong with him?" Zeb asked, annoyed.
"Watch your tone before you judge!" I snapped. "He's lost his entire family in a matter of hours! His father just died from being stabbed through with a bayonet right in front of him! His childhood home was burned by the British with his mother and sisters still in it! Every bit of his childhood and his family is gone! Snatched up by these bastard soldiers! You better cut him some slack and have some sympathy!" I hissed.
Zeb stared at me, completely dumbfounded. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know!"
"That's right, you didn't!" I snapped. "They're doing horrible things to innocent people and it's hitting closer and closer to home!"
This tragedy would not be the last one, and I was also about to have a bombshell dropped on my life soon.