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He had seen his father aroused only once, years before. A large man had been mistreating a horse, and Nathan never forgot how his father had exploded into wrath, thrashing the bully so quickly and thoroughly that the story still lingered in the town.
    “Rev. Patterson, when you preach the gospel, I am a faithful member of your flock. If you choose to depart from your calling and turn your pulpit into a political arena, I cannot respect you.”
    He might have said more, but Molly suddenly was there. She put her hand on his arm and said, “Adam—please!”
    At once, he looked at her, and then said, “This is no place for argument. Excuse us, Pastor.”
    Nathan followed his parents, but the minister grasped his arms. “Nathan, you must try to talk to your father.”
    Nathan shook his head. “There is nothing I can say, Pastor. He just gets angry with me.”
    “I understand you’re going to Boston.”
    “Yes, tomorrow.”
    “Be careful, Nathan!” Patterson’s full face was still angry, and he added as the boy pulled away. “That’s where all Sam Adams’ gang is, and they’ll pull us into a war if something isn’t done!”
    Nathan hurried away; this time he and Caleb followed the buggy down the road. As he expected, Caleb began to berate the minister. “Why, that preacher ought to be tarred and feathered!” he exclaimed. “I’ll bet he gets his pay from ol’ King George himself.”
    “Caleb, you’re crazy!”
    “No, I’m not!”
    “You’re just a kid—and not too smart at that!” The anger that had gnawed at Nathan spilled out, and he glared at Caleb, saying loudly, “What do you know? Oh, sure, there have been a few unfair taxes, but what do you think we can do about it?”
    “We can fight!”
    “Why, you are crazy, Caleb!” Nathan snapped. “England’s the strongest nation in the world—and you think a few farmers like us can fight her?”
    Caleb’s dark face was stubborn. “England’s thousands of miles away, Nathan, and this is a big country. All of us can shoot, can’t we? How long can we stand for being treated like slaves?”
    Nathan was shocked, for he had known men put into the stocks for saying less. “Caleb, that’s treason! ”
    “It’s the same as Father thinks!”
    There was so much truth in Caleb’s reply that Nathan was speechless. He shook his head in despair, and listened in silence all the way back to the house as Caleb talked endlessly about the matter.
    Finally he said as they unsaddled the horses, “You’d better not say any of this to Father, Caleb. He’d never let you go to Boston with me.”
    “Yes, he would,” Caleb argued, but caution kept him quiet, and the house, though filled with a certain restraint that evening, was unbroken by any political talk.
    ----
    Molly lay quietly as the crowing of a cock broke through the silence of the morning. She felt the tension in Adam’s body, and reaching out, touched his cheek. “You didn’t sleep much.”
    “No.”
    “Neither did I.”
    He rolled over and peered at her in the dim light, then gave a quick laugh. “We know each other pretty well, don’t we?”
    “I guess when two people love each other like we do,” she smiled, “their moods get all mixed up. When you’re happy, so am I. And when you’re troubled, I can’t rest.”
    He shook his head, threw back the cover and got out of bed. Pulling on his clothes, he was silent, but when they were both dressed, he turned to her and said, “Should I let them go, Molly?”
    “Yes.”
    He suddenly laughed. “You’re always so certain of everything. I wish I were!”
    She was almost as tall as he, so she only had to pull his head down a couple of inches to kiss him on the lips. “They’ll be all right. They’re good boys.”
    He stared at her, and there was an indecision in him that she had never seen. “Are they? I hope so.”
    “You’re worried about Nathan, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, I am.” He hesitated, then said, “He’s too impulsive,