bear up well, for I know that it is the right thing for you to do. I
would not want you to stay at home, when you were needed at the front
to help fight the minions of King George."

"Spoken like my own true-hearted wife!" said Mr. Dare. "I knew you
would look at the matter that way, dear."

At this moment there came a knock on the back-door, and when Mrs. Dare
opened it, she saw a neighbor, Abe Boggs, the father of Zeke, standing
there. This man was an avowed Tory, who was vehement in his
declarations of allegiance to the king, and who had been heard often
to viciously proclaim that all who were not in favor of the king, were
traitors and that they ought to be hung. Knowing this, and
instinctively disliking the man because she knew he was vicious and
bad, Mrs. Dare's heart sank when she saw who was standing there.

The fact was, that the Dares lived right in the midst of a Tory
neighborhood; that is the six or seven nearest neighbors were
adherents of the king, and they neighbored among themselves, and would
not have anything to do with the Dares. This did not bother the
patriot family, however, for they did not like the Tory families
anyway. Mr. Dare often met one or more of the men, when going about
his work, however, and frequently he had arguments with them. As he
was a brave man, and frank-spoken as he was brave, he always told the
Tories just what he thought of their king, and thus he had angered
them many times, and they had learned to hate him. Only his
fearlessness, and the fact that he was known to be a dangerous man to
interfere with, had saved him from rough treatment at the hands of the
Tories.