Page:Dorothy's spy; a story of the first "fovrth of Jvly" celebration, New York, 1776.djvu/29

20, that the colonists had declared themselves to be free, which was one very weighty reason why General Howe's army of royal troops were encamped on Staten Island menacing the city.

To the children there was nothing particularly thrilling in the reading; but they could better understand that it might be of great import, when the soldiers marched and countermarched before the general after the officer had completed his task. The women waved their handkerchiefs; the men cried "huzza" until they were hoarse, and the boys screamed and capered in order to contribute their share to the general excitement.

The soldiers were dismissed from parade; the officers rode slowly away in the direction of the commander's quarters at Bowling Green. The drummers and fifers hired by those who made up the procession, began to play, and the Sons of Liberty led the way toward where the bonfire was to be seen.

In the rear of the procession came the spectators, and never before had Dorothy and Sarah seen the street so thronged with people. It was difficult to walk quietly and as beseemed young ladles, so great was the press, and so mischievous were the boys, who ran here and there shouting loudly as if for no other purpose than to bewilder and irritate the staid and respectable sightseers.