The Musket Boys of Old Boston

"The Musket Boys of Old Boston : or, The first blow for liberty" by George A. Warren is a historical adventure novel written in the early 20th century. Set on the eve of the American Revolution, it follows spirited boys—Phil Warrington of Boston, his Concord chum Andy Sabine, and the hunted but loyal Burt Noble—as they stumble into plots, powder, and patriot networks around Boston and Concord. Expect fast-paced exploits, Tory antagonists like Jasper Bram, and close ties to real figures and events as the boys edge toward the first clash for liberty. The opening of the story finds Phil visiting Andy in Concord, where they spot a mysterious boy with a muskrat cap testing a puff of gunpowder and then flee. After a chase and a tangle in a thorny ravine, their guns are stolen by Greg Bram but recovered by old soldier Silas Berks, who hints that his cannon “Old Tom” will signal trouble from Boston. The boys rescue the mysterious lad from Jasper Bram’s stone shed; he proves to be Burt Noble, a patriot agent with a pass signed by Joseph Warren who has secretly removed four kegs of powder from Bram and hidden them for the colonists, sending Andy’s father a note with the cache’s location. When Bram brings officers to seize Burt at the old cooper’s mill, Andy stalls them while Phil barrels Burt downriver to safety; Burt also slips Phil a clue suggesting Jasper Bram holds papers tied to Phil’s family. That night Berks fires his cannon after a pigeon message warns that Gage plans to arrest Warren, Adams, and Hancock, prompting the boys to ride through the night to Lowell.

The Musket Boys of Old Boston, by George A. Warren. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #76265.