Thank you to everyone who is reading! Please feel free to massage me with comments (good or bad!) I love to hear from people and know that there are actually people out there reading :) Enjoy
I do not own Liberty's Kid's or any of these characters
The afternoon sun was beating down on James' neck as he walked back to the shop. A few emotions were going through his mind. He was worried about the press and didn't know what they would do about fixing it. This morning had been a close call as it was, and if Moses wasn't there James wasn't sure he could have gotten the part of the machine off of himself. He was also hungry and seriously looked forward to whatever lunch would have been made when he got back. Hopefully Henri had not eaten all of it! James also found himself rather embarrassed as he walked down the streets of Philadelphia covered in ink. He hadn't been paying attention when he left the shop but soon noticed as a group of women pointed and laughed at him outside.
As he approached the door to the print shop a boy holding a bag came up to him, looking rather shy.
"Sir" He said timidly. James turned and smiled at him encouragingly. "Sir are you going into that shop?"
"Why yes I am in fact. This wonderful print shop of the Pennsylvania Gazette. I work here with the great man Benjamin Franklin." James couldn't help bragging some to the little boy who did not, as James had hoped, look wide-eyed and amazed at James.
Instead the boy looked just as nervous and fumbled through his bag pulling out a letter. "Well sir can you please give this letter to" he looked down at the envelope "A Miss Sarah Phillips? You will see her won't you?"
"Yeah sure." said James, smiling and taking the letter, only a little disappointed that the boy was not impressed with him.
Holding the letter James walked back into the shop, and looking around to find no one went to the kitchen in the back, where the group was sitting at the table eating what looked like some bread and stew.
"James you're back" said Sarah kindly as she got up. "Would you like anything to eat?"
"Yes please!" replied James "It smells really really really really good Sarah."
"That many really is rather redundant James. You should work on your editing." She handed him the bowl with her common 'Im-proper-and-better-than-you scowl' but soon broke into a smile as she added "But I do appreciate the compliment, your very kind."
James took the food happily and sat down. "So Moses apparently they don't have the part here, and it would take about a month to ship it. But he said that there was a business partner he saw recently in New Jersey who had the part we wanted."
"Alright then. James and Sarah I want you to go and pick it up. You can take Caesar and leave tomorrow morning." Moses said looking at the three children at the table as though there was going to be no discussion about it.
"But Moses there's nothing happening in New Jersey. Why should we go?" Whined James as he thought about all the stories he would miss while in New Jersey. It was clear Sarah was feeling the same way about the trip.
"Look someone still needs to run the shop while people are gone. If the press falls off again I don't trust that one of you will be able to put it back on and wont get hurt. Since I need to run the machine you need to go, and I don't want you guys going alone. Besides you can drop off some mail along the way for Dr. Franklin."
"Oh that reminds me" James said quickly his mouth still partly full. "Here I have a letter for you Sarah"
"Could you please not speak with your mouth full? It's so ungentlemanly." Sarah said looking a little disgusted with James
"Fine then." James said after swallowing. "I won't give you your letter." He said this with a small smile dangling the letter in front of Sarah's face.
"James give her her letter. And Sarah please don't give me that look, you do need to go. I already explained it." Moses instructed them all. James reluctantly gave Sarah the letter which she took gratefully and began to open.
"Why can't I go?" pleaded little Henri in the silence that followed.
"Because I need someone to stay here and keep all the chores going. Henri it is not worth it to have all of you gone for several days. Now that's it on the matter." Moses was clearly starting to get annoyed about the subject. He was in one of those moods it seemed where he knew what he wanted and he didn't want complaining.
"What if he goes instead of me?" said Sarah quickly. She did not like the ride to New Jersey and didnt love the idea of spending that time with just James. She needed to be with him only in small doses so as to not begin to hate him. "I really do not want to go and then I can stay here and help and write some."
Moses looked as he was about to say no but then looking at Sarah closely began to consider it. "Possibly. Though then Henri must be working on his reading while he is gone I dont want him to fall behind"
"Oh I will I promise I promise" Henri sounded so excited.
"Wait a minute. Why does Sarah get to stay and its automatically me who has to go?" James complained loudly sounding quite self-righteous about the whole matter.
Sarah who was busy opening her letter turned to James and glared at him. James knew what was to follow "Why cant you be a gentleman James and see that it is most proper for you to go. Would it really be good for Henri and I to be off in foreign region by ourselves" She knew she was being rather hypocritical as she often stated she didnt need anyone and New Jersey wasnt really foreign; however she really did not want to go on this trip. Seeing Moses nodding his head Sarah knew her argument worked and went back to reading her letter.
"You really must go James thats no question. If Sarah really does not want to go then I suppose that it is possible Herni may go instead. Though I do want him to be working on his English reading now clean up all of you theres work to be done. Cant stand around talking all day."
"Wait!" proclaimed Sarah who was still sitting reading her letter. "I think I will go actually" She stated as she folded the letter back up and looked to a shocked James.
"Whats with the change of heart?" He asked in a rather sarcastic tone. "Decided you couldn't be away from me too long?"
She gave him a glare. "No Mister Hillar, actually if you must know this letter just gave me word that a good friend of mine from England just moved to New Jersey to marry a royal officer. I would really like to go see her."
"That sounds reasonable" Said Moses matter-of-factly as he left the table. "Sorry Henri. It looks like it will just be us here learning English."
Henri gave a groan and stared at Sarah as though she had just taken away the last slice of pie. Sarah however gave him a little pat and went upstairs to start packing for the trip ahead of her.
-Thanks for reading!-
