Dawn of Liberty - Short Story Collection

By Amber Schamel

2017 CSPA Book of the Year Award Winner – Historical Fiction category

Liberty comes with a price. Can a fledgling nation bear the cost?

British forces advance upon a struggling colonial army. The time of decision has come. Declare independence, or give up the fight. The weight of a nation rest

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vision Writer Publications
• Release date: Jun 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9780999176702

Amber Schamel

Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest". A homeschool graduate from a family of 12 children, Amber found her calling early in life. First published at age 21, she has continued to hone her craft and has been awarded the 2017 CSPA Book of the Year Award in Historical Fiction. Between ministry, family and working in their family-owned businesses, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples. Find her on the Stitches Thru Time blog, or on any of the major social media sites. Amber is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers.http://amberschamel.com/Newsletter & updates: http://www.amberschamel.com/newsletter-signup.htmlBlogs - http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/http://www.hhhistory.com/http://amberschamel.blogspot.com/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberSchamelTwitter - @AmberSchamel https://twitter.com/AmberSchamelPinterest - http://pinterest.com/AmberDSchamel/Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7073165.Amber_SchamelAmazon - http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Schamel/e/B00CIXK91M

Book preview

Dawn of Liberty

Short Story Collection

By

Amber Schamel

Dawn of Liberty

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A Shot at Freedom

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Travail of a Nation

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©2016 by Amber Schamel

http://www.AmberSchamel.com

Published by Vision Writer Publications

200 S. Wilcox St. #328

Castle Rock, CO 80104

Ebook edition created 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means –for example, electronic, photocopying, recording—without the prior written consent of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All Scriptures quotations are taken from the King James Version (Public Domain).

Quotations from the Declaration of Independence, Library of Congress (Public Domain).

Background images from Shutterstock.com

Costume image © Lihana | Dreamstime.com

Model image © Roseanna White

Cover Design by Roseanna White Designs

Other photos from 123RF Stock Photo and Public Domain.

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Dawn of Liberty

Gracious Father, our fate is before us. Each day that slips by is lifeblood dripping from our country's veins.

Samuel Adams folded and unfolded his hands on the bed. His knees ached from kneeling all night long, but he wasn't yet ready to rise.

Almighty Jehovah, who led the Israelites from captivity, lighten our path to liberty. Our years of suffering are full. Lead us out of this bondage afflicting us to the still waters of peace and the green pastures of prosperity.

His mind wandered back to his beloved Boston, where the tyranny and suffering at the hands of the British were acute. He could hear the cries of the crowd, see the stains of blood in the street and the flash of muskets. His eyes flew open as his breath caught in his throat, but all was dark and quiet in the apartment. The grandfather clock outside his boarding room chimed. Five o'clock; it would still be close to an hour before the sun would finally rise.

With trembling hands, he rose from his aching knees and sat down on the bed. He had been in the streets of Boston the night of the massacre. Bodies of innocents littered the streets, their crimson blood crying out for justice and liberty. Widows wailed over their dead husbands; mothers cried out for their murdered sons. It was these people who suffered most from King George's tyranny. Poor, innocent people who could not pay his ridiculous taxes.

He had seen it time after time when he was employed as tax collector. He believed in giving to Caesar that which was Caesar's, but the taxes forced on the colonies went far beyond that. Families had resorted to selling off everything they had left, just to pay taxes to the most powerful empire on earth. This is why he had failed in his post. He couldn't force people to pay when they needed the money far more than a selfish king across the sea. For this reason, the government had punished him. The magistrates prosecuted him for being intolerably inefficient as collector. Well, if that's what England calls intolerable, then he was proud to bear the reproach.

With a sigh, he flopped back on the bed. The wooden frame squeaked in protest. For days, Congress had delayed the debate on independence. Each day the words written by the clerk burned in his soul. This Congress will, tomorrow, resolve itself into a committee of the whole to take into their further consideration the declaration respecting independence. Tomorrow, tomorrow. How long would they put it off?

Easy, Adams. You've waited years. A few more days, and it will be resolved. His self-chiding, even when spoken aloud, did little to calm his nerves. "Perhaps it will be today. It must be today."

At least Congress had consented to have the document drafted. They had appointed a committee of five men to compose it, with a young delegate from Virginia as the main author. How he wished he could see what they had framed. The wording of the declaration was so important. It must be firm and thorough in explaining the tyranny of Britain and the Colonies' cause for independence. It must clearly claim their God-given right to liberty.

The sound of squeaking hinges came from the room across from his. He jumped up and jerked open his door. John.

His cousin, John Adams, whirled around, his mouth twisted in a startled expression. Sam, you're liable to be my cause of death one of these days.

Are you off to meet with Jefferson already?

We wish to meet one last time before session, but I was on my way to take breakfast. Won't you join me?

With pleasure. He paused before the mirror long enough to plop his white wig onto his head, grabbed his notorious red overcoat from the chair back and stuffed his arms into the sleeves as he trotted to catch up to John's pace.

Mercy, Sam, have you slept at all? Your eyes are bloodshot, and those bags under your eyes could transport Mrs. Hancock's wardrobe.

Sam chuckled, although it was a bit of a sore spot. Hancock was blessed enough to have his newlywed wife with him, but she did have an obsession with fashion. He envied Hancock's happiness of having his wife near. Sam was obliged to receive just a few letters from Betsy and hadn't the pleasure of a reunion with her since September.

Sleep? I'm not sure. Every time I close my eyes, I see the faces of my brethren that have died for freedom. I don't know if you could call it sleep. They descended the stairs of Sarah Yard's Lodging House and crossed Second Street to the City Tavern. The fresh morning air was invigorating, and the first signs of dawn appeared on the horizon. His stomach fluttered as he thought of the duty before them today.

They entered the coffee room and found a table. The room was vacant except for one other man seated alone in the far corner. Not many rose this early for breakfast. A cozy fire glowed in the large hearth, and homey smells of sausage, coffee and hoecakes wafted through the air. They made their selections of hot porridge,

Reviews for Dawn of Liberty - Short Story Collection

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed these three short stories. It was fun to learn more about Samuel Adams during the beginning of the revolutionary war. This makes me want to know more about this time period. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion.