CHAPTER IV 

 THE GUSHING ELM 



Who does his duty is a question 

 Too complex to be solved by me, 

 But he, I venture the suggestion, 

 Does part of his that plants a tree. 



Lowell 



THE summer tourist on his way to 

 Cape Cod has often passed through 

 the portion of Hingham lying just 

 to the south of Nantasket Junction near the 

 Cohasset town line. He has noticed, on 

 the right hand side of the road, a very large 

 and symmetrical tree, known as the Gush- 

 ing Elm, bearing the following inscription: 



UNDER THIS TREE IN 1775 



PASTOR JOHN BROWN PREACHED 



TO A COMPANY OF COHASSET SOLDIERS 



OF COL. GREATON'S REGIMENT WHICH 



SERVED IN THE SIEGE OF BOSTON 



Colonel Greaton was in command of that 

 portion of the Patriot army which was 

 located at Roxbury in 1775, and his name 

 occurs many times in connection with mill- 



