PRESENCE OF MIND. 1 37 



of the pious Tryon for the established religion 

 of his country, and the latter to the presence 

 of mind of Mrs. Taylor, the landlady. When 

 the soldiers were about to apply the torch she 

 had a large batch of dough ready for the oven. 

 " Why, boys, " said the comely matron, placing 

 her arms akimbo, and looking smilingly in 

 their faces, ''I was just going to bake some 

 nice biscuits. If you burn the house down, 

 you'll lose your breakfasts ; if you don't, you'll 

 see what good bread a Yankee woman can 

 make ; and I guess I can find some rum to go 

 with it. The old man has run away, but I've 

 got the key, and I'm no more afraid of you 

 than you are afraid of me. Sit down and 

 make yourselves comfortable till breakfast is 

 ready." The soldiers took her at her word. 

 She ** kissed them all for their mothers," 

 they had a good breakfast, and went on their 

 way rejoicing. Taylor's tavern stood for 

 many years, a monument of the ready wit of 

 Taylor's wife. 



The oven figures once more in the history 

 of Danbury. Eli Benedict and Stephen Jarvis 

 were the Tory pilots who led the enemy 

 into the town. They both ^' withdrew '* to 

 Nova Scotia, to await the issue of the war. 



