“It was the only way to get you back home. The governor’s men came to our house and told me you were in jail and were soon to be put in stocks in the town square. They called you a troublemaker and said we wouldn’t long have our place. I went to see Henry, and he gave me advice on what to do.”

Ethan realized that his wife had done the only thing possible and didn’t comment further to her about his arrest. He said, “Henry, let’s go by your place and talk awhile before we go back home.”

The front door of the shoemaker’s shop was locked, and Henry bypassed it even though it was his usual working hours and went up a back stairway and into his living quarters. “We’ll have a cup of tea and spend some time discussing this mess,” he said. While Epsey put water on to boil, Ethan told them about his experiences, describing how he had been treated as a common criminal. Henry listened until the tea was served all around and then said, “Ethan, let me tell y’all what I’ve heard. As you know, they’ve got all the land around you that belonged to the Quakers, and they want that farm of yours. This is just a first step, a warning, and they’ll continue to look for some excuse to force you off of it.”

“Well, I’m not leaving. I’ve still got some confidence in the government to treat me right. We should be hearing soon about the assembly’s response to the Regulators’ petition.”

Henry glanced at his brother, whom he considered to be naive and overly trusting. Instead of further discouraging Ethan, he decided to emphasize the few reasons for optimism.

“With all the new assemblymen we got elected in our region this year, we have a chance to change things in New Bern. We turned out of office almost half the incumbents in the whole colony, and of the eight who won in Orange, Rowan, and Anson counties five were Regulator supporters and only two were the old county officeholders. The best thing is how bad Herman Husband defeated Edmund Fanning, who was Tryon’s main man out here. All of this should send a shot across the bow of people who might have been aiming at you.”

Ethan had never been in a predicament of this kind, when his own fate was almost completely in the hands of others whom he hardly knew.

Somewhat weakly he said, “Well, I’m sticking it out anyhow.”

“Ethan, you need not be involved personally, but the Regulators are planning some direct action to express their anger with what’s happening and it’s going to be close to home. I suggest that y’all go on back to your farm and just mind your own business for a while. Let some of us see what we can do.”