Across a War-Tossed Sea Read Online Free PDF

during a pillow fight to send feathers flying, Ron’s milkweed pods had exploded into a cloud of wisps that drifted away.
    Ron exploded as well. “Just wait until I get my hands on you dopes!” He grabbed for his little brothers. They wormed away in swift, practiced dodges and got to their feet to run.
    Wesley knew they wouldn’t get far before Ron, who was twice their size, would catch them.
    Shrieking, the twins darted straight for Wesley. They wrapped their arms around his waist and cowered behind him. “Save us!” they yelled.
    Wesley was stunned. They were still playing a game, he knew. But even so, the twins had never before turned to him for help. He looked down at them in surprise, then up at Ron coming toward him. Blimey! Now I’ll catch it, he thought.
    But Ron stopped. His mouth popped open. His look of rage turned to one of surprise, and—Wesley couldn’t be entirely sure, but it looked like Ron’s feelings were hurt. His brow puckered as he looked at his brothers, the same expression Wesley had seen on Ron’s face when Bobby went off on some lark with Charles.
    Then Ron crossed his arms over his chest, and that chip-on-his-shoulder look that always meant trouble for Wesley settled onto his face. “Turncoats.” He spit out the word.
    Jamie and Johnny peeped out from behind Wesley. “What did you call us?”
    â€œTurncoats,” he barked.
    â€œWhat does that mean?” they chimed.
    â€œSomeone who chooses the enemy over family. Someone who switches sides to save his own skin.”
    The twins let go of Wesley. “We’re not no turncoats,” Johnny whimpered.
    â€œProve it,” Ron challenged.
    Jamie and Johnny came to attention like little soldiers.
    Ron pointed at the fluff floating away on the air. “See that? You wrecked my work. That’s about five American sailors who won’t have a Mae West to keep them alive now, thanks to you two knuckleheads. They’ll drown instead.”
    The twins glanced at each other in horror as if caught committing a terrible crime.
    Ron peeled off his cotton sack and tossed it at them. “Fill this back up to prove you’re behind me and that you back the U.S. of A.”
    â€œOkay, Ron. We will!” The twins took up the cotton sack. Dragging it between them, they took turns standing on tiptoe to pluck the pods. As carefree as they’d been earlier, they were now filled with patriotic purpose.
    Pretty clever the way Ron got the twins to do his work for him. Wesley stewed as he continued to fill his own sack. Then he noticed Johnny wiping his face with his shirtsleeves. He was crying.
    â€œThat was mean, Ron.” The words came out of Wesley’s mouth before he could stop the thought. He even dared to repeat it. “Making the twins feel like they were turncoats for hiding behind me and that they didn’t care about American sailors was plain old mean.”
    Ron glared at Wesley, and called ahead, “Hey, boys, do you know when Americans started using the word ‘turncoat’?”
    â€œWhen, Ron?” Jamie spoke for the two of them. Johnny was still sniffling.
    â€œDuring the Revolutionary War. When we had to fight the…”—he paused for emphasis—“British.”
    Living not far from Williamsburg and Yorktown, where the Americans finally beat the British, the twins knew a good amount about the Revolutionary War, despite being just second graders. They stopped picking to listen.
    â€œYup, the British,” Ron went on, reciting the history their teacher had just covered the day before. “Like old Wesley here. Taxation without representation, don’t you know. The Brits tried to take our freedom. They would have hanged George Washington and Thomas Jefferson if they’d gotten their hands on them.”
    The twins frowned and glanced at Wesley suspiciously. Washington and Jefferson were like gods in Virginia. Ron was