 Set up with the everyday grind, Tired out from the summer heat, Wanna get away from it all? We offer you Escape! Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today For a half hour of high adventure! You are spurring a lathered horse through darkened streets Trapped by two hostile armies With a kit of magic in your pocket And the American Revolution in the balance Tonight, we escape to an earlier day And to the workshop of a famous wizard As Stephen Vincent Bonet told it in his delightful story A Tooth for Paul Revere Some say it all happened because of Hancock and Adams And some put it back to the Stamp Act and before And there's some that hold out for Paul Revere In his little silver box But the way I heard it The American Revolution broke out because of Lige Butterwick And his tooth My great aunt was a Butterwick And I heard it from her Every now and then she'd write it out And want to get it put in the history books But they'd always put her off with some trifling sort of excuse But the way she told it to us kids Sitting there before the flickering fire On some blustery, blowy night It sounded spooky enough and wonderful enough to be As true as the Union History books, Baha You don't get the right of things from such In the story of a nation It's the queer corners that count The tales that get whispered down through families Now take Paul Revere, for instance All most folks think about is his riding a horse But he was a silver smith by trade And there was a kind of magic in that hand of his I could see just a little bit farther Into the millstone than most folks And in that little shop of his on those fateful nights He sat over a miraculous flame And brewed the revolution in a silver teapot And then he put it into a little silver box No bigger than this Yes, that's the way my great aunt talked about Paul Revere And the chills ran up our spines But it takes all kinds to make a country, she used to say And it isn't till the plain ones Like Lige Butterwick gets stirred up The things really start to happen Lige was just an ordinary sort of man Without special vision into a millstone It might be a grand day in the history books But for him it was just Tuesday Till he read about it in the papers Folks could argue and fret about Boston tea parties And British warships in Boston Harbour And British soldiers in Boston streets But Lige Butterwick just plucked his tongue And wondered how the corn might stand this year On his farm outside Lexington, Massachusetts One day Lige Butterwick woke up with a toothache The hot salt pack and the tansy tea his wife fixed for him Didn't seem to help much And on the third day Mrs. Butterwick tied a string to the tooth And Lige stood by the door You ready? Uh-huh Well? Matthew? When it came to the pinch Couldn't quite do it So... That's how Lige Butterwick came to ride into Lexington, Massachusetts That day He just had to see somebody about the tooth When he got there The town was in an uproar Lige Butterwick! Eh? Oh Good day to you, Neighbor Williams Lige, I didn't expect to see you here today It's my tooth Tooth? What do you mean? Uh, a heart Oh? Isn't it exciting? Exciting? The toothache? No, no, you idiot, all this Have you seen them yet? Seen who? Well, Hancock and Adams, of course John Hancock and Sam Adams They're at the Parson Clarks Only folks who come here to see was the barber I figure he's the only one who can do something from a tooth You don't fool me, Lige You're probably just as excited as I am Have you cleaned your musket? Well, it's five months, the hunting season, yeah That's where you're wrong, Lige Looks like hunting season Maybe early this year Keep your powder dry Uh, huh? And so Lige Butterwick came to Lexington And it was a great day for the history books And to him it was just Tuesday And his tooth was jumping And we went to see the barber As the light-laced man he knew to pull a tooth But the barber took one look at it And shook his head I can pull her out, all right, Lige But she's got long ruts and strong ruts And she can't leave an awful gap when she's gone Hmm, that's true Now, what you really need, though it's, of course, tick my business One of these here artificial teeth that go there in the hole Artificial teeth? Yeah Land of Mercedes flying in the face of nature Nothing of the kind, Lige Artificial teeth is all the gold these days Lexington ought to keep up with the times But I would do me no good to see you with an artificial tooth Yes, indeed it would It would do you good, but I suppose now I did want one How in tongue it would have got it in Lexington Now, you just leave that all to me You'll have to go into Boston, but I know just a man Here, if I can find it And it had his prospectus here somewhere Oh, yes, here See here? This fellow I called over here in Boston That fixes him, and they say he's a boss workman Very Yes, now you just listen to this here Whereas many persons were so unfortunate As to lose their foreteeth Now, that's you, Lige Oh, yeah To their great detriment, not only in looks But in speaking both in public and private This is to inform all sorts That they can have them replaced by artificial ones I see That will look as well as the natural And answer the end of speaking to all intents Oh, yes, and then see it goes on Oh, his name, yes, his name is right here Paul Revere and Goldsmith Near the head of Dr. Clark's wife in Boston Hmm, sounds well enough But what's it gonna cost? Oh, I know, Revere Comes through here pretty often, as a matter of fact Doc? Yes, and he's a decent fellow Even if he is a pretty big bug And sounds lippity Now, you just mentioned my name Well, it's something I hadn't thought of But in for panty, in for pound Mr. Day's work already And that too has got to come out Before I go stock-staring mad But what sort of man is this Revere, anyway? Oh, he's a regular wizard Regular wizard with his tools Wizard? Hmm I don't know about wizard But if he can fix my tooth, I'll call him one So Lige Butterwick got back on his horse And started from Boston He rode through the busy, excited streets of Lexington And when he came opposite the residents of Parson Clark He saw a little crowd collected Men staring, so he stopped his horse For a moment and looked Sir, is that them? Is it who, son? Mr. Hancock and Mr. Adams, sir There through the window Tall handsome man and a short man With a face like a bulldog Hmm, I wouldn't know, son They're strangest to me Get up When he got to Boston He began to feel queer And it wasn't only his tooth He hadn't been there for four years And he'd expected to find it changed But it wasn't that either The sky was clear and beautiful Lige felt like there was thunder in the air It was uncanny And the people There'd be little knots of them on the corners But when you came up to them They seemed to melt away Or they'd look at you and stop talking And then he came to the harbour Out there in the port of Boston Riding black and grim For the British warships He'd known they'd be there, of course But it was different somehow Seeing them with their guns pointed in at the town Suddenly felt uncomfortable Felt he'd like to turn and go home But he was hungry And so he went to a tavern for a bite Uh, good day to you And what may I do for you, stranger? Uh, just to bite us up, if you're serving Aye, have a seat You'll be served Thank you Uh, nice weather we're having these days It's bitter weather for Boston Well, now, maybe for Boston But out in the country we'd call it good plant weather I guess maybe I was mistaken in you It is good planting weather For some kind of trees Trees? Well, now, I suppose you're right about that That's, uh, and what kind of trees would you be thinking of? There's trees and trees, you know Uh, well, uh, now that you asked me, I... You meant the Liberty Tree And may it soon be watered in the blood of tyrants Now, the Royal Oak of England and God-Safe King George and Lory's here At him boys! Wait, stop I didn't mean it Lory, I always heard city folks were crazy But politics must be getting serious in these American colonies When they start fighting about trees Uh, and it is, friend So they threw you out, too? Yes, bless them But I want to shake your hand, nobly done, friend And I'm glad to find another true-hearted man loyal to the crown In this pestilent, rebellious city Well, I don't know, as I quite agree with you about that But I came here to get my tooth fixed, not to talk about politics And as long as you've spoken supleasant I wonder if you could help me out You see, I'm from Lexington Way And I'm looking for a fellow named Paul Revere Paul Revere? No, so it's Paul Revere You want my worthy and ingenious friend from the country? Well, I'll tell you how to find him Good, I thank you You go up to the first British soldier you see and ask the way But you'd better give the password first Password? Yes, you say to that British soldier, any lobsters for sale today? And then you ask about Revere But why do I talk about lobsters first? Well, you see, the British soldiers wear red coats So they like being asked about lobsters Just try it and see Uh, pardon me, sir Do you have any lobsters for sale today? What? How dare you seize that man? Barrel, place to hide You can come out now, they've gone past Oh, oh yes, thank you Nice, thanks Look at your clothes, that was a tar barrel you jumped into This is a tar barrel Nice, thanks Look at your clothes, that was a tar barrel you jumped into Yes, I'm a sight What were they chasing you for? I really don't know, guess I didn't give the right password Password? Yes, but all the same, I don't think soldiers ought to act like that when you ask them a several questions But city folks are soldiers, they can't make a fool out of me I came here to get my tooth fixed and get it fixed as well If I have to surprise the whole British kingdom to do it Good for you, sir, can I be of any help to you? Ah, you can, boy Tell me where I may find the silversmith, Paul Revere Oh, that's easy, right before your eyes There's a sign hanging down by the wharf And that's his shop, I work there Well now, those soldiers did me a good turn after all Come on, boy, now maybe I'll get my tooth fixed Then Lige Butterwick was in the shop of Paul Revere Silversmith, Goldsmith, Jack of all trades Sculpturer of artificial teeth, Brewer Revolutions Wizard The shop itself was small and dark With mysterious shadows lurking in the corners and the back It was crammed full of the wondrous product of its owner's skillful hand Gold and silver objects of great beauty Prince of Boston and caricatures of the British Art boxes and bottles filling the shelves At this particular moment it was also full of customers And Lige Butterwick, with the cautious shyness of the countryman Sanked back into a corner seat out of the way Watched as Paul Revere waited on several customers And the last of these was a grand lady who looked like an irate turkey goblin Oh, Master Revere, I am so disappointed When I took the things from the box I could just have cried It's I whom disappointed, madam What was the trouble? Must have been callously packed Was it badly dented? I'll speak to the boy No, no, it wasn't dented But I wanted a really impressive silver service Something I can use when the governor comes to die in with us I certainly paid for the best And what have you given me? I've given you the best work of which I'm capable, madam It was in my hands for six months And I think they're capable hands Oh, I know you were a competent artisan, Master Revere Silver Smith, ma'am I don't care what you call it I know I wanted a real service Something I could show my friends And what have you given me? Oh, it's silver if you choose But it's just as plain as a picket fence Simple, plain You pay me high compliments, madam Compliments, indeed I'll send it back tomorrow Why, there isn't as much as a lion or a unicorn on the cream jug And I told you I wanted the sugar bowl covered with silver grapes But you've given me something as bare as the hills of New England But I tell you, I'll send London instead Send away, madam We're making new things in this country New men, new silver Perhaps who knows a new nation Plain, simple Bare as the hills and rocks of New England Graceful as the boughs of elm trees If my silver were only like that, indeed That's what I wished to make it As for you, madam With your lions and unicorns and grape leaves And your nonsense of bad ornamentation Done by bad silversmiths Your imported bad taste and your imported British manners Puff, away with you Puff, puff, puff Puff, I say William? Yes, sir Put up the shutters We're closing for the day Oh, William, no word yet from Dr. Warren? Not yet, sir Yeah, what's that? Well, who are you there in the corner? Well, Mr. Rivera It is Mr. Rivera, no? Yes, of course It's kind of a long story But closing or not, you've got to listen to me The barber told me so The barber? You say, I'm Lige Butterwick and that's my tooth How? Tooth? You'd better begin at the beginning Oh, but wait, now here You don't talk like a Boston man Where do you come from? Oh, around Lexington Way Lexington, were you there this morning? Well, of course I was That's where the barber I talked about Never mind about the barber Well, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Adams still at passing clocks? Well, they might have been for all I know But I couldn't say Great, heaven is their man in the American colonies Who don't know Mr. Hancock and Mr. Adams Oh, there seems to be me But speaking of strangers There was two of them staying at the postage When I rode past One was a handsome man The other man looked more like a bulldog So they are still there And the British ready to march Did you see many soldiers As you came to my shop, Mr. Butterwick? Say them They chased me into a tar barrel It was a whole parcel of them By the common with guns and flags Looked as if they meant business Thank you, Mr. Butterwick You're a shrewd observer You've done me and the colonies an invaluable service Well, that's nice to know But speaking of this too You're a stubborn man, Mr. Butterwick All the better I like stubborn men I wish we had more of them Well, one good turns there's another You've helped me I'll do my best for you I've made artificial teeth But drawing them is hardly my trade Let's have a look Come over here by the light Now open Ah Well, Mr. Butterwick It appears to be compound A glutinated infraction of the upper molar And I'm afraid I can't do anything about it tonight But here's a draft That will ease the pain for a while There Drink It's spicy and queer Now you go to a tavern Get a night's rest Come back see me in the morning I'll find a truth drawer for you If I'm here Oh yes, you'd best have some liniment It's a queer kind of shop you have here, Mr. Vare Some folks think so Say, what's in that little bottle? Where? Oh, there That's a little chemical experiment of mine I call it essence of Boston But there's a good deal of the East wind Essence of Boston? Well, they did say you was a wizard It's genuine magic, I suppose Genuine magic, of course And here Here's the box with your liniment No, not that one This one Thank you But that other little box I have a little silver one with the stars on it And the elm tray Oh yes You like it? Pick it up Mighty pretty work Thank you My own design 13 stars there See them? You could make a very pretty design with stars For a new country, say If you wanted to I've sometimes thought of it But what's in the box? It feels queer What's in it? What's in the air around us Gunpowder, war Making of a new nation But the time isn't right yet Not quite right You mean that this here revolution Folks keep talking about Yes In this box Glory be Master Evia It's come, it's come The message from Dr. Warren My writing boots Now hurry, I must be off Sorry, Mr. Butterwick But I must rush Take your liniment And come back tomorrow Oh yes I, but I'm back tomorrow I'll help you Yes, sir It wasn't till Lige Butterwick Was alone in his room at the tavern Where he was to stay the night And he realized What he had done In the bustle and haste Of leaving Mr. Revere's shop He had picked up the wrong box Instead of the box of liniment He held in his hand The little silver box With the thirteen stars upon it He hadn't quite believed Mr. Revere When he talked about the box But then Everything had seemed so almighty queer Since he'd arrived in Boston And his toothache And his head felt light And he, being human, was curious He looked for a keyhole But there was none The box wouldn't open He shook it Suddenly It felt warm As if there Was something alive inside it He held it to his ear Great Godfrey Now Lige Butterwick was feeling scared But he was feeling kind of good too A man he found out That he was talking to himself Well, I'm not a Britisher I'm a New Englander And maybe there's something beyond that Something people like Hancock and Adams know about And if it has to come With the revolution Well, I guess it has to come Can't stay Britishers forever Here in this country What am I going to do with this box? Too big a job for one man I guess I'll have to take this back to Paul Revere First, he went to the little shop on Clark's Wharf But it was closed up tight And it was a while before he could rouse anyone Then it was the boy William Who opened the door Oh, it's you Well, Master Revere isn't here But I've got to find him Can you tell me where he's gone? Why do you want to know? Got something for him He needs it You wouldn't be a spy for the British now, would you? A spy? Me? Well Then what is it you've got for him? This box Little silver box Took it by mistake I think it's important The box? By the flag it isn't, Parton But he's gone Gone to one of the Patriots at the British are coming Which way, boy? Which way did he go? Across the river Across this town All right, thank you, boy I'll be following No, you don't get any boats from me There was a crazy man long here an hour ago And he wanted a boat, too My husband was crazy enough to take him Do you know what he did? No, ma'am He made my husband take my best petticoat To muggle the ore So they wouldn't splash When they passed that British ship My best petticoat, mind you When my husband comes back He's going to get a piece of my mind Was his name Paul Revere? Was he a man of forty-eyed, keen-looking, kind of Frenchie? Don't know what his right name is But his name's mud with me My best petticoat torrent of strips And swimmin' in that nasty river Uh, thank you, ma'am I'll get a boat elsewhere Mr. Butterwick, sir, be careful Your own is right under the stern Of a British man of war Don't worry, I'll say it Please, Mr. Butterwick, shh What are you doing, Mr. Crusher? No, I guess not All right, boy Revere, he's been going an hour Gone? Gone where? Riding to Lexington to warn Hancock and Adams As soon as he spied the lights up there in the north church I've got to catch him, it's his box He's got to have it Where can I get a horse? Right over here, come on Out through the darkened streets of Charleston he rode On into the black of the countryside Once he got lost But he found his way again and rode on He was just dawn as he came inside of Lexington And the dew was glistening on the green of the April grass But Lige Butterwick didn't notice the beauty of the dawn The little silver box was hot now And burning in his pocket And then suddenly he reigned in his horse For there on the road were two men carrying a trunk And one of them was Paul Revere Well, Mr. Revere I say I'm on time for that little appointment About my toes Well, um, it's you You are a stubborn man, Mr. Butterwick Ah, wow But you give me a merry chase all night I've had one myself Been captured by the British once and escaped Don't know what's still in store for me But we're carrying a precious cargo here in this trunk We're bringing to safety all the private papers Of Mr. Hancock and Mr. Atmos What's reminds me, I have something for you here What? Silver box You've got the silver box Ah, by mistake And it's getting frightfully hot in my hand Yes, my friend And a little wonder Look across there at Lexington Green The green one Why, there's a line of Lexington men And there across the creek facing them There's a column of British Redcoats Lined up with guns, they are, Mr. Butterwick They've come to arrest Mr. Hancock and Mr. Atmos And the minute men stand before them Mr. Revere, I'm a peaceable man I've had little notion of politics But I don't like what I saw in Boston I don't like soldiers chasing peaceable citizens Into tar barrels But uppity ladies with imported British manners And I don't like British Redcoats on Lexington Green That I don't Mr. Butterwick, what you doing? I'm stamping on yourself a box, Mr. Revere I'm breaking it open You know what you done You let out the American Revolution Look, they've fired the first shots Well, I guess it's about time And I guess I'd better be going now Mr. Butterwick, where you going? Home Got a musket on the wall there I'll be needing it But yeah, what about your tooth? Oh, a tooth's just a tooth But a country is a country Anyhow, doesn't ache anymore Escape produced and directed by Norman McDonald Tonight brought to you a tooth for Paul Revere by Stephen Vincent Bonnet Adapted for radio by John Dunkel And featuring Harry Bartel as Lige Butterwick Parley Bear as Paul Revere And Barry Kroger as the narrator Special music by Ivan Dittmarz Next week You are deep in a fabulous cavern in a mountain Surrounded by a horde of angry natives from a lost world Held the mercy of the most beautiful woman in the world The terrible queen called She Next week We escape with H. Ryder Haggard's famous story, She Good night then until the same time Next week When once again we offer you Escape This is CBS Where 99 million people gather every week The Columbia Broadcasting System