My Kinsman, Major Molineux by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Short summary

5 seconds

Robin arrives in Boston looking for his relative, Major Molineux. But no one in town agrees to help him. Later, he sees him in the middle of the crowd, next to the devil man.

1 minute

Robin arrives on a ferry to Boston in search of his relative, Major Molineux, who has promised him a job. However, no one in town tells him where the major is. The rich man threatens the young man with prison, and the innkeeper calls him a runaway slave.

At the inn, he meets a man with a face that looks like the devil — two protrusions come from his forehead, his eyes burn like «fire in a cave.» Later he encounters this man again, but this time his face is colored black and red. Blocking his way with a club, he finally receives a reply that his kinsman is coming soon. He waits on the steps of the church, where he is greeted by the first polite gentleman he has met all night.

Soon the men hear the roar of an approaching crowd. At its head is a man with a red and black face, and in the middle of him is Major Moline, covered in tar and feathers. The crowd yells, everyone laughs. Young Robin meets the eyes of the Major, who immediately recognizes him. Disappointed, the young man asks the gentleman how to get back to the ferry.