The Ordeal of Colonel Johns

A bustling convention hall is filled with the boisterous Patriot Daughters of America, all gathered to celebrate the election of Rebecca Johns‑Hayes, the great‑great‑great‑great‑granddaughter of a Revolutionary War hero. The proceedings are dominated by Mrs. Appleby‑Simpkin’s grandiose speeches and a parade of towering personalities, while one nervous attendee, Clark Decker, watches the spectacle unfold from the edge of the audience. Their reverence for the past is palpable, especially when they recount Colonel Peter Johns’s daring skirmish that may have turned the tide at Saratoga.

Amid the fanfare, Professor MacCulloch prepares to unveil his “Historical Reintegrator,” a device that promises to bridge centuries and let a soldier from the 18th century meet his descendant. The convention promises a “momentous invention” that could rewrite the rules of time, setting the stage for a comedic clash of history, science, and personal destiny. Listeners are drawn into the tense anticipation of what happens when the past and present finally collide.