th given her unto us, Mary, as truly as if she had
been born of our love. I knew that Roger had married, yet heard
nothing of the birth of the child or the loss of his wife. However,
from this hour the orphan is to be our own; and we must now decide upon
some safe means of bringing her here without delay."

He paused. No one of us spoke. His glance slowly wandered from the
candle flame, until it settled gravely upon my face as I sat resting on
a rude bench fitted into the chimney corner. He looked so intently at
me that my mother seemed instantly to interpret his thought.

"Oh, surely not that, David?" she exclaimed, pleadingly. "Not John?"

"I know of no other fit messenger, little woman," he answered soberly.
"It has indeed troubled me far more than all the rest, to decide on
this; yet there is no one else whom I think equal to the task. John is
a good boy, mother, and has sufficient experience in woodcraft to make
the journey."

"But the savages!" she insisted. "'T is said we are upon the verge of
a fresh outbreak, stirred up by this new war with England, that may
involve the settlements at any time. You know Burns told you just
now,--and he is an old scout, familiar with the West,--that British
agents were active along the whole border, and there was great
uneasiness among the Indian tribes."

"There is serious promise of danger, 't is true," he admitted, a flash
of the old fire in his eyes. "Yet that is scarce likely to halt David
Wayland's son. Indeed, it is the greater reason why this helpless
orphan child should be early brought to our protection. Think of the
defenceless little girl exposed alone to such danger! Nor have we
means of judging, Mary, of the real seriousness of the situation to the
north and west. War between the nations may very likely arouse the
spirit of the savages, yet rumors of Indian outbreak are always on the
lips of the settlers. Burns himself was upon his return westward, and
did not seem greatly troubled lest he fail to get through. He claimed
to live at Chicagou Portage, wherever that may be. I only know it is
the extreme frontier."

My mother did not answer; and now I spoke, my cheeks aflame with
eagerness.

"Do you truly mean, sir, that I am to go in search of the little girl?"
I asked, barely trusting my own ears.

"Yes, John," my father replied gravely, motioning me to draw closer to
his chair. "This is a duty which has fallen to you as well as to your
mo