rt, and America
triumphant over her enemies," declared Mr. Weston, as he helped Anna to
a liberal portion of honey.

CHAPTER XIV

AN UNINVITED GUEST

Paul and Mr. Weston started off at an early hour the next morning in
Paul's canoe to bring home the honey. Beside a tub they took with them a
number of buckets, for the old stump had a rich store of honey.

It was a time of leisure for the lumbering settlement. The drives of
logs had all come down the river and were safely in the booms. The mills
could not run as usual, for the conflict with England made it difficult
to send lumber to Boston. The crops were now planted, so Mr. Weston,
like other men of the settlement, had time for hunting and fishing or
for improving their simple homes. Some of the men passed a good part of
each day lounging around the shores and wharves, looking anxiously down
the harbor hoping to see Captain Jones' sloops returning with the
greatly needed provisions.

Rebecca was up in season to see her father start, but Anna, tired from
the adventure of the previous day, had not awakened.

"Is the liberty tree safe?" Rebby asked a little anxiously, as she
helped her mother about the household work that morning.

"Why, Rebby dear, what harm could befall it?" questioned her mother.
"The traitor who set it afloat will not dare cut it down. 'Tis a strange
thing that, search though they may, no trace can be found of the
rascals."

Rebecca's hands trembled, and she dared not look up. It seemed to the
little girl that if her mother should look into her eyes she would at
once know that she, Rebecca Flora Weston, who had been born in Boston,
and whose parents were loyal Americans, had committed the dreadful deed.
She wished with all her heart that she could tell her mother all that
Lucia Horton had said; but the promise bound her. She could never tell
anyone. Rebecca knew that she could never be happy again. "Not unless I
could do some fine thing to help America," she thought, a little
hopelessly; for what could a little girl, in a settlement far away from
all the strife, do to help the great cause for which unselfish men were
sacrificing everything?

Mrs. Weston was troubled about Rebecca. "The child has not really been
well since her birthday," she thought, "although I cannot think what the
trouble can be."

"Your father says that the honey is really yours, Rebby dear," continued
Mrs